Chapter 15 #2
As soon as we pull to a stop, Aeron exits the car, an older man with a mustache and a fucking cowboy hat strolling over to greet him.
Knox appears at my door, opening it from the outside because the fuckers engaged the child lock so that I wouldn’t try to escape.
Although, Jude got pretty excited at the idea of hunting me down if I did try anything, and even Tarl had a banked heat in his eyes at the idea. Fucking sick bastards.
Knox holds his hand out and rolling my eyes, I take it, letting him help me out of the car, my new knee-length boots molding to my feet as I stand on them.
The others exit the car, and I just stand there breathing in the fresh, sweetly-scented air.
My nose crinkles when the pungent smell of horseshit hits me.
“Don’t worry, Little Bird.” Knox laughs, letting go of my hand to sling an arm over my shoulder. His motor oil, cloves, and cedarwood scent completely overpowers any other smell, and like a dickhead, I lean in closer, taking a deep inhale. “You get used to the smell of shit around here.”
“I should already be used to it then, hanging around you guys for so long,” I sass back, and his whole body goes rigid before he chuckles darkly.
“Oh, Little Bird. You just poked the wrong bear.” I gulp, glancing upward to see the look of sheer, debauched pleasure on his handsome face. “Tell me, how’s your cardio?”
Before I can answer, knowing that his question relates to a future punishment that I may even enjoy, Aeron beckons us over.
He quirks a brow at Knox, who just mumbles that he’ll explain later.
Aeron accepts this, clearly trusting that if it was important, Knox would tell him straight away.
I feel a twinge in my solar plexus, wondering what it would feel like to have someone so close like that.
“Jim, this is Dove,” Aeron says by way of an introduction, and I can’t help the eye roll at his use of my nickname.
“Lark,” I state, trying to step out of Knox’s grip, but he just tightens it. Dick. “Nice to meet you.”
“A pleasure to meet you too, ma’am,” Jim replies. His deep voice has a Southern twang to it and I find my lips pulling up at his clear charm. Aeron scowls at me. Possessive bastard.
“We’re going to show Dove around,” Aeron tells the man. “And then take her for a ride.”
“Wait, what?” I ask, my body freezing. I look down at my legs and realization hits me. They’re not leggings, they’re fucking jodhpurs.
“Come, Little Bird,” Knox coos, completely ignoring my slight freak-out about having to get on top of a fucking horse. “You can ride with me.”
“She’s riding with me,” Aeron interrupts, and once again, Knox goes still, his stare deadly and focused on the leader of this little crew. Jesus, those boys definitely have some kind of baggage together.
“I’ll ride with you, Knox baby,” Jude teases, and Knox jolts when a smack lands on his ass. I giggle, quickly covering my mouth when Knox glares down at me.
“This way, Nightingale,” Jude singsongs, grabbing my hand and pulling me from Knox and away from all that nonsense.
I laugh again, jogging to keep up with him as we head toward the first stable door, the top half open.
A gray head pokes out, and I pause at the beauty of the animal before me.
Jude continues to lead me to the animal, grabbing a packet of mints out of his blood-red jeans pocket and offering one up to the horse, who nickers and immediately gobbles it up.
Tentatively, I reach a hand out, having to stretch it upwards to let the animal take a sniff. You do that with dogs, so horses can’t be too different, right? Warm breath tickles my palm, then I gasp in delighted surprise when the animal presses its soft nose into my hand.
“She likes you,” Jude whispers, reaching up to stroke his own hand down her muzzle. “She’s Mom’s.”
“What’s her name?” I ask, my voice soft like his so that I don’t scare the beauty before me.
“Bluebell, but we all call her Blue.”
I take a soft inhale, dreading asking the next question.
I know what happened to their mother. How, sanctioned by my sperm donor, members of the Dead Soldiers attacked and abused Heather Taylor, leaving her bleeding outside the Taylor family home.
Apparently, Adam Taylor had undercut my father stealing business or something.
Why is it always the innocents that get caught in the crossfire?
“Where is your mom, Jude?” I question, watching how the skin around his eyes tightens, his hand halting in its movements.
“Mount Pleasant Care Facility,” he answers just as I see the others come up behind us. Ignoring them, and the scowl on Aeron’s beautiful face, I place my hand over his, both of us resting them atop Blue’s nose.
“I’m sorry that they hurt your mom, Jude.”
“Apologies don’t do shit, Dove,” Aeron sneers, and I flinch at the venom in his tone. Poor Blue shakes her head and whickers, clearly sensing my distress, our hands falling away from her.
“Will you come with us to visit her, Nightingale?” Jude asks, his voice full of sorrow as he ignores Aeron’s comment, lacing our fingers together.
“If you want me to, I’d like that,” I tell him, following his lead and dismissing the angry Tailor behind us. Jude beams, one of his completely carefree smiles that sends my stomach fluttering and which I’m slowly becoming addicted to.
“For fuck’s sake! Want to show her all our safe houses next? Or maybe share our bank details?” Aeron fumes and I drop Jude’s hand, turning to face his brother and then taking a step until I’m standing before him, not cowering before his anger.
He stands taller, trying to intimidate me with his size and the power of his body. It doesn’t work. Men have been using their bodies against me for years, I’ve learned to be unafraid.
“Why are you so scared of me, Aeron?” I ask softly, my eyes bouncing between his, and his glare narrows, his body practically vibrating with tension.
“I’m not scared of you, Dove.” He scoffs, his upper lip curling. It should make him unattractive, but it doesn’t. “Dead Soldiers are lying, conniving, scheming cunts, and you are a Dead fucking Soldier.”
As if on instinct, I reach my hand out, slowly like I just did with Blue, and cup his smooth cheek. His eyes widen a fraction, his chest heaving so that it brushes against mine.
“I’m not here to hurt you, Aeron.”
Lie.
My gut twists for a moment, my chest tightening with the untruth that spills from my lips.
“How can I trust that? Our families have been at war for so long, Dove. We’re fucking enemies,” he confesses, his voice quiet, and the sounds around us fade as he brings his forehead down to mine, my eyes closing with the contact. “And why is it so fucking hard to remember that when you touch me?”
“I don’t know.”
Truth.
My breath sighs out of me, my whole body relaxing at his nearness.
Slowly, his lips meet mine in a kiss that brings tears to my eyes with its gentleness.
Out of all of them, Aeron is the one that undoes me so completely.
He makes me wish things were different. That we could just be together like this always.
But, there is a bigger picture here, so much more at stake than my broken heart, so reluctantly, I pull away.
“Let’s show you the rest of the stables, and you can meet Samson,” Aeron says, lacing our fingers together and taking a step back, my hand tingling as it falls from his cheek.
“Samson?”
“He’s my stallion,” Aeron tells me, a boyish grin titling his lips upwards and making him fucking devastatingly handsome. “And has sired many winning Tailor horses.” Pride shines in his voice, his smile wide as he leads me over to another stable.
I jump when a kick rattles the half door, gasping when the head of a stunning, pitch-black horse pokes through.
“Steady, boy,” Aeron coos, letting go of my hand and reaching out to grasp the stallion’s head. “That’s no way to greet a lady.”
I snort at the same time that Samson does, and Aeron looks over at me with a raised brow.
“Perhaps you should practice what you preach, Devil Man,” I sass, taking slow steps closer to the magnificent beast and his horse.
“Hold your hand out, Dove. Let him sniff you,” Aeron commands, and there should be nothing sexual about his words, but somehow, my core still clenches anyway. Jesus.
With butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I reach up, letting Samson smell my hand just like I did with Blue, and when he seems to make no objection, I place it on his soft nose, marveling at the silky, black hair beneath my palm.
“He just needs a soft touch sometimes is all,” Aeron murmurs, and I can feel his stare on me, burning like the glare of the midday sun.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”