Authors: Kelly Ilebode
She never could tell what mood he was going to be in whenever they got together. It seemed tonight she was going to get the gentlemen side of him. She was stunned when he hugged her upon her return.
Pouring a small amount of lotion in her hand, she slowly smoothed the liquid into her skin, closing her eyes, inhaling the soothing fragrance. This was the perfect choice for her. Chavali spent a long time covering every inch of her body before stepping into her room.
She had such a small window of opportunity to make her plan work. If she could not get to him tonight, then there was a good chance that she would fail. Walking to the closet, she stared in wonder again at all of the new clothes that Amira had purchased. Every one was her style and definitely her taste. Reaching past all of the nighttime wear, she chose the robe instead, enveloping her in its softness.
Chavali’s stomach growled and she looked to the door between her and Aaron’s room, suddenly realizing that she actually smelled something delicious coming from the other side of the barrier.
Tapping lightly, and without waiting for a response, she stepped into his bedroom, gasping in surprise. The table was set and looked beautiful with the candles and fresh flowers surrounded by food. The lights were dimmed and a soothing jazz played on the hidden stereo. All she could think of was digging into the food. Her mouth salivated.
Aaron chuckled. “I wish you could see your expression right now, Chavali. Did you not eat today?”
Chavali turned and smiled at him, taking in his relaxed pose, sipping wine on the couch. He was dressed in a t-shirt and lounge pants, standing to approach her. She swallowed hard as his shirt rose slightly, just enough for her to catch a glimpse of stomach muscles rippling. The intensity of her want for him almost caused her to fly over to him. Catching herself before she ruined all of her plans in a weak moment, she almost didn’t hear him speak.
“
Hungry?”
Chavali’s face flushed a bright red.
“
Sorry?”
“
Food. Are you hungry?”
Sighing with relief, she nodded, looking back at the table.
“
Come on then, have at it.”
Aaron gently pulled the chair out for her. Chavali’s eyes cut to him as she sat down, watching him walk over to his side of the table, before placing the crisp napkin in her lap. Cocking her head to one side, she stared at him.
“
Yes?”
“
I was just wondering why you are being so nice to me tonight.”
“
I am nice to you all of the time.”
Throwing her head back, she laughed for the first time with him and he smiled.
“
Have I been that horrid?”
“
You truly are joking, right? You can be quite charming when you want to be, it seems, Aaron. And I think this must be one of those times.”
“
Wow, did you just give me a compliment, Chavali? We must be making progress, you and I.”
“
That is what happens when you trust me, Aaron.”
Chavali immediately regretted her statement as she watched his expression harden slightly.
“
Or not. Maybe we haven’t gotten that far yet.”
Aaron’s tone was more guarded as he searched her face. “No, Chavali, we haven’t, but after our early morning conversation, I definitely have hope for that changing in the near future. Does that help?”
Looking down at her empty plate, she nodded, lifting the covers off the food. Drooling over the chicken, wild rice, squash, salad, and assorted accoutrements, she was not sure where to start first. Chavali did not say anything until her plate was overflowing with every item that was before her.
Aaron looked horrified. “You are not seriously going to eat all of that, are you?”
“
Of course I am. I never take more than what I can eat. That would be wasteful.”
“
Good lord, where do you put it?”
Chavali smiled before digging into the buttercup squash, humming as the flavors hit her taste buds.
They contentedly ate in silence with only the music flowing around them. When Aaron could eat no more, he leaned back in the overstuffed chair, sipping on the red wine. Chavali did not look like she was anywhere near done. Aaron always enjoyed watching a woman eat, never understanding why some chose to pick at their food as if it were a turn-off for men. Over the many years of his life and many women he had in all sizes and from many cultures, he could honestly say that it was never their size that drew him to them. It was always what they put forth. The confidence and sexuality of that woman was what captured his interest.
Chavali, he realized, had issues in some areas but definitely not in the sex part. Aaron allowed his mind to wander back to when she rode him at the tiny cottage. The raw, primal blatant sexuality of that moment was intoxicating. He never in his whole life had any woman put it out the way she had done. Being much more reserved in that area than she was, it shocked him but he certainly could appreciate it.
“
What are you thinking about, Aaron?”
Looking up, he realized that she must have been watching him for some time. Her legs were now curled under her and the chair seemed to swallow her up. Sneaking a look at her plate, he smiled. “I can’t believe that you ate all of that food.”
“
Ah, you just evaded my question. Interesting.”
“
You really want to know? I was thinking of the time you rode me at the tiny cottage.” Aaron was pleased to see her face flush at the memory.
“
Oh.”
“
Yeah, oh.”
Grinning cheekily, she took a gulp of her wine. “It was good.”
Throwing back his head, his laughter rang throughout the room.
“
Yes, I noticed at the time you enjoyed yourself, and figured that it was good for you. It was fun to watch.”
“
I feel like I should say sorry.”
The room became charged with electricity as they each stared at each other. The silence pressed heavy around them.
“
Have you had enough to eat?”
“
No dessert?” Chavali looked disappointed.
Aaron stood, walked to her side of the table, held out his hand and watched her hesitate before placing hers within his.
“
What would you say if I told you that I would be the dessert?”
Pulling her up, he wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her closer to him and his now obvious need.
“
Oh.”
“
Chavali, you have said that three times tonight already. I thought your vocabulary was a bit more extensive than that.”
Staring at his chest, she did not know what to say to him.
“
Come.”
Her heart rate picked up as he steered her closer to the fireplace, turning her again into his arms. Taking her hand gently, he placed it on his chest as the other wrapped around her tiny waist. Slowly, he started to move. Her confusion turned to utter surprise and amazement. He wanted to dance!
Shocked, she followed his movements stiffly. The moment was so surreal to her. This giant, unbending, absolutely gorgeous vampire wanted to do nothing more than dance with her. After a few minutes, she felt her body relax against his, listening to the soft sounds coming from the stereo. She had to admit that he was very good and she was impressed. She loved dancing and had missed it over the years.
Gently, she slid her hand from his hip, around to his back. Pressing her fingers against him, she felt the muscles moving rhythmically as he steered the two of them around the room. For a large man, he was graceful and light on his feet. The music seemed to go on forever and she wished that it would never stop.
Feeling his hand move up her back, she shivered and she felt him hesitate.
“
Are you okay?”
Chavali looked up into his dark eyes, lost for a few minutes. Nodding her head, she pulled away from his gaze, placing her head onto his chest, as he continued to sway to the music.
She was not sure how long they danced, but she felt at times as if they were one and that there was no one else in the world but the two of them. She wished she knew whether he felt it. His walls were up, as were hers—neither one ready to take the first step in allowing the other to hear their thoughts.
When the song ended, she pulled away from his arms, searching his face. It was impenetrable. Turning back to the table, she sat again in the chair, picking up her glass of wine.
Aaron noticed that her hand shook slightly. Taking a seat opposite her, he leaned back, guarded. “Do you want to talk about your day yet?”
Frowning, she looked into her glass. Was that what all of this was about? Seduction to get her to relax and spill the beans?
“
There is nothing that we are hiding from you, Aaron. Or anyone else, for that matter.”
“
Ah. But no one was invited and it was made quite clear that I was to not go looking for you.”
“
Aaron, that was so that we could do what we needed to do, without any distractions. Dita and I work well together.”
“
So, now I am a distraction.”
Chavali smiled brightly. She liked him like this. “Sometimes.”
Standing up, she walked over to the sofa where he had placed her bag from earlier in the evening. “I not only will tell you what we did but will show you.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Carrying the bag back to him, she jumped when a knock came at the door. Aaron watched her jump.
“
And that would be your dessert.”
Several wait staff walked in, quickly and efficiently clearing away all signs of dinner before placing a silver tray filled with strawberries dipped in chocolate, cheese and crackers, and some petit four delicacies onto the small coffee table next to the couch with a carafe of coffee. Chavali could not wait to dig in.
The second everyone left the room, she walked straight to the tray, but Aaron was in front of her, blocking her path before she even reached it. Startled, she looked up at him.
“
What?”
“
You were going to show me something?”
“
That’s right.” Looking longingly towards the chocolate, she set the bag on the floor, reaching in to pull out the large black cape. “Hold out your hands.”
He did as she asked; she gently draped it over his arms, watching his face intently.
Aaron felt the power emanating from the fabric as his hands gripped the cape. It seemed to actually come alive in his hands, pulsating with some kind of energy.
“
Please put it on, Aaron.”
Unsure, he slipped his arms into the sleeves, shrugging it up onto his shoulders. Chavali stood on her tiptoes to reach behind his shoulders, and then as he lowered himself, she lifted the hood onto his head. Closing his eyes, Aaron’s whole body seemed to vibrate from the energy that was now wrapping around him. The cloak reached all the way to the floor and seemed to have been tailor made just for him.
“
What is this?”
Standing again on her toes, she kissed him on both his cheeks as Dita asked her to do, before whispering in his ear. “Wear this shield well, Aaron Reynell. May the fabric keep you warm, the thread protect you from the sharpest weapon, the hood hide all of your secrets from evil eyes.”
“
I don’t understand.”
Chavali stepped back, looking up at him. “We cannot see everything, and the future is clouded and dark, but Dita and I both agreed that the time will come soon that this cloak could be your best ally. We are limited here and it may give you an extra few moments of time. Use that moment wisely.”
Aaron stretched out his arms, closing his eyes. “It feels alive to me.”
“
That is because in a way it is, and now we must wait for its decision.”
“
What decision?”
Before Aaron could finish speaking, the cloak seemed to tighten around him, and he had an urge to rip it off his body, but soon enough its grip loosened and a silver glow seemed to emanate around him, before slowly subsiding. If he had not seen the look of satisfaction on her face, he would have thought he had imagined it all.
“
And now you two are one. It has accepted you.”
“
Okay, that sounds a bit creepy.” Aaron laughed nervously but he had to agree with her. In some strange way, he did seem connected to the piece of clothing.
Sliding the hood off his head, Chavali thought there was no way he could be any more striking than he was at that moment. Reaching up, she caressed his cheeks with her fingers. They felt cool on his skin. Gently taking her wrist, he turned it over, kissing her pulse. Chavali shivered at the gentle caress.
“
You are cold. Have you not fed again?”
“
I am becoming tired, Aaron, is all. I do not need to feed as much as a vampire; because I am half human, the food sustains me.”
Frowning, he looked deep into her gray eyes. He could not tell if she was lying.
“
Aaron?”
“
Yes, Chavali?”
“
Do you think I can have some of that dessert now?”
Laughing again, he steered her to the couch, watching as she sat, picked up one of the small plates, and began to delve into the sweets.
Smiling, he shook his head as he walked over to the wall of books. Pulling down the giant tome, he sat down next to her.
“
I think that you asked to see this?”
Something flashed across her face that he could not quite place.
“
Thank you. I will read it tomorrow, if that is all right.”
Shrugging, he set it aside.
Chavali gestured to the tray. “Are you not going to partake of this tiny piece of heaven?”
“
No, I am quite full, thank you, but you go right ahead.”
As if she did not even hear him, she continued to eat another petit four.