Her Werewolf Bodyguard

Chapter 5

Ariana eased open her front door, careful not to hurt her wrist any more than it already was. She used her shoulder to open it more fully and placed her purse on the kitchen counter.

“Ari, what are you doing? I told you to wait.” Nick came through the door carrying a couple of bags of groceries and a suitcase. His suitcase.

She couldn’t help but swallow hard whenever she looked at it. When Nick told her what Liam had ordered him to do her heart soared at the thought of him living with her. Being by her side both day and night. But the expression on his face and sometimes his tone told her that he didn’t like his new assignment. Not one bit. She tried not to let it bother her but it did.

“I’m sorry, but I was getting dizzy.” To make her point, she slid into one of the bar chairs that lined the countertop. It doubled as a table.

Concern etched his face and he put the bags down on the counter and dropped his suitcase. “Are you okay? Here. Come to the couch and lay down. I’ll make some soup.”

“I want some whiskey.”

He stopped in surprise. “Whiskey?”

She gave a half-laugh. “Yeah. I haven’t taken a pain pill in a couple of hours. A small glass should be fine. I probably won’t even drink it all.”

“I didn’t know you drank whiskey.” He laughed and shook his head. “I guess you really are all grown up now.”

She scowled, hating whenever he mentioned that. “Yes, Nicholas, I’ve been a big girl for quite some time now.”

He raised his hands in defense and moved to the small liquor cabinet she kept off to the side in the living room. “Okay, okay, don’t kill me.”

She chuckled. “I’m sorry. These meds make me cranky when they wear off. Besides, Liam’s treating me like a baby and you like a nursemaid. With the extra security I’ve had installed, I should be just fine. You don’t need to babysit me. I’m sure you have a life.”

He walked a small tumbler of amber-brown liquid over to her and she took a small sip. “Not as much of one as you would think.”

“Well, you must date,” she stated, deliberately picking at a nail and then taking another sip. The whiskey burned through her stomach and warmed her up nicely. “Or play fantasy football or something.”

He laughed. “I hardly ever date and what is fantasy football? Listen, quit worrying about everything, and let me handle it. Liam assigned me to you because I’m his beta. I’m the most powerful in the pack, second only to Liam. The guy working your apartment building door? Also a wolf. He’ll be able to sniff out any wolves coming in or out and give me a heads up.”

“What?” she demanded, sitting up a bit straighter. “Frank is a werewolf? This whole time?”

Nick nodded. “You thought Liam would let you move out of the house and into the city without any protection? Have you met him?”

Ariana sullenly stared down at her drink. “He could’ve told me,” she mumbled. Swirling the leftover drink around the glass, she downed it in one gulp and set the tumbler on the counter and stood up. Her stomach rolled a bit.

“Where are you going?” Nick asked.

She gave him a look. “The bathroom. Do you have to watch me in there too?”

He made a face. “Real cute, Ari. Just go. I’ll make lunch. No more whiskey until later.”

She limped very slowly to the bathroom, aware of his eyes on her and how pathetic she looked. Everything in her entire body screamed in pain and as soon as she ate she was definitely taking another pain pill. Just lowering herself onto the toilet almost made her cry out. By the time she finished and made it back to the living room, she was exhausted. She practically collapsed onto the sofa and just tried to lay very still.

“I made you chicken noodle.” Nick’s voice was very soft as he placed the bowl on the coffee table next to her. “Just the way you used to like it.” 

Ariana nodded her thanks and let him prop her up with pillows so she could eat. It was difficult with her wrist brace and he offered to help her but she said no. Some dignity had to be retained. She could only finish half of it until her eyes started drooping. 

Nick stood up and went to the kitchen for something, coming back holding half a pain pill and a glass of water. “Take this and then try and sleep, okay?”

She nodded and obeyed, every one of her brain cells feeling dead. Sleep came quick and easy.

                                                                                                  *

Ariana slept for hours which was fine because Nick knew he wouldn’t not tonight. He was too wired, checking the cameras and the apartment every couple of hours for any signs of an enemy wolf. He hadn’t forgotten what Liam told him. About Ariana and why her pack was killed.

Jason couldn’t still want her for his son, could he? It was insane. He had to know that the Silver Moon pack would never let that happen. They were family and Ariana had been adopted. Still, Jason hadn’t seemed like a reasonable person twelve years ago and he was sure nothing had changed.

Nick was in the bedroom mostly just wandering around bored when he heard the sounds of distress. Loud moans coming from the living room. Ariana! Rushing back to her side, he realized she was having a nightmare.

“Ari,” he said in a low voice, carefully sitting next to her hip and putting a gentle hand on her shoulder to wake her. “Ariana, you're having a bad dream. Wake up.” 

Suddenly, she bolted upright and he grabbed onto her so she wouldn’t fall off. “s**t!” Her chest heaved from fear and panic. “s**t,” she gasped out again. “Oh my god, that was horrible.”

Nick pulled her closer. “Are you okay? It was just a nightmare. You’re safe now.”

Her face buried itself where Nick’s neck met his shoulder. His scent filled her nostrils and instantly calmed her down. A warm hand moved circles across her back. Slowly as she calmed, she realized her arm had slid around Nick’s waist and part of it was laying right across his lap. Right over a certain part of his anatomy that she could very much feel. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, embarrassed and leaning back a bit. “Did I wake you up?”

“No, of course not,” he chuckled, rubbing her back in an up and down motion now. “I’ll probably crash for a few hours around dawn.”

“You don’t have to stay awake. I doubt Jason or his asshole son are going to come here tonight. They would know we’d expect that.”

He gave a slight shrug and she felt the ripple of muscle beneath his shirt. A new sort of heat slowly began spreading throughout her body, replacing the fear and panic from before. “If they were smart they would, but I don’t think we’re dealing with world-class criminals here, Ari. They’re backwoods ignorant bottom-feeders.”

She pulled back fully now. From the moonlight spilling through the large windows behind her, she could see his blue eyes staring into hers. Even darkness couldn’t dim them. He loosened his grip and she did her best to return her arm to somewhere other than his crotch. “What did Liam say? Does he have any leads?”

Nick hadn’t been given permission yet to reveal everything he’d found out and looked down at the carpet for a moment. “Nothing concrete, but the whole pack’s been assigned to it. Priority number one.”

“Oh,” she whispered, still staring into his eyes.

The air shifted just then, no one speaking for several long moments. Nick’s eyes dropped to notice how beautifully formed her mouth was and then darted back up to her eyes. Unconsciously, his tongue wet his own lips, which had suddenly gone dry. Her hand on his arm suddenly seared against his skin. He had to get away before he did something that would get him into major trouble. Liam might not kill him but his punishment wouldn’t be fun.

“I’m thirsty. Let me get you some water too,” he said suddenly, hoarse from desire. He pushed away from her and headed straight for the kitchen. Filling up two glasses of tap water, he thought how brutal the next few weeks were going to be.

Shit. What if it was months til Jason was caught?