Chapter 40
"If she's worth it, you wont give up. If you give up, you're not worthy."― Bob Marley
Rose's POV
I sat on my bed later that night, lost in thought.
Aiden had kissed me. Aiden said he cared for me.
Did he really want me? Or was this just his wolf egging him on?
My heart wished for it to be true, but doubt had a funny way of creeping up on me.
How could a man who had always vehemently rejected me as his luna suddenly… want me?
A knock jolted me from my thoughts.
Aiden walked in and I felt the rush of heat fill my veins his presence always seemed to cause. I hadn't seen him since our kisses in the library earlier today. I really hoped he wasn't avoiding me.
“Can we talk?” he asked quietly, sitting down in the chair next to my bookshelf.
“I understand if you want to…to forget about it,” I said the words in a rush, my face flaming red as my insecurities rushed in on me. Aiden'seyes sparked and he made his way to me. “I mean, I won’t hold you to—”
And I was completely cut off when he closed the distance between us,clutched my shoulders and pressed his lips against mine.
“Why would I want to forget about something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now?” he hummed when we finally broke apart.
“I…I thought…well, you wouldn’t even come sit next to me…” I trailed off.
“I wouldn’t sit next to you because I don’t trust myself with you on a bed.” His voice was hot and belying an ache in his tone. An ache he felt for me, maybe?
“It is time to stop holding back. I did that and almost lost you once before.” Aiden said.“But now that I’m here…” His eyes glinted, and he kissed me again slowly, torturously; he pushed me back to lean against the pillows.
“Tell me when to stop,” he groaned against my mouth. His hands were running over my hips, reveling in the feel of my curves. “Please...let me know if I’m...too much.”
His hands shook slightly as they roamed downwards, nearing the hem of my night dress which ended a little bit above my knees.
Never stop is what I really wanted to say. But then Aiden began nibbling on my earlobe, murmuring how good I smelled, how good I tasted, I was completely lost in a whirlwind of white, hot heat.
“Is this what you wanted to talk about?” Ifinally gasped, clutching fistfuls of his dark luxuriant hair.
His hands roamed up and down my sides possessively as his head rested in the crook of my neck.
Aiden's response was his teeth grazing against my mark. Hands inching up to my thighs, his tongue laved the area where he’d marked me. I shuddered, my hands tugging at the hair behind his head. Aiden pulled back to look down at me as he hovered over me on the bed.
“I care about you a lot, Rose.”
He stated this clearly, concisely, to leave no room for argument.
“I’ve never felt this way about anyone before.” His voice was sincere.
I looked up at him, eyes wide.
“I just… I think there have been a lot of misunderstandings between us, and I want to make sure you know my feelings. There is no one else in my heart except for you. I want to be with you. I want to be able to kiss you like this all the time, to be able to claim you as mine.”
“If this is just because of the mate pull—” I began.
“No. It has nothing to do with my wolf,” Aiden cut in vehemently.
He went on since I still looked a little wary.
“Physical attraction has nothing to do with the fact that I love seeing you smile, hearing your laughter. Physical attraction has nothing to do with the fact that I want to stock the pantry with a year’s worth of cinnamon for your coffee because you can’t drink coffee without it.
You’re the only one I want next to me in this crazy that my life has become.
You anchor me, help me become better, do better.
Would you…would you be willing to give us a chance? ”
I looked up at him, my hands resting on his shoulders as he hovered over me.
I looked up into his open eyes and thought back to all those times I'd seen this exact same look in his eyes, on his face, but hadn’t been able to discern what exactly it was.
Now I knew. It was affection. It had never been anything but that.
It had always been affection. How could Ihave gotten it so wrong?
I bit my bottom lip, and his eyes darkened but he didn’t move. He was waiting for my permission. My hand slid from his shoulder down to his heart, fingers splaying protectively over it.
“I like you too.” Ivoiced it finally, and it felt so good to finally say it out loud. I felt his heartbeat speed up beneath my palm “But you know this wasn’t part of the plan,” I whispered. More to myself than Aiden.I was supposed to go to New York…supposed to go to med-school…
“The best laid plans of mice and men—”
“-often go awry.” I ended the famous quote with him.
Aiden laughed huskily. “I don’t know about your plan, but I just enacted one of mine. Now…can I execute another one?”
“Plan or fantasy?” my voice cajoled.
I was heady with the knowledge that Aiden wanted me. No one else but me.
“There really isn’t a difference when it comes to you.” Aiden grinned wolfishly and leaned his head down to nip my bottom lip before taking it into his mouth to suck on it.
It was amazing how many walls an open and honest confession could break down.
Because each time he kissed me in a new spot, he told me how he'd thought about it.
When his teeth skimmed over my mark, he asked if he could bite me again and I let him, enjoying the pleasure that engulfed me when his canines punctured skin.
I pulled at his shirt. “Take this off.”
Aiden groaned into my ear, “I’ve waited forever to hear you say that.”
My hands roamed over the muscles I'dalways wanted to explore, and I had to wonder, how long exactly had these fantasies of his been there just under the surface of that mask of indifference? How could we have gotten everything so wrong? I'dbeen so sure he didn’t want me…
Then he hesitantly asked if he could unbutton the top buttons of my nightgown and all rational thought was lost to me because warm hands slipped under the opening of the fabric to do the most amazing things to me.
It was wonderful, and it was everything it should be.
He didn’t go further than running his hands up and down my upper body.
He didn’t even ask to, content to just be.
“Play the audiobook,” Aiden mumbled , nibbling my earlobe, hands roaming under my gown, tracing circles over my stomach. “I know you were listening to it when I came in.”
When I was finally settled again with my body nestled between Aiden's legs and my back against his chest, the laptop over my legs, Aiden's arms went around my waist to pull me close. His chin rested on my shoulder as we listened together.
It struck me then, as he held me, that he’d given me something I hadn’t even known I’d wanted.
Rose’s POV
I woke up the next morning at an uncharacteristically early hour.
My eyes fluttered open confusedly and I remembered how I'd dozed off last night in Aiden's arms as we listened to my mother’s voice together.
Someone was running their fingers through my hair.
I turned my head and met a pair of deep blue eyes looking at me tenderly.
“So many times I’ve wanted to stay and watch you wake up,” Aiden said gruffly, He brushed my hair away from my cheek.
“Why didn’t you?” I asked bravely.
“I think I was afraid,” Aiden admitted with great effort. “I was afraid of everything I felt for you. I was afraid of being rejected. I was afraid of…being wrong,” he concluded grimly.
“You were afraid you were wrong about me?” I felt that familiar sting of rejection begin to crawl up my spine. Of course he had second thoughts about me.
“Never you.” The back of his fingers brushed against my cheek.
Relief poured over me like warm butter, soothing me.
“I was wrong about Lexia. I was too egoistic to admit that I was wrong about her being the right fit for me…” Aiden swallowed convulsively.
“You’re the person I’m supposed to be with.
You’re the one who’s supposed to be by my side as I grow into the man and alpha I’m supposed to become.
I am so sorry Rose for being so pigheaded. I was an idiot.”
He cupped my cheek affectionately.
“There’s nothing to forgive. You were committed to someone and felt honor bound to keep your promise. What you just said Aiden…it’s actually one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard,” I admitted, leaning into his hand, his thumb rubbing my cheekbone reverently.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever had the pleasure of waking up next to,” Aiden said with a gleam in his eyes as they trailed my body appreciatively.
My nightgown was rumpled from being slept in, my hair probably looked a mess, and I had morning breath. I looked away bashfully. “You don’t really mean that. I know you like me better when I’m all glammed up.”
Aiden cupped my chin gently, tugging to make me face him again. “I like you better all the time. Every day I like you more, despite what you’re wearing.” Then he grinned wolfishly. “Wait, I take that back. I think I’d like you best if you didn’t wear anything.”
I shot him a quelling glance, trying to hide my smile as I pulled away from his touch.
“Go back to sleep, Princess. I know it’s still early for you.”
I looked at him as he got up to go into his own room from the main door.
Aiden looked delicious without his shirt on and his rumpled bed head.
I noticed that he had remained in his sweats from last night, most likely for my comfort since he preferred sleeping nude.
My body unconsciously moved over to the side Aiden had been sleeping in as Iallowed his scent to completely cocoon me.