Hunted

Chapter 14 - Facing the Alpha again

Something was nearby.

My head turned before my mind registered what it was turning towards, catching Nick trying to sneak up behind me, as if I'd sensed him before I'd realised what it was I'd sensed.

"Hi."

Nick had frozen, hands out, and he stood up looking sheepish. He reached over to yank me to him. "Hello."

"Having fun caring for the younger men?"

Nick scowled as an answer, arms wrapping around me, possessive mouth coming down to kiss me. At the exact same time I smelt Reece, just behind Nick, standing there on the stairs.

"Oi." I muttered, shoving Nick backwards, as I peered past him to see Reece.

Reece grinned. "Jeremy called, Nick, they're about fifteen minutes away."

"Where's the other two?"

"Where do you think? Vanished as soon as I told them Jeremy was going to need help unpacking the car." Reece rolled his eyes. "Something about something else they had to do before he came back."

"Clear up the kitchen then, before he gets here, we'll probably need every spare bench top." Nick's eyes finally left me, glancing backwards to Reece. He sighed.

"Coming?" Reece backed up, just a fraction, and then then hesitated. Stared at the two of us, eyes going from one to the other, before he blinked again. "I'll get it started. Don't be long."

Nick growled softly, the order bothering him, and Reece was gone. He yanked me down into my room and pressed me against the door the second it was closed, kissing hard, pulling me up so that his body pinned me there. It wasn't like usual though, if I'd even experienced it enough to tell the difference, like something was really bothering him.

"Nick..."

"No time to talk. I have five minutes before Reece locates and sends Noah up." Hands trying to undo his shirt, unbutton it, his fingers tense. His face wasn't relaxed, it was tense, urgent, upset. He yanked at it, swearing, and it ripped, buttons flying all over the floor. Then mine, ripping it right up the middle, his knuckles white. I was about to slap him hard but he was upset, I realised, something was wrong. There was none of the usual tease or intense attraction there, just that frown line that he seemed to get when something weighed on his mind, stuck there.

"What's wrong?" I pushed him back a little.

Nick froze and exhaled, slowly, relaxing his grip. I was lowered down and he moved to step backwards. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong."

"Nick..."

"I'm having trouble stopping myself."

"From ripping my clothing? Too late." I stared at the remains of my top, my stomach contracting and expanding, breathing a little faster than usual. One touch. One rip, and I was putty. It was maddening. 

"From going downstairs and snapping that bastard's neck."Nick growled, hand tightening around the desk, and the wood cracked under it. He glanced sideways, looking down, hand not relaxing. If anything it got tighter, cracking the wood further, his entire arm tensing up. I could almost see him picturing it as the neck itself, cracking it, breaking it...

"Why?"

"He-" Nick's head swung up to me and he stared at me. Blinked. Then he tried to relax, tried hard, breathing a long slow breath out. "He wasn't very respectful of you."

"That's it?" I knew that wasn't all of it. He shut his mouth and shook his head in an attempt to cut me off. "Nick..."

"How much do you remember that one?"