ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (93 page)

CHAPTER THREE

Nina adjusted to school life better than she thought she would.  She missed her father terribly the first week or so, but soon managed to find likeminded friends. 

Living in New York had been easier than anywhere else, but people had still considered Nina a little strange.  Her dark hair and nails confused people and her weird Japanese clothing brought strange looks from everyone. 

When she first got to college she met a small group of people who liked the same things as her.  They watched Japanese cartoons and painted their nails black too. 

Out of this group, one girl stood out to Nina.  Her name was Petra and she had shaved one side of hair and dyed the short part shocking pink.  The rest of her long hair remained blonde.  She had a piercing in one nostril and in the middle of her bottom lip.  Nina thought she was the coolest person she’d ever met. 

Petra and Nina became best friends almost instantly.  They would lie together on big squishy bean bag chairs and watch whatever crazy show was coming out of Japan that week.  They had days where they would meet outside at one of the fountains and draw together in silence.  That’s what Nina like most about Petra.  They didn’t have to talk.  It was never weird when they sat in a calm silence. 

They had a few classes together, but Petra was on the fashion design track and Nina was on the animation track.  They were pleased to find out that they lived on the same floor in the same dorm and used it as an excuse to study together.  Studying usually consisted of watching bad movies until they passed out on the bean bag chairs they had dragged into Nina’s room from the lobby. 

It was on a morning following one of those marathons, that Nina received a call from her mother.  She knew it was her because “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” was blaring out of the little speaker on the phone.  Nina thought it was funny and she knew her dad did too, even if he did cast her a slightly disapproving glance the first time he’d heard it. 

“Nnnnn, Wha’ you wan’?” She murmured, her speech still slurred with sleep. 

“Are you drunk?”

“No.  I just woke up,” Nina said, sitting up and stretching, her black hair a mess on top of her head. 

There was a moment of silence on the other end and she knew her mother didn’t believe her.  Nina didn’t really care, but it still annoyed her. 

“Whatever you say,” her mother said with disgust. “Listen, I called for a reason.”

“Obviously.”

“Don’t get smart with me, young lady.  You’re still my daughter.  And because you’re my daughter, I’d like it if you came to my wedding.”

Oh boy, another wedding.  “Can I skip this one and come to the next one?”

“You aren’t funny, Nina.”

“Actually, I have it on good authority that I’m hilarious.”

“Nina, I know we’ve had a rough past, but I love you and  I want you here.  Please don’t fight me on this.  I’ll pay for all the expenses.”

Nina was quiet for a long time.  Part of her felt guilty that she’d all but abandoned her mother and it was a big enough part that she let out a long sigh and ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

“Fine,” she finally said with a sigh.  “Where’s this one happening? Will I need to fly out for it?”

“Yes.  I’m getting married in Tennessee! Oh, it’s so pretty out here, Nina! You’ll love it!”

“I’m sure.  When?”

“Around the end of November.”

“I can probably miss a few days of class.  Book the flight and email me the itinerary.”

“Alright, Sweetheart.  I love you! Toodles!”

“Toodle you, mom.” She hit the little red button that would end the call and sighed, flopping onto the bean bag chair she’d woken up on. 

Petra was already awake, though her eyes hadn’t opened yet.  Most of her tan, freckled face was covered by the long parts of her hair.  She sighed and said, “That sounded like it went well.”

“My mom wants me to go to her wedding.”

“Free food and a free vacation, right?  Besides, Tennessee is supposed to be really pretty.”

“I guess you're right.  I just...I know she’s going to fuss about my hair and try and put me in some gross, pink dress.”

“If she tries to put you in sateen or flocked velvet, you let me know and I’ll come save you.” She rolled to her side and pointing a finger in Nina’s direction to make her point.  “I can make anything look good.”

Since Petra was on the fashion track she was a bit of a fabric snob.  Nina had no idea what she was talking about half the time and just took Petra’s word for it.  Nina laughed a little and nodded, “I’ll be sure to tell you what she puts me in.”

Petra leaned back into the bean bag and stretched out her limbs and yawned.  “Besides, you know that people hook up at weddings all the time, right?  There will be plenty of hot guys to mack on.”

“I’m not picking someone up at my mom’s wedding.  That just sounds gross.” She pushed herself up and headed towards the sink to wash her face. 

“Oh, c’mon Nina.  You could use a guy to loosen you up.  Or maybe a really hot chick.”

Nina was mostly hidden by the partial wall that cut the sink off from the rest of the room, though she managed to stick her hand out in Petra’s direction, flipping her the bird and causing her friend to howl with laughter. 

CHAPTER FOUR

The next few months went by too quickly.  Thanksgiving break was just around the corner and Nina was somewhat thankful that her mother’s wedding had fallen on a break.  She was only going to miss one day of classes. 

Petra seemed sad that Nina was going to be gone for Thanksgiving.  Her parents lived in California and she wasn’t going to be able to make it back home for the holidays.  Petra was all pouts when she dropped her friend off at the airport, parking in a drop off lane and helping her pull the black bag out of the trunk. 

Petra put her hands on her hips and sighed, watching Nina pull out a book and a pillow for the flight.  She said, “Call me if you need me to come save you.  I’ll drop in all Ninja bad ass and pull you out.”

Nina smiled and wrapped her arms around her friend, offering her a kiss on the cheek before she took a step back.  Petra rubbed the spot that Nina had kissed, wiping off the purple lip stick that had been left behind. 

“You better get going or you’re going to miss your flight.”

A laugh left Nina’s lips as she waved and turned around, jogging into the airport.  LaGuardia wasn’t known for being the easiest airport to manuever and Nina had left herself plenty of time to find her gate. 

Security was always a bitch, but she managed to get through with about a half hour to spare.  Nina stopped by a news stand and picked up some candy and a magazine that had hundreds of pictures of tattoos.  She’d been obsessed with them lately.  Nina liked the idea of a tattoo, but she was too broke and too chicken to get one.

When her flight was called she tucked the magazine under her arm and went to the boarding gate.  She hated the noise on airplanes.  Babies crying and people coughing.  It made her feel so damn claustrophobic.  She put her headphones on, hoping that whoever came to sit beside her would take the hint and not talk her ear off. 

Nine slept most of the flight, but was happy to get off the plane anyway.  She didn’t like being up in the air.  It seemed unnatural for humans to fly and she preferred to keep her feet on the ground.  She shivered at the air that managed to work its way in between the crack of the airplane door and the exit tunnel. 

She was surprised by the chill.  Nina hadn’t spent an extensive amount of time in the south, but she had assumed that it didn’t get cold in Tennessee.  Nina had been born in Maryland and lived there until her parents divorced.  Even though her mother bounced her around from place to place, they always seemed to stay in New England.  Nina was okay with that since she loved the Northeast. 

The South was new territory and she had always expected that it would be hot all the time, even during Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It wasn’t cold by New York standards, but it was colder than she’d expected.  Her light jacket wasn’t really keeping her warm. 

When she stepped out of the tunnel and turned to look at the floor to ceiling windows she noticed it was raining.  She smiled.  She loved the rain.  It made her hair curl and her make-up run, but she loved the rain. 

The airport was super busy with holiday travelers and she was pushed out of the way by more than one person on their way to pick their bags.  So much for Southern hospitality, she thought. 

By the time she reached the escalators that would take her down to the baggage claim she was in a foul mood from being pushed around and facing the chilly weather that she hadn’t planned for.  If her bag had gotten lost she was going to explode. 

Luckily for everyone in the airport, her bag came out right on time and she hoisted it over the edge and dragged it out to pick up.  She stepped out into the wet weather and shivered, pulling her hood up over her head and searching for her mother.  Who else would have picked her up?  She wouldn’t even know who else to look for. 

Nina saw no sign of her mother and groaned, falling back into one of the small benches that were meant for people waiting to be picked up.  She put her head in her hands and felt anger rising in her belly.  Why had she agreed to this?  Coming here had been a terrible idea.  She should have expected this to be how things turned out. 

She wanted to turn around and go back into the airport and call her mother and demand that she send her home.  Nina was seconds from standing when the chill of the wind was suddenly blocked by something.  Nina pulled her head out of her hands and looked up to see a tall, well built man standing in front of her. 

Nina’s eyes widened when she met the man’s piercing blue gaze.  He wasn’t the type of man she thought she’d fall for, but he was certainly good looking.  He had bright blue eyes and long blonde hair that had been swept out of his face.  Rain was dripping onto his tanned skin and the stubble on his face was just enough to make her swoon. 

He was easily six inches taller than her and probably could have crushed her in his powerful arms, though she imagined him wrapping them around her just to hold her.  She shivered delightfully at the thought, and tried to collect herself. 

She was about to ask him who he was when he answered her question.  “Nina?”

“Yeah.  I’m Nina.”

“Welcome to Nashville,” he said with a broad smile.  He stuck ou this hand and waited for her to take it.  “I’m Chris Ackerman.  I’m your stepbrother.”

CHAPTER FIVE

Wasn’t that just her luck.  The most gorgeous guy she’d ever seen was her freakin’ stepbrother.  Thanks for nothing, God.  What’d I ever do to you?

She stuck out her hand to shake his, basking in the warmth of his Southern accent.  She’d always adored Southern accents, even if she hadn’t spent much time around them. 

“Nice to meet you, Chris.” She said with a nervous smile. 

Why did she feel nervous all of a sudden?  Boys never made her nervous.  Girls never made her nervous.  No one made Nina Marie Raymond nervous.  Until now, at least.  There was something about Chris that made her want to play with her hair and stand up straight and she hated it. 

Chris started to pick up her bag until Nina snatched it away.  He looked confused, but stepped back and held his hands up, “I was just going to help you get it into the car.”

“I can do it!” she said quickly, pulling the heavy black bag around to the car’s trunk.  She struggled with it before finally giving it a shove and watching  it topple into the trunk.  Nina was panting when she stood back up, blushing furiously.  Chris was smiling, but didn’t say a word as they piled into the car.

Their drive was quiet and it unnerved Nina.  This was the girl who had often found sanctuary in silence and now she would have given anything to talk to this man and hear is velvety voice. 

Where could she begin?  She hardly knew how to talk to other girls! How did you talk to older boys?  Older boys who happened to be your stepbrother and who you desperately wanted to sleep with.  Oh no.  She needed to get those thoughts out of her head right now. 

Just when she thought she might start going crazy, Chris turned the radio on.  His phone was plugged into it and what came out of the speakers could only be described as indie folk rock.  It wasn't what Nina would have put on, but she liked it.  The music distracted her and the silence became much more bearable.

She didn't peg Chris as the type of guy who was quiet because he didn't know what to say.  She figured he was the type of guy who didn't say much because he didn't feel he needed to.  Nina liked people like that.  She sought them out because she felt the most comfortable around them.

“Pretty country,” she said, pulling her knees up to her chest and looking out the window as the hills rolled by.  The trees were painted in varying shades of orange, yellow and red.

They drove for nearly an hour and when the car finally stopped they were parked in the driveway of what looked to be an old plantation home.  It was the kind of house that came to mind when she thought of Tennessee.

The house was painted antique white and had shutters that had obviously been replaced over the years.  The door was dark and looked like it would be incredibly heavy.  All the fixtures were brass and huge windows looked into the behemoth of a house.  It had a wraparound porch with rocking chairs and small tables for tea sitting between them.  Her mother had taken to the Southern lifestyle with gusto, it seemed.

Chris took advantage of Nina's distracted gaze to unload her bag.  He grunted and set it beside her, "You don't travel light, do you?"

His beautiful accent tore her thoughts from the house and she looked at him, confused until she saw the bag that was sitting beside her.  Nina wanted to be angry but found herself flustered at his chivalry. 

"It's not clothes,” she said defensively.  “I had to bring my art supplies.  I’m an artist.”

Nina wasn't sure why, but she had to make sure that he knew she wasn't consumed by the things her mother was.  It was very important to her that he understood she wasn't like Michelle.

An understanding smile came across his face and he put a hand on her shoulder, catching her emerald gaze as he reached up with his free hand to tuck some of the long black curls behind her ear.

“Maybe you could show me your drawings sometime.”

Nina’s mouth went dry and she opened it to speak, but nothing came out.  She was in the middle of collecting her thoughts when she heard a familiar voice screeching from the porch. 

“NINA!”

She groaned and put her face in her hands for a moment and took a deep breath, preparing to talk to her mother.  Chris snickered behind his hand, but turned to look at Michelle as she came down the steps. 

She was wearing heels and her long blonde hair was perfect without a hint of gray, even though she was well into her fifties.  She wore tight pants, a flattering blouse and a big sun hat that sat on top her perfect hair.  Michelle stopped in front of her daughter and gave her a half hearted hug that was more of a pat on the back. 

Nina returned it with just as little enthusiasm and stood up straight again.  Michelle glanced over at Chris and her eyes lit up, “I see you’ve met Christopher.” She hummed, reaching out and putting a perfectly manicured hand on his arm, squeezing it, “Handsome thing, isn’t he?”

Chris laughed, clearly uncomfortable with the attention he was receiving.  He pulled out of Michelle’s hand and rubbed the back of his neck, “You’re too kind Ms.  Dubois.”

Nina's mother had stopped going by Raymond before she even divorced Henry.  Dubois was her maiden name.

“Christopher, I told you to call me Michelle.”

“Ah, right.”

The tension was unbearable, so Nina finally spoke up, “Are you gonna just stand there or are you going to give me a tour of the plantation?”

“Oh! Of course, angel.”  Michelle spit out the last word and led Nina up to the porch with Chris following close behind.  Nina thought she could feel his eyes on her.  Or maybe it was just her hopeful imagination.