by Livvy Aarons
Tristan pursed his lips, seeming annoyed that I wasn’t there for him. “Yes, well Aidan is outside cooling off. He will be back in a few. If you’d like you could join me in a little game of pool. Perhaps I could show you some pointers.” Arrogant bastard didn’t even attempt at hiding his wandering eyes.
“No thanks, maybe some other time. Julie is expecting me back at our table.” I mumbled stepping away from him slowly. I didn’t need him grabbing me in these heels. Once Tristan was out of sight, I snuck out the side door that was propped open. Aidan sitting outside on the concrete curb facing away from the door. He was leaned back watching the heavens soaking in the cool night air. As quietly as I could I crept up beside him; hoping my attire would attract a lighter side of him. No dice, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw me watching him.
“Jesus girl, you nearly scared me to death. You shouldn’t be out here.” Aidan snapped pulling his knees up from his reclined position.
“Yeah, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you; I needed to talk to you.”
Aidan would not look at me in the face, “What no kissing this time?”
“Only if you ask nicely.” I giggled. Shit—I am giggling now. Stupid delicious tasting fruity drink!
It only made his frustration more apparent. “God you are confusing. First, you deny what you are doing to Tristan and me. Then you kissed me as if you wanted to rip my clothes off. I will admit that I did kiss you back but you broke that spell by pushing me away. Let’s not forget you have avoided me for the last two weeks. So I am tired of your little game.”
This ship was sinking fast. I had to do something drastic. Instantly I squatted in front of Aidan, wedging myself in between his thighs then leaned in, pushing my body against his.
He did not push me away. “McKenna you’re doing it again.” That sexy jaw ticking thing only made me want to lick it.
I grabbed Aidan’s hand then placed it over my heart, “Do you feel that? My heart is pounding like a jackhammer and it’s all thanks to you. I am sorry that I freaked out on you. I was scared and I did not know what to do. Then I saw you tonight on stage and heard your voice; things became a hell of a lot clearer.”
“McKenna, I love where my hand is at the moment but unless there is more kissing involved I would like my hand back.” I glanced down at Aidan’s hand that was nearly cupping my left breast.
Embarrassed would be an understatement. “Oh God I am so sorry!” My alcohol buzzed body could get up fast enough.
Aidan was smiling again, “That’s okay it was just hard for me to listen when I could see your white lacy underwear as you squatted in front of me and my hand pressed into your boob.”
Here we go with the underwear again. Men are such horn dogs.
“Come here.” Aidan patted to the concrete beside him. I sat down trying to hide my goods, failing miserably when I crashed to the ground. Damn Julie and her skirts. “Careful there or someone is going to walk out and think awful things about us.”
“Would it be so awful?” I asked feeling my pride ache a little.
Aidan’s mood softened then put his hand under my chin. “No, it would never be awful to be with you. I can barely get through a day without thinking about you and you are nothing less than a stranger to me. I dreamed about you before we even met. There are just people who think that you and I should not be together.”
“Tristan?” My voice husky from the look in his eyes.
“Yeah, he told me to stay away from you. Do you know why he would tell me to do that?”
Because I could save your life and he’s a freaking’ demon. “No clue” I lied.
“His warnings be damned, I can’t stay away from you.” Aidan pulled me closer, our lips nearly touching. “I have never wanted something more than to be with you, to have your sexy legs wrap around me and have those perfectly pouty lips press into mine.” Swept up in the heat that rolled off of his embrace, I gave into my dark fantasies. Our bodies entangled sending shock waves of pleasure to every nerve in my body. For a little while, Aidan was a piece of heaven that mended my hell-charred heart. His lips soon began to trail my jawbone up to my ear then down my neck. I would have given him anything he asked for at this moment. Unfortunately my time alone with him was short lived. The creaking sound of the side door opening jolted me back to reality.
“Giving it up out on the pavement I see.” The bitterness in Tristan’s voice was thick.
I should have known that the demon would not be far; his timing was perfect. Aidan seemed just as annoyed with the intrusion, “It not really any of your business.”
“It is my business when my best friend is making a huge mistake and is too blinded by lust to think straight. You said yourself that she affected your control, almost causing you pure turmoil inside.” Tristan cut his eyes to me. Their empty, soulless pits scared me.
“Aidan, maybe it would be better if I leave.” I mumbled, dusting off the back of my skirt.
“No—I want you to stay. Tristan needs to understand that I am not one of his lackeys. I do not bark on command. Who I choose to become involved with is none of his concern and I have made a choice that feels like the right one.” Aidan never took his eyes off Tristan or unclench his fists.
“Lil’ brother you will change your mind, if she is what you think she is.” Tristan gave me a wicked smile.
Speak for yourself demon. “Ask me anything Aidan; I will not lie to you.” I was sincere in that statement. He would never ask the right questions for me to lie to him nor would he ever guess right.
“Aidan this is just another trick, she would lie to you to get what she wants. Girls like McKenna belong with someone who can keep a tight leash wrapped around her neck.” Tristan was still staring at me.
“Let me guess, she belongs with someone like you”.
Tristan seemed to roll the thought in his head then with a smirk on his face he answered, “That would be an excellent idea. I could break her in before I gave her over to you, that way she would present no danger to you.”
Instantly Aidan’s anger had surfaced, giving him an eerie blue glow on his skin. “GO TO HELL! I want you to stay away from her. Next time you say something like that again, I break your face.”
Tristan’s eyes flickered to black, “It’s time for you to get back on stage before you say anything else you are going to regret.”
Between the weird glowing thing Aidan was doing and the creepy black eyes Tristan was sporting, I could not handle this much supernatural testosterone in my present state. “I am going back inside. The bar is calling my name.”
Aidan gently grabbed my arm, pulling me against his warm body then kissed me sweetly. I was breathless by the time he finished kissing me. “I have to get back on stage but promise me that we can talk later.”
I was able to whisper “Promise,” before he pulled away.
Aidan gave Tristan one last hard stare before disappearing into the side doorway.
“You are going to make this harder for him to accept.”
I narrowed my eyes at the demon. “Aidan is not going to accept anything. Even if it kills me, he will not be force into a fate that he did not choose. No one will stand in my way; not even you.”
Tristan seemed amused by my irritation, “Big words from such a little girl. I guess I will have to wait for that ‘I told you so’ from both of you. Mark my words Peaches, he will leave you once he learns the truth. Then you will have no one to chase away those nightmares.”
Even though I wanted to slap the smirk right off of the demon’s face, I could see that in my present state of mind that I was not thinking clearly. “Whatever demon, you know nothing about me or my nightmares.”
Tristan’s grin never faded.
Aggravated I stormed back inside since I could see that I was not going to gain any ground with Tristan. Julie was waiting at our table with a tray of drinks, “I did not know what you wanted so I told my uncle to fix a couple of different shots.”
“T
hanks. I could use a few more trays full for sure.” Plopping down in the old wooden chair, I downed two shots
“Do you want anything requested from the band before I hand it to Cheri?”
There was only one song that I could think of and before I could object, Julie had scribbled the song down. She flagged down Cheri who had the request bucket.
Know it all.
“Trust me you picked a really good song. I think they are Aidan’s favorite band and once he sees that you requested it; Aidan will sing his heart out.” Julie gave me a wink then nudged her chin in the stage’s direction. Aidan was reading the requests. I took a third shot from the tray and gulped it down hoping that the burn would drown out my embarrassment. The tequila did not ease my fears, it was the angelic smile of Aidan that made my heart sputter to a new beat.
“Hello everyone. My name is Aidan Foster and this is my band Beaten Path. We play every Friday night at Pete’s, taking your requests for whatever song you would like to hear. I hope you’re having a great time and maybe we can convince you to come back next week. The first song we are going to play is from Evans Blue, so here it is by request “Beg.” Aidan slowly stepped away from the microphone and the band started to play. I was hooked the minute his voice touched my ears, turning my insides to jelly. Every time our eyes met, I felt like he was singing directly to me and the room faded to the background. A small piece of paradise could be found in Aidan’s voice…
“Blink before your eyes crust over.” Julie gave me a quick jab, as the song was coming to the end.
“Um—yeah, I was just distracted by the lights.”
Julie rolled her eyes. “Sure, the lights are really hypnotic. Here take another shot before the lights make you seize on the floor or do something crazy like make out in the parking lot.”
I narrowed my eyes then yelled curses at her in my head. Too happy with herself she pushed two shots in front of me. The night was sure going to get fuzzier with every shot I took and before I knew it, it was twelve thirty. Ben would be alone by now, which was not a good idea. He was far from being responsible. My father would be furious if I got home after he did. Thanks to his demanding job, I was pretty sure that my dad would not be home until four or five in the morning.
“One more round before you leave?” Julie asked.
“That would not be a good idea. I would like to walk out of here with some dignity.”
“Wimp.” Julie smiled.
Aidan cleared his throat, gathering the attention of the room. “Okay so this is our last song, it is a dedication from Tristan. He would like this played for his Peaches.” Aidan seemed confused and shot a sideways glance at Tristan.
Oh shit. I wanted to crawl under the table. The nauseating feeling grew thicker when the band started and I realized what he had requested; Nickelback’s “Follow you home.”
That was throwing down a gauntlet if I had ever saw one. Sweating bullets, I turned to Julie. “Go. Get Alcohol. NOW.”
She swallowed hard, hearing my panicky thoughts then rushed to bar. When she returned with a tray full of shots, I desperately threw them back one by one. Julie did not try to stop me. She knew that I would have fought her the entire time.
Slowly the buzzing become a blur and with the last shot of Jägermeister in my hand, I gave my challengers one last glance. I was way out of my league with the whole situation and I was probably going to lose but something inside of me told me I had to try. Aidan was singing his heart out, unknowingly pushing my nerves to the edge. Tristan however gave me a seductive wink before…
my mind…
went completely…
blank.
God help me, I have walked into the black shadows of night with nothing but your flame to guide me. Find pity on my soul and burn bright.
Chapter 6:
The Morning after Pill
Damn I knew I should have put up curtain! My head was on the verge of self-combustion and the sunshine pouring in through my window was not helping the situation. I shifted to my other side facing away from the light but that only brought on more pain. Every muscle in my body felt achy. Once I lay still for a moment the pain began to subside and sleep was with reach again. I was nearly asleep when the sound of a cell phone ringing blocked me from serenity. Who would be calling me this early in the morning?
Suddenly I froze. That was not my cell phone ringing.
Please let that be Julie’s phone. I knew that it wasn’t hers though. Hers had a very distinctive ringtone of a dog barking and this ring was definitely not a dog barking. I sank deeper under my covers. I was relieved to still be dressed in what I wore the night before. At least I did not do anything too stupid like waste my integrity on someone in a drunken stupor. The stranger’s phone rang non-stop for five minutes and my curiosity overcame my fear. Taking a quick peek around the room, I found my overnight guest.
OH MY GOD! Panicking I squirmed back under the covers.
Sprawled out on my floor, barely sporting a pair of gym shorts was Aidan, asleep.
I cannot believe that I let myself get that drunk. Considering my previous transgressions, you would think that I would have learned that alcohol can make you do plenty of things that you will regret in the morning.
After a few minutes of debating with myself, I deicide that regardless of the situation I did not want Aidan to see me without my teeth brushed. I grabbed my robe as I dashed to the bathroom. If Ben or my father was awake I did not want them to see my outfit that I was still wearing. Relief flooded me when I made it to the bathroom undetected. The loud snoring of my father was an even bigger liberation.
Once I had showered and brushed my teeth, I nervously hobbled back to my room. The knowledge of a beautiful man asleep on my floor made my stomach do a strange flip flop motion. Quietly I shut the door then tossed my dirty clothes in the hamper before glancing back in Aidan’s direction. He had not budged. I tip toed to his side, taking in the full view of his body. Perfect. The sheer glow of Aidan’s skin was begging from me to touch it; to trace the harsh outline of his tattoos. My eyes followed the tribal symbols down Aidan’s back until they disappeared into his gym shorts, leaving my imagination to run wild on whether or not they continued. My cheeks flamed at the fantasy that was playing in my head. I shrugged out of my daydream before I got too carried away and told myself that I should get dress. I crept over to my dresser then snatched out a pair of cotton shorts and black tank top. When I turned back to Aidan I saw that he was awake, sitting propped up against the side of my bed.
Oh my, Aidan was even more handsome than last night. “Sorry. I did not mean to wake you up.” I mumbled, trying desperately not to stare at his chiseled physique.
Aidan flashed an easy grin. “I’ve been awake since you rushed off to the bathroom. Originally I was going to scare you but you seemed to enjoy staring at me.”
“I was not staring at you. I was—I was trying to see if you were breathing. You looked unconscious.” Lying was not my strong suit. Aidan was not convinced and only laughed at my excuse. “What’s so damn funny?”
“For starters that ridiculous bath robe you’re wearing. It’s awful.”
The housecoat was ugly but warm so it had a purpose. I clenched the shorts and tank tighter, “Close your eyes.”
Aidan gave me a smirk. “Who knew that you could be so shy? I would have never guessed it.” After a long sigh, he complied.
I quickly tugged the clothes on. “Okay all done.” He slowly opened his eyes then patted on the floor next to him. As painful as it was to sit on the hard floor, it still felt like a slice of heaven to be this close to him. “So do you remember anything about last night?”
“I remember plenty of things. Why?”
I twitched nervously. “Well, I was just curious if I…uh, if we did things. Not saying that it’s a ba—“ Aidan cut me off, crushing his lips against mine. Still wanting my answer I pushed him away, “So is that a yes?”
With a deep sigh he said, “No darlin’. I w
ould never take advantage of a girl in that situation. You made your intentions very clearly but you would have regretted it in the morning.”
Doubtful. “Then you just took it upon yourself to asleep half naked on my floor.”
“You really have no clue what happened last night do you?” Amusement treaded his voice.
“The last thing I remember clearly is that stupid stalker Nickelback song—I mean you were awesome—that song is just creepy. Anyway I put my head down to stop the room from spinning then everything just went black.” God I hope he won’t ask why that song creeps me out.
The expression on his face was priceless. It was one of stark surprise with a dash of dark humor. “Wow. You missed a lot.”
“Yeah, as in where did all of these bruises and scratches come from. Did I get in a fight with a briar patch?” I teased.
“Not quite. When I finished putting up the equipment in the storage building out back and found you passed out at your table. I was pretty sure that you were out for the night, so I offered to carry you to Julie’s car. The problem with that plan was that she was about to pass out herself. It was safer for her to go crash in Pete’s office. I figured that I could manage to hold you on my bike but I had no idea where you lived. Luckily you seemed to have somewhat sobered when I picked you up so I let you walk. We had almost made it to the door when you tripped, knocking a drink out of Tristan’s hand and spilled it on Tiffany.”
I interrupted him, “Let me guess Tiffany and I greeted each other with hugs then sang songs as we skipped out of the bar.”
Aidan rolled his eyes at my sarcasm, “Not in this lifetime. Tiffany was fuming mad. She threw her drink at you and called you a slut. You however made things worse by laughing at her. Tiffany pushed you out of the way, and you fell to the ground. I helped you up, thinking you were going to let it go. However, you did not let it go. You threw down your coat then tackled Tiffany into a table. The table shattered under both of your weight. I tried to pull you off of her—“Aidan started to laugh “—between her slapping and you punching; it was pointless.”