Chapter 41
"Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for.” ― Bob Marley,
Rose's POV
I stood doing my makeup in my cream-colored silk robe.
Auntie Hilda looked on approvingly as she laid my dress out on the bed.
It was a tight black spaghetti strap cocktail dress with a slit up to mid-thigh.
Tonight was the social dinner that always took place before the conference event the next day.
Auntie Hilda had come over to help me get ready.
I had made the conscientious decision that my stylist was not required.
My decision was based on the fact that I felt more confident now.
I was Luna of BloodPhoenix Pack. I didn’t need makeup to prove I belonged.
“Here, Rose,” Auntie Hilda opened the jewelry box to reveal the multi-stranded pearl necklace.
The diamonds between each pearl glittered like always.
“Josie says you should keep your jewelry with you from now on since you’ll be expected to attend these alpha meetings on the regular.
She said there’s a safe in your room to keep them in. ”
“It’s in Aiden's room,” I said, turning around to look at Auntie Hilda with a helpless smile. “But I’m sure I could ask him for the combination.”
“You’re still not sharing a room?” Auntie Hilda questioned with a raised eyebrow. “I thought you were just using this room to get ready.”
I looked away as a knock from my room’s entrance door stopped me from answering.
“Come in,” I called.
Aiden entered. He was in his dress pants and dark-blue dress shirt. Deep blue eyes roved up and down my robe-clad body.
“Do you need me to help you put on the pearls, Rose?” Auntie Hilda inquired after greeting Aiden. “I’ll just be on my way, otherwise,” she added hastily, not missing the look in Aiden's eyes as he looked at me. I blushed under his scrutiny.
“I can help her,” Aiden volunteered, walking over to take the velvet jewelry box from Auntie Hilda.
Auntie Hilda cleared her throat. “Alright, I guess I’ll see you later.”
With that, she was out the door but not before casting a triumphant smile our way. We were way too engrossed in each other to spare Auntie Hilda a second glance.
Aiden stood there looking at me as I stared back at him.
The alpha swallowed before lifting the necklace out of the jewelry box.
I obediently moved my hair aside, turning so he could clasp the pearl necklace around my throat.
His fingers tickled the back of my neck as the pearls settled over my collar and the tops of my breasts.
Then, almost as if I was imagining it, Aiden's arms inched around my waist with deliberate slowness, pulling me back into his chest. He was giving me time to pull away if I felt uncomfortable.
I gasped when I felt his manhood poking into my backside.
He was aroused, just from looking at me.
Teeth grazed the side of my neck as he breathed in my scent.
My legs shook. Masculine hands roved up playing with the pearls heavy on my chest, the balls rolling against my skin sensually.
Like lightning, he turned me in his arms, crushing his lips to mine.
The pearl strands dug into the satin of my robe, rubbing against my skin, clinking together with each movement.
His hands snagged onto the tie of my robe.
My hands clamped down over his instinctively.
He tore his lips away and whispered, his voice filled with want, “Is it OK…” Fingers toyed with the bow holding my robe together.
“We…the dinner party…we’ll be late,” I breathed.
Aiden gave a mischievous smile. “I don’t mind, if you don’t.”
“Is this what you had in mind when you wanted to ‘help’ me?” My voice was husky.
I was drowning in my own desire. Aiden carefully moved the strands of pearls aside to look at his mark on my neck.
“No.” He gave me a small smirk. “But it’s what I had in mind the minute Hilda left us alone.”
I watched, entranced, as Aiden's canines began to protrude, his eyes momentarily turning yellow. It was mesmerizing, watching his canines extend as an animalistic lust entered his eyes. I tilted my neck to give him better access as my robe fell to the floor in a soft whisper of silk.
Aiden's POV
“We’re so late!” Rose exclaimed, pulling on her black heels a half hour later.
I leaned against the headboard of her bed, the book Count of Monte Cristo resting in my lap while I admired the way her legs looked as she extended them to wear her heels.
“Oh! You’re not worried at all are you?” Rose asked angrily, standing up to check herself in the mirror one last time. I noticed her eyes lingered a little too long on the fresh puncture marks on her neck.
I shrugged.
“It was worth it.” The soft timbre of my voice reached Rose’s ears. “You need to wear that necklace more often,” I added, practically undressing her with my eyes.
Straightening the flyaway curls in her hair, Rose shot me a look she probably thought was stern, but she’d completely failed to cover the hope in her eyes for a repeat performance.
“Keep looking at me like that, Princess, and we’ll finish what we started,” I hummed.
Rose looked away swiftly, putting on her pearl drop earrings. Straightening her shoulders she grabbed her black fur wrap, and we went out the door.
“Rose, you look amazing!” Mom gushed as we, as the Alpha and Luna of Bloodfire Phoenix Pack, walked down into the foyer. “But you’re late. You need to get going. Being late is a sure way to get everyone agitated.”
Rose shot me a stern look again, and I smirked in response.
“Oh, but these pearls do look lovely on you,” Mom praised, reaching out to lightly run her fingers over the strands. She laughed as if remembering something and whispered conspiratorially. “Aiden’s father loved it when I wore those pearls and only those pearls.”
I let out a horrified cough. This was the last thing I needed to hear.
“Mom! Stop!”
“Well, Aiden, how else do you think you and your siblings were born?” Mom retorted, hands on her hips.
“We don’t need to know the details!” My voice boomed, grabbing Rose’s hand and tugging her out the door. I turned to my mom just before closing the door behind me. “Mom, you have got to stop.”
Mom grinned like a child who’d gotten her hand in the cookie jar. “Not until I get to hold my grandchild.”
I tried to ignore the sudden rush of warmth that engulfed me when Mom mentioned a grandchild. An image of a mini-Rose with black curly hair invaded my brain, and I had to shake myself out of it. Scowling at my mother, I slammed the door behind me.
On the drive to Silver Creek Pack, Rose pushed my hand away from her thigh for the umpteenth time.
“You’re going to mess up my dress,” she muttered.
I slid my gaze over her form before looking back at the road as I drove us to Alistair Evans’ mansion.
“That’s the idea, Princess.”
I grinned, my hand reaching to squeeze her knee before changing gears on my stick shift.
Rose bit back a satisfied smile.When she caught me glancing at her sideways, she playfully brought her hands up to play with the pearl strands resting against her chest. I growled at the reminder of what we'd been doing earlier. It had taken Rose’s hesitation when my hands had slipped to the triangle between her legs for me to finally stop.
She still needed time, and I was more than willing to give it to her.
“Fuck, you look hot,” I moaned, hitting my steering wheel with one hand in frustration.
“No one’s ever said that to me before,” Rose admitted quietly.
“I find that hard to believe,” I replied.
I swallowed, throat clicking before finally saying the next words.
“When I first saw you…in that diner with Jake, all I could think about were those legs.” My hand came to rest on her thigh again, slipping under the slit to touch her bare skin.
“Those thighs,” I breathed the word out, “wrapped around my waist while I fucked you.”
Rose gave a small squeak. It occurred to me then that talking about this might be making her uncomfortable.
“Sorry.” I smiled ruefully. “I need to tone it down, right?”
There was a brief pause before Rose spoke again.
“Does it bother you?” Rose asked reservedly.
“Does what bother me?” I asked, pulling into the driveway of Alistair’s mansion. The dinner had been arranged on his back lawn.
“That we haven’t had sex.” Rose spoke frankly, turning to look at me. “I know these things are important for guys.” Rose twisted her fingers nervously.
“Hey.” I turned to look at her after turning off my car. “Rose, it’s not…that’s not…”
I swallowed convulsively. How was I supposed to tell her that she was the most important thing to me?
“It’s not all that important. I mean, yeah, sure…
I’d love to with…with you.” I reached a hand out to loop her curls tenderly behind her ear.
“But I don’t mind waiting.” My fingers in her hair trailed down to gently skim over my mark on her neck.
“You and Lexia used to do it a lot,” Rose spoke out bitterly and I noticed the shift of her tone. I glanced at her and found her biting her lips.
“I’m not discussing her with you,” I said flatly, running a hand through my hair.
Truth be told, the last thing I wanted was to talk about Lexia. Did she expect a play-by-play of everything I'd done with my ex?
Rose looked at me taking in the fact that I was visibly agitated.
“Sorry, I…that was pretty immature of me,” Rose admitted.But her tone still held traces of what seemed like…was she jealous?
“It was,” I agreed. I chuckled when I realized Rose was probably jealous.
I leaned in to whisper in her ear. “You’re the one here with me tonight, and that’s all that matters.
You’re the one going home with me afterwards and…
” I tugged at her side, pulling at the fabric of the black dress she wore.
“I can’t wait to take this off of you tonight, if you’ll let me.
” My teeth grazed her ear as Rose let out a small, breathy moan.