David gave her a salute, then laughed. “You are the captain here, my lovely. Whatever you want. I will find you tomorrow when you are up and well-rested. Perhaps we can further explore your interest in the shifter world, and it’s ever-so-complicated history.”
Aria burst out laughing. He sounded like a professor giving her a lecture and it was adorable. She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“You’re amazing, David. Really. Thank…”
But she didn’t even have a chance to finish her sentence. As soon as she pulled away from giving David the kiss, she heard the sound of a table being flipped over, and glasses and bottles crashing all over the floor. And then…
A horrible, guttural growl filled the entire bar, making her stomach churn.
Oh, my god… I’m going to die in this bar.
Chapter 12
Reid
Reid was barely holding it together. He didn’t want to feel this way, to feel so out of control, but just being in the same room with her was making him, and the bear, crazy. He wanted to dive across the room, throw Aria on his back, and drag her away like a damn caveman. But he knew that would just infuriate her, and it wouldn’t do a thing to convince her he wasn’t a monster. Reid took a few long, slow breaths, and held on to the edge of the table until his knuckles went white.
Frank and Brendan started to inch slowly away from him.
“Dude, you are so not okay. What is your damage right now?”
Reid looked over at Aria, and the bear she was talking to, and his own bear started going crazy. It wanted to start a fight, rip the guy apart for even talking to Aria, even looking at her.
Mine. My Aria.
Woah, where the hell did that come from?
Reid knew full well, better than anyone, that he had no claim to Aria anymore. He didn’t even have the right to be that jealous. But the bear didn’t care. It was railing against the idea that they weren’t going to do anything to stop this other man from touching their girl. He felt like an idiot, a jerk, a psycho, but the bear was inching closer to gaining control over them both and Reid didn’t know what to do to stop it.
Frank took a step back toward Reid. “Reid, buddy, look at your arm.”
Reid looked down and saw that the arm he thought was just clenching the table had started to shift into his bear’s paw, and the wood underneath it had begun to splinter. He took another deep breath and kept breathing until his arm shifted back to his normal human one. Once Reid had fully shifted, Brendan came back over and knelt down in front of him.
“Reid, whatever is going on with you right now, you need to get that shit in check. Now, Frank and I are the only ones who saw that, but if you shift on the premises, you’re going to get us all in a lot of trouble. Before you lose your mind and turn into your bear, why don’t you tell us what is going on…” Brendan was trying to use as soothing a voice as possible, but the fact he was even trying to soothe Reid was making him twitchier. He tried to slow his heart rate, and gestured ever-so-slightly toward the bar.
“Aria,” he said through clenched teeth.
Frank and Brendan looked at each other confused.
“Aria? Who is Aria?” Brendan asked as he scanned the bar. Frank looked around too, and then it clicked for him.
“Aria? Your Aria? From high school? She’s not here. That would be ridiculous.”
Reid felt his eyebrow twitching as he tried not to look over at where she was standing.
“It’s her and she’s here and she’s talking to that polar bear at the bar and I feel like I’m going to explode.”
Frank and Brendan stepped over in front of Reid, trying to block his view of Aria. But he could still feel her there, just on the other side of them. He could even hear her voice, faintly, through the din of the crowd. Every time she laughed, the bear went crazy because it wasn’t them she was laughing with. Reid started to feel that familiar tingling again, like the bear was fighting to get out, and he was starting to lose all of the energy he needed to keep resisting. He could see the looks of concern in Frank and Brendan’s eyes, but even that wasn’t enough to quell the rising tide of his rage.
Reid watched as Frank stepped away for a moment to flag down a waitress for more drinks, but as soon as he moved, Reid saw it. Aria leaned over, and kissed the polar bear on the cheek.
And that was it.
He saw red, and the bear roared and growled inside of him so loudly, a deep, terrifying snarl escaped his own lips. The edge of the table that he had been holding on to broke apart under his hands, and he threw the shattered pieces on the floor with a growl. Reid knew everyone in the bar was staring at him, and he didn’t care. Frank spun back around and hurried toward him.
“Come on, Reid. Please don’t do this. Don’t make a scene. I don’t want to go home, Kurt will be furious if you get us kicked out, and you need to be here. Go take a walk. Shake it off. Do not go near that girl.”
But Aria was looking right at him, her face full of panic and fear. And he couldn’t deal with that. Reid jumped up from the chair and the tattered remains of the table, and started over to where Aria was sitting with the polar bear. He could feel the bear trying to get out, trying to force him to shift and rip everything in his path to shreds. He didn’t know how he was managing to hold the bear back, but it was by a thread.
Within seconds, thanks to his long stride, he was standing in front of Aria. And for a brief second, he shrunk back. The look in her eyes, the way they glistened with fear, it made his heart ache in a way he hadn’t felt in years. The bear gave up control, just for a moment, and long enough for Reid to breathe and realize what he was doing. He didn’t want to hurt Aria. He wanted to rip the polar bear to pieces, but he didn’t want to hurt Aria. Reid was seconds away from going back where he came from, when the polar bear looked at him with a crooked smile.
“Can I do something for you, mate?”
The bear returned to attention, and he was more pissed off than ever. How dare he talk to us like that? At all? You need to rip his face off. The bear was trying to get control again so he could do just that, but Reid forced him back down. Shut up, you. You’ve gotten us in enough trouble.
Reid ignored the polar bear, and turned to Aria instead.
“Aria, may I speak to you? In private?”
Chapter 13
Aria
Aria knew she wasn’t doing anything to hide her fear as Reid stalked across the bar toward her and David. He looked absolutely terrifying, as if he might explode at any minute, and reign down his anger all over the bar. But at the same time, there was something awe-inspiring about his new power. She never knew this version of Reid, and Aria wasn’t sure how she felt about it. He definitely wasn’t the same boy she knew in high school, but she had no idea how to respond to the man now in front of her.
David took a step forward, blocking Reid from Aria, and said confidentially, “Can I do something for you, mate?” Reid snarled, and walked around David as if he weren’t even there.
“Aria, may I speak to you? In private?”
Aria crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head. “I have nothing to say to you, Reid. You might as well go back where you came from and leave me alone.”
David sidled up to Aria, trying to show support, but she knew that his interference was only going to make things worse. And she was right. Reid looked at him and snarled.
“Do you know this joker?” David asked, scowling at Reid. Reid took a daunting step forward and got in David’s face.
“Stay. Out. Of. It.” Every word was punctuated with such venom, it made Aria’s blood run cold. David didn’t back down, but she didn’t want to be responsible for starting some macho bear fight in the middle of a bar. Suddenly, Andrew’s voice was whispering in her ear from behind her.
“Do I need to call security? Are you okay, honey?”
Aria turned to him and nodded resolutely, then turned to David with a smile she was entirely forcing on.
“Dav
id, I’m so sorry about all of this. You’ve been absolutely wonderful and I’d like to see you again this week. But I’m going to get out of here before someone loses their temper and causes more of a scene unnecessarily.”
She spun on Reid and glared at him with every ounce of anger she had bubbling inside of her. Every hurt feeling, every night she spent crying for him when he left, every night she spent alone when he abandoned her. She channeled all of it into her scowl, she hoped it burned him with the fire of the hatred she was feeling.
David opened his mouth to say something, but between Reid searing attitude and the look on Aria’s face, he just nodded politely, and stepped away from the bar. Aria turned on her heel and made a move to stomp petulantly out of the bar, but Reid insisted on following her, despite the fact she was swatting her hand at him every time her got too close. He was never more than a few steps behind her, and it was infuriating her beyond all logic and reason. Finally, she made her way out on the beach where she could breathe, hoping he wouldn’t follow her there too.
But he did.
Aria got out on the beach and once she was firmly out of the view of anyone else, she twirled around and got right in Reid’s face.
“How. Dare. You.”
Reid took a few steps back, and started to say something, but stopped at the last minute, as if he thought better of it. Once she was sure he wasn’t going to try and talk back to her, she got up on her toes so she was even more eye-level with him.
“What gives you the right to behave that way? To act like you have any claim to me? To treat a perfectly nice man, who was just talking to me, like he did something wrong? You’re an asshole, Reid! An unbelievable asshole. I can’t even look at you!”
Reid just continued to look at her, and for some reason, the fact he wasn’t saying anything was only making her angrier. “Do you really have nothing to say to me? You’re just going to stand there staring at me?”
“I… I didn’t… I don’t… Can I just try to explain?” Reid stammered. She had never heard him stammer before.
“Explain what? Why you left me? Abandoned me? Just stopped answering my letters? Why you’re a shifter? What the hell is there to explain?”
Aria felt like she was going to explode, so she threw her hands in the air and walked off down the beach in the opposite direction. She hoped Reid would stay where he was and leave her be, but she wasn’t that lucky, and he was right on her tail. So, she spun around again and screamed.
“STOP FOLLOWING ME!”
Tears filled her eyes, and she thought for sure that she was just going to start punching him. But then she looked at him, really looked at him, and something broke inside of her. It was like a floodgate of all of the pent emotion she’d been feeling for years was mixing together and threatening to pour over. She felt her anger slowly dissipate.
“Please, just talk to me, Aria. Just for a minute. And then I’ll leave you alone forever if that’s what you want,” Reid said, his shoulders slumped.
She didn’t want to talk. Aria felt the rage bubbling just below her skin, but every time she looked at Reid, all of those old emotions come rushing back, overpowering her anger. Then out of nowhere, all at once, Reid was pulling her into his arms, kissing her, grabbing her fiercely, and he would not let her go. The way he held her, it was like he owned her, body and soul. Aria was overcome with emotion, eyes tearing over with the intensity of the moment.
The waves seemed to mimic their wildness for each other; she could hear them crashing relentlessly onto the shore, feel the spray of the salt water on her skin. The wind whipped Aria's blonde hair across her face and tugged at her dress. Reid kissed at her mouth hungrily, exploring the warm cavern and wreaking havoc on Aria's senses. She tried to convince herself to stop, to push him away and remind him how much she hated him, but her brain wasn’t in charge anymore.
Reid peeled the silken fabric of her dress away from her body, letting it fall to the sound as she trembled with excitement. She hadn’t experienced this feeling in so long…
“Let’s get you warmed up,” he said gruffly.
He lifted her with ease, and demanded that she wrap her legs around his waist. She did as she was told, his rough hands holding her close to him as he strode to a cabana on the edge of the beach. Once inside the cozy space, the fabric curtains closed, Reid eased her down his body, slowly grinding his hardness against her core. Aria hissed with pleasure. He set her on her feet, as he rubbed and massaged her warm skin. He pushed her hair back, then Reid rubbed the damp tresses between his fingers. He gently swiped his thumb back and forth over Aria's plump lips, before pressing it into her mouth.
Aria moaned and closed her eyes, trying to hide from his strong gaze. His eyes were so different now; they seemed to sparkle with an intensity she’d never seen before, and it excited her and made her nervous at the same time. She sealed her lips around the digit; it was a little salty. She hollowed her cheeks and sucked, bobbing her head up and down. Hearing Reid gasp and groan made her brave enough to open her eyes.
Reid was engrossed in watching her, and he stood there, heavy-lidded in his desire, bottom lip caught between his teeth. Aria released his thumb; he rubbed her lips harder this time, spreading her saliva all over, before pushing his thumb back into her mouth, silently demanding that she continue. She did.
Aria smoothed her hands over his shoulder, down his chest and over his hardness. This earned her a deep groan from Reid. He suddenly pulled his thumb from her mouth and replaced it with his tongue. She moaned and sighed, loving his desperation for her, loving this passionate side to him. He spun her around, her back to his hard chest, and ran his hands over her breasts, kneading her full, firm flesh. He pushed the cups of her bra up, exposing her hard nipples; taking them between his thumbs and forefingers, he tugged and twisted them. Aria cried out and rubbed her ass against his hard frame. He didn't let up, kept on driving her crazy with his hands. She wanted to take the rest of her clothes off. She needed him inside her, did not know how much more she could take, her senses on overdrive, shivering with passion.
As if he read her mind, Reid hastily shed her of her half-bra and panties. He resumed flicking and touching her nipple, while he placed his hand between her legs, and he rubbed her molten core. Aria undulated against him, clutched at his still fully clothed body. She needed to touch him. Fuck. He had too many things on. Pushing his hand away, she turned in his arms. Grabbing at his belt, she tore it lose, and quickly pushed his pants down, helping him to get them off.
He assisted her in her urgency to get him naked, by dragging his shirt over his head. She was in awe of his beautiful body; his eyes weren’t the only thing new about him. Where she was softness and lush curves, he was hard ridges and angles. She raked her fingers down his chest, slowly. Down his hips, over his strong muscled thighs, around and over his buttocks. Aria saw his Adam's apple bob, as he swallowed, affected by her touch.
She leaned forward and sucked his flat, hard nipple into her mouth. Reid grabbed her hair and held her to him while she licked and nibbled on his skin. He spun her once more; she could feel his hard cock poking her in the back, and she rubbed up against him. Reid gathered her hair in his left hand, wrapping the length around his fist. He pressed her shoulder forward and down, bending her over. He rubbed his hands hungrily over the creamy pale skin of her back, down over her hips, and back up again.
"Are you ready for me," Reid asked.
Aria nodded jerkily. She was rewarded with a loud slap to her ass. The unexpectedness of it caused her to cry out. The feel of it creating a ripple effect of sensations for her. Her nipples became harder, her core now throbbing and dripping. She looked at him over her shoulder, wanting him to do it again. Reid smacked her ass a second time. Aria screamed and held onto the lounge chair in front of her, trying not to black out. She was gasping and shaking. Reid pulled her hair back, forcing her to stand. He whispered in her hair, while his hands roamed over her body,
"Tell me what you’re th
inking, Aria. Tell me you hate me. Tell me you want me to die. Just tell me anything."
Aria was shocked at the way she felt when he spanked her. She couldn’t believe she was there was Reid, open wide for him, letting him touch her, do anything to her. And she wanted it. All of it. All of him. Reid pulled her legs apart roughly, then he ran his fingers along the most sensitive part of her. Aria screamed his name, bucking and shaking against his hand.
“Tell me, Aria,” he begged again.
She couldn't keep it in anymore, she needed him. "Fuck me," Aria begged. "Reid, please fuck me." Her hair still gathered in his fist, he bent her over and rubbed his member over her fluttering core. With every pass over her hungry body, she shook with want, her skin pebbled and sensitive, nipples and core tingling. He finally centered himself and surged into her with one long, hard thrust.
She screamed in pleasure. Coming hard from his invasion, she jerked and shook, her body taking on a life of its own. Reid stood still behind her, gently smoothing his huge, strong hands over silky skin, allowing her to come down from her orgasmic high. She could feel every throb of his hard length. He pulled her back to him again, and kissed her lips, whispering words of love and encouragement. He kissed and nibbled the skin on her shoulder asking her again if she was ready.
"Yes," Aria said, loudly this time.
Reid pulled almost all the way out of her, slowly, then he slammed into her hard, causing her back to bow. He held her hip, tightly, and she knew she was going to be bruised when he was through with her. She hoped he'd kiss every one of them. He pulled back and slammed into her again. This time, a groan rumbled from the back of his throat. Fuck. He feels so good, Aria thought as he throbbed inside of her, triggering a collection of memories both good and bad. She touched her own nipples, marveling at how hard they were, before she reached between her legs and touched herself. Reid took pleasure in that and pistoled into her body like a crazed man, his hard pumps turning her world upside down. Thrusting into her hard, Reid slapped her butt cheek, sending her careening into another hard orgasm. "Fuck!" she screamed. Her core tightened and milked Reid.
Furever Always (Furever Series) Page 40