Chapter 9 Aila
Chapter Nine
Aila
The tendons in his neck stand out like cords as Theron debates whether to open his mouth or not. It’s a real struggle.
For a man who told me he loved me—okay, I know it doesn’t count if it’s said during sex, but still—Theron is still hiding something from me.
I wonder if perhaps he’s embarrassed or self-conscious.
Maybe he came off his motorbike during an accident and had to have dentures put in? Something like that.
Actually, knowing that there may actually be some imperfection to him is comforting. No scars mar his skin. No blemishes or freckles distract the eye from those gorgeous muscles. The only thing that draws my eye is the crude sleeve he has tattooed on his left arm.
There is a thin film of damp covering his statuesque body. His hands bunch into fists and seem to be holding his breath. He looks… tormented.
And then he relents.
“Fine. Go ahead.” He opens his mouth just enough for me to see his incisors. Of course, they are flawlessly aligned, like two rows of pearly white tombstones.
He says “ah” and opens his mouth slightly, as if he’s at the dentist. His breath blows warm in my face, and for some strange reason I am reminded of the smell inside an empty room. Sterile and unused, but with a hint of copper penny scent, too.
“See? No fucking tongue stud.” His mouth snaps shut with a loud click. “My teeth must have accidentally grazed you. I’m sorry.”
Like the rest of him, Theron’s teeth are immaculate. They have to be dentures.
But before he can clamp his lips shut again, I fishhook one side of his mouth open with my finger and pull it back to reveal the rest of his teeth.
I think it is my animal instincts that make me react the way I do, because the next thing I know I’m jumping away from him, scrabbling my heels against the grass as I backtrack. I only stop when my shoulder blades hit the rockface.
A raven cries, launching itself off a branch in an effort to find the sunlight.
Clever bird. Fly away while you can.
My rational mind calms me down. I must have offended him. Not only did I fishhook his mouth wide open without warning, but I think my unstoppable flight-or-fight reflex must have come across as off-the-charts rude.
And yet I cannot find my voice to say I am sorry.
“Did you get to see what you were looking for?” Theron smirks, daring me to share my fears. One of his eyebrows shoots up as he continues to act as if his teeth are nothing out of the ordinary. “Or are you horrified by my disinclination to floss?”
His lighthearted good humor puts me at ease. I feel my body relaxing as I listen to the soothing tone of his voice. But that is what he wants me to do.
Where is my will in all this?
Wrestling back autonomy over my body and mind, I fight the impulse to agree with him—to smile and laugh away what I most definitely saw.
“I don’t think you should bite me, Theron, especially when you must know that your canines are very…”
“Pointy?”
Again, I feel compelled to laugh it away. So, the man who just fucked your brains out has sharp teeth? So what? Relax, Aila. Don’t rock the boat. Let it ride.
My mom needs this work gig, and she is happy for the first time in ages after meeting Ben Magoo. If I say anything to upset Theron, it might result in us being sent away.
I feel the windows to my soul—my eyes—close down like shutters.
No matter how hard he tries to influence me, I mustn’t let him. Something about those teeth creep me out for a reason.
Time to pretend everything is normal and get out of here. I really need to be alone so that I can process this.
I smile and pretend to laugh.
“Yes. They are pointy.” Leaning against the rockface, I stand up and make sure to keep my eyes staring at the ground. “Let’s go down to the creek. I want to have a dip in the water. I feel…”—again, I do not want to offend him—“a bit yukky and sticky.”
Theron’s eyes narrow as he tries to calculate my mood.
My God, but he looks terrifying when that thin veneer of charm no longer hides him.
The long, glistening canines I saw hiding in plain sight tell another story. In all fairness, I only saw one, but it stands to reason that he has a matching fang on the other side.
I like to bite, sweet Aila. I love to satisfy the hunger that gnaws my insides. You are a tasty morsel that I want to gobble up.
He doesn’t need to say the words out loud. I can hear them in my mind.
Pulling up his jeans, Theron speaks naturally and acts naturally. “Sure thing, darlin’. Reckon I might join you just now. Guess we really worked up a sweat together.” But he’s not fooling me. I know every fiber in his body is stretched taut as he fumbles to pull the wool back over my eyes.
I pick up on Theron’s reluctance to leave the shadows.
“You like swimming?” I think he can tell how shocked I am that he accepted my invitation. He knows I want to flee into the sunshine, far away from this murky deception.
Let me go.
His answer is clear. No.
Theron’s hold over me is relentless. I must do as he commands. I can’t stop myself from looking up—
He captures my vision and holds my gaze. “I like swimming if that is what you want to do, Aila.”
A wave of relief crashes over me as I give in to his ruthless domination over my mind.
Without bothering to zip himself up, he strides over to me with a cocky swagger. Taking me in his arms, he brushes the hair away from my face and stares deeply into my eyes.
“Don’t leave me hanging, darlin’.”
Too late, the last vestige of my rebellion crashes down. The defenseless feminine part of me that craves affection succumbs to Theron’s charm offensive.
He’s so desirable. He looks so damn hot with his jeans slung low on his hips and his zipper gaped open, giving me a glimpse of where his happy trail ends, spreading into a dark thatch around the root of his thick…
My train of thought goes walkabout whenever I think about how hot he is. “Did I leave you hanging? I wasn’t aware of it.”
All my doubts and fears evaporate as he stares down at me with his amber eyes.
“I said that I love you. Or have you forgotten?” Or are you choosing to ignore it?
That is the subtext of what he is saying.
I want to make a joke and avoid answering the question, but trying to break off eye contact with this man is so difficult. Shrugging it off only makes me more confused.
“What do you want me to say?” My limbs feel heavy. And I’m tired. I think I should sleep.
“Tell me that you love me, Aila—but only if you mean it.”
“I love…” There’s a small piece of me that refuses to give in. Giving myself a small shake, I stare back defiantly. “I love myself enough not to jump into making such a serious statement too soon.”
Strangely enough, this pleases Theron. Tilting up my chin, he kisses me.
“Keep your secrets, Aila, but sooner or later, you will share them with me. Don’t forget we have the whole summer.”
“Mmmm-uh…” I was always a stubborn child, so I fight him all the way. Shutting my lips, I refuse to agree. “A summer where I will be working my ass off since my mom decided to turn this into a working holiday, Theron!”
Stroking my hair and smiling, he gives me a quick hug before letting his hand slide down my back. “And it’s such a nice ass.” He gives it a pinch.
Tens across the board for Theron’s charisma. This man doesn’t let the opportunity to give me a compliment pass by.
I try to remember what sent me skittering away from Theron, but it has slipped my mind.
I feel weak and even a little bit giddy, but at least my mouth is no longer dry.
Don’t want to swim, need forty winks.
He leads me back to the shady grove, makes a pillow for me out of his leather jacket, and leaves me to lie down.
“I will watch over you while you sleep, Aila. You have nothing to worry about.”
Giving a tired chuckle, I am only half-awake when I reply.
“Oh, I wish that were true…”
Like a layer of icing on a cracked cake, it feels like something sweet and heavy is clogging my head when I wake up.
Theron is lying next to me, staring at my face in the graying light.
“How long was I asleep?”
Struggling to sit up, I suppress the urge to yawn. I stretch like a lazy cat, but it is closely followed by a shiver. I can tell from the chill in the air that it is evening.
“Many hours.” Kissing the end of my nose, he moves his mouth over my cheek as he whispers. “Poor honey was so tired.”
I can tell from Theron’s expression that he is assessing my mood.
I’m assessing myself. It feels as if parts of me are missing. When I try to focus on how I spent the day, most of it is blank. Is this what it feels like when someone fucks your brains out?
“Do you still want to swim?”
Oh yes. We had sex and then… I wanted to swim in the creek. But I guess I got tired.
When I look up, Theron has his legs straddling the Harley and when I look down, I see that I am also fully dressed. Time is skipping like rocks on the surface of the water.
“Come on. Let’s go before your mother asks Luna to send out a search party.”
Climbing on behind him, I have a million questions I would love to have answered.
“How come you don’t have to wear your helmet anymore?”
“Because moonlight doesn’t burn my face, Aila.”
For some reason, Theron seems to have come alive as the evening turns to night. He’s even making jokes.
“If I keep the revs low, no one will hear us or see us ride by, sweetheart. So, if anyone asks us where we have been, this is what I want you to tell them… You spent the day exploring the island alone. I came looking for you a couple of minutes ago and offered you a lift. Got that?”
He guns the engine and begins reversing us back down the narrow pathway using his legs. For one moment, I’m distracted watching the muscles in his legs flex, but by the time we are riding sedately down the hill, I say what’s on my mind.
“Why should I lie? My mom probably didn’t even notice I was gone. She went out on a date with Ben.”
We bump over the verge and onto the thin tarmac, which makes me hug Theron tight. His skin is icy in the balmy evening breeze.
His chest rumbles as he stresses the importance of our deception. “It is forbidden for any of the MC Riders to fuck the guests, Aila. And I would appreciate it if you tried to see things from my point of view.”
“Met you just now and you offered to give me a lift back to the inn. Got that.”
Taking his eyes off the road, Theron shows me that he’s smiling. “Thanks, darlin’. You’re a real li’l angel.”
I wonder who is in charge of road maintenance on Landslide, because the place is a bit of a dump. Everything—the road, the overgrown reeds, the wonky fences—could do with a good dose of TLC. Maybe Landslide and I have something in common. I feel like a million bucks after all the orgasms I had.
I wanted Theron to stop somewhere for me to swim, but Landslide by night makes the water look black and uninviting. We are riding with the headlamp off, which gives the moon a chance to shine. I like the way it glitters on the dark ripples.
All that glitters is not gold—it’s silver.
I must learn to focus on the bright side of life. My past can’t catch up to me here.
The only blot on today’s memory is when Theron said he loved me. I know it doesn’t count because he was obviously referring to eating me out, but then why did he want me to say it back to him?
A tiny voice inside tries to reassure me. There is really nothing to worry about. He’s a dominant guy who probably feels overexposed after saying it. Don’t imagine there is any pressure to say it back to him… ever.
Theron Rabane is not big and cuddly like a teddy bear. He’s not that kind of large. There is an intimidating element to his size, and yet he made me feel like a precious princess when we were alone in the grotto.
What was it that petrified me again?
Doesn’t matter how hard I try to find the memory of what scared me, I can’t.
He cuts the motorcycle’s engine and the bike coasts to a stop outside a window. It’s the sash window to my bedroom, the one I left open.
“If you stand on the bike, you can climb back in without anyone seeing you.”
“Excuse me? I’m sorry, but I didn’t realize I was back in high school, Theron. Shouldn’t I wash my hands and clean my teeth first so that momma can’t smell the sneaky cigarette I smoked?”
It’s a joke, but Theron is not in a joking mood anymore.
“Keep your voice down.” Damn, but he sounds pissed.
He waits for me to clamber through the gap. It’s a stretch, but eventually my toes touch the ground inside my bedroom. “Okay, I’m in.”
I wave from the other side of the glass to let Theron know he can ride off into the sunset, no regrets. It’s weird, but now that I am back on my own turf, the fog seems to lift from my brain. I am the old, independent Aila once more.
“When can I see you again?”
Theron doesn’t seem to feel the same way I do. I think he wants more.
Keeping my tone light, I shrug nonchalantly. “I’m guessing Luna will have Mom and me on some kind of a work schedule, Theron. Raincheck?”
Theron shoots me an enigmatic look as he backs the bike away using his legs.
He seems to melt into the darkness without even a gleam of chrome to show me where he went.