Protecting Shaylee (The Fae Guard Book 1) (4 page)

HE IS STILL SO damn sexy. I keep my eyes on my mother, looking at her expectantly, ignoring the mixture of obnoxious fluttering in my stomach, and the need to stomp on his foot. Yes, like a child throwing a tantrum.

Say hello to Buttercup, jackass.

My mother begins to chatter about the plans for the party, but my attention is fixed on the overwhelming presence beside me. Aden shifts, standing slightly behind me, and the warmth of his body seeps into my back. A shiver of desire runs through me before I can stifle it; my body heating up between my legs.
Damn it!
There went my hope that I’d gotten over my attraction to him.

I scoot a little forward on my seat and sit up straight, trying to distance myself. I hear a quiet chuckle behind me and then the heat moves closer.
What the hell?
I feel a minuscule tug on my head and, after a moment, realize that Aden is playing with the ends of my long hair. Involuntarily, another shiver courses though my body. When I hear another soft snicker, I realize that he’s not oblivious to the reactions he’s eliciting from me. He’s doing it on purpose.

My blood starts to boil, and not because I’m turned on. Well . . . that too. What is he doing? I’m so confused that my head is spinning. When I feel his finger trace down my spine, I jump up from my seat, desperate to get away. My mother looks at me in surprise, and then understanding crosses her face when the doorbell rings.

Saved by the bell.
Don’t think I don’t know what a cliché that is. Doesn’t make it less true.

I practically run from the kitchen, down the hall, to get to the door, avoiding any and all contact with Aden. I reach the door and open it to see my aunt Rhoslyn, standing at the top of the stairs. Her back is to me, and she seems to be scanning the street. At the sound of the door, however, she turns to me and pulls me in for a tight hug.

“Happy Birthday, beautiful!” I sink into my aunt’s embrace and inhale the scent of peppermint. Aunt Rhoslyn is my father’s sister and we have always been close. Especially, after my father died. She even moved in for a while. Rhoslyn, my mother, and I grew incredibly close, and I missed her terribly when she met her husband and moved out. However, they are only a few blocks away and their house was my “home away from home” growing up.

I pull slightly back and give her a kiss on the cheek. I don’t have to reach at all, as Rhoslyn and me are roughly the same height. She is tall and willowy, with straight blond hair, hanging to just below her shoulders. She always wears her hair pulled back away from her face, accentuating the one big difference in our looks—her gorgeous green eyes. If not for the eye color, she and my father could have been twins. From what I’d been told, their mother had green eyes, and their father blue. I couldn’t verify that, one way or the other, since I’d never met my grandparents. Apparently, they live in a very remote area of Scotland that is hard to travel to and from. My father always promised that we would visit when I was older, but once he was gone, we never spoke about it again.

I usher her inside as we chat about my job and school.I take her coat and then lead her into the front room. Aden is standing at the large bay window, staring at the street, his face pensive. When we enter the room, he turns and makes his way over to greet my aunt with a soft kiss on her cheek.

To my surprise, she grasps onto his hands and looks at him intently. “It should be you.” Aden inclines his head in acknowledgement of her words, but does not reply. My head bounces between the two, wondering what the heck I missed.

“What should be him?” I ask, my voice full of confusion.

Aden gives me a wink, but ignores my question and returns to his station at the window. I look to my aunt for answers, but she just shakes her head and whispers, “In time. Beautiful. In time.” At this point, I’m getting a little annoyed at their cryptic conversation. I can’t keep the irritation from coming out in a huff as I turn on my heel and return to the kitchen.

My mother sends me back out with a tray laden with tea cups and a steaming pot of English Breakfast—my favorite. My three friends arrive and we sit down to chat for a while. Throughout the conversation, their eyes keep straying to Aden.
Not that I blame them.
Cassidy and Julie’s looks are of awe at his beauty. They are friends from college and have no clue as to who he is. Brenna, however, has been my best friend since we were five years old. She was the one I went to with my broken heart, crying over Aden for weeks. I numbed myself in an attempt to assuage the pain from the hole he left in my life. She remembers what that did to me, and I can see the questions and worry in her eyes.

All I can do is shrug. I have no idea why he has shown up here. Aden doesn’t lie—ever. So, there is some truth to wanting to see me on my birthday, but I immediately squash down any feeling of hope that start to rise.
Really, Shaylee? Because that worked out so well for you the last time?

Eventually, we move to the dining room for dinner. My mother points out our seating arrangements and I cringe when I see that she has put me next to Aden. Being in close proximity of his sexy body is so not what I need right now. I start for the kitchen, to help bring out the food, and give Brenna a meaningful glance. “Brenna, you want to give me a hand?” I ask. She scurries over, and we make our way to the pantry to avoid my mom walking in on our conversation. At the last minute, I realize how stupid it was to choose this room. The memories wash over me and suddenly, I grow wet and my pussy starts pulsing with need.
Ugh! Get a grip on your raging hormones, idiot!

Brenna gives me a knowing look and rolls her eyes. “What’s he doing here, Shaylee?” her voice is laced with irritation. I’m not surprised. She’s clearly still pretty pissed at the way he left me.

“I have no freaking clue. He said he wanted to see me on my birthday.”

Brenna looks skeptical. “That’s it? That can’t be it.”

“Aden doesn’t lie, Brenna. That is clearly part of his reason for being here, although I can’t imagine why he has suddenly decided that I am worth his time. There’s obviously another reason, and I think my mother and aunt know what it is.”

Brenna sighs deeply, “Well, if they know and approve of him being here, there isn’t much you can do about it. Just please promise me that you won’t let him back into your heart. I can’t stand to see you broken like that, again. Promise me, Shaylee.”

The honesty ingrained in me extends to myself, as well. I know I can’t make that promise. Aden had never left my heart, but I was determined not to let him break the shell I’d built around it. “I don’t think he’s here to woo me, Brenna.” I let the sarcasm ooze from my words. “He clearly didn’t want to be with me, and I don’t see why anything would have changed. He’s not one to make the same mistake twice.” I inwardly wince at the acknowledgment that he views what happened between us as a mistake.

Brenna seems to accept my words and we return to the kitchen, grabbing some random things to make it appear as though we’d stepped out for a reason other than a powwow. When I reach my seat, Aden stands and pulls out my chair. I give him a small smile of thanks, and once I’m seated, I tell the girl inside of me, squealing with delight, to shut the fuck up.

The conversation during dinner revolves around our plans for Christmas break. A lot of the girls in our circle had decided to go in together on a house in upstate New York, and ski the holidays away. I would never desert my family for Christmas, but I intend to join them a few days later and spend New Year’s with them. I studiously avoid sending any looks Aden’s way. But, for most of the meal, I can feel his gaze burning through me. My mom stands to get my cake, and I get up to help, trying to take the opportunity to get away from him for few moments. Unfortunately, Mom is adamant that the birthday girl have her cake brought to her, and she scolds me back into my seat.

Aden leans back in his seat and casually drapes his arm across the back of my chair. He is deep in conversation with my aunt, who is sitting at the end of the table to his right. I begin to scoot forward in my seat, to elude any accidental contact with him, when I’m stopped short. Aden’s hand is lightly gripping my hair and he tugs softly to keep me from going anywhere. I turn to give him a glare, but I end up directing it to the back of his head, since he is still talking to Aunt Rhoslyn. I sit straight again and his hand wanders down to my neck and starts kneading the tight muscles there. I can feel myself melting into his touch. The warmth from his fingers starts to spread and when it reaches, my now damp, underwear, I squirm in my seat a little, trying to get comfortable. The whole situation is incredibly bizarre. I’m suddenly exhausted from the efforts of trying to keep Aden at a distance, and attempting to figure out what the hell is going on!

We finish dessert, open gifts, and
finally,
the night comes to a close. I hug each of my friends and send them on their way, before turning to say goodbye to Aunt Rhoslyn. I expected her to be in the entry, putting on her coat, but instead, I find her sitting in the den with Mom and Aden. Aunt Rhoslyn and my mom are seated next to each other on the couch below a big picture window that overlooks one of the few big backyards in the city. Aden is sprawled on the love seat across from them. They all three look up as I enter the room and their conversation halts.

When did I enter the damn Twilight Zone?

“Have a seat, sweetie,” Mom speaks up first. I glance around at each of their faces and see a seriousness that makes me wary. The two recliners in the room are piled with presents and I realize I have no other choice but to sit next to Aden.
Just peachy.
I make my way over there and perch on the edge of my seat, leaning away from him, with my elbow on the arm rest.

I look at the women expectantly, but they both look to Aden and nod. I look to him and raise an eyebrow in question. He smirks at me for a moment before his face turns serious again.

“Shaylee, I’ve never done this before, so I’m sorry if I don’t handle it in the best way. I wasn’t given this assignment, until the last minute, so I haven’t had time to prepare. Normally, we’d have more time to ease you into this information, but for some reason, you’ve attracted attention to yourself.”

My mind is spinning at his words—they make absolutely no sense. “Aden, just spit it out, would you? You’re giving me a freaking headache.” This time, he’s the one who raises a brow.

“Alright, I won’t beat around the bush. You’re only half human, Shaylee. You’re also half faery.”

I stare at him for a moment as rage begins to fill me. Before I can think better of it, I pull my hand back and send it flying.

DAMN IT!
CAUGHT OFF guard, my head rears back slightly at the force of the blow, the sound of the slap reverberating in the silent room. As pissed as I am, I can’t help but admire her strength. She packs a hell of a punch. Shaylee has jumped to her feet and is staring down at me with fire in her eyes. I understand confusion at the situation, but I am taken aback by the level of fury and disgust on her beautiful face. I glance to her mother and aunt, but they are frozen, staring at Shaylee with their jaws dropped in shock.