Authors: Jennifer Salaiz
Ayden kept his cock buried in Nicole while he carried her to the bed. The tightness almost made it impossible for him to walk. He fell to the mattress holding her against his chest while his cock plunged into her farther.
Possessiveness gripped him while he held her. Nicole was as good as his. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. From the first time he heard her laughter on the phone, to the day he saw her get inside her car with a blackened eye, he’d seen everything. He vowed that moment to watch over her, to protect her from the asshole she stayed with.
He was all too happy Michael took his threat seriously. He needed
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to. Now that Ayden marked Nicole as his mate, he could be sure of keeping her away from other werewolves, but humans were another story. If she didn’t want to be with him, fine, he could wait until she was ready. But he
would
wait, no matter how long it took for her to decide.
* * * *
“I don’t like your ex-boyfriend in your apartment,” he breathed in Nicole’s ear. Deep down, as she heard him, something sparked. She wasn’t sure at the time what the strange feeling could be. Uncertainty ran through her, but that wasn’t the emotion that stood out the most.
“Please tell me you won’t let him back in here. I know this must sound strange to you, but trust me.”
Nicole couldn’t see his face. It was buried in her neck while he lay on top of her, thrusting.
“There’s no reason for him to come back. I made him leave his key.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. Ayden seemed content at those words.
Confused, Nicole’s mind raced, but her body responded to his perfectly. Her orgasm was so unexpected she clutched on to his hard biceps while screams erupted from her throat. Ecstasy like she never felt before took hold of her body and mind.
Not a minute later, Nicole felt his cock swell, and he pulled out in time to come all over her lower stomach. She lay there contemplating the words he had spoken to her. So that he couldn’t see her thoughts, she kept her eyes closed. Never had she met a man this blunt with all his words in terms of sexuality or requests. The thought scared her yet somehow weaved its way into her conscience, assuring her she’d be all right. Would she? Suddenly, even with him beside her, she wasn’t so sure.
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It seemed Nicole’s one-night stand turned into something she hadn’t expected. Ayden and she spent the entire weekend together.
They did things she never even considered doing. He took her to a place with bumper boats and putt-putt golf.
At first she laughed at the idea, but then she thought what the hell and went for it. Afterward, they had a romantic picnic on the beach far from prying eyes. The sex was amazing. Anyone could have seen them if they approached, but that only added to the excitement.
It was now Sunday night. Nicole looked up at him from where her head rested in his lap. The sound of the television echoed in the background as they asked each other random questions..
“Favorite food?”
A laugh shook his body.
“Anything I can get my hands on, but mostly meat. I like steak.
What about you? What kind of food do you enjoy eating?”
“Mostly meat, too, although I do like pasta. So tell me more about yourself. Does your family live here?”
She couldn’t ignore how tense he grew underneath her.
“My parents died a few years back. Other than my sister, whom I don’t see very often, it’s just me. But none of that matters. I have plenty of close friends. I consider them my family. How about you?”
“No one. My parents also died a few years back. I was an only child so you could say my friends have become my family also.”
“I’m sorry you went through that alone. It must have been hard for you.”
Nicole turned to caress her face against his stomach.
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“Yeah, at times it became very hard. But Tara’s always been there. She helped me a lot.”
“I’m glad. Your friend sounds like a great person.” Another laugh came from him while she nuzzled her face deeper into his hard abs.
“You remind me of a kitten. You keep rubbing against me just like Peaches used to. I miss having my cat. I think I’ll look for another one. You can pick the name when I get her.”
“You’d really let me name your cat?”
“Of course, why not?”
Nicole laughed at his confused expression. “I don’t know. Maybe because if you ever decide you don’t want to talk to me anymore, you’ll have an animal that will remind you of me.”
Ayden looked at his watch. “Nicole, can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything.”
“Do you feel something between us? I mean, I’m not referring to the sex. That’s amazing, but I mean, a connection?”
Slowly, she sat up. “Yes, you mean you can feel it?”
He opened his mouth, only to close it.
“Yes, I can feel it. It’s the reason I haven’t left yet. There’s something you have to understand. From the moment I saw you…”
Ayden ran his fingers through his hair. “Never mind, forget I said anything. I think I should be heading back to my place.”
Confused by why he didn’t continue, she nodded. They both rose from the couch and deep down Nicole sighed. It was so great having someone here who made her laugh and smile. He seemed to care about what she wanted to do and what she thought about things.
Ayden was so much more uplifting compared to Michael, who only seemed to care about himself.
Nicole smiled. “All right, thank you for the great weekend.”
He paused, still looking at her. She tried reading his eyes for anything he might be thinking. There was nothing she could grasp.
His face was a mask of unreadable emotion.
Slowly walking to her bar, Nicole grabbed her keys so she could
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take him home. Wherever that might be. He still hadn’t told her anything about where he lived. He always awoke before her, so she didn’t have any idea what he did in that time. All she knew is he came back to her dressed in new clothes and freshly shaved.
“Where do you live? I’ll give you a ride.”
“I don’t need a ride, Nicole. I live in the building across from yours.”
Shocked, she stood rooted to the floor. Was he serious? And why was he telling her this now? Why didn’t he mention it the night they pulled into the complex?
Hesitantly, she set down her keys. “Why didn’t you tell me? You don’t think maybe you should have said something?”
Ayden shifted his feet. “You never asked, and I was going to tell you, but you stopped me.”
He ran his fingers through his short black hair, making it spike in the front. His nervousness made her nervous.
The memory of her stopping him from telling her the first night eased the situation just a little, but there was something else he wasn’t saying. She could feel it. Trying not to make it too obvious, she played it off. Eventually, she would find out. In the mean time she’d have him at her disposal. Even after everything strange, she wasn’t ready to give him up.
“I guess it’s not a big deal. It just means I’ll have better access when I want you.” She pulled at his red shirt, tugging gently. Nicole walked him to the door, and he kissed her gently on the mouth.
“Remember what I said, no ex-boyfriend in the house. It’s not safe.”
She frowned not knowing how to take what he’d just told her.
“What do you mean, it’s not safe? Mike might be rough at times, but he’d never seriously hurt me.”
Ayden kissed her cheek. “That’s not what I was implying. What I meant was it wouldn’t be safe for him.”
Nicole felt her eyes grow round and her lips part at his statement.
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“What do you mean? Are you saying you would harm him?”
He smiled. “I would if his hands came close to touching you like I’ve seen him do in the past. I have to admit, I’m a very jealous person. That’s why it’s best if you don’t open the door if he comes to your apartment. Can’t you tell that I want you? I won’t share you, not with him. And if I ever see him raise his hand to you again, well, let’s just say it won’t be very pretty.”
Nicole’s heart raced. She shook her head numbly.
“All right. I won’t open the door.”
How had he known? Nicole couldn’t recall being anywhere where Michael raised his hand to her, not outside of this apartment. Her eyes caught the window and she cursed. Anyone could see through that. A curtain covered the space, but during the night, when her light would be on, anyone outside could witness what happened beyond the thin material, especially since she kept the blinds raised.
Ayden kissed her once again, this time with more passion. She grew breathless while he gripped her lower back and pulled her into his warmth.
Hesitantly, he stepped out of the door and she watched him climb down the stairs. He had two sides. One was caring, the other possessive. She knew this wasn’t the beginning of a healthy relationship, but after her continuous failures, she had to admit, she definitely wasn’t qualified to judge.
The door shut, and she dropped herself onto the couch, exhaustion taking over. The weekend seemed to go by way too quickly with Ayden keeping her occupied and happy. What was she going to do about him? The weird pulling feeling seemed to be getting stronger.
Just the thought of him leaving made a strange pain shoot through her chest. What was it about him that kept her so attached? Even though the sex was amazing, she knew it wasn’t that. Not even close.
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Tara and Nicole sat at their regular table inside their favorite bar and grill. They came here every day for lunch for the last five months.
It usually held peace for them, but not today. One of their co-workers ended up quitting this morning. After hours of having to go through her large stack of paperwork, they both felt headaches coming on.
“I heard she got a better offer from the company across town,”
Tara said, rolling her eyes.
“She could have at least put in her two weeks. The amount of work we now have on top of everything else is fucking ridiculous.”
Nicole took a sip of her soda and lit a cigarette while she proceeded to massage her temples. She couldn’t wait to go home and relax in a nice hot bath. Today could only be defined as a nightmare, and it wasn’t over yet. Piles of work still sat waiting for her return.
“So, how are things with Mike? Did you both work through your argument?”
“No, he left me Friday. The majority of his stuff magically disappeared by the time I got home from work.”
“Are fucking serious? Honey, I’m so sorry. You’re better off without him. He treated you like shit, and everyone knew it.” Tara grasped Nicole’s hand, trying to be comforting.
Nicole laughed. “It’s all right. Two words describe my weekend—
mind, blowing. You wouldn’t believe what happened.”
Her friend started to open her mouth when she stopped, looking across the packed room.
“I want every single detail, but it’ll have to wait a minute. You have to meet my friend. He’s gorgeous! There he is, right there,” she
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said, pointing. Nicole looked over and was pulled up from her chair before she could see who caused a reaction this profound in her friend.
After squeezing between a few people, they approached a group of guys at a corner table. Nicole’s breath caught as she looked down into Ayden’s face.
“This is my friend, Jake,” Tara said, interrupting Nicole’s thoughts.
She looked over at the man her friend gestured to and put on a smile while shaking his hand. Her heart pounded at seeing Ayden dressed in his police uniform. He did not look like the man she spent the weekend with.
Jake stepped toward the table, wearing his uniform, too. They were all cops, Nicole noticed.
“Let me introduce my friends.” He worked his way down the table. “This is Kevin, Harvey, John, and Ayden. We’ve all worked together for years. You’re looking at the best cops Corpus Christi has to offer.”
Nicole smiled and waved at all of them. Ayden smiled back with that same mischievous expression he seldom used on her. The blush running from Nicole’s face to her toes burned her skin as it traveled the length of her body.
“Do you all come here often?” she asked, trying to give her mind something to do other than make it completely obvious how Ayden affected her. Jake let out a burst of laughter and shook his head.
“For the last month we have, thanks to Ayden. He insists we come here practically every day.”
Nicole’s eyes came back to Ayden with enough time to catch him tensing at the words. His smile was gone, and the only expression she could see when she looked into his face was pure panic. The smile slowly melted off her face.
“How odd. We come here every day, too,” Tara said from beside her.
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Nicole’s chest felt heavy as things started to hit her. Was it pure coincidence that Ayden and she came to the same restaurant every day and never noticed each other before? To her that was highly unlikely. It got crowded here, but not too crowded.
“Pull up some chairs and join us,” Jake said, already retrieving the chairs.
Nicole wanted to run away. She felt like a fool all of a sudden.
Was their meeting at the club coincidental, too, a chance meeting?
No, deep down she knew it wasn’t. He planned it more than she did.
Looking up at him, she could feel the hurt and uncertainty filling her eyes. She fought the angry tears from him betraying her. Ayden stood right away causing the chair to crash to the floor behind him.
“Excuse me.” Nicole turned and walking toward the door. He was behind her. She could feel his presence more than she heard it. A wall of pure energy emanated off of him, but he was completely silent in his approach. For a man so large, he walked light on his feet, too light, if she really wanted to admit it to herself.
“Nicole, wait. Let me explain.” His breaths came in quick pants while he looked down at her.