Aaron's Kiss Series Boxed Set (Books 1 - 7) (119 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

She watched him come across the field then stop to talk on the phone. She wasn’t naive enough to think that Donna had really sent her and Dom out here to check to see if the horses were fed. The urgency in her voice had made her do it without question. Then there was the fact that she could see the gun that Dom was carrying under his shirt and then the way he kept looking around every ten seconds.

The horses were beautiful. There were at least a dozen in the paddock here and Dom had said that there were at least a dozen more that ran free on the compound. She wished she could ride, but she’d never been on one before and was a little afraid of the huge beast.

“Mistress, we need to go into the barn now. Please?” Dom was looking to the field just behind her and she didn’t hesitate but let him lead her there. There was a huge gray wolf sitting near the middle of the barn when they entered. She stopped walking and Dom walked into her.

“He won’t hurt you; he’s a friend of the pack. His name is Tristan. His mate, Bailey, is coming as well. You need to move closer to him and touch his fur before he’ll shift back.” Dom didn’t move any closer to the wolf either, but stood at her side, his hand now on the butt of the gun.

“Why? Why is he here? Why do I have to touch him, and why is Bailey coming soon? What’s happening, Dom? And where is Bradley?” She was suddenly very afraid. This was more than the man in the small salon, this was much more.

“Touch the wolf, please, mistress. He cannot understand us when he is in this form. He isn’t a true wolf, but a vampire who can shift. Bailey is coming because she is needed, and Alpha is coming now. You must trust me, I would die for you.” Dom dropped to his knees and rubbed his neck along her leg. She was so going to have to find out what that meant and why they kept doing it to her and only her.

Airic walked slowly over to the wolf and reached out to touch him. But a stirring in the air stopped her. A falcon, a beautiful pedigree falcon, swooped into the barn and landed not five feet from the wolf. As she stared at the bird, it shimmered and shifted into a woman. Airic took a step back. There was something familiar about the woman and she didn’t like it.

“Hello, Ms. Bennett, it’s Bailey. Remember me? I found you in the cave. Please touch my mate. I can tell him to shift, but he can smell your fear and doesn’t want to frighten you more than he already has.”

“Yes, I remember you now, and despite my telling you to leave me there, you brought me out anyway. Why should I do anything for you because you ask me to?” Glaring at the woman, she moved forward again.

Her heart started to race hard within her chest. Then as quickly as it started, she realized Bradley was there and she slowed hers, and knew that somehow, she had calmed his as well. That was just freaky, she thought.

“You’re all scaring her. Stop it now! Bailey, please move back, all right?” Bradley. And he was pissed, if his voice was any indication.

“Mistress, touch the wolf. He wants only to help you,” Dom was saying.

“Ms. Bennett, we were asked to come here to protect you.” Bailey too was talking.

It was suddenly too much. She couldn’t take it one second more and turned to Bradley. “I am not scared! I’m pissed off. All of you shut up.” Turning to the wolf, she pointed and shouted, “You! Shift! Now!” And just like that, the wolf was a man.

She jerked her hand behind her and backed toward where Bradley was. She had done that. She had welded the energy, had felt it run down her arm and then through her finger and into the man. And she had hurt him.

Running to him, she could hear his moans. She knew what it was to shift and it was painful and hard. She couldn’t image what it would be like to shift in a second. But he had.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. Here, let me help you up. I didn’t know…please tell me you’re all right.” She was searching him, looking for any indication that she had caused him more than the usual pain.

“Damn, lady, remind me to never piss you off,” the vampire exclaimed.

Airic burst into tears. It was just too much too fast. She heard them talking but paid little attention until Bradley asked her to please release Dom. She looked over at Dom and was startled for a few seconds.

He had his gun out and pointed at the vampire’s head and his arm gripped around his throat. His eyes were golden and his canines were extended.

“Baby, Dom was told to protect you at all costs. He thinks that Tristan has hurt you and that’s why you’re crying. Tell him to release him, tell him you’re fine, or they’ll both die.”

She looked back at Bradley. His voice was calm, but his heart was pounding again. She could feel it in her own chest.

“I don’t understand. I can feel your heart. I don’t understand any of this. Why would they both die? No one hurt me.” Her head hurt, she realized. An ache like she’d never had before.

“Because if he pulls that trigger and kills my mate, I will fucking rip him apart, that’s how they’ll both die. Release him or I fucking will.” Bailey was standing behind Dom shaking with barely suppressed anger. Airic could feel her strength radiating out of her.

“Bailey, you aren’t helping the matter. Honey, look at me. I’ll explain everything, but right now, you need to tell Dom to let Tristan go.” He was stroking her, soothing her.

Airic nodded and stood up. She swayed slightly, but after a few seconds, the dizziness went away. She walked over to the two men and touched her wolf. Hers, Dom was hers. She knew that what he had said earlier was true. He would die for her.

“Dom, release him. I’m okay. Please let him go and put your gun away. Thank you. You have no idea what it’s like to have a stranger want to protect me so fully. Let him go, now please.” She watched as he pulled his gun away from the man and let go of his neck. Dom stepped back two steps and dropped again to the ground.

This neck rubbing, or whatever it was called, was different this time. After he had touched his neck to her leg, he rolled over to his back and laid there. Instinctually, she knew what he wanted. Leaning down, she rubbed his belly and then his throat. He growled gently at the back of his throat.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Airic was riding in front of Bradley on his horse with his one arm gripped tightly around her waist and they were tearing across the field as fast as he could take them. She looked up in the sky and watched Bailey fly over them with her mate Tristan just behind her. She thought they looked like they were playing tag. Looking down, she watched as wolves ran alongside of them, racing and jumping over every obstacle in their path without seemingly seeing them.

Bradley had said he would explain, but there wasn’t time now. He needed to get her to safety then they would talk. Her head was pounding, like a sludge hammer was beating its way into her skull. She leaned back into his embrace.

“Baby, I’m having a hard time watching the path with your breasts bobbing up and down like that.” His voice was low and very close to her ear. He nuzzled her neck and desire shot through her instantly.

She realized that she could feel his hard cock pressing into her back. Reaching behind her, she ran her hand down the hard shaft and felt him lengthen beneath her hand.

“Bradley.”

He pulled her closer and moved his fingers in the button gap on her shirt just below her breast. He cupped her and with his thumb and forefinger, pinched her nipple, then tugged at it. “I want you, right now. If there weren’t so many people around, and your safety wasn’t a problem, I’d stop this horse right now, strip you naked, and take you right here. Then I’d ride as hard as I could with you bouncing up and down on my cock. Christ, I want to fuck you.” Closing her eyes, she could see them doing just that and pressed harder against his cock with her hand. He growled at her.

They teased and played with each other all the way to Aaron’s estate. By the time they got there, she was so hot she felt as if she would combust if Bradley touched her right now and maybe even if he didn’t.

Once they were in the mansion, they were ushered to a big room by a dapper-looking man who said his name was Duncan. He offered them something to eat and drink and they declined both. Carrying a large silver tray that somehow seemed to be a part of his uniform, though why she thought that she had no idea, he took them to see the master.

“Ms. Bennett. How lovely for you to join us. It’s nice to see you again.” Aaron came forward and kissed her hand.

“You! You’re that vampire that…where is she? That woman who knock me out.” Airic turned when she saw him look over his shoulder.

“Hello, dear. Welcome to my home. I know you’re angry right now, but we need to focus on the issue at hand.” She patted the seat next to her.

Airic sat in the chair closest to the door. She was being spiteful, she knew, but damn it, she’d like to have one thing go right today. “Bradley, what is she talking about? What issue?” Bradley didn’t answer, but simply picked her up and sat down in her chair with her on his lap. Okay, she thought, this is much better.

“I’m afraid that since we talked last, there has been another development. Your friend Diana Lake has gone missing, as you know. It seems that Christopher Alastair, the master wolf that had you turned, has taken her and will return her only for you, my dear.” Airic looked at Bradley after Aaron made his announcement. He knew this, she thought, and he’d known this since before they left his home.

CHAPTER THIRTY

He knew the moment she figured it out. Her body became stiff and she sat up. He’d thought to tell her about Diana as soon as they got on the horse, but he got distracted just as he said. Now it was too late. She’d think that he had played with her because he didn’t want to tell her. Okay, well that was true, but not all of it. Damn it, she had touched him first.

When she rose off his lap, he pulled her back down. She was not getting away until he had time to explain. And she was going to listen to him. He was the alpha, damn it.

“Sit still and listen to me, damn it. You’re not going anywhere half-cocked,” he shouted. He hated yelling, but…

When he felt the cold water hit his face, he opened his eyes.
What the fuck?
He was lying flat on the floor. No not on the floor, he decided, but on the chair, which was on the floor, his legs still hanging off the seat, which was now in the air.

“Welcome back.” Aaron, smiling, was holding a large bucket that was dripping water on his chest. He had poured water on him. He didn’t remember a thing after pulling Airic back down onto his lap.

“What…why did you do that?” He had missed something. He wasn’t sure what, but something was… “Airic! Where’s Airic?” He started scrambling to get up when Aaron’s booted foot slammed him back down in the chair.

“If you sit up now, you might start the bleeding again and I just got it to stop. Airic is upstairs in the pink bedroom with Sara and Lizzy. I’d leave her there for the moment if I were you. She hit you with Duncan’s tray and opened your empty head with it.” Setting down the empty bucket, Aaron pulled another chair over and sat down next to him.

“Can I at least ask why she hit me? Or do you, in your all-knowing wisdom, not know why?” He glared at him as Aaron grinned down to him, cocky bastard. “He’s just made it to the top of my ‘To Kill’ list,” he muttered to himself.

“Oh she told us. Quite loudly, as a matter of fact, and several times since you hit the floor. It was very enjoyable to me, I must say, to see someone else I know make a woman that mad that quickly. Let’s see if I can remember it all…you’re an arrogant asshole, which I must say, we all knew that one. Hummm, let’s see, you will not manhandle her and get away with it, which I’m pretty sure you did not by the looks of that gash. You will not keep secrets from her, that one was a surprise to me. I didn’t think you could keep secrets from each other once you bonded. Oh yeah, she was questioning your parental background and was quite sure you had some snake in your DNA. I’m sure that I missed a couple, I was kind of busy trying to get the tray from her before she cold-cocked you again.” He leaned back after delivering his speech. Bradley wanted to get up and pound his ass, but his head hurt now, he realized.

“We aren’t bonded, not yet anyway, and you know it. That’s why we were coming here, remember? Shit, that fucking hurts.” He had reached up and tenderly touched the area. His fingers came away with blood on them. Damn woman. He grinned suddenly.

“Oh, I don’t like that. That cannot be a good sign.” Aaron grinned back with him. Bradley put out his hand and Aaron pulled him and the chair to an upright position. “So, going to use the guilt thing, huh? Could work, but only if you hurry. You seem to be healing already.” Bradley saluted him and took off. He did warn him that they weren’t to be disturbed unless the house was on fire and only then if they were the next room about to go up in flames.

He didn’t knock, but walked in. Sara was standing at the bathroom door and Lizzy was pouting on the bed. He winked at her.

“I’m very mad at you, Uncle Bradley. You said you’d wait for me to grow up and we’d get married someday.” She was the cutest six-year-old little girl he knew. She was also the only six-year-old little girl he knew.

“Sorry, love, but things happen. Besides, I’d be an old man by the time you wanted to get married, and you wouldn’t want me then.” His heart melted when she puckered out her lower lip at him.

“What on earth makes you think you have a snowball’s chance in hell of living long enough to get old?” Alastriona, his mate.

He grinned again and motioned for Sara, who was barely upright she was laughing so hard, and Lizzy to leave them alone. He thumbed the lock on the bedroom door. “Come out of there, Alastriona, we are going to talk.” He tried to sound stern and hard, but he was pretty sure she’d hear the humor creeping in.

The door slammed open. Yeah, she’d heard it. He smiled at the sight she made. Her hair had come down at some point on the ride over and it flowed down her back and over her left shoulder. Her eyes, normally a deep shade of chocolate brown, were glowing golden in her anger. Her breasts, unfettered by a bra, were heaving and tight against her shirt.
Mine.
He had thought that before, but now, right now, she was his. He moved to her, unbuttoning his shirt as he walked.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She backed up two steps and looked around.

Mine,
he thought again and again. “If you go into that bathroom again and shut the door, I’m going to break it down. And that will only piss me off. Take off your clothes, Alastriona, or I’ll do it for you.” He tossed his shirt toward the chair by the fireplace.

“I’m not taking anything off and you aren’t either. Stop that, Bradley, this has gone far enough.”

He slid his belt from his trousers and threw it in the same general direction. “No it hasn’t. We’ve almost gotten there a few times, but no, we haven’t gone near far enough, but we will. Take. Off. Your. Clothes, Alastriona.” He could almost touch her now and he could smell her. She was aroused. Very aroused, if her scent was any indication.

“You…you hurt me. And lied to me. Why? Why, Bradley? I…don’t touch me, I’m trying to…Bradley, you…you have to stop that.” Her moan nearly had his knees buckling when he touched her cheek.

“I want you, love. Come to me. Come and let me make love with you, Alastriona.” He gently ran his knuckles over her nipples that were poking tight against the shirt. She bowed into his touch.

Bradley pulled her to him a slow step at a time. She resisted it, but not very hard. When he had her just inches away, he began undoing the buttons for her. She watched him work the tiny little buttons through the equally tiny holes. Or had his fingers just grown too large for such a simple task? 

When he got them all undone, he lifted her chin up so that he could look her in the eye. Not touching any other part of her body, he pushed the shirt off her shoulders and let if fall to the floor. Neither of them seemed to notice. 

Her eyes were golden and sharp. His need for her, all of her, was reflected back to him from them. 

He unsnapped his own pants, pulled the tab down to the bottom, and then let them fall to the floor with her shirt. He put his thumbs into his boxer briefs and pushed them down over his hips, and then he leaned down and pulled them off. Dropping to his knees before her, he placed his hands on her hips, over the pair of his boxers she had put on this morning.

“I want to make love to you, baby.” He didn’t move, didn’t breathe for fear she’d turn him down.

“Yes, please, Bradley. Please.”