His laugh was short and soft. “Shay, I was in juvie—I’ve slept in way worse places.” He licked over her bottom lip. “And with your taste on my tongue and your scent all over me, I’ll sleep just fine.”

Her scent all over him…Her wolf was smug at that. It also served to further relax Shaya. Surprising her, Nick suddenly spun her around and slapped her ass, urging her toward the house. “Hey!”

“Go. And make sure you eat every bit of that meal.” Amused by her mock scowl, he didn’t move his eyes from her until she was inside the house.

It was at that moment that his mother’s head peered out of the front door of the motor home. “Nick, what’s this Derren’s saying about you keeping things from Shaya?”

And so it begins.

CHAPTER SIX

Two hours later, Nick was still arguing with his mother about his decision to hold back certain details from Shaya. Yes, Kathy had a valid point in saying that it was wrong for there to be secrets or lies between mates. And, yes, a lie of omission still counted. And, yes, it would be far easier to make Shaya forgive him if he told her the truth. But Shaya was worth the hard work. Plus, he’d never know if she’d given him a chance because she felt sorry for him or because she wanted him—he needed it to be the latter. “You won’t make me change my mind,” he told his mother. “Let it go.”

Her eyes held his, staring at him to the point where he began to feel uncomfortable. Kathy Axton had a way of making people feel guilty even when they hadn’t done anything wrong. When his dad had been alive, she’d been an expert at getting him to apologize for something when the fault really lay with her. She was also extremely good at getting her own way—usually by talking people in circles—but then so was Nick.

Finally, Kathy threw up her arms in a gesture of exasperation and sank onto the sofa, arms folded. “There never was any point in arguing with you over anything. You’re stubborn as hell, just like your brother.”

“He tried to talk you out of coming here, didn’t he?” Nick sat at the dinette, where he was feeding Bruce scraps of meat. Eli was the type to stay out of other people’s business, no matter who those people were—which made him the exact opposite of their mother.

Kathy’s growl confirmed his suspicion. “I wanted to know how you were doing, and I wasn’t going to be talked out of checking on my own son.”

“Now who’s stubborn?” She was more than stubborn. She was a force of nature. But he supposed she’d have to be as the mother of three dominant shifters.

She merely sniffed at him. “It’s little wonder Shaya found meeting me awkward. Maybe if you let me—”

“No, you are not interfering here.”

“I wasn’t proposing that I tell her anything.” Her face was the picture of innocence, earning her a laugh from Derren, who was lounging in the black leather recliner. Derren knew Kathy well enough to know that she’d already have a plan cooked up in her head. “Merely that I spend some time with her and get to know her a little.”

“And then ‘accidentally’ let a few things slip?” scoffed Nick. “No way. You can get to know her after I’ve claimed her. Tonight you can sleep here. Tomorrow you go home.”

“I’m not going home until I’ve had the chance to meet her properly.” Which of course gave the woman an excuse to stick around. “There’s a shifter motel nearby. I’ve heard it’s a nice place with lots of land. Roni, Amber, and I will stay there. Then if you need us or get a little lonely, you have us nearby.”

She’d made it sound so reasonable, but Nick knew the real reason that his mother was determined to stay for a while. Being away from him for long periods of time reminded her of what it had been like when he’d gone to juvie. It had been six months since she’d last seen him…which was why she had held on to him for at least ten minutes when he first entered the motor home.

He sighed, feeling mentally drained. “If you want to stay at the motel, fine. But you keep your nose out of this, Mom. I mean it. No turning up at Shaya’s house. No trying to talk to her privately. No going to the salon where she works to get your hair done as an excuse to talk to her.” The sheepish look on Kathy’s face confirmed that he’d been right to suspect she’d do that. “No interfering, not for any reason. It’s the last thing I need.”

Finally her face softened. “Okay. I’ll stay out of it. But I can’t promise the same for Roni. You know how protective of you she is.” Her devious smile made Derren chuckle.

“Yes, Roni’s protective of me—which is exactly why she won’t spy for you.”

“Do you feel like you’re making progress with Shaya?” asked Amber, who was sitting opposite him.

He gave the healer a pointed look. “What goes on between her and me isn’t something I intend to discuss with anyone else.”

“So that’s a no, then,” she mumbled beneath her breath.

“Excuse me?”

She exhaled heavily. “Like your mom, I just want you to be happy.”

“I’ll be extremely happy when you guys are gone tomorrow, because more than one night in that SUV is going to kill me.”

Kathy looked surprised. “You’re not going to sleep here because of Amber? Well, Shaya certainly runs a tight ship. I approve.”

Nick cast his mother an annoyed look. “She hasn’t ordered me to sleep outside. I’m doing it because it’s the fair thing to do.”

“I think it’s shitty of her not to offer for you to sleep on her sofa or something,” said Amber. “But rejection’s not something a girl forgets.”

Wasn’t that the truth. But then, he could easily understand. Over and over Shaya had rejected him, and though he’d expected each and every one, they’d all hurt like a son of a bitch. As such, he wasn’t surprised she hadn’t offered him her sofa. Though, knowing Shaya, she’d probably feel a teensy bit guilty for not doing so. She had a heart of f**king gold, and he wanted a part of it.

It turned out he’d been right to think that being able to taste her and smell her would help him sleep, despite being without the comfort of his bed. Still, he’d woken up aching in several places and with a pounding headache. Needing to wash and change so that he could drive Shaya to work, he returned to the motor home and found everyone sitting at the dinette eating a huge breakfast that Amber had cooked. Declining his portion as he didn’t have time to eat, he retreated to his bathroom to wash, dress, and take some pills. Then he was striding through the motor home toward the front door, brushing off his mother’s attempts to speak to him and promising her he’d talk to her later. When he reached the front door, Amber appeared in front of him, blocking his path.