Aries - Mr. Adventure: The 12 Signs of Love (The Zodiac Lovers Series Book 4)

by Tiana Laveen

  He seemed unusually tall…

  Snow stood on the man’s porch, looking up at the ever-growing giant. She felt small, somewhat insignificant, as he glared at her with those intense, dark brown eyes. She clutched the bouquet of white flowers and the gourmet beef jerky, a crate of fried chicken and a six pack of chilled beers.

  “I, uh…” She glanced towards his driveway then back at him. “I saw your truck parked there so I figured you were home.”

  The man looked at his driveway as if to figure out if her story were true, confusion written all over his face. When his eyes landed back on her, he still hadn’t said one word. He just loomed there like a flag at half-mast, hanging partially out the door while the sounds of laughter erupted suddenly from his television. She peered past him, taking a peek into his home.

  Nice place. He’s scaring me.

  “Phone call?” He tossed up his big, beefy hands. “Why didn’t you call first?”

  She dropped her head and stared at her black sneakers. Slowly meeting his gaze once more, she offered a half smile, the best she could muster. “I figured you wouldn’t answer. I didn’t want to risk the rejection.”

  He grimaced and crossed his arms over his chest. “You wanted to escape the feelings you left in my lap, but it was all right to do me like you’ve done? Never mind that,” he said dismissively. “You waited until I left to hunt me down? Why?”

  “No. Actually I went to your cottage but you and your friends had already left the premises.” She shrugged. “Hey, at least I’m not yet seventy-five with fourteen cats talking about the one that got away.” Finally, his lips curled in a small smile. “I’m here. May I come inside and have a word with you?”

  It seemed impossible, but he actually looked more pissed off than that night they’d had their falling out.

  “Come in.” He stormed away from the door, leaving here there. With a shove of her elbow, she opened the screen and entered, hoping her purse wouldn’t fall from her shoulder as she juggled all the items in her grip. All around her were warm wood tones, the smell of cedar and coffee, and gorgeous Aztec décor with touches of pewter and turquoise. Paintings of Indian women doing pottery dotted the walls along with Native men fishing and hunting, and when she looked down the hall, she took note that the dining room table was set splendidly with shiny white bowls and plates, as if he were expecting guests. She couldn’t help but smile at the realization that Alex was a bit of a homemaker. “Sit down.” He plopped down in a large leather chair that faced a massive television. To his right was a small table on which sat a can of cola, a remote-control caddy … and was that a Playboy magazine?

  He likes his nudity in glossy photos. He’s old school…

  Oddly enough, there was something satisfying and endearing about a man who preferred turning pages versus ogling a computer screen or cramping his fingers from trying to hold his phone with one hand and jerk off with the other. She sat down on the couch across from him and placed the gifts on the table in front of her.

  “I brought you a few things… peace offerings.” She crossed her ankles, clasped her hands, and stared at him.

  He studied the flowers, the jerky, the beer, the chicken, then back to the flowers.

  “No one has ever brought me flowers before. What am I supposed to do with them?”

  “Well, as nice of a house as you have here, you could put them in a vase and use them as a centerpiece. Would you like me to do it for you?”

  “No, I can handle it.” She nodded, disappointed that she couldn’t help in her own special way. Perhaps this was his way of rushing her along, to get her to leave as soon as possible. She couldn’t say she blamed him.

  “Well, if you’re not going to eat this chicken right away it should be refrigerated.” She pointed to the box of crispy fried chicken, the smell filling the area and making her mouth water. On the outskirts of Charleston was the infamous ‘Dodge’s Chicken Store’, which he’d told her he loved.

  “I see you remembered me saying I liked their chicken during our walk after I went rock climbing.”

  “Of course I remembered. I heard everything you said. I was enjoying getting to know you, Alex.”

  “And you remembered that I prefer Bud Light… and that I told you we had beef jerky that I had made back in the cottage with my friend, Joshua. He and I make it all the time, but I wanted to try somethin’ new.”

  She smiled at his reaction. He looked genuinely impressed.

  “Alex, look,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I wish to offer yet another apology to you for my behavior. It was totally unacceptable. You were right; it was me, not you. Though you were rather terse I deserved what you said about me and unfortunately, the majority of it was accurate.”

  She dropped her head for a spell as she felt a wave of shame. “I’ve had time to cool off and reflect, and I really like you, Alex. I want to be with you, just like you were proposing. I don’t expect a second chance, but I felt I needed to tell you to your face how much you made me smile and what a good time I had with you. You, uh…” She rubbed her hands together in a nervous gesture. “You have a knack for making people around you smile. I felt like a child again with you. Hide and Go Seek, your contagious laugh and over-the-top sense of humor. You also made me feel safe, but I didn’t realize that until you were gone.”

  She paused and looked into the man’s eyes. Though he didn’t appear perturbed, he didn’t appear particularly moved, either. On a sigh, she continued, “You made it easy to forget my troubles, but then, you presented new ones.”

  He lay back in his seat and stroked his chin, gliding the tip of his pink tongue across his lower lip. He appeared to be on the verge of speaking, but he hesitated. The man’s long legs were spread wide apart and her pussy throbbed as she recalled all the wonderful things that fucking tongue and cock could do. She was in a jam. Her lust for the man had married with her like for him—and now there was no turning back.

  He was no pushover, but a straight shooter indeed. He was optimistic yet cynical at the same exact time. Someone she could learn from… someone strong who could handle her but make her smile and feel like a delicate flower, too. She wanted him, and she wanted him bad…

  “I see…” The normally gregarious man who sometimes didn’t let her get a word in edgewise was now calm and quiet, almost unreadable. That made her cravings for him so much stronger. “Why else are you here, Snow?”

  “To tell you that I knew the moment we sat down to have dinner that I wanted you.” She reflected on that moment in time, about how she’d wanted him to foul things up, but instead, he stayed consistent and demanded answers for her unreasonable conduct… all born from fear.

  “I’ve been afraid of my own shadow lately, Alex. I’m terrified to make decisions. I was never this way before. I was always decisive… sure of myself. I was telling you the truth about all of that. I was confident, held my head high. Some things happened that I allowed to break me down, steal my happiness, as you’d say. I told you about some of it, but that doesn’t justify how I behaved.” His expression softened then. “I have to take responsibility for my part in this. Alex, for some reason your opinion meant a lot to me. Something about you makes… well, it makes people want to be around you and listen to you. When you called me weak, it crippled me. Maybe it was because we’d just made love, I don’t know, but that hurt… that really hurt.”

  “I’m sorry. I guess I went too far.” She shook her head. “I have a problem sometimes with gettin’ mad, wanting to help somebody understand something important, but then I go and say things that might hurt ’em real bad. I’m honest, but not everything I think up in my head needs to be shared I suppose, no matter how pissed off I am. I guess in that department I’ve got some growin’ to do.” He sighed. “At the time I’m fine with it, but I don’t like causin’ pain to people I like… people I care about. That was my intention, I ain’t gonna lie, but it still didn’t make it right.”

  Silence stretched between them for
a brief while.

  “No, I understand your frustration. You don’t have to be sorry. After all, you meant it… we both know in that moment you were right. I was allowing everything to get to me, even the things I can’t change. That’s a sign of weakness, just like you said, and being in that state has always been so foreign to me, until recently. But regardless of that, I want to make a transformation. You and Brittany, quite honestly, are my saving graces. You’re helping me to not fall into a hole, keeping me accountable. I can’t control other people, but I can control how I respond to adversity.”

  “That’s the spirit.”

  She smiled at his encouraging words. “Do you mind if I sit here on this couch and tell you a little about myself, Alex? Some may say too little too late. You already asked me this and I refused to answer, but I want to tell you anyway, just as friends of course… you owe me nothing more, despite me wanting more than that with you.”

  The big man with the handsome face shrugged and adjusted his weight in the chair.

  Boy, can he hold a grudge. I don’t blame him though. At least he’s being honest.

  He leaned forward and clasped his hands together. “Snow, it isn’t really about owing each other anything. It’s not about being friends, either, because as far as I am concerned, I meet new friends all the time. Sometimes a friendship only lasts a day or a weekend, depending on how you look at it. Other times, a lifetime. I got enough friends, all right? Don’t need anymore.”

  She swallowed and hid her sorrow as best she could. Her heart dropped into her damn gut. At work, this was the part where she fought harder and stronger, but Alex wasn’t some man on the witness stand; this was the guy she wanted to forge ahead with, give a relationship a shot with. It would take two to tango, though. Grabbing her purse, she slung it over her shoulder and got to her feet.

  “I understand. Well, I extended the apology and I meant it. You take care, Alex. I wish you nothing but the best. You deserve it.” She started to leave.

  “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” He got to his feet. “I said I didn’t want any more friends… but a lover? A woman by my side? Hell yeah, I’m down for that. Now, that same lady can be my friend too, but just friends? Nah, not interested. Now that I’ve laid out the criteria, are you applying for the position?”

  “Yes, I am!” She held her head high and placed her hand on her hip, dancing between the urge to laugh and shout, ‘Thank God!’

  “Then fill out the damn application.” He thrust his hand in his pocket and walked up to her, slicked his arm around her waist, and claimed her lips in a kiss that swept her off her feet. “Your interview starts now…”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Fried chicken with a Side of Ass

  The woman stood before him, her eyes never leaving his as she reached for the top button of her light blue blouse. Wrapping his hand around hers, he gave her fingers a gentle squeeze, stopping her in mid-motion.

  “No… before I take you up there,” he pointed towards the steps that led to his bedroom, “I want to talk to you.” She stared at him for a spell, then let him lead her into the kitchen. He gestured towards a kitchen chair for her to sit in, then disappeared for a few moments. He returned with her gifts. After placing a piece of chicken on a paper plate for her, he opened a kitchen cabinet and pulled out a wine glass, then poured her the same kind she’d stated she enjoyed during the campgrounds dinner.

  Moments later, the flowers were in an old vase he kept in a high cabinet he rarely opened. He arranged them just so before placing the bouquet in the middle of the table. With a flick of a knob, he turned on his father’s old, scratchy radio and the sound of Conway Twitty crooning “I’d Love to Lay You Down” filled the room.

  Opening up his refrigerator, he grabbed a bowl of coleslaw and placed a heaping spoonful on the plate beside the large fried chicken breast, then set it all out in front of her. He then snatched a paper towel off the roll, grabbed a fork from the drawer, and laid it beside her meal.

  “There you go.”

  “Thank you.” She picked up the fork and looked down at the plate, then back into his eyes for a spell before putting some of the meat in her mouth. As she sat there chewing, he grabbed a cup, filled it with coffee, and sat across from her at the kitchen table. “I am surprised you knew I was hungry.” She smiled before picking up her chicken with both hands and sinking her teeth into it.

  “Your stomach was growling. Listen, Snow, here’s how this goes.” She paused, her chews drawing slower, and her shoulders tensed. “We’re going to go on dates. We’re going to talk about things. I’m gonna take you places, ask you to sometimes do things you’ve probably never done before. I like to keep a neat house, so when you come over, and you’re always welcome, just make sure you clean up after yourself. I’m not all crazy about it, like I won’t get pissed off about a cup being left in the sink or a curling iron and lipstick in the bathroom on the vanity counter sometimes. I just like stuff to be put back in its place as much as possible.”

  She took a dainty sip from her wine glass. He tried to read her but at that moment, what mattered was that she understood where he was going. He might sound hard, but he had no inclination for games at this point. She was here, sitting across from him, listening, so surely that counted for something. He wanted a serious relationship and he did because she was one of the most fascinating women he’d ever met.

  “I work hard and play hard. I can only imagine the type of schedule you have and you won’t have to worry about me makin’ demands on you if you’re super busy. But, I do expect to see you often and for us to build something. If the only time I see you is when we’re fuckin’, then that’s not for me.” The woman leaned back in her seat, smirked and crossed her legs as she took another careful taste of her wine. “As far as the sex, I like it often. I seek adventurous things to do because it keeps me fit and I just plain enjoy it. I expect you to do some of those things with me. Now before I go any further, do you have any questions?” He took a sip of his coffee.

  “Yes. When you say you like sex often, how often is often?”

  He laughed, more so at the silly expression on her face as she rocked her leg back and forth.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “Maybe four or five times a week, something like that. When I’m in a relationship, that’s what I want. There are always exceptions but for the most part, that’s—”

  “No, I can swing that.” Her smile grew bigger before she sank her teeth into the chicken breast once again. “If I can’t, then I’ll tell you but trust me, if your performance is consistently the same or better than our first time, you won’t have any problems out of me.”

  “Oh?” He arched a brow. “That’s good, ’cause that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Anything else?”

  “You say you like to do adventurous things and you’d like for me to do some of those things with you. Like what?”

  “Sky diving… parachuting. Bungee jumping, pie eating contests.” At that, she blurted out laughing and he followed suit. “I’m serious. Shit…” He scratched his chin. “I like pies. Oh, and another thing.”

  “Yes?” She patted the sides of her mouth with the folded paper towel.

  “If you’re going to freak out about being out with me, a big ol’ White motherfucker, in public, then tell me now and let’s just part ways. I’m serious, honey. I understand this is your first rodeo but you’ve got to move past that and anything someone might say—because believe me, someone is going to say somethin’, but I’m not going to let anyone touch a hair on your pretty little head. I just need you to be all right with this. If you’re not, I can understand that, but don’t act like you can hang and then get concerned about a racial slur or someone sayin’ something stupid, commenting on a matter that is none of their damn business. What we’ve got is between me and you, got it?”

  “I sure do,” she said, her grin wider. “You’re funny… wow. You’re too much, but again, I like you, Alex. I know exactly what
I’m getting when it comes to you, don’t I?”

  “You’re damn straight.” He set his coffee down and crossed his arms over his chest. “Any more questions about anything I said?”

  “Not at this second.”

  “All right. Well, do you want children?”

  “I honestly don’t know. Sometimes I think everything is fine as is, then other times I feel frantic to beat the biological clock.”

  “Fair enough. You’re getting a bit up there in age though to still not know, don’t you think? They say you shouldn’t get knocked up after age thirty-five.”

  The woman rolled her eyes at him.

  “It’s different for every woman, Alex. I’m healthy. I get regular checkups. I have no history of any medical issues that could cause concern such as diabetes or fertility concerns so I feel pretty safe. Now honestly, I wouldn’t want to conceive after the age of 40, so that means I’ve got three more years to decide.”

  He nodded. Picking up his cup, he polished off the rest of his coffee, while she finished up her piece of chicken and slaw, feeling mighty comfortable. After licking her fingers, which surprised him coming from such a classy woman, she got to her feet, made her way to his sink, and washed her hands.

  “I like you because you’re smart and strong, and a bit of an asshole. I’m just going to be honest, Alex. There’s such thing as too much of an asshole, and you’re teetering the line.” At that, he burst out laughing. He then reached across the table, grabbed her glass of wine, and finished it off, too. “I have never, and I mean never, met anyone like you in my entire life. You’ve got a lot of damn nerve, but you stand on your word… and I respect that. I know your heart is pure gold, despite anything you say. You can’t make me jump out a damn plane with you. I’m not going to do it. I will go up in a balloon though.”

  “I didn’t mention going up in any balloon.”

  “You didn’t have to. It’s called compromise. Now I know you’re used to calling the shots, and I let you have the floor because I’m the one that fucked up and came crawling back, but you have another think coming if you believe you’re going to be running some hen house like a cocky rooster. I’ve got plenty to offer you, and you’ve got plenty to offer me. I can tell right now we’re going to bump heads, but I have a funny feeling that this chemistry we have and the understanding we have of one another is going to get stronger and stronger with time as long as we communicate with one another and try to see things from the other person’s perspective.”