Greatest Gift (4 page)

Chapter Seven

Holland woke
disoriented and warmer than she ever had before. And the male scent surrounding
her was straight from her dreams. She jolted, and blinked her eyelids to focus
on her surroundings. This was definitely not her bedroom. And she had absolutely
not gone to bed with someone last night.

Her brain
kicked over the memories from the previous evening and she had to adjust that
last thought. Technically she had gone to bed with a specific someone, in his
bed, in his house.
Jakob
Nichols had his thickly,
muscled thigh pushed between her legs, his arm wrapped around her tight, and
his large, masculine hand cupping her breast.

It wasn’t the
first time she’d woken up in a man’s arms. It was the first time she didn’t
have the urge to make a break for the door. She liked having him wrapped around
her. Moving her arm, she flexed her hand, and then her elbow and shoulder. She
rubbed her fingers over his hand lightly, and let her eyelids fall closed
again.

His hand flexed
a minute later, and then shifted to lace his fingers with hers. Smiling she
lifted her head and let him slip his arm under her head. “I didn’t mean to wake
you,” she said quietly.

“Don’t you dare
apologize.
I don’t mind waking up early with you in my
arms.” Warm lips pressed to her neck. “How did you sleep?”

“Better than I
thought I would. I felt damn jittery last night, but I fell asleep because you
were here.” Rubbing her cheek to his arm, she let his hand go, and wiggled
around until he let her roll over. His arm wrapped around her again, his hand
pressing to her back to draw her closer. Holland put one hand on his chest, and
wrapped the other around his torso. “How about you, did you sleep well?”

Jakob
gave a nod before resting his forehead to hers. “I
did,” he said. “Best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time. Definitely
something I want to repeat often. Not saying that to put any pressure on you,
merely giving you my end goal.”

She was tempted.
Exceedingly tempted to tell him yes right there and then. Something held her
back. She couldn’t say what it was, but she held her tongue for the time being.
Lifting her hand to press against his cheek, she scraped her thumb nail lightly
to the scruff he was sporting. “You working today?”

“Nope, two days
off. I should go in and do the books but I hate paperwork. It’s the only part
about owning my own shop that makes my brain hurt. Bikes, cars, and trucks
can’t keep a secret from me. Those fucking books though are destined to give me
some disorder that will have me locked in a padded room one day soon.”

“It can’t be
that bad.” The look on his face said otherwise. “All right then, I suppose it
could be. Don’t you have an accounting program to use?”

“It hates me,”
he said seriously. “Every time I try to use the program it eats whatever I put
in, and usually tries to take the computer with it.”

Holland was
attempting to keep from laughing, but damn it was hard. She was also torn
between offering to help him, and letting it be. After some internal debate it
came down to one detail, she wanted to help him. She wanted to spend time with
him, and to get to know him better. Holland knew she could be stepping out on a
shaky limb, but if she didn’t make the attempt she might end up kicking herself
in the ass down the road. “While I haven’t used my degree, I do know a thing or
two about computers. I took a few accounting courses in college because it
seemed reasonably easy. If you want I could take a look at the program, and see
what might be up with it. Maybe even get it running like it should be.”

Jakob
stared at her long enough, she felt about ready to
squirm. It also had her second-guessing her offer to help. “Seriously? You
would be willing to help me out?”

“No promises,
but yeah, I’ll take a look and see if I can. I’m not making any guarantees
here,
Jakob
.”

“I get it, shit
that would be great, thanks.” A huge smile turned his sinfully handsome face to
panty melting hotness. Then he laid a kiss on her that would have had them
flying off had she actually been wearing any.

Pulling back,
she sucked in a breath. “I haven’t done anything yet.”

“You offered,
that was a good enough reason for me. Besides, I’ve wanted to kiss you since I
woke up. This was the perfect excuse.” Another kiss to the forehead happened
before he drew back, rolled over, and pushed off the bed. “Up you get. I’m
taking you out for pancakes. Then we should likely head by your place to get
your new key, and some clothing.”

Holland sat up,
and scrambled off the bed after him. She followed him right into the bathroom,
quickly realizing he’d gotten her where he wanted when he shut the door, and
leaned up against it. Turning, she put her hands on her hips. “Why would I need
to get clothing,
Jakob
?”

He gave her a
lazy shrug, reached out, and pulled her in close. “The clothing is for you to
wear when you go on shift tonight, and maybe some for tomorrow, and the day
after.”

She gave into
the urge and smacked his arm. “I am not moving in here with you, Nichols.”

“Why not? I
happen to think it’s a brilliant idea. It’s closer to work, and has a nice
large bed with the benefit of having me in there with you to bring to the
table.”

She smacked him
again. “Not funny. I barely know you,
Jakob
. That’s
the first problem with this so-called brilliant idea. The second would be the
fact I like my apartment. Yes, it’s a ways from work, but it’s my place, my
space.”

“Okay, both
excellent points. Not saying they aren’t. The first is easy enough to overcome,
sweet cheeks. Hey, you got that for smacking me the second time. The first, I’m
giving to you, but the second was uncalled for.” Drawing her between his legs,
he looped his arms low around her waist. “What do you want to know about me?
Ask and I’ll tell you straight up.”

Chewing on her
lip, Holland lowered her gaze to his chest. A chest she only right then
realized was naked. Holy shit, the man was fucking built. Groaning internally,
she traced her fingers over a tribal design on his left pec that was an
interesting mix between masculine angles mixed with more feminine softness.
Strangely enough she found it suited him. Moving her gaze to his left arm, she
saw the pattern went up over his shoulder, and partway down his bicep before it
faded off with another tattoo taking over. This one was a Celtic cross, and
what looked to be a pack of wolves stalking right off his arm. The closest
animal had its lips drawn up in a fierce snarl as it stood over what appeared
to be a sleeping pup.

She touched the
pup, and looked up at him. “Tell me about the tattoos.” She figured she might
be able to get a read on him for his honesty in talking about the pieces. They
were pure artwork, and obviously had meaning to him.

He lifted an
eyebrow, and nodded. It was like he understood where she was going with her
request. “The cross is for my grandfather, he was an old Irishman straight from
the old country. Had this thick accent where, if you were lucky, you understood
about two words out of twenty. Loved his whiskey, loved a good cigar out on the
back porch, and got a kick telling us grandkids tall tales from his homeland.
The tribal piece is a representation for my parents. The hard edges are all my
old man, and the softer strokes are my mum. She always said she was the balance
to my dad’s rougher parts. The
ying
to his yang or
some such thing. An old friend who grew up with me became a tattooist and
designed it when I told him what I wanted. He’s actually done all my pieces.”

Jakob
backed her up a few steps, and then shifted their
position so she could see his back in the mirror over the sink. “The dragon is
part of a story
Granda
used to tell us kids. There
are several hidden characters from Celtic lore hidden in the piece.”

Holland rested
her cheek over the wolves to stare into the mirror while he spoke. She traced
the ink lines visually and knew later she’d get closer to them to really
explore. “The flower should look odd, but it fits in.” Sprouting from between
the dragon’s toes, up from the Earth crushed beneath the foot, the bloom was
fragile, yet strong at the same time.

“The poppy is
for my dad’s mother, the grumpy Celtic’s wife. Her name was Poppy, and she was
everything that flower was. Strong with a will that would bend but never break.
Fragile in appearance yet tougher than she looked. Nana was maybe five feet
tall, weighed ninety pounds soaking wet while wearing everything she owned, and
ruled with a gigantic wooden spoon. She was ruthless, and yet such a gentle
soul. She had
Granda
by the balls and wasn’t afraid
to squeeze when he stepped wrong.” His chuckle was affectionate like his words.

“She sounds
amazing.”

“She surely
was, I miss her every day.
Granda
too, they went
together in their sleep like it was meant to be.”

“It’s a beautiful
piece.” Reaching around, she ran a finger down the stem. The muscle underneath
rippled, and
Jakob
shifted his weight. “Ticklish are
we?”

“Do not go
there, Holland. I will not play fair, or by any rules if you do.”

Tempted though
she was, she pressed her hand to his back. “Maybe later. Tell me about the
rest.”

“Not much more
to say. I have a couple pieces that go down my right leg that I’ll show you any
time you want me to drop my pants.”

Men, one track
fucking minds
. “Thanks, I’ll wait on that one. Tell me about the
wolves instead.” Holland felt his body go still in a way that she’d never known
any man to do. Lifting her head to look up at him, she met his probing gaze
head on. Whatever he was about to say was big. How she knew that she couldn’t
begin to guess at, but Holland knew she needed to hear it. If he would tell
her.

Chapter Eight

Jakob
was trying to figure out how to tell her. Blowing out a breath, he
lifted her up, turned, and settled her sweet ass on the vanity. He eased
between her legs, and settled his hands on her thighs. He figured he should
straight up tell her, make sure there’s no question.

“I’m a wolf shifter, and the tattoo represents my pack.”
He kept watch on her face hoping he hadn’t freaked her out. Her expression
seemed to waffle between uncertainty and disbelief. “I’m not yanking your
chain, Holland. Humans and shifters have coexisted for centuries. There’s lore
about the firsts, but no one knows for sure how we came to be.”

She pushed at his arms. Knowing she was fighting
her own reality in regards to what he’d shared,
Jakob
backed off to give her space. She slid off the vanity and paced toward the tub
before spinning to face him. “You’re shitting me, right?”

The question held a desperate edge. “No. I can
prove it to you if you want, but I don’t want to send you running and screaming
into the street,” he said softly. Going slow, he approached her, and gently
cupped her face. “I have never, and will never lie to you, Holland. Lying goes
against everything I stand for, what the shifters stand for. The truth may damn
well hurt, but never like a lie can.”

Holland held onto his wrists while she stared up at
him. He heard her swallow hard a second before her nails dug into his skin. Her
breathing accelerated, and her heart rate kicked up. She believed him and it
was freaking her out. “
Shh
,” he whispered. Slowly, he
pulled her into his arms giving her every opportunity to pull back, or push him
away. When she didn’t
Jakob
folded her up in his arms
and held tight.

It took some time, but eventually the shaking
stopped and she heaved a huge sigh. He continued to hold onto her, he liked
having her in his arms. Stroking a hand down her back, he leaned his head to
the side to see her face. “How are you holding up?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted after a minute of
tense silence. “This is a lot to take in,
Jakob
. I’m
having some serious trouble wrapping my mind around it. I mean it explains a
lot, but then I feel like I’m probably losing my mind for believing you.”

Jakob
felt relief course through him upon hearing she believed him. “You’re
not losing your marbles, sweet cheeks. This happens to be outside the realm of
your belief until now. It will take you some time to fully come to terms with
it all, and that’s fine.” Giving her another squeeze, he took a step back, and
rubbed his hands over her arms. “For now let’s grab a shower and then head out.
We both need to eat, and we need to attend to other normal everyday things too.
Put all this on the back burner for the moment and let your brain mull it over
at its own pace.”

She gave a nod, and lifted a hand to press to her
brow. “That could take a while.”

“No rush, Holland. We have all the time in the
world.” Taking her hand in his,
Jakob
pressed a kiss
to her palm. “Why don’t you hop in the shower here, I’ll use the guest bath,
and then we can get on the road for our pancakes. Work for you?”

Holland rubbed her thumb to his lower lip before
blinking, and looking up at him. “Yeah, that works. Can we go by my place
before pancakes? I want some new clothes.”

“Whatever you want, sweet cheeks.” Grinning when
she wrinkled up her nose,
Jakob
pressed a kiss to her
cheek. “Don’t take too long or I’ll come in to scrub your back.” He stepped
back, and left the bathroom.
Jakob
could hear her
muttering under her breath, but couldn’t quite make out the words. He had a
feeling he wasn’t meant to hear whatever she was saying.

Thirty minutes later, they were in his truck, and
headed to her place.
Jakob
had hold on her one hand,
their fingers laced together while she sat on the hump. He liked having her
pressed up next to him, the heat from her thigh and arm warming his side, and
her scent wrapping around him like a hug.

He kept the peace on the way to her place. Holland
was relaxed, her cheek resting against his shoulder, and her thumb lazily
stroking over his skin. It was a comfortable silence, with no strain to fill
the quiet.

Pulling into the parking lot for her building,
Jakob
frowned when he saw a police cruiser by the entrance,
and another toward the back. He knew the moment Holland spotted them, her
entire body going tense. Giving her hand a light squeeze, he pulled into her
parking stall and turned the truck off.

Inside the building, he trailed behind her to the
manager’s office. Their short conversation allowed him the perfect opportunity
to check out Holland’s rear end. He’d had few chances before, she was normally
wary when he was close. Now that she was starting to relax around him he might
get a little more time to scope out her sweet ass and how it filled her jeans
to perfection.

“Why are your eyes on my ass?”

Lifting his chin enough to meet her gaze,
Jakob
grinned. “I like your ass. I have to tell you, sweet
cheeks, that those jeans you are wearing make it look super fine. Personally
though, I can’t wait until I get to see it naked.”

The smack to his arm, he figured he did deserve.
Given he’d said that loud enough, and with the manager right there gawking, he
took the love tap. Slipping an arm around her waist,
Jakob
pulled her back against him, and pressed a kiss to her jaw. He could get used
to playing with her on a regular basis.

He let her loose, but kept a hand on the small of
her back. Walking along with her, he followed her into her apartment, and shook
his head. “Babe, you may need to have a cleaning crew run through here.”

“You think?” Her sarcastic tone only made him want
to kiss her, but he resisted since she was headed down the hall to what he
guessed was the bedroom.

“Well, I guess you could leave it looking lived in,
but the whole frat room vibe really doesn’t work with your decor.” At least it
didn’t smell like a frat house. It still held her scent, one he wanted to roll
around in.

A curse and a thud had him moving to her bedroom
door. He found her sucking on a knuckle, and glaring at something not in his
sightline. Moving closer, he pulled her finger free to get a look, and winced.
She’d taken a chunk from the knuckle and blood was welling. “Damn, what the
hell did you do?”

“Fucking memory box got me. I keep swearing I’ll
get it fixed, but then I forget about it until the next time it takes a chunk
off. I swear it has to be possessed, it keeps demanding blood on a regular
basis.”

“Let’s get that cleaned out with something slightly
more sanitary than your gorgeous mouth, and put a Band-aid on it. Then, I will
go digging for whatever you need while you pull out some clothes. I’m not
leaving you here with a potentially satanic box.”

She snorted at that. “I like how you’re looking out
for my welfare, and not even thinking about yourself in the least.”

“All you, sweet cheeks. I’m a gentleman after all.”
Sticking her hand under the cold water, he kept talking before he got an earful
about her thoughts on that last part. “Where might your medical supplies be?”

“There’s a little first aid kit under the sink.” Holland
moved to the side slightly, and tapped it with a foot. “It’s near the back,
yellow bag.”

Jakob
quickly collected it, and opened it up to inspect the items. “Well,
pick your poison. Iodine or peroxide to clean out any
uglies
that may have invaded.”

“Peroxide,” she said with zero enthusiasm. Not that
he blamed her, either choice was a bitch and a half. Tearing open a little
gauze pad package, he held it at the ready for when she pulled her hand from
under the water. He quickly poured on the peroxide, soaking the gauze at the
same time, and then pressed the pad to the wound.

While she swore up a blue streak, including some
variations he’d never heard before, he got out the antibiotic cream and a
bandage. Prepping the Band-aid, he waited for her to stop the stream of
swearing. Once her finger was wrapped up he pressed a kiss to the knuckle. “Let
me tidy up in here, and then we’ll get you packed for a couple days.”

“Days? I never agreed to days. Another night maybe,
and even then I’m still not seeing the wisdom in this move, Nichols.”

“Oh, but you will. Fear not, I will reveal my
master plan.”

“Pretty much what I’m worried about.” He heard her
mutter when she left the bathroom. God, he adored the mouth on that woman.
Maybe he could talk her into putting it toward other activities later. Once she
was fed, and had some coffee.
Cause
right then he knew
saying anything would be a bad, bad idea.