by Lola Gabriel
She felt her body temperature soar. His gaze was still fixed on hers, and she had to get her clothes off as soon as possible. She slipped her top over her head and dropped it on the floor. Slowly removing her jeans, she silently expressed intense gratitude to herself for wearing matching underwear. She noticed the desire in Oryn’s eyes and took a deep breath while he took off his own jeans. Oryn joined her on the bed, kissing her again, and she fell back against the softness of the pillows. The heat of his skin against hers made everything else fade into the background, and it was just Adley and Oryn, wrapped up in one another.
Adley glanced over at Oryn, who lay beside her. His skin glowed, covered in perspiration, and a hint of a smile played on his mouth. His green eyes were luminous and fixed on hers, and she could still feel his lips all over her body. Adley had never experienced anything like that before. Sex had always been only physical to her, but with Oryn, it was so much more. He knew exactly what she wanted, what turned her on, and his timing was absolutely perfect. He made her feel things that she didn’t even know existed, but the best thing of all was when they had orgasmed together. Being so in tune with another person was something that Adley had never experienced before.
Oryn was in tune with her needs, and it didn’t make any sense to her how he could know. She usually felt scared and hesitant opening herself up to those kind of things. With Oryn, though, it was easy. She allowed him inside her mind and inside her body with ease, and there was not a shred of guilt or embarrassment.
She didn’t even feel the need to hide the nasty scar on her back, and not for a second did she notice Oryn look at it in any way that wasn’t positive. He seemed too good to be true, and normally, that was the case. The perfect man, with a perfect job, a perfect house, and that made her feel like she was on top of the world—multiple times—had to have a flaw. Everyone did.
Her eyes narrowed as she tried to think what his flaw could be, but she couldn’t think of a single thing. He was indeed perfect. Even his lovemaking was perfect.
“What?” he asked, looking at her with a slight grin
“There was nothing lukewarm about that,” Adley answered, rolled over on her side, and, as if perfectly in sync, Oryn did the same. They lay in silence for a few seconds.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure,” she said.
“That scar on your back,” he started, and Adley’s shoulders tightened slightly. “You know what, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“It’s okay,” she assured him and weaved her fingers into the spaces between his. “I was in a very abusive relationship. He used to hurt me, a lot. The scar on my back was when he pushed me down the stairs and I fell against a mirror. I was unconscious and hurt pretty badly. I ended up in the hospital for two weeks, and I consider myself lucky that I am still alive.”
Oryn’s jaw clenched, and he closed his fingers around hers. “Where is that piece of shit now?”
“He’s still in the States. He was in prison for a short amount of time. A lifetime wouldn’t be long enough in my opinion, but it wasn’t up to me. I have a restraining order against him, but I don’t feel like that will keep me safe. He doesn’t know where I am, though.”
“What about your family? Would he ever go after them?”
“No, he wouldn’t try that. I was the one he wanted to hurt, not them,” she told him sadly.
“I’m so sorry that you had to go through that. No one deserves to be treated like that, especially by someone who supposedly loves you.” Oryn gritted his teeth. “If I ever find him anywhere near you, I will be held responsible for my actions.”
Adley cocked her head. “And why is that?”
“Because you are special to me, and just the thought that someone did something like that to you makes me angry. You deserve so much better,” Oryn said, squeezing her hand. “I don’t ever want you to feel unsafe, Adley.”
“I don’t feel unsafe. On the contrary, this is the safest I’ve ever felt in a long time,” she murmured.
“I’m so glad to hear you say that,” he sighed in relief.
Adley smiled gratefully and glanced at the scar on his face. “Tell me about your scar.”
“This one?” he asked and lightly touch the spot just shy of the outer edge of his eyebrow.
“Yeah, that one. It looks like it has a very interesting story.” She curled up beside him, seeking the heat of his body.
“Well, my brothers and I were out camping when we were attacked by a wolf.”
“A wolf? Are you serious?” she gasped.
“One big ass wolf. Being the oldest, I tried to protect them. I got them all to safety in a tree, and just as I climbed up, the wolf clawed me in the face.”
“Shit, that was so close to your eye.”
“I know. My mom thought I might lose it, but luckily, it didn’t cause too much damage,” he said. “I’m just stuck with it for life.”
“I like it. It suits you,” she pointed out.
“You think so?”
“Yeah, it makes you, you. I couldn’t imagine you without it. It shows what you’ve been through, and you managed to get to the other side,” she whispered, running her finger along the feint scar. “I’m glad you’re still in one piece.”
“Me too. I can’t say the same about the wolf, though.”
“What?”
“It was killed by my father and my uncle. They used the fur to line their jackets.”
“Where on Earth was that, the North Pole?”
“No, it was in Russia. We were camping in the woods,” he replied vaguely.
“Wow, you’ve been all over the world, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, we moved around a lot, with my father and his businesses at the time,” he nodded. “Sometimes I thought we were never going to settle in one place.”
“But you did,” she said slowly. “When did this happen, the wolf attack?”
“We were teenagers, so it was quite a while ago,” he shrugged.
Adley studied him for a few seconds, and even though it felt like he wasn’t telling her the whole truth, it didn’t matter. He was alive, in one piece, and she was here with him. That was all that mattered.
“Any more questions?”
“Just one. Do you mind if I close my eyes for a while?” she whispered, nuzzling against his chest.
“Not at all. I’d take it as a compliment, knowing I wore you out,” Oryn chuckled.
“Whatever. I want a rematch,” she scoffed.
“Anytime,” he murmured and kissed the top of her head. “Anytime.”
When a beam of sunlight fell directly onto Adley’s face, she groaned sleepily. She was still wrapped up in Oryn’s arms, but something was different. It was brighter around her. She groggily opened her eyes, and as soon as she noticed the blue skies through the large window, she sat upright abruptly. Glancing around her, she saw that it was after seven o’clock, and her heart nearly stopped. She turned to Oryn.
“Oryn?” He groaned into his pillow but didn’t move. “Oryn, it’s time to wake up now. It’s morning. We have to get to work.”
Oryn’s eyes opened, and he looked directly at her. “Oh, shit.”
“Yeah, that about covers it.” She climbed out of bed, searching for her clothes. “Shit, I have to get home and take a shower.”
Oryn sat upright, and a grin quickly formed on his face. “I’ll get Jayce to drive you home, don’t worry. We won’t be late, I promise. And if you are, I swear you won’t get into trouble. I could say you were running an errand for me,” Oryn told her.
“As easy as that, huh?” she asked.
“As easy as that,” he smirked and slid out of bed. He grabbed a pair of comfortable pants and pulled them on. He reached for Adley and pulled her close to him. “Last night was amazing.”
“It was more than amazing, and you know that. But, maybe next time, we could set our alarms.”
“Next time?” he asked, raising his eyebrow
s with intrigue.
Adley smirked and shook her head, breaking free from his embrace. “You and I both know there will be a next time.”
“Touché,” he said. “Let me call Jayce to bring the car around.”
“So he’s just on call twenty-four hours a day?” she asked.
“Pretty much. I mean, I have a back-up. The man needs to sleep. But he has a lot of responsibilities. He’s not just my driver. He was with the CIA in the States and with the Secret Service.”
“He’s a bodyguard, too?”
“And in charge of my security team.”
Adley frowned at him as she slipped on her shoes. “Security team? Why do you need bodyguards? Are you under threat or something? Are there people wanting to kill you? Am I in danger here?”
Oryn laughed at her waterfall of questions and shook his head. “I’m not under threat, no one wants to kill me, and you are not in any danger. I just like feeling safe, that’s all.”
Adley sighed. “I know how that feels, so I guess it’s a good thing then.”
“Absolutely. Let me call Jayce.”
“Thank you, Oryn,” she smiled at him.
“You’re welcome,” he winked at her before leaving the bedroom.
Within a few minutes, Adley was seated in the car with Jayce, the driver, on her way home. A few minutes from her house, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Hoping it wasn’t her boss or anyone from the office, she took it and stared at the screen. A smile formed on her lips, and her brown eyes almost teared up.
I’d like to take you out, and yes, that means a date. Last night was amazing, and I’d like this to be the start of something even more amazing.
Oryn
Adley suppressed an even bigger smile, but it managed to break through, and she giggled happily. She typed a quick reply that she would love that and that he should just name the time and place.
She slid her phone back into her pocket just as the car pulled up in front of her building, and she opened the door.
“Thanks, Jayce,” she said gratefully, climbing out.
“You’re welcome, miss. Have a great day.”
“Oh, I will,” she said. “You have a nice day as well.”
Jayce nodded, and she closed the door. As the car pulled away, Adley floated to the entrance, never imagining she could have ever felt this way.
Everything was perfect.
7
Over the next few weeks, Oryn and Adley kept their relationship quiet to avoid any gossip around the office. Of course Oryn hated every second of it, but luckily, he had a lot of things at work which required his attention. He kept himself busy, waiting for the month to be over, so that Adley’s team of marketers could finish their time at GreenVeil.
They passed each other in the hallways with nothing more than a simple greeting, although their eyes were filled with the need to say and do more. However, Oryn respected the strong work ethics that Adley had, and even though it was difficult not to pay more attention to her than necessary, he knew he would see her and kiss her later that night. She often slept over, and as they got to know one another, he knew that she was the one for him. In fact, he had known that the very first time he had seen her, but now he knew it even more.
She was perfect for him.
On the last day of GreenVeil’s collaboration with the marketing company Adley worked for before becoming a contractor, Naomi entered his office, abruptly placing papers on his desk and exhaling deeply like she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. Oryn, who had learned to ignore her when she was in such a mood, continued scrolling through his itinerary for his trip to Malaysia in a few weeks. It was just a routine trip, and honestly, Oryn wished that he could take Adley along, but again, he didn’t want any trouble to arise.
Naomi slammed the door so hard that Oryn was forced to glance up from his computer screen and cock his head at her. “It’s a good thing that glass is shatterproof.”
“Don’t you even start with me.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“You and I have always been honest with each other, right?” she asked.
“Sure,” he said.
“Then why do you think that you can hide your relationship with Adley from me?” she demanded. “I thought you trusted me.”
“I do, Naomi, but Adley and I agreed that once the marketing team leaves and their contracts end, we’ll make it more public. I don’t want to jeopardize her job, or our integrity.”
“Are things really that serious?” Naomi crossed her arms.
“They are. I think she’s the one, Naomi.”
She stared at him and dropped her arms to her sides. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“How can you be so sure? How can you honestly say that she is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with?”
“Because I can feel it,” he answered, pressing his hand against his heart, “right here. All my worries fade away when I am with her. I feel complete. That hole that’s been there my entire life, she fills it up. She makes me the man I am supposed to be. We talk about everything and anything. I can share anything with her, and I am not afraid to be myself.”
Naomi raised an apprehensive eyebrow. “Oh, really? Does she know what you are?”
Oryn glanced at her, and his jaw clenched.
“Does she know who you truly are, Oryn?”
“Are you threatening me?” he growled and slowly rose from his chair.
“Oh, no. I wouldn’t dream of doing that. I know what you’re capable of. I actually have to applaud you for hiding your brutal and savage side so well.”
“Don’t test me, Naomi.”
“Are you going to rip my head off my body, too? Tear me to shreds?”
“I did what I had to do. The wolves—”
Naomi raised her hand in the air and shook her head. “Spare me the details.”
“Naomi, I would never let anything happen to her, you should know that.”
“Should I?” she asked coyly.
His hands clenched into fists, and he narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re not one of us?”
“I’m not at liberty to say,” she replied elusively. “But I can tell you that I know about the wolves, and I know what you did to their alpha. They’re coming for you, and I hope to the gods that you can get yourself out of this mess before others get hurt in the process, like Adley. Humans get hurt so quickly, it’s actually pathetic. I can’t believe that you are wasting your time with someone so fragile and so easy to kill.”
“I think you better go, Naomi, before I do something I’ll regret,” Oryn warned, a low growl forming in his throat.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” were the last words Naomi said before she left the office and disappeared down the hallway.
Oryn took a few strained breaths and ran his fingers irately through his hair. With an aggravated gesture of his hand, he swiped the stack of folders from his desk as he angrily stepped away.
“Son of a bitch,” he muttered to himself. Another knock on his office door sent him whirling around. “What?” To his surprise and relief, Adley stood in the doorway, staring at him with wide eyes. His shoulders relaxed, and he walked towards her. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else,” he apologized.
“I’m glad I’m not that person. Are you okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. I just had a little bit of a disagreement with Naomi.”
“I saw her stomping towards the elevator. She didn’t even look at me, or say hello,” Adley told him. “What did you two disagree about?”
Oryn sighed. “You.”
“Me?”
“She was upset that I didn’t tell her about you and me.”
“Really? Why? It’s not like she’s your confidant or anything like that. You don’t owe her an explanation or a play-by-play of your life.”
“I used to tell her a lot of things, and she was the only person who I could talk to, so I guess she just feels left out.”
“Maybe.”
“Let’s go back to your place, we can cook dinner together and maybe put on some music and celebrate.”
“I can’t believe it’s been a month already,” he said and kissed her forehead.
She smiled. “And I get to go back to my old offices and be an entry-level assistant again.”
“After the progress you’ve made here, and the glowing review you will get from me, I seriously doubt you will go back to your old job. If you want me to, I can hire you here,” he offered.
“As much as I love you wanting to protect me and give me everything I deserve, there are some things I just want to do by myself.” She put her arms around his shoulders. “I love that you care so much.” Oryn smiled at her and pulled her close.
“And I love you,” he replied.
“Bold move, Mr. Veskovic.”
He shrugged nonchalantly, and she giggled. She took a deep breath and whispered, “I love you, too.”
Oryn glanced at Adley sleeping soundly beside him, and a content smile formed on his lips. He couldn’t believe that after five thousand years alone on Earth, one person could make him forget about all those times he had felt as though he was the only person in the world. All the memories of loneliness were replaced with happy emotions, and he could not imagine his life without Adley.
The night had been a success. In a combined effort, he and Adley had cooked a perfect dinner, where he had the most fun and laughs in years. They enjoyed a delicious dinner by candlelight on the terrace, and as the wine flowed and the music played, they danced under the stars until their need for one another became too much to bear. They made love on his bed, surrounded by soft sheets and fluffy pillows, while the full moon shone brightly in the sky above them, peeking through the window to catch a glimpse of them.