Coty: The security fence and cameras are glitching. A couple are out.
That’s not good. With the Mavericks pulling their childish pranks again, the last thing we need is to be unprotected. Soda cans have been showing up in the club’s driveway and around town. I would have believed it was kids messing around if the cans hadn’t shown up here. We still don’t know what they mean. I send a club SOS text, followed by one explaining the security system outage, and tell our brothers to stay alert to everything around them.
As much as I don’t want to leave the warmth and comfort of my bed, I have a job to do. I have to protect what’s mine at all costs. I slowly slide out of bed and put on a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. For a long moment, I stand by the bed, watching my heart under the covers. Lightning flashes brighter. The crack of thunder is seconds behind. Nina bolts upright in bed. I’m there, gathering her in my arms.
“It’s okay. Just another storm.”
“Darin.” Her breathing comes hard and fast.
“You’re safe, love.”
She nuzzles her face into my neck. “Mack calls Nanny love.”
Ever since I brought her into my house on her birthday, I’ve been struggling to hold the word back.
“He does, and you go right ahead and read everything into it.”
She leans back just enough to look up at me. “You don’t think it’s too soon?”
I knew that was coming. I should light a candle so I can see everything in her eyes.
I gently rub my thumb across her bottom lip. “Well, as you and your wonderful nephew keep reminding me, I’m old. I don’t want to waste time when I know something to be true.”
“Are you sure you want this to work?” She kisses my thumb.
“Without a doubt.” I hold her chin with my thumb and index finger and press my lips to hers. “Unless you don’t want this to work. If that’s so, then we need to end it now.”
It’s too late for me. She can walk away if she wants, but my heart will never let her go.
“I want this,” she whispers.
Well, that settles it, and soon, I’ll make it official.
“Then you’re mine.” I give her a quick kiss and stand. “Now, I need to move you to the living room so I can start a fire and make sure everyone’s safe.”
She eases out of bed and slides her feet into a pair of fuzzy slippers. I wrap the blanket around her. Lightning flashes and thunder booms again. She slams her body into mine. Instantly, my arms circle her and hold her tightly to my chest.
“You wanna talk about it?” She shakes her head. “Okay, love. When you’re ready to tell me why storms scare you, I’m here.”
“It’s just the thunder,” she says softly.
Thunder? It’s the loud noise that scares her. I can read a lot of things into that, but I won’t assume anything. I’ll wait for her toexplain when she’s ready. We’ve been trained not to force angels to share their stories. I’ll wait for her to come to me.
“Okay, let’s get some heat going, and I’ll make sure everyone is okay.” I guide her down the stairs and to the couch.
While I start the fire, she sits wrapped in the blanket with her knees pulled up to her chest, texting her sister. Jay has a fire going and is guarding their house. Mack and Jack have the main house covered. Coty, Ross, and the prospects have the Den.
Once the fire is going, I pull a couple of guns from the gun cabinet and inspect the doors and windows. All locked.
“Why do you need guns?” She asks when I walk back into the living room.
“The power outage has some of the security fence and cameras out.” I lay the guns on the coffee table. “Do you know how to use one?” She nods. “Which do you prefer?”
“None of them.”
A lot of women don’t like guns. I won’t force her to use one. I grab a couple of bottles of water from the kitchen and join her on the couch. Another weather alert flashes. The storm is twenty minutes away now.
“Darin, can I ask you something?” She blinks several times before casting her eyes downward.
