Chapter Ten

 

Nikko stepped out of the bathroom and walked down the hall, following the smell of bacon and eggs. His stomach growled with hunger as he walked into the great room and saw Natalie cooking at the stove.

Her round ass looked good enough to bite but, he couldn’t go another round without some form of protein or sustenance in his body. No matter how much she turned him on, a man needed his nourishment.

She turned around. “Hey you, did you have a good shower?”

“Mmm.” He kissed her. “I did.”

“I thought you’d be hungry. I know I’m starving.”

He noticed the tub of Rocky Road ice cream sitting in the trash can. “Oh yeah. I guess we never got around to having that, did we?”

“I had a few bites.”

“Yeah well, those bites were my undoing. No man should be forced to watch a woman lick ice cream off of a spoon. It’s just cruel.”

“You’re not exactly a man, though. I mean, not entirely anyway.”

“No, no I’m not.”

She turned off the stove and removed the pan of bacon from the burner.

“And how are you feeling about that? Any better?” he asked.

“Yeah. I am. I’m feeling a lot better. I just…” she shook her head, “I don’t know. I think I just freaked myself out a bit. The last, and only wolf I ever really had any experience with got a bit too rough and scary for my liking.”

“Are you okay? Did he… ?”

“No, nothing like that. I mean he tried. He was persistent and didn’t want to take no for an answer. But, I’m a lot tougher than I may look. I wasn’t about ready to let a man, or wolf hurt me.”

“Hmm.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

“No, tell me.” She persisted.

“Don’t get me wrong. I believe you. I have no doubts that you could hold your own when backed up against the wall. It’s just, you could have kicked me out last night. I would’ve left. Hell, I would’ve stopped, or done anything you’d asked. I meant it when I said I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“And now you’re wondering… ?”

He shrugged. “I guess I’m wondering why you trusted me. You don’t know me. You had absolutely no reason to trust me. I could have been just like that other wolf. Shit, I could have been worse.”

“No.” wrapping her hands around his neck she continued, “You couldn’t have. It was in your eyes. I could feel it. Somehow I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Yeah?”

“That or I was just really horny and I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Maybe it was both?”

“Probably.” She agreed.

The ringing of his cell phone broke the moment and he searched the kitchen for the spot he’d kicked off his jeans the night before.

“Where are my pants?”

“Over there, by the fridge. I’ll get this stuff on the table. Go ahead and answer it.”

As he dug through his pockets and couldn’t find the phone he took a look around the room. “Umm… I think it might’ve fallen out. Can you tell where it’s coming from?”

“Oh yeah.” Natalie bent over and grabbed it from under the kitchen table. “It’s right… here.”

He had been about to thank her until he saw the look in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

He’d no sooner asked her the question than his phone had stopped ringing and she turned to face him.

“Gerri Wilder?”

“Oh, yeah. Listen, babe… I need to tell you –.”

“Gerri Wilder from Paranormal Dating Agency?”

“Yeah, but –.”

“I realize that you and I just met, but I’ve worked with that woman. She’s crazy. Like certifiable. I don’t know how she’s considered the best matchmaker around. Every single man she’s ever fixed me up with has been a nightmare. She was the one who introduced me to that other wolf I was telling you about.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry about that. You have no idea how much I wish that had not happened to you. But, as far as Gerri is concerned –.”

“No, it’s okay. You don’t owe me any explanations. We just met. We just… you know.”

He tried not to smirk at the cute implication. “Yeah, I know what we did.”

“All I’m saying is… well, if you and I are going to see each other then you can’t… I mean, ugh this is so frustrating. Why is dating so hard?”

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her. She was too damn adorable. “Baby, seriously –.”

“No, I don’t want you to see me as some crazy demanding woman just because we slept together. I just can’t see someone who is still dating, or seeing other people. Call me old fashioned, but I just can’t. It just creeps me out.”

“More than a guy stalking you for two days?”

She nodded. “Good point.”

“Listen, I don’t want you to worry about Gerri or me dating.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“So, you’re not going to return her call? Or go on other dates?”

“Well… “

“I knew it.” Natalie shook her head. “I swear that woman is a nightmare to me. First she fixes me up with every douche bag in the western hemisphere. Then she gets mad at me for complaining, calling me difficult. Then she refuses to leave me alone, insisting she knows best and –.”

“Babe, calm down.”

“No, I can’t calm down. Because, I really like you, Nikko. I like you a lot. And last night meant something to me. And true to that woman’s craziness she just pops up wherever I don’t want her. Did you know that she actually called me a couple of nights ago? It was the night that you and I met at the gas station. I told her in no uncertain terms that I was done with her matchmaking and to leave me alone, but still she called. Completely insane, right? I mean who does that? Who continues to call someone even after they’ve asked to be left alone. It’s just nuts. It’s borderline stalking is what it is, and it –.”

“Pretty much runs in the family.”

She tilted her head to one side and looked at him curiously. “Huh?”

“That kind of persistence, or… stalking… yeah, I think it sort of runs in our family. I come from a long line of people who refuse to take no for an answer.”

“You family? You mean she’s related to… you’re… oh… wow.”

“Yeah, I bet you didn’t see that one coming did you?”

“Gerri Wilder and you are related?”

“Babe, come on now. I know it can’t be taking this long for you to grasp it.” He teased.

“No, I just… am surprised.”

“At what? The knowledge that the same matchmaker who you say has acted with stalker like tendencies could also be related to the strange man who approached you in a gas station parking lot and proceeded to spend the next two days creepily stalking you as well? I got to say, hon. It kind of seems like a no brainer to me.”

She laughed and he couldn’t help but love the twinkle in her eye when she did.

“So, what do you think?”

“About you being related to Gerri?”

“Yeah. Do you think you can handle a family full of crazy ass stalkers?”

“You’re not that bad.”

“And neither is she. Sure she’s obnoxious, a know it all, and has literally no filter with anyone, but she really is the best cousin a guy could ask for.”

“In matchmaking? I strongly disagree.”

“Are you sure?” he pressed her back up against the counter.

“Yeah, I’m sure. She fixed me up with jerk after jerk.”

“But, if it hadn’t have been for her, I would’ve never found you.”

“Wait, what? What do you mean?”

With his thumb and forefinger he lifted her chin up, forcing her to look up and into his eyes. “Those gorgeous green eyes. I knew it from the instant I saw them I had to meet you. I knew one way or another I had to find a way to have you. That’s why I made her call you. She told me you wouldn’t say yes, but I had to try.”

“You’re the reason she called?”

“Uh huh.”

“And I hung up on her?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry. You made up for it by yelling at me right before I gave you a quarter.”

She winced and furrowed her brow. “I guess I can be kind of ornery sometimes.”

“Yes you can. Ornery, beautiful, sexy, and so damn hypnotic it drove me to commit a felony.” 

“A felony?” her eyes widened in surprise.

“Surely you don’t think I stalk every woman I meet.”

“You better not!”