“LET ME GO!” She screamed, trying to pull away.
Just as Maria had suspected, Rein’s size was no indication of her strength and as much as she tried to pull away from the smaller woman, Maria couldn’t get away. Maria spun around just in time to see the wolf emerge from the fog. It’s powerful shoulders rippled with every step it took and Maria was surprised that she didn’t feel fear welling up inside of her. She was anxious, but not afraid. It was the same sensation she’d felt the first night she’d seen the creature. Maria was trying to escape out of instinct but her heart was telling her something very different.
As the wolf moved closer, the dark fur began to retract into the skin and it’s claws disappeared back into the animal's skin. The shadow creature’s huge paws shorted and became human hands and feet as it stood up on it’s back legs and became a bipedal creature once more. The snout shortened and stretched before sinking back into the man’s face and revealing it’s identity to Maria.
Aaron stood at the edge of the patio and hopped onto the wooden deck. He was completely nude thanks to the transformation, though it didn’t seem like it was thing that had even crossed his mind. Her eyes wandered south, taking in the flat expanse of his perfectly sculpted chest and stomach. His muscles were still tight and rippling from the effort of turning back into a human and when her eyes finally came to his hips she felt blood rush to her cheeks. Maria snapped her gaze back to Aaron’s face and he offered her a shy, almost apologetic smile.
“It’s good to see you awake.”
Maria tried to respond but her world went black again as she collapsed onto the deck, surprising both Rein and Aaron. Her fragile mind couldn’t handle all of this at once. It was a wonder her heart hadn’t stopped.
***
“You didn’t warn her? Didn’t even give her a heads up?”
“Do you really think that would have made a difference? She was terrified of you! If I told her what and who you were she probably would have booked it before you even got back. It was better that she thought you human until the last possible second.”
"What if she'd had a heart attack like that man in Chicago?"
Maria woke up to the sound of discourse and groaned a little, rolling over away from the sound of it. She wanted to sleep off the headache that was starting to root itself in her temple. It took her a moment to remember where she was and what had happened but when she did, she jumped up, her eyes wide as she pressed herself against the headboard, looking between Aaron and Rein.
“What...What is going on?” She demanded, her voice low and shaking.
Aaron looked at Rein and sighed, kissing her forehead. “Why don’t you get out of the house for a while, Rein. Get yourself a new dress or take yourself out to a nice dinner.” He said offering her his credit card.
She took the card and looked back at Maria, frowning a little and looking back up at Aaron. “You’re sure you’ll be alright?”
“Of course, Libeling,” He said softly. “Now go.”
Rein nodded and turned to leave them alone, closing the door behind her as she left. They probably needed some time alone to talk. A lot had happened the past few days. Maria looked at Aaron, her gaze unwavering and determined. Her lips shook as she spoke but her voice was strong.
“I think you owe me an explanation.”
Chapter 7
Aaron sighed and stepped towards the bed, watching her as he settled on the edge of it, running his hand over the smooth silk of the bed spread. Aaron seemed nervous and Maria was surprised. Aaron was never nervous and he was never afraid. He’d seen horrific things in battle and escaped bombs and snipers. He’d put his life on the line so many times but he’d never seemed nervous until now. Whatever was going on was serious.
Maria frowned and reached out, touching his hand in the same comforting way that she had when they were in the club. It was nice to know that was really how it felt to be touched by her and not just something she did on the clock.
“Aaron...Tell me what’s going on. I’m so confused…” She whispered, scooting closer.
He smiled weakly and reached out, touching her cheek with an almost painfully tender caress. “Let’s get you in a warm bath and I’ll tell you everything.” He promised.
Maria should have been more hesitant to listen to Aaron and do as he said, but she suddenly realized that he’d had every opportunity in the world to harm her, take advantage of her or even kill her and he hadn’t done any of those things. He’d only provided her with warmth and kindness. He’d also saved her life, which was something they were going to have to talk about eventually.
She nodded and stood from the bed, going towards the huge master bath she hadn’t seen before this moment . When Maria had first woken up she’d been a bit out of sorts and unable to focus on anything that hadn't been her head pounding.
The door squeaked when she pushed it open and she slipped inside, poking her head out as if she were already undressed.
“Give me a minute to undress and get in the tub, okay?”
Aaron nodded in understanding and she closed the door, realizing how silly she was being. She’d been working at a strip club for the last year and she was suddenly shy of letting someone see her naked? Then it occurred to her that this wasn’t just anyone...This was Aaron...The man she’d slowly been falling in love with over the last six months.
She stripped out of the nightgown she’d woken up in and folded it carefully. Maria set it on the bathroom counter and leaned over the tub to fill it with hot water. She added a few bubbles and went to the bathroom door, opening it. The smell of roses and peppermint oil floated into the bedroom and Aaron sighed happily at the scent. It was very comforting.
Once Maria had settled into the tub, she called for Aaron to join her. Maria was sunk far enough into the water and bubbles that he wouldn't be able to see anything, though she doubted he would even try to look. Rein had been running around with her cute, perky breasts out for the world to see and he hadn't even glanced at them. When he was in the club he never looked at the dancers. He'd only ever had eyes for her.
Aaron wandered in and settled on the toilet seat, dropping his head back and closing his eyes with a sigh. He opened those crystal clear orbs and turned them towards her for a moment, considering where he should begin.
"I think you already know that I'm not quite human."
"Yeah. I've picked up on that." She murmured
He nodded and continued. "Rein and I...we're called shifters. Wolf shifters, to be exact." He explained.
"Wolf shifters...so you can just...Turn into a wolf whenever you want?"
"Yeah...and sometimes even when we don't want to." He said with a dry laugh.
"What does that mean?"
A silence passed between them and she could tell that Aaron was thinking. He was trying to come up with the best explanation for what had happened at the club. At the end of the day, he'd killed a man. He'd snapped his neck and brutalized the body until he was hardly recognizable. That night, Aaron had shown Maria the type of things he was capable of and it terrified him that she knew the about him.
"When we feel a sudden surge of intense emotion...Sometimes we can't help the things that happen." He murmured.
"Like when you attacked that man?"
He stiffened but nodded "Yeah...exactly like that." He sighed, running his hands through his hair.
Maria nodded slowly, taking it all in. She glanced at the bathroom door and seemed lost in her thoughts. She finally turned her emerald gaze back towards him and leaned back in the tub.
"So who is Rein...To you? You never would tell me if you were single or not. You’ve never talked about her, either.” Maria pointed out, putting her chin on her knees.
“Can you blame me? It’s hard to explain our situation without people getting the wrong idea.”
“Well, what is your situation?”
He sighed and looked over at Maria. “We grew up together. We were pups in the same pack. When the humans came
and wiped us out, we ran away together. I was next in line to be the Alpha male, so it was only natural that she follow me and that I take care of her.” He explained.
“So...You aren’t together?”
“No.”
Maria smiled and nodded a little. “I think I can handle that. She seems nice.”
“She is a very kind and loving girl...And one hell of a cook.
A small laugh left Maria's lips and she looked over at her savior. He glanced at her and then away. His lips were dry and his tongue darted out to lick them, hoping to moisten them
“Aren’t you afraid of me?”
“Should I be?”
“No! I would never hurt you, Maria. Not ever, not for anything!” He said quickly, holding his hands out to her.
She reached out of the tub and touched his hand, smiling. “Then that’s good enough for me.”
Maria stood up, water dripping off her naked form Aron couldn’t help but steal a glimpse of her perfect body. She had slender hips and pink, round breasts that he wanted to kiss and worship. He tore his eyes away, squeezing them closed and swallowing thickly, shaking his head.
When she noticed the way he was trying so hard not to look at her she smiled and leaned down, resting her hand under his chin and pulling his gaze back up to hers, leaning over and kissing him tenderly.
Aaron melted into the kiss and when she pulled away he found himself missing the feel of her silky lips against his. He watched as she wandered to the bedroom, her body naked, exposed and pink from the warmth of the water. Maria wandered to the edge of the bed and leaned over it slowly, bending at the waist so her perfect as was exposed to him.
She ran her fingers along the sheets and looked back him, her cheek resting on the bed as she offered him an inviting smile.
“If you’re such an animal...Then come take me like one.”
Chapter 8
Maria was not completely naive to the ways of love. She’d had boyfriends in college and they’d done the things that college kids do. They kissed in the backseats of cars and made clumsy love. She’d never had the pleasure of making loving to a man who had over three hundred and fifty years of experience under his belt, however.
Aaron licked his lips when the beautiful woman bent over the bed and he wandered over towards her, his rough fingers coming up to run down the length of her spine. She shuddered happily under his touch and let out a slow breath, chewing her lip and gasping softly, her hips swaying under his fingertips.
She was putting off the most delicious smell and Aaron wanted more. His fingers traced her sides and ran down between her legs, causing her to mewl with pleasure. She gasped and spread her legs, nectar already dripping from her most delicate petals.
“Are you just going to tease me?” She whinnied, gasping his name as he pressed one thick finger inside of her body.
He grunted a little, curling his finger in such a way that sent shock waves through her entire body. She rocked up onto the balls of her feet and her mouth fell open in a silent scream as he added a second finger, stretching her open in the most delicious way possible. She moaned his name again and her fingers curled in the sheets as she rocked back against his fingers. She was already soaked and ready for him.
When he pulled his fingers out from her lovely garden she let out a sad sound that spoke volumes of how much she wanted him inside of her. He laughed, his voice deep and rough as he leaned over her thin body and rocked his clothed erection against her ass. A desperate sob fell from her lips and she leaned back, fingers gripping whatever she could of his pants, trying to pull them down.
Aaron pulled away from her and laughed, kneeling behind her and pushing her hips forward until her feet came off the floor. Maria let out a surprised squeak as she was pressed into the bed. She was a bit confused as to what he was doing but let out a pleased moan when his warm, rough tongue found her most intimate places. He tasted her eagerly, lapping up the nectar that was dripping from her.
His tongue was rougher than she’d anticipated, though it wasn’t a bad thing. She rocked back against him, moaning loudly and reaching back to tangle her fingers in his hair and encourage him to continue. He grunted happily at her insistent fingers, pressing his tongue inside of her. He was certainly skilled at what he did.
She could feel herself creeping closer and closer to the edge of orgasm, her breath caught in her throat as begged him for more. Her heart was beating out of her chest and Maria didn’t know how long he could keep that up until she came.
Maria finally pulled away, pleading with him to stop. “Not like this….N-Not like this. I don’t want to...Not like this.” She panted.
Aaron knew exactly what she wanted. It felt as if their minds were in sync and they were connected somehow. He gripped her hips and flipped her over, grinning down at her when he could see her face a gain.
At some point in their encounter he had discarded the pants he’d been wearing and unbuttoned his shirt to expose that perfect body of his. She groaned happily and threw her head back, wrapping her legs around his waist, trying to pull him closer. She could feel his hot, throbbing member against her thigh but it wasn’t enough. She wanted so much more.
She got her wish as he slid into her, filling her completely. Maria never imagined that someone could complete her the way he did. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, fingers digging into the soft flesh and leaving angry little moon shaped marks. It only made him want her more.
He thrusted inside of her and every time he moved it drew another desperate sound from her. Aaron had her right where he wanted her. He could feel her velvet cavern clenching around him as she came closer and closer to her own grand finale.
Aaron leaned into her ear and kissed her jaw for a moment, his deep voice pushing her right off the cliff she’d been teetering on.
“Come for me, Leiben.” He whispered, nipping at the most tender part of her neck.
It was an order she couldn’t resist. Her body seized around his and she felt him filling her with his masculine fluids and her eyes fluttered as she sobbed out his name, surrendering to her own ecstasy. Her legs shook with the force of her orgasm and her back arched sharply. Nothing came to her mind except three simple words. She sobbed them out in desperation, clinging to him as she rode out the waves of her orgasm.
“I love you!”
A few more thrusts and Aaron was completely emptied. He didn’t pull out of Marie and leaned over her, their bodies glistening with a thin sheen of sweat. He laughed into her neck and at first she was afraid he was going to reject her affections, but then he whispered something in his native tongue.
“Ich liebe dich, mein schatz."
Maria didn’t know a lick of German, but she was sure that he was telling her that he loved her too.
Chapter 9
Maria and Aaron didn’t leave the bedroom for nearly three days. Rein brought their food up to them, complaining that she wasn’t their maid. She yelled at Aaron in German a few times and when Maria asked him what she’d said, he just laughed and told her it wasn’t for ladies ears.
They spent most of those three days making love but they also laid together, talking about their future. She promised to never go back to the strip club, but she couldn't just disappear. The Widow had no one left in the world and Maria had to at least go back to get her things. Besides, Maria owed it to The Widow to let her know that she was safe.
Aaron seemed hesitant, almost afraid that I'd she went back to her world, she wouldn't come back. He didn't say it but she seemed to understand what was going through his mind.
Maria rolled over and looked up at Aaron and put her chin in her hands, her long legs kicking in the air.
“Why do you think I’m going to go back and forget about you?”
“Because you belong there. It’s your world.” He pointed out.
Maria rolled her eyes and rested her head in his lap, sighing softly. “Why can’t this be my world?”
He looked down at her
and stroked her long brown hair, smiling. “You’d want that?” He asked.
“I don’t really have much going for me back in ‘my world’. You saw what it was like for me...This is..Paradise compared to that.”
He nodded and paused to tangle their fingers. “I can’t help but be wary. I have fallen in love before…I’ve let my guard down before and it has cost me.” He said, kissing her knuckles tenderly.
She frowned and looked up at him, “What do you mean it’s cost you?”
“I fell in love once...In Paris. It was during the first world war. I thought we were soul mates and that it was true love. She owned a cinema and she was so beautiful. I loved Eva dearly and she loved me. Until she found out what I was anyway,” He sighed and leaned back into the pillows, waving his hand. “When soldiers came and tried to hurt her...I changed. I couldn’t help it. I changed right there in front of her and I ripped them limb from limb. It was an absolute blood bath. I was still angry back then. I hadn’t let go of my brutality and I wanted to cause pain.” He murmured.
Maria frowned and put her hand on his shoulder. “Oh, Aaron. I am so sorry.” She whispered, leaning in and kissing his temple.
He glanced at her and their lips nearly touched. He shook his head before speaking again. “When she found out she told me to get away from her. She never wanted to see me again. So I went home, heartbroken. I hoped she would come back to me, and she did. She brought the entire town and they stormed my chateau. They burned it to the ground and I almost lost Rein. If something happened to her...I don’t know what I’d do…” He whispered.
Maria’s heart broke for Aaron and she cupped his cheek, smiling reassuringly. “I’m not like that girl...Nothing bad is going to happen. I know you’re secret and I’m still here, aren’t I?” She asked, pressing their foreheads together.
ROMANCE: The Bad Boy Meeting Page 37