The Awakening Aidan - By Abby Niles Page 0,38
eyes. He had to admit that his actions were driven by a fear that if he let his guard down, he would grow frustrated of her pushing him away.
Man, how had they gotten here?
She kept her barriers in place, and he couldn’t afford to lower his.
He rubbed his tired eyes.
Now she was hiding again, not that he could blame her after the way he’d acted. As he stepped into the kitchen, he found Rafael standing in front of the stove. “Have you seen Jaylin?”
Rafael looked up from stirring a creamy sauce. “She took a walk on the beach.”
What he wouldn’t give to be with her, walking beside her, holding her hand as they listened to the crash of the waves. He didn’t have that luxury. Maybe he never would. He shook away his thoughts. “How much longer before dinner is served?”
“Few minutes. I’ve set up a table outside where you can dine.” He pointed to the left with a wooden spoon.
Sure enough, a small round table had been covered with a white cloth. Two tapered candles stood between an elegant display of china plates and silverware. More candles—votives this time—lined the edge of the deck that overlooked the beach, casting a golden glow to diminishing sunlight.
“Impressive.” Now if only he could salvage the rest of the night.
“I’ll make myself scarce once I have the food served. I’m staying at the servant’s cottage up on the cliff, so you and the missus will have complete privacy. If you need me for anything, there is an intercom system between the two houses, just call and I’ll come.”
“You don’t need to wait on us hand and foot. I just didn’t want to have to worry about things like cooking and laundry, so if you could help out with that, I’ll handle the rest.”
Rafael nodded. “In that case, I’ll collect the dirty laundry early each morning, and make a breakfast and lunch spread, then leave. I’ll return to make dinner. Does that work?”
“Yes. Thank you, Rafael.”
“I’m an old shifter. Don’t think I don’t know a pup trying to woo his mate.”
“That obvious, huh?”
“She’s giving you a run for your money?”
He snorted. “And driving me mad in the process.”
“My Willa made me wait, too. Thought I’d go crazy before our wedding night.”
He saw no reason to tell Rafael that waiting wasn’t the issue. Jaylin was the issue. “You didn’t Fewse to her before you married?”
“It was a different time, my friend. Many women refused to sleep with a man before they married, and my Willa was no different.”
“How did you keep the Drall back?”
“Lots of runs to wear out the beast and many, many cold showers.”
Yeah, he’d done both. Not that it’d helped any. As soon as Jaylin popped back in to his mind, he was a tangled mess of need, frustration, and anger.
“How long have you been together?” Aidan asked.
“We had thirty glorious years together. Five kids and four grandbabies.” A special smile tilted his lips and his face took on a faraway look. “I lost her to cancer three years ago. She was human.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Death is the only guarantee life gives us. It’s how you live the time you have that matters.”
Death was the issue between him and Jaylin right now. Opposing sides to the one guarantee in life. It was going to be very difficult changing her mind with everything she’d witnessed.
The click of the back door and Jaylin’s scent hit him at once, alerting him to her presence. Aidan straightened. Immediately, he wanted her in his arms, his mouth on hers, her body pressed against his. Why was he so weak? Why did he go through this every time she entered a room? Shouldn’t he build some freaking immunity?
“Did you enjoy your walk, miss?” Rafael asked.
“Yes. I did. Thank you.” Aidan could feel her gaze on him, but he refused to make eye contact. Instead he turned his back on her and busied himself with getting out two wineglasses.
“Can I get you something?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Wine would be nice, thank you.”
The tension in the room increased. Rafael cleared his throat and said, “Why don’t you two make yourselves comfortable out on the deck. Dinner will be finished momentarily and I’ll serve you when it’s done.”
Alone with Jaylin? That was exactly what he’d wanted when he’d planned this trip, but now the idea soured his stomach. Another bout of fighting his instinct, of being distant, of being the ass she was starting to hate. How could he change that and