by S. J. West
“What was that for?” Uncle Malcolm asks me, rubbing the spot like it actually hurt.
“If Aunt Tara was here, she would tell you to stop being rude to my dad,” I tell him. “So, I’m saying it in her place.”
Uncle Malcolm rolls his eyes at me. “You need better role-models in your life.”
I wrap an arm around the one I hit on Uncle Malcolm. “I have the best influences in my life. Aunt Tara is just a little more violent than the rest of you.”
Jess, Mason, Brutus, and Aiden congratulate my parents on their latest bundles of joy on the way.
I see Aiden look over at me and smile shyly.
I don’t have to be a mind reader to know what he’s thinking about. But, having a child of our own is in my distant future as far as I’m concerned. I guess Uncle Malcolm’s baby doll booby trap did teach me one thing. I’m not ready to become a mother. There’s so much I want to do before I devote myself to the proper care and raising of a child.
And I want to do all of it with Aiden by my side.
CHAPTER THREE
After breakfast, Jess and Mason leave to pick their kids up from Mama Lynn’s house. Brutus returns to his island and promises to see us again at the reception. Uncle Malcolm leaves to go talk to Andre Greco about what we learned in Heaven and what we plan to do with the crown pieces. From what Uncle Malcolm said earlier, Andre would become Uncle Malcolm’s second in command when he took over as the leader of the Watchers. I still feel an enormous amount of guilt over not being able to tell Uncle Malcolm about his future, but Anna’s words to us make me feel slightly better.
“I’ll take good care of him.” She promised my mom.
I pray she keeps her word once she’s born into our world. I know she won’t remember meeting us in Heaven, but I hope she will come to understand how special Uncle Malcolm is. I know it can take some people time to warm up to him and understand his personality. I just hope Anna is someone who can see past the façade he shows to others and cares enough to find the real man underneath.
“We have a few hours before we need to get ready for the wedding,” I tell Aiden while he and I load the dirty dishes from breakfast into the dishwasher. “Would you like to sit with me in my studio while I work on my mom’s birthday present?”
Aiden grins. “Of course I would. There’s nowhere else I want to be but with you.”
“You sure you won’t get tired of me?” I tease.
“Is there any chance of you getting tired of me?” Aiden asks in return.
“Not a chance in this world,” I tell him with absolute certainty, handing him the last glass to place in the dishwasher. “Not even if I lived the next thousand years.”
Aiden’s grin grows wider. “Good because I plan to be in your life for as long as we both shall live.”
I giggle and dry my hands on a towel hanging on the refrigerator door handle.
“We’re going to my studio,” I tell my parents who are sitting at the dining room table discussing something.
“Ok, sweetie,” my mom says almost absently, giving me the impression she and my father are talking about something important.
Aiden grabs my coat from the rack by the door and helps me into it before grabbing his own black leather jacket. Thankfully, we both changed clothes while breakfast was being made so we weren’t heading out in our pajamas.
Aiden casually takes my hand as we walk to my studio in the boathouse.
“I meant to apologize to you,” Aiden says to me as we walk side by side.
I look over at him.
“Apologize for what?” I ask, trying to rack my brain to figure out what on Earth he would need to apologize to me about.
“For letting them catch me and use me against you.”
I walk in front of Aiden to stop him by placing a gentle hand on his chest.
“Why do you think you need to apologize about that, Aiden? They had you out numbered five to one,” I say, feeling the heat of my anger about that particular point resurface and relishing in the fact that I tore Levi’s heart out for it. A part of me hopes he felt some pain from the act.
“But I should have been more careful,” Aiden says, like the incident was all his fault. “If I’d been thinking straight, they wouldn’t have been able to ambush me so easily.”
“What had you distracted?”
Aiden sighs heavily and looks down at our entwined hands.
“Do I have to admit to it?”
“Uh, yeah. After asking that, I have to know now.”
“I…didn’t like you dancing with Hunter. I felt a little …jealous.”
“Oh,” I say, hating myself for feeling somewhat pleased by Aiden’s admission. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I didn’t really want to dance with him. I wanted to dance the last dance with you.”
Aiden looks back up at me.
“I didn’t have any right to feel jealous,” he says. “I don’t own you.”
“No, you don’t own me,” I tell him, finding it impossible not to smile at him. “But you did lay full claim to my heart the first time we saw each other.”
Aiden raises his free hand and lifts the half heart pendant hanging around my neck off my chest.
“Would you mind if I took you somewhere for just a few minutes? I’ve been wanting to give you something for a while now but there never seemed to be a good time.”
“Take me,” I say, tightening my hold on his hand.
Aiden phases us and I find myself standing in a large bedroom with a four-poster bed and matching suit of furniture. The room is dark because it’s still only a little after five in the morning. Aiden tugs on my hand and walks over to one of the nightstands beside the bed. I feel my heart lurch excitedly inside my chest as I wonder why he’s taking me so close to the bed.
Aiden bends down and switches on the lamp sitting on the nightstand. The light glints off something dangling just past the edge of the lampshade, and I instantly recognize what it is, the other half of the heart to my pendant.
He lets go of my hand and pulls the chain the pendant is hanging from off the top post on the lamp.
“I’ve kept the other half of the necklace here in Memphis with me,” Aiden says, unlatching the hook of the chain and sliding the pendant off into the palm of one of his hands. “It made me feel a little closer to you to keep it nearby.”
“Beside your bed?” I ask, wondering if Aiden thought of me often while he lay there at night looking at the pendant.
Aiden grins as he looks up from the pendant in his hand to meet my eyes.
“Yes, beside my bed. Are you bothered by that?”
I slowly shake my head. “No. I used to sleep with my sketchpad of you underneath my pillow every night. So, I understand the need to have something you felt connected us close by.”
“Can I see your necklace?”
I touch the pendant, which has been next to my heart since I turned fifteen.
“I haven’t taken it off since you left it on my windowsill,” I confide to him, reaching for the clasp at the back of my neck. I slip the necklace off and suddenly feel naked without it against my skin. I hand it to Aiden.
He takes it and slides his half of the pendant onto the chain. It’s only when he lifts my half of the pendant to his that I see his has an opaque protruding part in the middle. He places mine on top of the part that juts out from the side of his, and I hear a distinct click as the two pieces are joined together. When Aiden lifts the pendant up for me to look at, I see a solitary white flame in the center of the heart where the two pieces meet.
“This is how my heart felt when I first saw you,” Aiden says, “like it was suddenly on fire.”
Aiden takes a step closer to me with the ends of the chain in each hand. I lift my hair from the back of my neck as he leans in to put the necklace back on me.
After Aiden fastens the clasp, I feel his fingers caress the sides of my neck gently before he pulls his hands away and back to his sides.
“And now t
hat we’re finally together,” Aiden says, “my heart feels whole again.”
I reach out with both my hands and grab the front of the black sweater he’s wearing. In one quick movement, I pull him to me.
Aiden smiles.
“Was there something that you wanted, Caylin?” He asks teasingly as he grins happily.
I smile back. “Why yes, Aiden, there is something that I want from you. How ever did you know?”
“Oh,” he says with a small shrug, “just a wild guess really.”
I loosen my grip on his sweater and slide my hands up his chest until they find their way behind his neck beneath his wavy black hair.
Aiden watches me but doesn’t say anything or make a move to lower his head near mine. I lean into him and have to raise myself up on the tips of my toes slightly to bring our faces closer together. Aiden rests his hands on the sides of my hips, and I feel him squeeze them slightly with his fingers.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” I warn him.
“I kind of already assumed you would be,” he whispers with my favorite lop-sided grin appearing on his face.
I close my eyes and press my lips to his. My heart suddenly feels swollen inside my chest from the love I feel for the man in my arms. I press my body even more firmly against his and deepen the kiss, feeling his lips part easily and his tongue respond to my own.
I’m instantly aware when Aiden’s hands slide up underneath my shirt and begin to caress the small of my bare back. When I sigh in response to his touch, his hands find their way back to my hips as we continue to kiss. After a while, I finally force myself to pull my mouth away from his and rest my head against his chest to catch my breath. I hear the hammering of his heart and can’t help but smile at the irrefutable evidence that I have the same effect on him that he does on me.
“I think you’re getting a little too good at that,” Aiden says breathlessly.
I raise my head and look up at him. “Is that even possible? To be too good at kissing?”
“In your case, I would have to say yes,” he tells me, caressing the left side of my face with the tips of his fingers. “And I think we should go back now.”
“Why?”
“Because it's not right for you to be here in my bedroom kissing me,” he says simply, and I suddenly find myself standing right outside the door to my studio.
I feel a little disappointed at being whisked away from Aiden's bedroom so suddenly. The bed looked comfortable enough to have a make out session on which was something I was hoping for, but Aiden obviously wasn't having the same thoughts as me.
As if sensing my disappointment, he leans down and kisses me tenderly on the lips, making me feel completely cherished and loved with the simple act.
“Don't frown,” he begs as his kisses venture across my cheek and down one side of my neck, evoking an involuntary gasp from the pleasure of feeling his lips against the sensitive flesh for the first time.
“I'm not frowning,” I sigh, as Aiden's lips kiss the sweet spot where my neck and shoulder meet which causes my heart to race into my throat.
Aiden lifts his head and looks down at me.
“Yes, you are,” he tells me. “I don't like to see you frown.”
“Then why did you bring us back here so quickly?”
“Because I'm not strong enough to have you in my bedroom alone kissing me like that, Caylin.”
I'm not stupid. I know what he's talking about. I felt his physical desire for me first hand when I used Jess’ bracelet to better understand every emotion he felt where I’m concerned. And, to be honest, I'm not ready to make love to Aiden yet. I'm still just getting used to kissing him, and I want to explore that aspect of our relationship more fully before venturing further. Yet, I wonder if he will get to a point where kissing isn’t enough for him…
I take hold of one of Aiden's hands.
“Come on. I want to show you what I'm making my mom.”
I open the door to the studio and turn on the light.
A long time ago, my dad paid someone to put in a central air and heating system in the boathouse to make sure it stayed a comfortable temperature for me no matter what the season. The warmth of the inside welcomes us, and we both take off our coats and hang them on the coat rack by the door.
I walk over to the easel holding the canvas I've been working on and slip off the sheet hiding it from view to show Aiden. He looks at it and smiles.
“A family portrait,” he says looking at my efforts. “It's beautiful. Your mom will love it.”
Aiden takes a seat on the other side of the table from where the easel I’m working on stands.
He watches me as I paint and strangely enough, I don’t mind it at all. I enjoy his nearness and find it amazing that someone who can excite me with just a glance in my direction can also bring me so much peace in a quiet moment like this.
I sigh in complete and utter contentment.
“You sound happy,” Aiden says.
I look over at him. He has one of his arms on the table bent at the elbow with his head leaned against the palm of his hand watching me with an easy, happy grin on his face.
“Of course I’m happy,” I tell him. “You’re with me.”
Aiden’s grin grows wider and his eyes glance down at the table before meeting mine again.
“I’ve lived a very long time,” Aiden tells me, his grin fading as his thoughts seem to be running through his life thus far. “But right now is the happiest I’ve ever been. I’d pretty much given up on having a life like Jess and Mason and your mom and dad. I never thought that was in the cards for me until I saw you for the first time. Now, all I can think about is our future and all the happy memories I want us to make together.”
I put down my paintbrush and phase over to Aiden.
“Can I make a happy memory right now?” I ask him as he turns towards me on the stool he’s sitting on, his legs spread just far enough apart for me to take a step forward and stand between them.
“And just what type of memory would you like to make, beautiful?” He asks in a husky voice, looking me up and down.
“Oh, I think you might know,” I tell him, resting my hands on his shoulders.
Aiden grins but unfortunately, the memory I want to make has to wait because there’s an unexpected knock on the door.
I quickly step away from between Aiden’s legs and clear my throat before I say, “Come in.”
“Or don’t,” Aiden grumbles under his breath, turning on the stool with his arms crossed in front of him looking as frustrated as I feel by the intrusion.
The door opens just enough for a man I’ve never seen before to poke his head inside the room and look between the two of us.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he says in a crisp British accent, much like my father’s.
Aiden uncrosses his arms and stands up. The frustration on his face is quickly replaced by confusion as he walks the short distance to the door. The other man walks inside, and they shake hands like they’re old friends.
The man is of average build with short brown hair and penetrating brown eyes. His face is handsome and clean-shaven but looks slightly worried.
“What on Earth are you doing here at this time of day, Jered?” Aiden says to the man.
“Not so early for me,” he replies with an easy grin. “It’s lunchtime in England. But, Mason called me a little while ago and said you were here and already up and about. I hope I’m not barging in unwanted.”
“No, it’s fine,” Aiden reassures him. “Jered, have you met Caylin yet?”
Jered looks over at me. “No, I haven’t had the pleasure.”
“Caylin,” Aiden says, “this is Jered. The Watcher Mason and Jess mentioned to you earlier.”
I walk up to Jered and hold out my hand for him to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jered,” I say.
Jered shakes my hand with both of his and the earnest expression on his face tells me he truly is please
d to finally meet me.
“I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to make your acquaintance,” he tells me just before letting my hand go.
“Why?” I ask, thinking this an odd thing to say.
“Malcolm doesn’t trust me, and those he doesn’t trust are kept away from you and your family.”
I knew the reason Uncle Malcolm didn't trust Jered, so I decided on a course of action.
“Do you mean me or anyone in my family harm?” I ask him point blank.
Jered doesn't seem surprised by my question and firmly shakes his head.
“I give you my word that such a thought has never even entered my mind since I decided to change my ways.”
He was telling the truth. If he had been lying, I would have known.
“Did you intentionally let Levi escape you yesterday?” I ask, needing to know the answer to this question even more so to truly judge his trustworthiness.
“No,” Jered says, his eyes lower to the floor at my feet as if he's too ashamed to meet my questioning gaze as he answers. “I did not let him escape on purpose.”
Jered looks over at Aiden.
“I came here to apologize to the both of you for letting him get away from me,” Jered says, seeming to need Aiden's forgiveness more than mine. “I should have notified someone that I lost his trail, but I didn't want to look like a fool. It was my pride that allowed them to capture you. I hope you can forgive me for being such an idiot.”
“There's nothing to forgive, Jered,” Aiden says, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder. “You did the best you could. That's all any of us can ask from one another.”
“I feel like I should have done more.”
“Well, at least now we know for sure that they figured out the importance of the anklets. That was something we'd been wondering about for a while. Now we know they understand what they do.”
“I suppose that's one way to think about it,” Jered admits. “I just wish the information hadn't come at such a high price.”
“I'm fine now,” Aiden says, trying to reassure the man. “This isn't something you need to feel guilt over. It could have happened to any one of us.”
“Let me keep my guilt for a while,” Jered says, “maybe it'll make me more cautious the next time around.”