Passion, Victoria 5: Nikki's Awakening (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “I told you to fuck off and leave me alone. I suggest you heed my warning because next time I won’t hesitate to really hurt you.”

  The stranger gained his feet and stood toe to toe with Nikki, trying to intimidate her with his size. Nikki didn’t take her eyes from his gaze as she watched color suffuse his cheeks with humiliation and fury. He finally slid past her and went back to his two friends at a booth in the back of the bar.

  “Wow, cool moves, girl. I wish I could do that. Where did you learn to do that?” Tasha asked.

  “I have a black belt in Karate,” Nikki replied. “If you like I could teach both of you some moves so you’ll know how to protect yourselves.”

  “Hell yes,” Beth and Tasha said at the same time.

  All three of the women laughed as they walked back to their table. They had a great time and by the time midnight arrived, Nikki was beginning to feel exhaustion pulling at her. She said her good-byes and made her way out to the parking lot to her car. She knew she was safe to drive as she’d only had that one alcoholic drink and then she had stuck to soft drink or soda.

  Nikki was only a few meters from her car when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her and whirled around to see who was near. She saw the stranger she had flipped earlier in the evening as well as his two friends.

  “What do you want?” Nikki asked as she backed away from the three men. She knew she could take one of them, maybe even two, but there was no way in hell she could down the three of them.

  “Oh, I think you deserve a lesson for the way you humiliated me tonight and we are just the right men to give it to you,” the stranger snarled as he moved in closer to her.

  Nikki didn’t hesitate. She spun into a roundhouse kick and connected with the stranger’s chin knocking him to the ground. She was just preparing to spin again to one of the other men, when they grabbed her by an arm each. Nikki used their hold on her to her advantage and flipped herself into a half-upside-down position and aimed for their faces with her feet. They must have been prepared for her because they both let go of her arms and Nikki landed on her back on the ground. She landed so hard the wind was knocked out of her and she had to struggle to breathe for a few moments.

  The stranger she had managed to knock down was on her in an instant and pinned her to the ground using his body weight. The two other men knelt down and held her arms pinned to the ground. She was in trouble, a shitload of trouble. There was no way she could get free with three of them holding her. The two men helping the stranger moved their hold to an arm and leg each so the stranger on top of her could move between her now spread thighs.

  “I’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget, you little cunt.” He backhanded her across the face.

  Nikki didn’t make a sound as stars and pain exploded before her eyes, in her face and head. Fear assailed her and she was back in that moment that Bob had hurt her.

  His bodyweight pinned her to the floor and he landed a punch to her face. She cried out as pain assailed her and she began shaking. Even though she bucked and wriggled to try and get him off of her, he was just too big and heavy. He landed punch after punch hitting anywhere he could. Nikki threw her arms up when he aimed for her face again and managed to hit him in the nose.

  Bob roared in fury, half moving off of her, and then he was hitting her in the stomach, her breasts and arms. By the time he stopped hitting her she felt like she’d been hit by a truck and was hurting so bad she felt sick to her stomach. When he got up off her she sighed in relief and tried to roll onto her side to curl up and make herself a smaller target. He grabbed her arm in a cruel punishing grip and wrenched it hard. Nikki screamed in pain as she heard and felt the bone break. She wasn’t sure if he backed away from her because he was worried about what he’d done to her or if he’d just decided he’d had enough of her. She heard his footsteps walking away from her and then the front door had slammed closed.

  It took Nikki a long time to crawl to her cell phone to call the police and an ambulance. She’d spent four pain-filled days in the hospital and had pressed charges when the police had taken her statement. She’d never seen Bob again. And the restraining order she had taken out against him hadn’t seem to faze him, but she would never let another man hurt her again. At least that’s what she’d hoped when she’d started taking Karate lessons.

  Another blow landed on her face bringing her out of her fear-filled memories. She turned her head back and stared with fury at the man. Never again would she show fear. She wasn’t a victim, she was a survivor and she wouldn’t allow fear to rule her anymore.

  But in the next instant she began shaking with fear as he reached for the button on her jeans and pulled it from the buttonhole. This was one thing that caused sheer terror to burst inside her. These arseholes were going to try and rape her right here in the parking lot. She bit her tongue to hold in a whimper as he slid her zipper down and couldn’t contain the cry from escaping her mouth when he began to grab the waist band of her jeans and pull them over her hips. She fought like a mad woman, bucking and screaming as she tried to hamper his movements.

  All of a sudden she was free. The hands on her arms and legs were gone and so were the hands at her waist. She scrambled to her feet and tried to pull her jeans back in place with shaking hands as she watched Tony, Colt, and Bear pound the living daylights out of the three men. When the strangers slumped to the ground unconscious, the three men turned to her and were beside her before she could blink. She felt tears prick at the back of her eyes because she couldn’t do up the zipper or button on her jeans. Her whole body began to shake in reaction and her legs felt like they were about to collapse.

  Bear picked her up with gentle arms and cradled her against his massive chest.

  She turned to look at Tony when she heard him talking and realized he was on the phone to the police. Bear continued to hold her and croon to her and Colt stood at her side, caressing her head and hair.

  A few minutes later Noah and Tom Beech drove into the parking lot and while Tom secured the men who were just coming around in handcuffs and put them into the back of the police van, Noah took her statement. By the time she finished her disjointed explanation, the adrenaline racing through her system was crashing and she was starting to shake even more. She watched the taillights of the police van until they disappeared. Bear’s deep voice had a soothing quality to it and she zoned in to what he was saying to her.

  “You’re all right now, baby. They won’t hurt you anymore.”

  “Where are your keys, sweetheart?” Colt asked as he stroked her head.

  “I–In my purse,” Nikki got out in a quavering voice.

  Colt eyes scanned the ground and finally located her purse near her car. He picked it up and riffled through it until he had her car keys in his hand.

  “I’ll follow in Nikki’s car,” Colt said as he unlocked her car and slid into the driver’s seat.

  “W–Where a–are you taking m–me?” Nikki asked through chattering teeth.

  “Home,” Tony said as he and Bear walked over to a large four-wheel drive near the rear of the parking lot.

  Bear slid into the passenger side front door with Nikki still in his arms. He held her firmly when she tried to move to the seat between him and Tony. She gave a sigh of frustration as she realized he wasn’t going to let her go. She snuggled into his big body trying to draw some of his body heat into her freezing, shaking body. Bear held her tenderly when she tried to bury herself into his large frame. He moved an arm and stroked her head and hair with soothing gestures.

  It wasn’t long before Tony brought the truck to a halt and Nikki lifted her head to survey her surroundings. They had pulled up outside a large farmhouse surrounded by beautiful native gum, eucalyptus trees, and grevilleas.

  “Where are we?” Nikki asked.

  “Home.” Bear opened the door and slid to the ground with her still in his arms.

  “You live here? I thought you were taking me to my home. Why did
you bring me here?”

  “We want to make sure you get some ice on that bruised, swollen cheek,” Tony said as he walked around the front of the truck.

  “I could have done that at my home.” Nikki sighed with irritation.

  “Yes you could have, but you probably wouldn’t have done it. Besides, we want to make sure you’re not injured anywhere else,” Tony replied in a firm voice.

  “I’m not. You guys got to me just in the nick of time.” Nikki took a shuddering breath.

  “You’re a stubborn little thing aren’t you, baby?” Bear walked toward the verandah and took the steps two at a time. She hoped he didn’t expect her to answer that, because she had no intention of doing so. Colt pulled into the drive in her car and followed them into the house.

  Bear followed Tony through the entry hall into the living room. He eased Nikki onto the large leather sofa and sat beside her, gently grasping her chin between his thumb and index finger, and turned her face toward his.

  “You might end up with a black eye, baby. That bastard whacked you hard didn’t he?” Bear asked.

  Nikki nodded and tears burned at the back of her eyeballs. She hated feeling vulnerable but these three big, brawny men seemed to bring out her feminine side and she wasn’t sure she liked it. She was so used to being independent and looking after herself and now that they were showing her kindness, she was in danger of falling apart.

  “Are you hurt anywhere else, Nikki?” Colt walked into the living room with an ice pack in his hand. He sat down next to her on the sofa and gently placed the ice to her sore swollen cheek.

  “No I’m fine,” Nikki reached up to hold the pack to her cheek.

  “I want you to take your clothes off, Nikki, so I can get a look at you.” Tony was sitting in the chair across from the sofa and was frowning at her.

  “I beg your pardon?” Nikki asked in her haughtiest voice.

  “I want to make sure you’re not injured anywhere else, little girl. You can leave your bra and panties on if that will make you feel better.” Tony was frowning at her with concern.

  “I am not taking my clothes off.”

  “Nikki, we need to make sure you don’t need to see a doctor. You can either take them off yourself or we will take them off for you,” Colt’s voice was threaded with steel.

  “I can’t believe you arrogant arseholes. What gives you the right to tell me what to do? You’re not my parents and I haven’t been taking orders from anyone for years,” Nikki got up from the sofa to pace with agitation. “Please give me my car keys. I want to go home.”

  “We’ll let you go home, baby, but first we need to know you aren’t injured anywhere else. Please, Nikki? We hate the thought of you hurting.” Bear spoke in a quiet gentle voice.

  Nikki stood behind the couch where she had been pacing and stared from one man to the other. There was no way in hell she was letting them dictate to her, but she couldn’t deny Bear. He looked so sad when he said he hated that she could be hurt. His eyes were a deep brown color and looked so sad, she couldn’t refuse him anything when he looked at her like that. Besides she was aching all over and wanted to see the damage on her body, herself.

  But then she got her back up again. She didn’t want these three men to see her half-naked body. Nikki was scared that they would be able to see her body’s response to them and that would never do. Taking a deep breath, she loosened her muscles and as Tony stepped forward she moved into him, bent nearly in half and flipped him over her much smaller frame.

  She covered her mouth when she realized what she’d done and started backing away. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

  Tony got to his feet and took a couple of steps closer and glared at her. “I see you’ve had some self-defense training, little girl. That makes me feel a whole lot better knowing you can defend yourself, but let me warn you. You cannot escape us, Nikki. We are stronger, bigger, and a lot faster than you will ever be. If you use any of your moves on me again, I’ll tan your backside.”

  He reached for the waistband of her jeans, pulled the button from the hole and released the zipper and started to push her jeans down.

  “Wait! What are you doing? Get you fucking hands off me right now,” Nikki yelled. Tony lifted his hands from her jeans and stepped back. He nodded to Bear and Colt and she sighed with relief when they kept their distance.

  “I’m sorry if I scared you.” Tony ran his fingers through his hair. “That was never my intention. Nikki, will you please let us help you? We can see the pain in your eyes and hate that you are injured.”

  “Can I go home after?”

  “If that’s what you want,” Tony answered immediately.

  She studied his green, brown-flecked eyes and could see the sincerity in them but she could also see the concern. Her heart fluttered and she looked away. Her eyes connected with Colt’s hazel orbs and he looked just as worried. When she met Brandon’s brown eyes, she knew she was lost. She didn’t want them worried about her. Although she was in pain and aching, she was fine. It wasn’t as if she was bleeding or had any broken bones. Her breath hitched in her throat when she realized that these three men actually cared about her well-being and weren’t only in lust with her. Little by little, they were wearing her down and she didn’t know how much longer she could keep them at an arm’s length.

  They’d praised her business acumen and now they were concerned about her well-being. How the hell was she supposed to keep them away from her and herself away from them when they were being so sweet and caring? Nikki had a feeling that no matter how hard she tried, she was already fighting a losing battle.

  Nikki decided that she couldn’t let them go on thinking she was more injured that she was and took a step back, but kept her eyes lowered as she unbuttoned and took her shirt off. She pushed her jeans down to her knees and stood still hoping they didn’t take too long looking her over. Vulnerability raced through her and she felt so defenseless and exposed being only half-dressed in front of them. It was like a piece of her armor had been removed and they would be able to see how much she had been lying to them and herself about the attraction between them.

  “You have a bruise on your back. How did you get that?” Tony asked and she felt his breath on her upper back, between her shoulder blades. Damn it! Now that she was aware he was so close to her, she could feel his body heat and goose bumps erupted over her skin.

  “Two of them were holding my arms so the other one could do what he wanted to me. I used their hold on me to my advantage and tried to flip and kick them in their faces. They let my arms go and I landed on my back on the ground,” Nikki explained.

  “Fucking arseholes,” Tony snarled with fury. “What about the bruise on your hip?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t even realize I had it until now,” Nikki looked down at her hip. “Are you satisfied now? Can I get dressed and go home?”

  “You can get dressed, little girl, but you aren’t going anywhere yet.”

  “The hell I’m not. You can’t keep me here against my will, that’s kidnapping,” Nikki yelled at Tony as she pulled her clothes back on with jerky movements.

  “Nikki, we want to talk to you. Please? Don’t start going off half-cocked before you’ve heard us out.” Colt stood a few feet away looking down at her.

  Nikki felt the ire drain from her. How could she leave without hearing him out when he’d asked her so nicely? Nikki stared at the three large Spencer brothers and wondered what the hell she was doing. She was only torturing herself more by staying with them. They attracted her like no other man before them and she didn’t know what to do with it. There was no way she was getting involved with them but she couldn’t leave either. Her mind was a mass of contradictions and only managed to confuse her more, but her curiosity was piqued and she needed to hear what they had to say.

  Tony walked up behind her and pressed his front to her back. She inhaled deeply when she felt his erection pressing into her lower back and co
uldn’t help but look at Bear and Colt’s pants. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw the massive bulges pushing at the front of their jeans and she ended up choking. She coughed and coughed until tears ran down her face.

  Bear rushed from the room and Colt moved closer and began to rub her arm. Her body quivered and quavered inside and out and the warmth smoldering inside her flamed hotter and she wondered if she would have the strength to walk away.

  Brandon came back with a glass of water and handed it to her. She took it from him gratefully and sipped to ease her throat. When her gaze met his she could see lust and more in his eyes. She slid her glance up to meet Colt’s and the depth of hunger and yearning in his gaze got to her heart and she felt the ice encasing it crack.

  That frightened her more than being surrounded by three big men.

  Chapter Three

  Nikki took off again but this time she headed toward the bedrooms at the end of the hall. She was running from herself more than them and even though she knew she was being ludicrous she couldn’t seem to help herself. Those three men seemed to bring out the worst in her. She slipped into the main bedroom and slammed the door behind her. She gave a sigh of frustration when she found no lock on the bedroom door. She noticed the tallboy along the wall next to the door and began to push it across the floor, using her body weight to move the chest of drawers in front of the entrance. She had it halfway across the door when the door opened and slammed against the side of the drawers.

  Bear slipped his head around the corner of the door and looked from the drawers and back to Nikki. “Move away from the drawers, baby. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Nikki backed away from the drawers until her thighs bumped into the end of the large bed. She watched as Bear ducked his head back out of the room. Then the drawers were being moved as he pushed against the door. He was only using one of his arms to gain access. He was as strong as an ox. Nikki watched with trepidation as Bear then Tony and Colt entered the bedroom. She moved sideways and then backed up again until she was across the room near the window.