The Protector's Heart (Wilde Creek Three) (11 page)

She snorted, laying down a red ‘draw two’
card and making Diane curse. Shoving aside the thoughts of her
current status as an unmated omega, she turned her attention to the
card game. She’d find a mate someday and he wouldn’t care that she
was scarred. Jeremiah would find his happily ever after too, she
was sure of it.

And birds could suddenly fly out of her
butt.

Snorting at her dreamy sub-conscious and her
snarky inner bitch, she laid down a ‘draw four’ card and Diane
cursed a blue streak while she pulled more cards from the deck.
“I’ll get you back, don’t worry about me.”

Kammie grinned. “I’m sure. UNO.”

“Damn it!”

Chapter 9

Tuesday evening, Nila stood in the bathroom
off the master and leaned closer, inspecting her makeup. She always
wore a little mascara and blush to the office, but she never really
wore makeup because she didn’t go anywhere. Jack didn’t care if she
had lipstick on. Tonight, though, Malachi was taking her to dinner
for their first official date. Mia and Brynn were sitting in the
family room with Jack, waiting for her and Malachi to leave so they
could babysit.

She hadn’t been on a date in ages. Not since
she and Damien had gotten married. He’d decided she didn’t need
things like dinner dates once they were married.

After work, Malachi had driven her to the
daycare to pick up Jack and then to Kammie’s to visit with Diane.
Then, on the way to his home, he’d asked her to go out with him.
She hadn’t even had to think before saying yes; it was just
automatic. But now, as she looked over her outfit and makeup, she
was nervous. She smoothed her hands down the black dress, the silk
warm against her palms, and looked into the mirror again. She’d
left her hair down, because she knew that Malachi liked to see it
that way, the dark blonde tresses falling past her shoulders.

Stepping from the bathroom, she found Brynn
sitting on the bed.

“I just wanted to wish you a good night. Mia
and I are going to take great care of Jack, and there are even
extra protectors here, just to be safe. Although, honestly, that’s
because Acksel insisted on it, since I wouldn’t let him come. Mia
and I are going to do girl talk after we put Jack to bed, and I
can’t complain about Acksel if he’s sitting right there. Well, I
can, but it irritates him.”

Nila smiled. “Thanks for coming. I know
you’ll take good care of Jack.”

“After my little guy is born, you can return
the favor. Maybe Jack and my guy will be best friends and rule the
pack someday.”

Nila’s eyes widened. “Would your pack accept
Jack? He’s not… I mean, his dad is from another pack.”

Brynn raised a brow. “But he’s your son. Of
course he would be welcomed once you and Mal…you know, make things
official.”

Nila shivered. “He hasn’t asked me.”

“Well, things are kinda shitty right now. Mal
is a great guy. I’ve known him my whole life, and I think of him as
a brother. If I thought he was an asshole, I’d tell you, because I
consider you a friend, too. He’ll ask you when the time is right,
although there’s no rule against a lady asking her man to be hers
forever.” Brynn winked with a smile.

Nila hugged Brynn when she stood, and Brynn
said, “You look amazing, by the way.”

“Thanks. Thanks for everything.”

“That’s what friends are for.”

Nila walked out of the bedroom with Brynn and
found Malachi holding Jack and pointing at pictures on the
fireplace mantel. “This is my dad and mom.”

“Carrot?”

“You got it, buddy.”

Jack reached for Nila, and she took him,
giving him a hug and kissing his cheek. “Have fun tonight,
Jack.”

“Mama.”

He grabbed a lock of her hair and fisted it,
grinning at her. Brynn joined them and said, “Come here, little
one, Aunt Mia and Aunt Brynn are going to spoil you rotten.”

He went to her easily and Nila slipped into
her coat, which Malachi held for her. “You look beautiful,
sweetheart,” he said into her ear.

“You look pretty good yourself,” she said and
smiled. He was wearing black slacks and dress shoes with a black
dress shirt and a red-and-black patterned tie.

They said goodbye while he pulled on his coat
and he escorted her to his SUV and helped her inside.

“I made reservations at the Steak House.”

“Sounds great.”

He reached into the back seat and lifted a
bouquet of roses, handing it to her.

“Um, wow. Thank you.”

“I heard that humans like to give flowers on
their first dates.”

She chuckled and lifted the dark red roses to
her nose, inhaling the sweet scent. “Did you?”

He hummed as he turned the SUV on. “Yeah. But
I would’ve given them to you anyway.”

“What do wolves give each other on first
dates? Rabbits?”

He shot her a grin. “Only if we’re really
crazy about each other.”

Their conversation was light on the way to
the restaurant. They talked about his security company and the
changes to how he would be guarding Brynn, taking her to work and
picking her up, but not sitting around any longer. She felt the
little twist of jealousy again, but didn’t say anything. What could
she say, anyway?
Please stop doing your pack job and guard
me.

Malachi’s warm hand squeezed her thigh. “I’m
going to step down from guarding Brynn full time.”

“What?”

“I talked to Acksel about it yesterday. When
things are settled with your ex, I’m going to stand down from being
her personal guard, and someone else will take over. Then I can
just guard you and Jack.”

“We don’t need a guard.”

He gave her thigh a light squeeze. “I just
mean that I won’t be dividing my time between taking care of you
and protecting Brynn. As a protector, I have to look out for her
like I would anyone else in the pack, but I won’t be with her full
time. I’ll be able to focus on the security company as well as
taking care of you both.”

“I don’t know if things will ever be settled
with Damien. Every full moon I kinda wish that he’d be trampled to
death by deer.”

Malachi laughed. “Death by deer? Sounds
painful.”

“You probably think I’m nuts for thinking
that.”

“Not at all, sweetheart. He’s been tormenting
you for a long time, but he’s not going to get to do that anymore.
I want you to think about moving into my home permanently.”

She didn’t say anything for a long while, and
neither did he. Her heart was pounding as she replayed his words in
her head over and over. The SUV stopped and she found herself
looking at the restaurant.

Unbuckling her seatbelt, she turned in her
seat. He did the same, and reached for her hand. “I don’t want to
rush you but I’m finding it harder and harder to be without you.
Your house is fixed; you could go back there, and I’ll patrol every
night with guards to make sure you’re safe. But I don’t want you
there, I want you with me. I feel like such a dick.”

“Why?”

“Because I promised myself that I’d take it
slow with you, and not push you. Your ex makes my wolf irrational.
We both want you with us so we can keep you safe, but I’m trying
not to be a Neanderthal about it.”

Her heart clenched. He was such a sweet guy.
The wolves she’d known in the past wouldn’t have cared what
she
wanted, they’d have just ordered her. Damien’s pack
treated women badly, a fact she hadn’t known until after they were
married.

“You watched me, all this time while I was at
work.”

Even though it was dark in the SUV, the
lights from the instrument panel providing only bare illumination,
she could see his eyes boring into hers. “I couldn’t help it, but I
was trying to be subtle.”

She snorted. “You’re too imposing to be
subtle, Mal.”

He chuckled. “I suppose. I tried, though. I
didn’t want you to hate me, even though you hated all wolves.”

“I’ve learned about the differences between
your pack and his. You’re nothing like him. I’m still scared a
little, but I feel like I can trust you.”

He swallowed audibly. “Your trust is
everything to me. I’d die before I hurt you.”

She leaned forward, reaching for him, and he
closed the distance until their lips were nearly touching. Just a
heartbeat passed with them frozen there, and then their lips met. A
shiver raced down her spine, and she dropped the roses, wrapping
her arms around his neck. His tongue swiped over her lips and she
opened them, sighing as he swept his tongue into her mouth and the
first, heady taste of him filled her. He tasted as wild and spicy
as he smelled, and her stomach clenched as their tongues danced
together. He groaned when she scraped her short nails over his
neck, and the sound rumbled in his chest like a wolfy purr. He held
her close, his touch firm but gentle, as if she were made of glass
and he might break her if he held her too tightly.

The kiss deepened, and a moan caught in her
throat as he kneaded her back through her coat. She suddenly wished
they weren’t in an SUV with a console between them, in a restaurant
parking lot.

The kiss gentled between them, and they
parted, both breathing hard.

“We will.”

“Will what?” He blinked at her in confusion.
She thought it was adorable.

“Move in with you.”

The confusion swept away quickly and he
pressed his lips to hers once more. “I won’t ever let you down,
Nila. You and Jack will be safe with me, and we’ll take our time
getting to know each other until you’re ready to move forward.”

His concern for her feelings made her stomach
flutter.

“You’re amazing.”

“I’m lucky to have you; I don’t want to screw
it up.”

She didn’t want to screw it up either. As he
kissed her once more and then turned off the engine, she was
reminded of her current married status. There had to be a way to
divorce Damien and keep him away from Jack, too. For now, she
shoved the thoughts of Damien into the far corners of her mind and
watched Malachi as he opened her door and helped her out. The scent
of grilled meat filled the air, and her stomach growled.

“Hungry, sweetheart?” Malachi chuckled.

“Starving.”

* * * * *

By the time Saturday rolled around, Nila had
moved in with Malachi and they were in the final stages of clearing
out her home. He could have had every omega in the pack at her
house, packing and cleaning, but he wanted to be part of the
process as well. He asked Jeremiah and Adam to help with the heavy
lifting, since they were both strong in their human forms. Although
Jeremiah couldn’t shift, Adam could, but he was an omega because
he’d been badly burned when he was young and it had damaged him
enough to make his wolf form weak. Nila wanted to help out, but
Kammie brought Diane over to visit so Mal left her at the
house.

Mia had volunteered to help with the
cleaning, so she and several omegas were currently in the bedroom,
making sure it was spotless so Nila could get back her security
deposit.

The house had come furnished, but Nila had
bought a few small pieces of furniture which were currently in the
truck, and Jack’s baby toys had filled up two large boxes.

Mia came out of the bedroom with a spray
bottle of window cleaner and a roll of paper towels under her arms.
“That’s the last window cleaned. I’m going to clean out the kitchen
cabinets since they’re empty of dishes now.”

“Thanks, Mia.”

She smiled. “You’re welcome, Mal. I like her
and Jack a lot, and I want them to be with you where it’s
safe.”

He picked up a floor lamp and wrapped the
cord around the base. “I suppose I owe you dinner for this?”

“You’d suppose right, although I am partial
to pretty, sparkly jewelry.”

He shook his head at his sister with a smile
and carried the lamp out to the truck. “This is the last of it,” he
told Adam.

“Okay. I’ll follow you.”

Jeremiah stayed to oversee the clean up, and
Malachi got into his SUV, which was full of Nila’s things, and
drove home. He couldn’t help but smile as he drove. Nila was there
with Jack, waiting for him. He’d never imagined that something as
simple as going home would fill him with so much joy. His wolf was
practically doing cartwheels in his head.

Since Jack’s crib had been destroyed, he had
bought a replacement which was now in the bedroom down the hall
from the master. She’d noticed the pale blue walls and the new navy
carpeting when he’d given her an official tour of the home. The
other bedroom was set up as an office for him. When he and Nila had
kids of their own, he’d add on to the house to make sure they had
plenty of room.

He stopped in front of his house and carried
a large box of dishes up the front walk. He noticed that Kammie’s
car was gone. Nila, with Jack on her hip, opened the door before he
could shift the box to one arm and open it.

“Hey,” she said, smiling at him.

“Hey yourself,” he said as she opened the
door wide and stepped aside. She greeted Adam as he followed behind
Mal with more boxes. Malachi directed him to put the boxes in
whatever room they were labeled with.

“Ready to unpack some more things,
sweetheart?” he called over his shoulder as he carried the box into
the kitchen and set it down on the counter.

“Yep.”

She put Jack in the highchair that was next
to the kitchen table, placed a few toys on the tray, and joined
Malachi at the counter. He hugged her and she rested her cheek on
his chest with a sigh.

“Is everything okay?”

“You did all that security stuff for me at
the house and now it’s all wasted time and money.”

He tipped her chin until she looked at him.
“None of it was wasted time or money; it helped to keep you safe.
And besides, this morning I removed all the hardware, and can use
it on another job.”