by V. Vaughn
His warm breath on my neck gives me goose bumps as he says, “It sure does.”
I climb off the bike and turn to face him. It takes me a moment to raise my gaze to his, and my stomach clenches when I see his easy smile. I can’t believe I let my fear keep me from this man. “I was afraid.” The words even hurt when I say them.
He removes his helmet, and his gaze traps me as he asks, “Is it what I am?”
I shake my head. “Men leave me.”
Aaron is still sitting on the Vespa, and he reaches for my hand. I let him hold my fingers as he says, “That’s never going to happen. And if you decide to bond with me, it will be impossible.”
“I know that now.” I squeeze his fingers so hard my knuckles turn white. “While I’m not sure how we’re going to fit our lives together, I’m ready to try.”
Aaron swings a leg over the scooter and tugs me to stand between them. “Does this mean I can kiss you?”
I nod, and thick muscles are firm under my palms as I grab his shoulders to kiss my true mate. Aaron’s lips are soft on mine, and he keeps it appropriate for public viewing. When he pulls away, I let out a small sound and say, “That wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy me.”
Aaron’s hands are around my waist, and he moves them to my hips to push me gently out of his way so he can stand. “Me either. But someone promised me ice cream. I didn’t come all the way here with a flowered helmet for anything less.”
I grab his hand. “Right this way. You know, bear tracks is really good.”
He chuckles and says, “I think you might need to spend a little less time with my neighbors.”
“I love those ladies.” I glance at him. “They helped me figure things out.”
He smiles. “I love them too.”
When we get in line, I gaze up into Aaron’s blue eyes, and I recall the first time we met and how he was cocky enough to say I’d want to spend the night with him after our first date. Now I know it was because he knew we were meant to be together. I say, “I sure hope you don’t have any plans for tonight, because you’re going to want to spend it with me.”
Aaron leans down to whisper in my ear. “Tonight and every night for the rest of our lives.”
His words send a tingle down my spine as the girl at the window asks what we want. I don’t hesitate when I say, “Bear tracks, please.”
Aaron orders the same and crawls his fingers up my back when he does. I squirm under his touch as desire rushes through me, and when we step over to the next window to get our order I ask, “Leaving your tracks?”
A faint growl rumbles in Aaron’s chest before he says, “Don’t tempt me like that.”
I take my cone from the guy that hands them to us and give Aaron an evil grin before I drag my tongue slowly up the ice cream and let out a little moan. Something not quite real flashes in Aaron’s eyes, and I say, “I think I could have fun with this.”
“Careful, I’m not known for my control the way you are.”
I walk backward toward a table and scan his body slowly with my eyes. I take a moment when I get to his crotch and notice my effect on him. “That doesn’t bode well for me.”
Aaron steps closer and whispers, “I think it does. And when you’re screaming later you will too.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks as I stumble. Aaron grabs my arm to keep me from falling, and I regain my composure to say, “I don’t scream.”
Now Aaron’s grin becomes evil as he says, “Yet.”
I drop down to my seat when my legs give out, and my bones rattle. I might not be prepared to take a walk on the wild side, but with Aaron I’ll try.
Chapter 13
Flustered doesn’t even begin to describe the way I drive back to Aaron’s apartment after we have ice cream, and I’m not sure how I’m going to get through returning the Vespa to Maggie and Colleen. As soon as I turn off the scooter my worries are over, because Aaron says, “My room. Now.”
I take off running and squeal when he chases after me. I think someone was in the kitchen when we flew by, but I didn’t take the time to look. My main focus is to get my true mate naked and have my way with him. When we get to his room, the door slams shut when Aaron back-kicks it, and I gaze at him. He rips his shirt off over his head, and I notice his eyes are definitely not human. My chest heaves as I catch my breath.
I’m seeing his bear. I shudder as desire pulses through me, and it surprises me. I should be afraid. And suddenly I am, but it’s not because of his bear. “Am I scaring you?” he asks.
I shake my head. “No.” I place my hand on his chest, and my eyes fall shut as our connection zings through me. “Oh god.” I’m losing control.
“Olivia?”
I open my eyes and say, “I -- I’m fine. I just--” I lower my hand to his waistband, and my fingers tremble. “The need to have you is so strong, and I’m not sure what to do.”
Aaron grips my wrist to move my hand away from his jeans. “Then we’ll take it slow.” He places an arm around my waist, and before he lowers his mouth to mine he says, “We’ve got the rest of our lives.”
When he kisses me I sink into the sensations that swell, and I begin to relax. Aaron walks me slowly backward to his bed, and he stops so I can get on it. He says, “I love you, Olivia.” As I move back he places his hand on his heart and climbs on to join me. “So much I’m afraid my heart is going to burst out of my chest.”
“I love you like that too, Aaron.”
He grins. “Thank god. I thought it might be a heart attack.”
When I laugh my nerves begin to slip away. I reach out and place my hand on Aaron’s chest again and say, “I’m okay now.” I move my fingers down to the light trail of hair on his lower abdomen. “You should take those off. You know, so I can see if I can handle all that.”
He tilts his head at me. “You’ve already seen it. I saw you check me out at the lake.”
My jaw drops. “I did not! You are just about the--”
Aaron shuts me up with a kiss, and when he stops he says, “You did.”
I recall I did when we were walking down to the water, and I reach for his pants as I say, “Refresh my memory.”
“Ouch, I’m wounded you don’t remember.”
I pop his button open. “Maybe it was replaced with all the stupid math formulas I’ve had to memorize for my final.”
Aaron stops my progress by pulling me against his body, and he says, “Girls like you really should just use calculators.”
I must be drunk with lust, because that statement would piss me off in a normal situation. But I know he’s teasing me, and I reply, “And guys like you should just shut up and get naked already. I’m after your best asset.”
Aaron reaches for the hem of my shirt and nips at my neck. “Feisty. I like it.”
I lift my arms over my head to help with his progress. “Show me.”
He sighs and lowers his mouth to the top of my breast to kiss me lightly, and he says, “With pleasure.” When I reach behind my back and unhook my bra he growls. “So much pleasure.”
Everything about what my true mate does to me seems magnified. Aaron’s hair is soft in my hand as I grasp his head while he pays attention to my nipple with his tongue. I sink down further on the bed, and he crawls over me and traps me in his gaze. His hands leave a trail of searing heat as he moves them down to the button on my jeans, and I nod when he stops as if he’s asking permission. My core flexes as he removes my pants to leave just my thong.
Aaron inhales deeply, and air comes out of his mouth with a whoosh before he says, “Your scent. Nothing smells sweeter.” He moves back to step off the bed, and his grip is firm when he tugs me down to place my bottom at the edge of the mattress. My mate hooks his fingers under the sides of my panties. “I know you hate it when I tell you what to do.” Aaron’s grin covers his face as he drops to his knees. “So baby, whatever happens -- don’t scream.”
The comforter is soft under my forearms as I lean on them and say, “So cocky.
”
Aaron’s hands tickle my inner thighs as he parts my legs and says, “We’ll see.”
I let out a small mewling sound when he laps at my folds, and my shoulders bounce a little on the mattress as I fall back to enjoy Aaron’s attention fully. He sucks and licks me to the point that I begin to moan, and I reach for him. Hair is soft in my fingers as I clutch it. His fingers enter me and take me further. My hips shoot up when he hits the magic spot, and I cry out as my orgasm crests.
Aaron rides it out with me, and he doesn’t stop as I would expect. He keeps on working me, never letting me sink too far before I’m about to come again. I gasp. “Oh god.” The bedspread is a hard wad of material in my hands as I grip it and shatter. And still, Aaron doesn’t stop. He works me harder and makes me a quivering mess on the brink of wanting him to stop and never wanting the pleasure to end. I don’t get to recover before my climax begins to peak again. I can’t speak as my world spins, and a high-pitched noise fills my ears as I explode. Only then does Aaron let up, and he kisses his way up my stomach as I catch my breath. I screamed.
When Aaron finally gets to my neck I whisper, “I hate to be wrong, but at the moment I’m really glad I was.”
He kisses my neck below my ear, and I shudder as he says, “Me too. You have no idea how turned on that made me.”
I reach down into Aaron’s open jeans, and his thick length is rock hard beneath my hand. “Oh, I think I might. Now would you please take off those pants?”
Aaron strips off his jeans and climbs back over me. I reach between us to grip his cock. It’s pulsing with need under the smooth skin, and he says, “I want to be inside you, Olivia.”
I spread my legs and guide him toward my opening. “I want you there.” I take a deep breath when he enters me, and sinewy muscle flexes under my fingers as I grasp his back when he begins to move. I should be spent from three orgasms, but Aaron’s creating friction that is sending new sensations through me, so I revel in the way he fills me. I rock my hips to meet him, and our rhythm is steady as he sets the tempo.
I’m the one that comes first, and as soon as I can think, I focus on Aaron’s release. I shift my hips to seat him deeper, and his low growl tells me it works. He tenses and cries out as the warmth of his essence becomes slippery between us.
Aaron flops onto his back, and while his chest heaves I lift up on my elbow to trace my favorite tribal design tattoo with my finger. It’s sharp angles until it changes direction abruptly to be soft swirls and ends over his heart. Aaron places his hand on mine to stop my movement. His heartbeat pounds against my palm as he says, “This is your beat, Olivia. Do feel our song?”
“Yes.” I take his hand and place it over my heart. “We’re in sync.”
He smiles up at me with so much love I ache from the intensity. “I love you, Aaron.”
“I love you too, Olivia.” He sighs. “So much.”
Chapter 14
I have no idea how I did on my final exams, because I struggled to focus on my last days of studying. I hope that somehow my brain managed to take over, because my body was in a constant state of craving Aaron. Between our classes, Aaron and I spent as much time touching each other as we could. But today I can’t lie around in my mate’s bed. I have a fundraiser tonight and must oversee the setup to make sure everything happens smoothly.
My pencil taps against my clipboard as I scan the ice arena. Special flooring is being installed over the ice to allow for the stage and extra seating to be set up. Bangs echo as boards are dropped into place, and I notice two guys standing and laughing about something. They’re not working, and I scowl, because time is money. I begin to walk over to speak to them when someone calls out my name, and I turn in the direction of the sound. It’s a freshman girl I assigned to work with the concessions people, and I sigh. She’s a bit of a control freak, and my guess is she’s got a problem with how one of the systems works.
I grin as I think about how well I get it. Only, lately I’m giving up control in certain parts of my life and have discovered the world doesn’t end when you let someone else call the shots. My insides tingle a little as a recent memory of Aaron telling me what to do flashes in my mind. Oh yeah. Letting someone else take the reins definitely has benefits. But beyond our physical relationship, Aaron is teaching me that being spontaneous has a place in my life too. And I know that our future will be filled with excursions that make my heart race with more than the fear of the unknown. It will race with the beat of our song, which can be erratic as well as calm.
By the time the band arrives to set up I’ve put out a few small fires and had to use my powers of coercion on a number of individuals in order to be ready. Now I just have to get Second Sound through their light and sound checks and then I can take a break to regroup before the concert starts. As I approach the locker room where they’re getting ready Cherri comes out holding a T-shirt. She grins at me as we get closer.
She clutches the shirt to her chest and glances up at the sky as she sighs. “Aaron has got to be the sweetest guy ever.”
I flash back to the way she used to taunt me when Nick left me for her, and I frown as the heat of jealousy burns in my stomach. What a bitch. “Really?”
She touches her lips and says, “You really missed out. That man can kiss.”
What? Bile rises in my throat. Oh god. He wouldn’t. But that’s what I thought about Nick too.
My hands begin to shake as Cherri walks by me and says, “Better luck next time, Olivia.”
No. This can’t be happening again. My feet stomp as I make way into the locker room. The stale scent of sweat makes me shudder a bit as anger courses through my veins. I search for Aaron, and when I find him he comes toward me with a smile.
I glare at him as I say, “You just couldn’t help yourself around her, could you?”
“What are you talking about?”
Why do men think that if they pretend things didn’t happen they’re actually going to get out of it? I spit out, “Cherri.”
Aaron frowns as he steps closer. “What about her?”
I step back and shake my head. “Don’t you dare lie to me!”
“Lie? No.” He shakes his head and turns away from me.
His arm is firm in my fingers when I grab it and say, “Don’t walk away from me!”
He shakes my hand off and turns to me with a snarl that shows his fangs before they quickly retract. I’ve never seen Aaron mad, and if I weren’t so angry it might scare me. He says, “I’m not going to explain myself, because I did nothing wrong.” His words sting, and I open my mouth to reply when he says, “I deserve your trust, Olivia. If you can’t give it to me, then we aren’t going to work.”
I snap back, “I knew it was only a matter of time before you hurt me.”
Aaron glares at me with bear flashing in his eyes. “Can you even hear yourself? You’re inventing an argument. I won’t live a life of one crisis after another.”
I gasp as I struggle to comprehend how this became my fault. “I’m not about drama.”
Aaron takes a deep breath and rakes a hand through his hair. “Right now you most definitely are. Think about what you just accused me of. I’ve got a sound check.”
He brushes by me, and I stand still in shock. Am I wrong? I do trust Aaron, and I can’t believe I let Cherri get the best of me again. I’m Aaron’s true mate, and there’s no way Cherri can steal him away from me. My stomach knots as my anger fades. Aaron was mad. He didn’t act like he was guilty, and I grimace as I realize my mistake.
Now the heat that burns in my cheeks is shame because I was a complete jerk to Aaron. I recall the way he growled at me, but most importantly, I think about how he said I was creating drama. I can’t make a scene in front of the band to straighten this out. I’ll have to wait until they’re done.
Unfortunately, I get pulled into a power issue that requires my attention so the lighting will work right for the concert. By the time I finish, the crowd is cheering, and the stomping
of their feet as they chant out for the band to play vibrates through me. I’ve got to get up on stage and introduce Second Sound before I have a riot on my hands. I make my way to the stage and climb on it to gaze out at the full arena of people. I close my eyes and take a second to gain composure before I make my way to the microphone to give my speech.
I had planned on thanking the band and giving a little information about the charity the event is for, but the crowd couldn’t care less, so I make it short and sweet. “Help me welcome Second Sound!”
The band jogs onto the stage, and I move down to my VIP seat next to Courtney, in the front row. She grins at me and says, “Killer seats. I’m going to stay your best friend for one more day.”
I don’t have a chance to tell her I might need her strong shoulder before Adrian yells out to the crowd, and the band begins to play. Shame still smolders in my stomach, but I let myself enjoy the concert.
Before the last, song Adrian takes a moment to thank our sorority for asking them to play, and gives a little information about the children’s education charity. He says, “On behalf of Second Sound I’d also like to match the money made tonight. But on one condition.” He glances over at me as a spotlight swings my way and makes me blink from brightness. Heat rushes through me as I recall the last time I bartered for A Phi. Adrian says, “Tonight wouldn’t have happened without Olivia Dalton, and I’d like her to come join us on the stage.”
Courtney squeals as the crowd cheers, and a few voices chant my name. My feet thud up the stairs, and my hands are damp with sweat as I approach a smiling Adrian. Aaron joins him, and I gaze at my mate to notice he’s holding the drum I played the first day we met. I want to run to him and tell him I’m sorry. I give him a look that I hope conveys what I feel.
Adrian says, “Olivia knows the backbone to every successful child is a good education. And we know the backbone to every good song is a steady beat.” Aaron hands me the drum, and I gaze into his eyes. He nods at me once with an expression I can’t read. I follow him to sit on a stool next to his drum kit.