The Awakening Aidan - By Abby Niles Page 0,41

to ignore it?

Sighing, Jaylin rose and reached for a plate. He lightly swatted her hand away. “I’ve got this. All I want you to do is park your cute ass in that chaise over there and relax.”

Again with the gentleman thing. Really, his actions should’ve been considered sweet, and on any other occasion they would have, but she was done with nice.

She was ready for dirty.

“If I help, it’ll get done quicker.”

Aidan shook his head as he balanced the plates and took a step back. “I’m just going to rinse them and put them in the dishwasher. Won’t take but a few minutes.” He took another step back, nodding again toward the chaise. “Go. Drink your wine.” With that, he turned with a load of plates and disappeared into the house.

Fine. If he wanted her to laze about, who was she to argue?

Taking her glass, she walked to the two-person lounger at the edge of the deck and sat down, looking out across the ocean. The sun had set while they ate, replacing the spreading oranges, yellows, and violets with miles and miles of unending stars—a breathtaking sight.

The temperature had dipped some, leaving behind a comfortable warm breeze. She’d never tire of listening to the crash of the waves in the distance. She didn’t know why the ocean was so soothing, but it always had a calming effect on her.

As her surrender to Aidan had calmed him.

More so than she’d wanted.

Though he had touched her…a lot.

And with each touch, she’d seen no sign of his beast. Felt no agitation from Aidan. He came across as a man who was bonded to his mate and was simply lulled by being in her presence, which made no sense. He wasn’t bonded. He was awakened. The instinct of the Drall was uncompromising with one focus: to Fewse. Simply being able to touch her shouldn’t be enough to control him.

But it seemed he’d been right—her surrender had mollified the Drall and the beast.

For now.

She wasn’t fool enough to believe it’d last, though. Eventually her mere presence wouldn’t be enough. When that happened, he’d be back to fighting the instinct.

Right now, he was as close to being human as he could be, and she was going to eat up every second of it. Yielding to Aidan had crumbled the last of her barrier. No tension, no hesitation, no reminders, just let him control himself as he swore he could.

Soft music drifted from the living room as the light from the house flickered off behind her, casting the deck in complete darkness except for the tiny orange flames on the votive candles lining the deck’s edge. Anticipation clawed at her stomach. He was coming, would sit beside her, and all bets were off.

Van Morrison’s husky voice filled the air as he sang the first line of “Into the Mystic.” Aidan’s hand appeared over her shoulder. “Dance with me.”

She put her wineglass aside and slipped her hand into his. He tugged her against his chest as his other arm slipped around her waist. As he pressed his cheek to the top of her hair, they swayed together to the music.

It wasn’t exactly what she had in mind, but at least they were headed in the right direction: her in Aidan’s arms.

They rocked together until the saxophone started. Aidan moved her around the deck with some fancy ballroom footwork, causing her to laugh and hold on. His movements were smooth, flawless, and when he rolled her out, then back to him, the smile on her face actually hurt. The music slowed and he resumed the gentle sway, until the tempo picked back up and he two-stepped them across the makeshift dance floor again.

When the song ended, he dipped her low. A new Van Morrison song started and the happiness on his face faded. He brought her back up to his chest as the lyrics penetrated her joy.

“Crazy Love.”

Aidan tucked her close, holding her tenderly, and moved them slowly in a circle. His grip on her hand tightened, as did his arm around her waist.

“Yes, I need her in the daytime,” he sang in her ear, his low baritone flowing through her senses like honey. “Yes, I need her in the night. Yes, I want to throw my arms around her and kiss and hug her, kiss and hug her tight.”

The words should’ve terrified her, the soft and loving way he sang them should’ve terrified her more, but instead her heart clenched and an emotion she refused to identify