Page 34 of Act of Brotherhood
Chapter Eight
Garth pausedat the entranceway of Nicolette’s home. The large green front door stood open and he leaned partially against it, knowing that once he passed through the threshold fully, there would be no turning back for him. Not with the raw need he had coursing through his veins for the woman before him.
The goddess was testing every ounce of his resolve and, sadly, he was failing. Common sense said he should cut and run. That he should put distance between himself and the woman, especially since he’d let Auberi test a drug on him. But running wasn’t an option. He was all in.
Nicolette tossed a set of keys on a serving table near the front door and headed into a large living room. The sway of her hips beckoned, and he clutched the doorframe so tightly he worried it would break.
Thor, give me the strength I need to keep from ravishing her.
He was pretty sure the god was laughing at him and wishing him the best of luck, because he highly doubtedThorwould have been able to resist Nicolette either.
Considering how Garth’s month was going, Loki was probably the god who had answered his call. The trickster god was more than likely laughing his ass off at the situation.
Garth stepped backwards a bit, still able to see into the living room fully, despite having yet to actually go all the way into the house. His hands slid to the brick front of Nicolette’s home. The entrance area was covered in green ivy that had grown up the side of the house. The yard in the front barely existed. To the right was a large black trash can, tucked against the house and behind a row of hedges. A six-foot iron fence was around the front as well, with a gate that opened onto the sidewalk. Many of the homes in the neighborhood seemed to have something similar.
The home was large, especially for only two women, but that wasn’t for Garth to judge, as he was a single guy who owned a fair number of homes. All were large. His main house had nine bedrooms. He only used one.
His gaze locked on Nicolette’s backside as she turned on a lamp that was sitting on an end table near an oversized light-colored sofa. His mouth watered at the sight she presented. Her hips drove him wild. He loved a woman with curves and Nicolette had them in spades. It was easy to imagine sinking into her, getting lost in her, and planting his seed in her.
Planting my seed?
He was instantly struck with the image of her swollen with his little one as they began to fill his empty home with young life. With a gasp, he slapped his palms against the brick in hopes the jolt of pain would knock some sense into him.
Little ones? I’ve lost my fucking mind.
He did not want children. At least he never had before. Why in the hell was he thinking about them now? And why did the idea of having them with a woman he’d just met appeal to him so much?
Not that it mattered.
He could only reproduce with his mate.
A snort came from him at the idea he had a special someone assigned to him by the gods. As he began to laugh the idea away, the urge to go to Nicolette came over him. He didn’t dare move a muscle for fear he’d lose his mind and do something incredibly stupid. Just like Malik had done five years ago in Egypt.
Like Garth wanted to do now.
Take the human and try to mark her as his.
Pull your head out of your ass. She’s off the table as an option. You’re just thinking about her birthing your little ones because of Auberi’s stunt. No other reason.
He made a mental note to drive a stake through the vampire’s heart when the opportunity next presented itself. He’d then sprinkle the asshole’s ashes all over his front yard as a warning to other living-challenged jerks to avoid messing with him.
Nicolette kicked off her shoes and wiggled her sock-covered feet. It took Garth a second to realize her socks had inspirational phrases printed on them, along with tiny pink flowers.
A smile touched his lips. She was an interesting mix of sweet and wanton. It was the perfect blend. One he wanted to lose himself in.
He swept his gaze over the surrounding area as a nagging feeling they were being watched came over him once more. He inhaled and caught a heavy whiff of what smelled a lot like vanilla and cloves. Was that cinnamon he smelled, too?
Whatever it was, his senses did not like the amount of it.
He could have sworn earlier that they were being hunted—stalked by a predator. Now he wondered if he didn’t just have baked goods on the mind since colliding with Nicolette and her cupcakes.
He was never happier to be wearing a baked good.
The urge to lay claim to the woman had come over him when he’d nearly taken her against a fence, in the open, for all to see. That burning need had not lessened any. Again, he pictured her expecting his child, her stomach swollen with his son or daughter. The idea caused a pang of grief to move through him because it could never be.
Damn Auberi and the drug he’d given Garth. Was he unlucky enough to suffer the very same lack of control Malik had run into while on the suppression drug? He could still remember having to pin his longtime friend to the floor of a hotel room while he was stuck in lion form. That had been less than easy. Not to mention the entire ordeal had left Malik a shell of his former self for five years as he’d suffered in silence, longing for the woman he’d unintentionally laid claim to in his uncontrolled state.
Then again, Malik had found himself presented with his true mate. The man had only thought Brooke was human. She was anything but.
