Their Unexpected Mate [Paranormal Protection Unit] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (5 page)

Katherine whimpered at the smoldering heat that was found in his gaze. Her voice quivered just as her body shivered in anticipation as she said, “I’m sorry.” She wasn’t. She loved to tease him, but if she should apologize, she would.

Laughter rang out. Shaking his head, he leaned in and brushed his nose to hers. “No, you’re not, darlin’, and that’s perfectly fine.” Dropping a chaste kiss to her lips, he pulled her to him. “Now come on, darlin’, my bike is gettin’ all sad sittin’ out there waitin’ on us.”

Good grief, she could listen to him talking for hours, a part of her recognizing that the heavy Southern twang was mostly for show. Well, mostly, she was sure. “All right, come on, it’s time for us to get going because I truly do want to go and grab something to eat while we are out. Thankfully the kitchen staff should be arriving tomorrow morning, so I won’t have to feed myself anymore.” She could cook. It wasn’t that she couldn’t. She just wasn’t great at it.

When she stepped out on the porch she was actually surprised at the beautiful bike that was on her front drive. “Holy cow.” It was truly a work of art. The bike, she knew it to be a Harley, was custom from tires to seat and everything in between. The shine on the thing took her breath away, and she moved to it as if in a trance. Her fingers gently traced over the Delta Force emblem emblazoned on the gas tank and drifted over the beautiful painting on the bike of men and animals. “How odd,” she murmured as she traced over the large wolf, bears, hawk, and what looked to be a dragon. “This is truly a beautiful, beautiful creation,” she murmured in awe. “I apologize now for likening it to a Schwinn.”

“You’re forgiven.” There was a smile on his face as he watched her looking over his bike, watching her as she took in the truth of what and who he was, the truth that he had painted on his baby. “All right, helmet.” Scythe pulled the one out and pushed it onto her head. He wouldn’t die. She could. “All right, there is a mike and speaker in there.” He pulled on the uncomfortable helmet that he had just bought that morning so he could speak to her. “So talk away, baby.” He got onto the bike, started it, and held out a hand to her. “Come on, mama, let’s get going.”

Taking his hand, Katherine allowed him to help her onto the back of the bike and once she was settled in close to him, wrapped her arms around his middle. She couldn’t help but grin. Good grief, but this man was huge and all freaking muscle. She was very, very glad that he couldn’t see her grin because she was sure that he would ask her just what it was that she was smiling about. If he asked her what it was she would have to tell him and that would be all kinds of embarrassing. To her it would be embarrassing to admit to just how he affected her.

Katherine started when he reached back and tugged on her leg, his hand cupping the back of her knee to pull her closer to him. The heat at the apex of her thighs, in her pussy, was hot and liquid against his back. She wanted him. She really enjoyed the way that it felt to hold him with her arms and legs.

As she laughed Scythe pushed the bike a bit faster, controlling the massive beast with obvious practiced ease. He had wanted some additional time with her plastered up close to his back. He wanted that extra time to feel her all boneless against him, and with that thought he eased back on the throttle without even really realizing that he was doing so.

“Don’t slow down,” she called with a laugh. “Don’t slow it down or we will miss our appointment.” She semi-chastised him. “Come on, Trey, faster,” she said with a carefree laugh, a happy and joyful sound without hesitation, without fear, and without a care in the world.

“All right, sugah,” he said with a grin and reached down to once more grip her thigh and give her a squeeze, knowing that he could. Opening the throttle, he let the bike do its thing, allowed it to open up and eat the road up quickly.

Pulling into the nail salon, he turned off the bike and looked over his shoulder at her. “All right, darlin’, here we are,” he said with a grin and gave her his hand. “Let me help you off and then we will go in so that Penny and Maggie can start to work on our feet.” The guys had ribbed him nonstop because he got pedicures and manicures, but as he had told them this morning when he left the house, he was the one who would get to spend this time with her and would always be the one going with her, so it was what they would never receive with her. He would take their ribbing because all in all, he got the girl in this moment. He got the girl at least twice a month when they wouldn’t have her at all. Ah yes, that alone made him smile.

“What thought just popped into your mind?” she asked as she allowed him to help her off of the bike.

Grinning, he winked at her. “Doncha worry about that one, darlin’. I don’t think that you’re ready to hear exactly what thought has popped into my mind. Not yet at least.” Soon, though, he would tell her everything. Soon she would be as much a part of him as he would be of her, and she wouldn’t need to ask the questions because she would simply know.

Walking into the salon, Scythe smiled at the greeting that they received and wrapped his arm around Katherine, protectively giving her a hug while holding her to his side. “This is Katherine,” he told the women. “Take great care of her.” The words were spoken simply, with meaning.

Both women nodded and smiled at the couple, the smaller woman walking over to Katherine and saying, “All right, Katherine, you come with me,” she said with a grin. “I will take to the chair beside your man while Maggie takes care of getting your man’s feet started.” She grinned and whispered, “Trust me, he will need more time to soak than you do. I’ve never seen a man’s feet so rough in all my life, especially one that comes here every two weeks.” She clucked and shook her head as she led Katherine away.

Laughing at being poked fun at, Scythe called out to them, “Just make sure that you tell her what big feet I have.” He joked, laughing because it felt great to do that. Looking at Penny, he said, “I need two minutes to make a call.” He paused and added, “I would like the juniper foot bath this time.” At her nod, he stepped just outside of the shop and watched inside while making his call. “Yeah, we are at the shop now. Make sure that you are both keeping an eye out. Something’s happening out there and I don’t know what. It’s enough that my wolf is pissed off.” In truth all three of the men were on edge right now. All three of them sensed the danger that was out there, and it had them completely, fully on edge.

“Don’t you worry, Mr. Prissy-Wolf. The bears are watching your back,” Mac said through the speaker. There was laughter in the background from Sully as he added, “And make sure that they paint your toes the same color as your purse.”

A low, rumbling growl escaped from Scythe. He had to tamp down his anger, had to tamp down the need for retribution from his brothers, and instead turned. When he saw her, there was no more anger. It all but flowed from him just from seeing her, and the smile that she brought to him was true. It was real. Rubbing at his chest, he inhaled deeply. This was what it was to have a person in your life that meant more to you than you meant to yourself. It was…right. It was with that thought that he turned and reentered the salon, smiling when Kat came out with her freshly waxed brows and chattering away with Maggie. One sniff in the air had him going hard, hard enough that he had to quickly take the seat so that he could get his feet done.

“Maybe the asshole has hit on something,” Mac said as he lowered the binoculars from his eyes to look toward where he knew his brother was situated and watching, protecting.

“Ya think?” Sully said sarcastically. “And to think when we have claimed her he’s going to use this time, this spa time, to his benefit.” Not that either one of the brothers wouldn’t do the exact same thing. “I’m thinking that we need to figure out if we like to have these things done, too. Tomorrow I think you and I should see about setting ourselves an appointment.”

“You’re reading my mind, brother, reading my mind.” He adjusted himself on his bike and leaned forward. “Five o’clock,” he murmured, every inch of him the hardened warrior now. “Same guy has passed the window five times. Black Windbreaker, blue ball cap, and black slacks,” he murmured. “Six foot even,” he added to the description.

“Got him,” Sully murmured. “He keeps turning when she looks toward the windows.” He had been watching the window, watching his soon-to-be mate and her joy, so he knew when she turned that glorious face toward the windows and noted that the man turned each time. How he hadn’t caught that the man had passed so many times was beyond him. “Damn, I must be fucking slipping.” He grumbled.

“It’s because you get to see her. I’ve been on the side watching and haven’t been distracted by her like I know I would,” he said, simply because he knew without a shadow of a doubt that, had situations been reversed, he would be staring at her, not everything else around them.

“Yeah, still no excuse,” Sully bitched. “Keep an eye on him. He’s motoring in a little VW to the side of the place. He’s watchful, that’s for real damn sure.” Just didn’t know why. Why was this man watching the place? Was it Katherine he was watching or was it one of the two women in the spa? Either way, it had both men’s protective instincts kicking in hard.

“Got him,” Mac murmured as he moved positions to be able to better see the man. “Keep him in your sights. I’m going to double back and get his plate number. I want Skittles to run him and see just what’s going on with this man.”

“Got it,” Sully murmured. Using the mirror in his hand, he sent a silent signal to Scythe so that he knew there might be trouble waiting outside for them. As soon as Scythe saw the signal he went tense, a motion that Sully saw and smiled.

“No one will get close to her,” he murmured to his brother. “Now that the possible danger has been brought to his attention he would no more let anyone near her than we would,” he said simply. “Now then, let me see what I can do about getting an ID on this fucker.”

“My eyes are on him,” Mac told his brother softly as he watched everything that was happening, his eyes glued between the shop where his mate was and the man that seemed to be stalking her.

“Copy,” was all that was whispered back before Sully watched his brother moving through the parking lot, walking as if he were a drunkard and stumbling upon the man’s car, most likely getting a photo of the vehicle ID number so that it would be able to be tracked. License plates, even the dumbest of criminals knew to change. Not so much with VIN plates. Mac could hear his brother’s slurred apologies and grinned when he asked the man for money. He however perked up a bit when the idiot passed his brother a five and told him to get the hell lost. What idiot was this? Maybe he was just a boyfriend of one of the women, but that didn’t feel right. But who the fuck would give a bill that someone like them could pull a print from? Damn, if he was stalking their mate he almost felt bad for him. Almost.

Watching Sully stagger away from the man and get a snapshot of the license plate as well, he was suddenly dumbstruck. “Son of a bitch, Sully.” He looked from his brother, to the alley, back to his brother. “Did you just fucking trade your custom leather for a homeless guy’s jacket?”

“Had to be convincing, asshole,” Sully muttered. “So don’t fucking talk to me about it.” He was seriously pissed, but for his mate he would do anything, hands down.

“Don’t get pissy. You can afford a new one,” Mac soothed instead. “What did you come up with?”

“Got the VIN as well as an image of his face and his prints on the bill, so that’s a total fucking bonus,” Sully murmured. “What kind of idiot is this shit?” he muttered and sealed the print that he had behind a tape before taking an image of it to send it along with the VIN, plate, and face image of the bastard who had been stalking the shop.

“One way or another we will figure out who this guy is,” he said as he sealed the small kit that he always had in his pack on his bike. “For now, though, I want to get my ass out of this jacket and get a new one.” He wanted his old one back, but a deal was a deal and he would do what he had to for her, only her.

“Skittles,” Sully said as his crewmate picked up his phone. “Yeah, I know that it’s still early for you, asshole,” he muttered at the grumbled bitching from the man. “I still recall a fucking time when we had to be up with dawn.” He laughed at the colorful retort from his friend. “Look, asshole, I uploaded some files to my Sky-Drive. I need for you to run the VIN, plate, print, and visual on this bastard. I want to know everything about everything on this son of a bitch. He was stalking outside the spa my soon-to-be bond-mate is in, and you know how pissy that makes me.” He smiled at the confirmation that he received from his friend and knew that whatever else happened, Skittles would find every speck of dirt the guy had hidden, even if he had a late book in grade school.

“All right, Mac, Skittles is working on it. Before too long we will learn just exactly what there is to know about this guy. If he is there because of Kat, we will soon know.”

“Good,” was all Mac had to say. “Time to get a move on so that we can ‘accidentally’ meet up with these two,” he said as he watched Scythe paying the women in the salon and then turning with his arm around Kat’s waist and leading her onto the street.

She was in absolute heaven. Katherine couldn’t believe just how lucky she was. The more time she spent with Trey, the closer she felt to him, and the rightness of being with him struck a chord deep inside of her, struck that need to belong to someone other than herself. If someone told her a month earlier that she would move to this place, meet a man, and practically fall in love with him on first sight, she would have likely slapped that person. She then would have taken them in so that they could be treated by the men in the white jackets with the pretty, colorful assortment of pills to calm and soothe. Now however, now was a whole other ball of wax. Now was intense. Now was unique. Now was…real. What she felt, how she felt it. It rocked her to her core. It made her ache with desire, made her feel such a deep need that she could barely hold back from asking for more from this man.