Authors: Susan A. Bliler
“Please don’t say anything to anyone.” Aries eyed the door then continued. “We were at his bunker and he still hadn’t eaten or slept. I knew I needed him strong to,” she looked down
feeling sheepish, “well, to protect me.” Her next words came out in a rush as if she feared she wouldn’t get the chance to explain. “He was getting weak fast and it had been so long since he’d rested. He was literally growing weaker by the minute and we were on the run.” She stopped and took a deep breath as she studied her fingers. “We had sex hoping it would ease his affliction, but it didn’t work.” She
exhaled and
l
ooked up
slowly
, pinning Jenny with her weary eyes, “We agreed t
hat he’d gift me his halo but
he’d take it back once he was able to rest and build up his strength.” She blinked back tears, “He’s not in love with me Jenny. We’re not
mates. We did this,” she clasped slender fingers around the halo she wore, “to survive. It was an agreement, not a relationship.”
Jenny’s mouth fell open and she stared at Aries for long minutes before she crossed blindly to the bed and dropped down on it near Aries’ feet. “You mean he…you…”
Aries nodded
sadly.
“But you’re in love with him.”
Jenny’s words had Aries’ eyes snapping to hers. She felt herself pale visibly, “N-no. I’m…no. That’s not what...”
She’d already admitted it to herself and Remy, but didn’t necessarily want anyone else finding out.
One of Jenny’s perfectly manicured brows hiked as she
pursed
her lips. Crossing her arms over her chest she frowned at Aries. “You may have fooled
Conn
with the false binding
story
, but you cannot sit here and look me in the face and tell me that you’re not in love with him Aries. It’s so obvious.”
Aries reached for Jenny, but was too far
, leaving her hand outstretched in mid-air
. “Please don’t say anything. He’s already sticking around out of pity and if he finds out I’m some love-sick moron
it’ll only make things
worse. Please Jenny?”
“Fine,” she uncrossed her arms, “
but just so you know I don’t belie
ve it was a false binding
. If it were, he’d have taken his halo back by now.” Her eyes dipped to her watch, “Shit, I’m late!” She stood and crossed to the door, stopping to turn back to Aries, “I’m going to arrange for your travel to Apex. I promise not to tell Conn your true feelings if you promise to go and stay there until you’re fully healed.”
“But Jenny, I…”
“Do we have a deal or not?”
Aries growled her full lips twisting in a sneer. “Fine.”
Jenny laughed, “Christ, you’re starting to growl like him. I
gotta
go, but I’ll come see you off.
” She stopped halfway ou
t the door, “Oh I almost forgot
I have a theory on why you’re lacking your own halo. I’ll have to share it with you later. See you tonight.”
Chapter
27
Her first week at Apex had been miserable. Whether he’d overheard her conversation with Jenny or was just finally sick of her, Aries didn’t know, but Conn avoided her like the plague. He
only showed up when she had a d
octor’s visit or when other men were around.
It was like he didn’t want to talk to her, but didn’t want other men to either.
Conn also demanded to be in charge of her hygiene, which meant he appeared nightly to give her a bath. Aries hadn’t had a say in the matter as Conn refused to allow anyone else
do the job
.
Aries heaved a heavy sigh remembering Conn’s visit
the
first
night
they’d arrived at Apex
. He’d come to bathe her and seemed taken aback when
Dr. Ames had informed him that he could take her to
bathing pool.
The morning
Aries
first arr
ived at Apex, she’d had a male d
octor, but hadn’t seen him again once Conn discovered that
Tyce
intended for the man to be her primary provider.
Dr.
Pyper
Ames had taken over her care, and the woman was as cold as the Montana winter that raged outside Aries’ window.
Unfortunately, Aries couldn’t seem to find occasion to tell Dr. Ames,
Tyce
, or anyone for that matter that she had been claimed by Conn out of their need for sheer survival. As such, everyone believed that the two were truly mated.
Aries swallowed remembering how Conn had frozen at Dr. Ames’ words.
“Why don’t you take your angel down to the bathing pool?
I’m sure she’d appreciate a proper cleansing.” Dr. Ames didn’t even look up from her
e-tablet.
Aries saw Conn pale at the suggestion. Up to that point he’d
only washed
her by hand with
a wet cloth at
StoneCrow
. At first, when she’d been really out of it and hardly able to move, he’d washed her thoroughly. The process was slow and Conn was painstakingly
meticulous. Even now Aries’ cheeks flamed at the intimacy. Why he’d gotten so nervous over taking her to the bathing pool she didn’t know, until he’d actually agreed and wheeled her down the hall.
The room that held the bathing pool wasn’t as big as Aries had expected. For some reason the term ‘bathing pool’ conjured up visions of a swimming pool, but what she got instead was more akin to a cool water bath
about the size
of a hot tub
only much deeper
.
Conn had helped her undress and
before he removed her underwear, he placed a towel over her to afford her some modesty. When he began removing his own clothes Aries had been shocked.
“W-what are you doing?” she’d asked.
Conn’s hands were unbuttoning his shirt and
didn’t falter
as he replied,
“The bathing pool is designed for a Walker to
share with his injured angel. I’ll have to carry you in.”
Aries’ belly had instantly knotted. She didn’t know how to respond, so she said nothing letting her eyes soak in the solid lean frame of Conn as he stripped down to his tight black briefs. His body was covered in scars that Aries knew had come from the many battles Conn had endured. Her eyes barely noticed them, instead she drank in the thickly corded muscle
of his arms and legs, the lean
belly that led up to six-pack abs. The deep tan of his skin seemed warm and inviting and when her eyes snagged on the dusky discs of his nipples she had to drag her eyes away.
Wordlessly he worked to cover the cast on her leg and the bandage on her arm in some strange adhesive plastic. The cast on her leg rode high on her thigh and his knuckles brushed her sex as he secured the plastic in place. Aries forced back a moan at the contact and bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.
“Ready?” His eyes met hers and she quickly released her lip to nod dumbly, too afraid to speak for fear he’d hear the brittleness of her voice.
He carried her
down the steps that led
into the pool and the wat
er lapped up over Aries’ flat belly.
She inhaled sharply at the coolness of the water and
Conn stilled to look at her. She took a moment to adjust then nodded once and Conn slowly sat on one of the steps until the water covered Aries’ chest. He settled her on his lap and asked if she was comfortable. Again, she nodded.
Conn’s body was warm in comparison
to the cool water
and
Aries
couldn’t keep herself from throwing her good arm over his shoulder to hold him tighter.
The look on Conn’s face was pained.
“Am I too heavy? You can set me down if…”
“No,”
h
is reply was terse. “You’re fine.”
She tried to ignore the fact that he refused to look at her
again
. She’d decided she too could be cold and disinterested, but her bravado died when he began to clean her.
He started with her hands and spent long moments lathering soap over each one of her thin digits before he dunked them under the surface, using his own fingers to gently rub hers clean.
Releasing her fingers, h
is large calloused
had
rounded
over her shoulder, ignoring the portion of her arm that was bandaged and now covered in the strange plastic.
He didn’t just wash her, but massaged her sore muscles and it wasn’t long before Aries melted against his frame. Soft moans of pleasure escaped her lips as his hands worked over her throat and down her back.
When he started on her toes, Aries jerked her foot away and tried to suppress a grin.
“Ticklish?”
She nodded, “
Mmhmm
.”
He reached for her foot again and this time she let him take it. He worked soap between her toes, and up the overly sensitive sole, which had Aries sucking in a breath and arching her back.
Her eyes darted to Conn’s face whe
n she felt a
rumble in his chest
and an unmistakable hardening under her ass
, but still he refused to look at her.
Again, Conn ignored the covered portion of her bad leg, working instead on the other. His hands slid up over her calf, rounded over her knee and smoothed up her hip, stalling at the towel that just reached the tops of her thighs. Long moments passed without Conn moving or saying anything. Aries saw that his eyes were riveted on her thigh and she could tell by his expression that he was debating something.
She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it
when
Conn’s hand opened and released the bar of soap he’d been holding. She watche
d as the gold bar see-sawed it
s way to the bottom of the pool where it settled with a light
thunk
.
Her cheeks flushed, Aries pulled her arm from over his shoulder. “I uh…I can wash the rest. Thanks.”
Conn was already rinsing the residue of the soap from his hand and Aries assumed he’d agree
, but instead he rested his now clean hand against her thigh
where his eyes seemed to be glued
. “There’s no way for you to hold on and clean yourself. I’ll have to do it.”
Panic
flared to life
.
“I can just sit on the step. Like you.”
“The pool’s deeper than it looks, and the weight of your cast would drag you down if you didn’t hold on.”
“Oh.” Aries hand went to the hem of the towel and tried to pull it lower, “Well, I’m sure I’m clean enough. We should just get out.”
Still not looking at her,
Conn pushed her hand away. “Not until your clean.”
Aries swallowed hard. Conn’s voice sounded different to her, deeper, controlled. She was staring at his profile when his hand slid up under the towel. She gasped and struggled to control her breathing when he growled, “Spread your legs.”
She wanted to refuse but knew that doing so would make a big deal out of something that was supposed to be quite innocent.
She eased her legs apart
and her breath hitched as Conn’s hand slid closer and closer to her sex. When his fingers finally rubbed against her she was relegated to biting her lip again to prevent a wanton moan from escaping.
“Wider,” Conn growled.
Thankful that the pool would prevent him from knowing how wet she
had grown
, Aries did as he commanded and spread her legs wider.
At first he was simply cleaning her, brushing his fingers on her outer lips. Then his finger rubbed the hood over her clit and Aries couldn’t control the pants that escaped her as her breathing escalated. His finger rubbed against her so erotically that she tried to close her legs, but his harsh growl had her freezing.
His fingers left her clit and went back to her folds. She noticed that his breathing too was not erratic.
Again he cleaned her, but this time his hand expertly spread her lips wide and then a finger slid through her sex. Aries bucked at the pleasurable sensation even knowing that he now knew how ready and willing she was.
Aries focused on the wall across the room and tried to convince herself that it was just a bath and that she shouldn’t be reacting so inappropriately to his touch, but when one thick digit slid into her all rationale thought was lost.
S
he arched
her body and tossed her head back. A low moan escaped her parted lips and was rewarded
as Conn inserted a second finger and slowly began to work them inside her. T
he tow
el that had been tucked tight against
her
chest
slipped
free and dropped into the pool
exposing her b
reasts. Aries knew she should have been mortified, but the pleasure th
at
was roiling through her prevented any such diffidence
. Instead she spread her legs wider and clutched Conn’s arm with her good hand as he finger fucked her
, drawing his digits nearly all the way out before reinserting them up to his knuckles
.
His movements were deliciously slow and measured and had Aries grinding her hips to encourage more frantic movement.