Reluctantly His

Chapter Two

Nika managed to act as if nothing had really happened after Garrick left the pub.

She washed the remaining dirty glassware and put them back in their place behind the bar. She even ran the vacuum after she put up all the chairs and stools while Lee cleaned the kitchen. In no way did she betray how hot and fast her blood surged in her veins.

It wasn't until after Lee had left, and she'd gone up to her flat above the pub, that Nika stopped hiding her chaotic emotions. She closed the flat's door, leaned back against it, and let the memory of Garrick rise to the surface.

Holy hell. Nika waved a hand in front of her face to try to cool her heated cheeks.

Garrick was walking, talking sex. When she'd gone to tell him it was closing time, and he'd crowded close, her knees had turned to jelly. She'd gotten intensely aroused, her pussy growing wetter the longer she'd stared into his hungry gaze.

At least an hour had passed since he'd left, and her body had yet to cool. She could have easily drowned in his brown eyes, let him touch her, taste her, as he'd come so close to doing before she'd stopped him. Damn David for making her gun shy when it came to men she was attracted to. If not for him deserting her, she more than likely would have taken Garrick up on what he was so obviously offering.

Nika pushed away from the door and crossed the flat to her bedroom. Even though it was late, she'd change into her pajamas, watch some TV, and have a glass of wine. She needed to distract her thoughts from Garrick, or she'd never be able to get to sleep. With another full day of running the pub to look forward to, she couldn't afford to be exhausted come morning.

Rolling onto his back, Garrick looked at his bedroom window and the stream of sunlight shining through the crack where his curtains didn't quite meet. He swung his head toward his bedside table and looked at the digital clock. Just after 11:30 a.m. He had plenty of time to set Operation Nika into motion.

The night before, he'd managed to get inside the mansion where he lived with the rest of Tiw's warriors and up to his room without encountering any of the other residents. Something he was thankful for, because he'd still been sporting the hard-on from hell. He'd been in no mood to explain why he was walking around in that condition to any of his brothers-in-arms or the two women who were the first of the mates to come into their lives. If the other warriors realized he'd found the woman meant for him, and learned she'd rejected his advances, they would never let him live it down. They would consider it payback for all the crap he'd done and said to them over the years. Not something Garrick wanted to be on the receiving end of.

So after sequestering himself behind his closed bedroom door for the rest of the night, he'd come up with a plan to win Nika over. He'd go to the pub each day, as he'd originally planned, but he'd also make sure Nika knew exactly why he was there—for her. He'd lay on the charm and batter her defenses until she finally admitted she wanted him as much as he wanted her. And she did want him. Her scent didn't lie, no matter what she said to his face.

Stretching, Garrick felt the heaviness of his cock. His erection tented the sheet covering him from the waist down. He'd pretty much been in a constant state of arousal since meeting Nika. He closed his eyes and reached under the sheet to take hold of his cock. He stroked his hand up and down his shaft, bringing the image of Nika and her intoxicating scent to the forefront of his mind. Biting back a moan, he pumped his hand a little faster. He imagined Nika stroking him, and the fantasy made him even harder.

After a few more strokes, Garrick released his cock and got out of bed. Naked, he walked to his en suite bathroom. He turned on the shower, stepped in, and resumed stroking himself until he found his release. The orgasm took off the edge, but he wasn't going to fool himself into thinking he wouldn't be raring to go again once he saw Nika.

He quickly finished his shower, dressed, and headed downstairs. At this time of day, the others were more than likely up and about. He headed for the kitchen to see who would be there. Garrick decided he wouldn't get anything to eat. He intended to order food at the pub.

The one only there was Lexi. She sat on one of the kitchen chairs with one hand resting on her distended belly while she sipped on a bottle of water. At almost nine months pregnant, she didn't have long before she added a new addition to their

"family."

"Where is everyone?" he asked as he moved farther into the room.

Lexi looked up from the parenting magazine she read and smiled. "About time you got up. Brand is out, doing whatever he normally does when he leaves. Raed, Algar and Kamryn have gone to pick up the groceries we needed. As for Wulfric and Dolf, they're in the living room getting ready for the football game to come on. Why? What's up?"

"Nothing," he said. "I'm going out, and I more than likely won't be back until it's time to hunt."

"Yeah, you don't want to miss tonight," Lexi said with a chuckle. "With the full moon, Wulfric and Dolf are already betting on who can take out the most prey."

On the first night of the full moon, newly turned werewolves shifted for the very first time. One bite from one of Fenris' get was all it took to turn them, and there was no cure. Only death. Unlike Garrick and his brother-in-arms, Fenris' werewolves lived for the kill. It didn't matter what the mortal was like before being bitten, once turned, they couldn't control their craving for human flesh and blood. It was Garrick and the other warriors' job to put them down, and they had been doing so since the early 600s.

He snorted. "Of course they are. They've done that during every full moon for over a thousand years. You would think they would stop their competitiveness since their bets usually end up in a fistfight."

Lexi laughed. "I think the fistfight is part of the thrill for them too. They pound on each other, then once it's over they're the best of friends again."

"Yeah, true. Wulfric and Dolf are nothing but a pair of blockheads."

"You'd better not say that around them," Lexi said. "They will more than likely turn on you."

"As if I couldn't take them both, but I'm not in the mood to put them in their place."

Lexi shook her head. "Before this goes any further into Garrick bragging territory, I thought you were leaving."

He smiled. "I can take the hint. Tell Raed I'll be back this evening."

Raed was Lexi's mate, and their leader. Before they took their vows to fight for the Anglo-Saxon God, Tiw, Raed had been king of East Anglia. Even though he no longer wore a crown, Garrick and the rest of the warriors still thought of him as their king.

"I will." Lexi assured him.

After giving her a nod, Garrick left the kitchen and headed out of the house. On his way by the living room, he heard the sound of a football game blaring on the tele, while Wulfric and Dolf yelled at the players. Garrick liked a game of footie, but those two were hardcore fans.

Outside, he went to the large, detached garage and got into his silver Audi R8

Sypder sports car. The two-seater had enough power under its hood to satisfy his craving for fast things. There was nothing like it, opening it up, shifting gears quickly to get up to speed. Fast sports cars were one modern invention Garrick liked. It beat riding on the back of a horse, even a warhorse, any day.

It didn't take Garrick long to arrive at The Old Sow and find a parking space. Not that he had to look hard for an open space. There was only one other car parked in the lot, and he had a feeling it belonged to Lee. It was a Saturday afternoon; there should have been a good crowd in the pub at this time of day.

Stepping inside, it was as he'd expected. He was the only customer. He didn't see Nika, but he heard her and Lee's voices coming from inside the kitchen. Instead of taking a table at the back of the room as he'd done the night before, Garrick sat on one of the stools in front of the bar. When Nika didn't appear to have heard his arrival, he loudly rapped his knuckles on the bar's wooden surface.

When Nika walked out of the kitchen and saw him, the smile she wore slipped a bit. She froze in place and didn't start moving again until the swinging door she'd just let go swung back and hit her on the arse.

He looked her hungrily up and down, not trying to hide what seeing her did to him. She came to stand on the other side of the bar directly in front of him. Garrick gave her a smile that had lured more than one woman to him and said, "Hello, Nika. Did you miss me?"

Nika had to tear her gaze off the bone-melting, toe-curling, sexy smile Garrick had sent her way. A smile that just enhanced his killer good looks and made her traitorous body crave something she'd decided she'd do without. But that didn't stop her pussy from clenching as she drank Garrick in.

To keep from doing something stupid—like reaching out and tracing the hard line of his jaw with her fingers—Nika crossed her arms over her chest. "Hello, Garrick. I can't say that I did." Her reply had his smile shifting to a lopsided grin, which she found even more of a turn-on.

He blatantly looked her up and down again. "I find that hard to believe. I know I missed you. Dreaming about you last night just wasn't the same as seeing you in person."

Oh, shit. That had to be one of the stupidest pick-up lines, but Nika's libido decided it liked it, a lot. The idea of Garrick dreaming about her—more than likely doing the wicked things that lurked in his eyes—caused her nipples to tighten beneath her long-sleeved T-shirt. Luckily, the way she had her arms crossed, they hid them from Garrick's view.

Not wanting him to know what kind of affect he was having over her, Nika forced herself to roll her eyes. "So me telling you I'm not interested in your dreams prompted you to come back to the pub so I can tell you to your face again."

"Who says you rejected me?" he asked huskily. "No, you definitely didn't seem uninterested. In fact, you let me take you over and over again while you screamed my name."

An ache built between her legs, and wetness pooled in her pussy. Somehow, she managed to keep her breaths even and steady, even though her heart raced. She had to end this before she let on how he was truly affecting her. If she broke, Garrick would only use her weakness to his advantage.

In what she hoped was a bored-sounding tone, she said, "Yeah, that had to be a dream, since I don't plan on making that a reality for you. What do you want, Garrick?"

When he opened his mouth, she quickly added, "And don't say me."

He chuckled. "All right. You win, for now. I came here to eat. What do you suggest?"

"Everything is good. Lee's an excellent cook. I'll give you a menu, and you can decide from that." She went to the end of the bar and reached under it to the stack of menus she kept there. With one in hand, she went back to Garrick and put it front of him. "I'll give you a few minutes to decide."

In a cowardly move, Nika went back inside the kitchen. She didn't care. She had to get away from Garrick to get a grip on herself. The man practically oozed testosterone and had a body she wanted to lick and kiss; she had to be very careful around him.

"Was it a customer?" Lee stood near the stove, stirring a batch of his special recipe cream of leek soup.

"Yes. He's going to be ordering some food. I'm just giving him time to decide."

"So you came in here to hide?"

"I'm not hiding," she said, trying to dredge up some indignation.

"And who is the customer? I still say your hiding, because you don't normally come in here until you've taken the order."

With a huff, she said, "If you must know, it's Garrick, the guy from last night."

Lee chuckled. "I know."

"What do you mean, you know? If you do, why did you bother asking me?"

"I took a peek out in the taproom after I saw the kitchen door smack you in the arse. And I asked, because I wanted to see whether you would try to tell me it was somebody else. He got to you last night, didn't he?"

Nika quickly shook her head. "Garrick? No, he didn't. He's not my type."

"I would say yonder muscle-bound man is your type. You were practically drooling over him last night."

She gave Lee a scowl. "I was not. I don't go for the brawny, six and a half foot, sexy, gorgeous type." At his snicker, she groaned. "All right, I'll admit that I find him attractive, but that doesn't mean it will go beyond that point."

"Why not? That rotter, David, isn't coming back. You're young enough that you shouldn't be wasting away in this pub."

"I'm hardly wasting away, as you put it. I'm just not ready yet. Plus, running the pub doesn't give me much free time to pursue a social life."

"You're using that as an excuse."

"So what would you like me to do? Go back out there, throw myself at Garrick, and have hot monkey sex with him right there on top the bar?"

"If it will make you happy, I won't stop you." Lee's lips twitched. "It's your pub.

You can do whatever you want in it."

They both burst out laughing at the same time. "If I did that," Nika said through giggles, "it would be the fastest way to get the pub shut down."

At that precise moment, the kitchen door swung open, and Garrick walked in. "I don't know about you, but I'd be willing to risk it if it meant you did have hot monkey sex with me."

Nika's face grew hot, no doubt turning a bright shade of red. She wished she could crawl into a deep, dark hole, while Lee laughed his head off like a fool.