“Why don’t you let me know how to rub you the right way?” he asked, his eyes glimmering and face relaxed despite the tension he felt in every muscle.
Chapter Five
A kick in the gut wouldn’t have impacted Nydia as hard as seeing Aiden walk out of the bathroom wearing only the pajama bottoms. Somehow, all cleaned up with his short brown hair tousled around his face affected her more than when he’d been stark naked and stuffed into the passenger seat of her car.
Maybe it was the lack of blood, sweat, and dirt, but the boy cleaned up good. Too good.
The body wash he’d bathed with hit her first. She’d never noticed it smelled spicy before. Sexy.
She wanted to crawl into the crook of his neck and live there.
Nydia had always been a sucker for freshly washed skin.
Dark stubble covered his square jaw. His face had a fierceness to it softened only by thick curly lashes around his eyes and lips that were full and bowed. That mouth had the promise of sensual delights she firmly denied imagining. His green eyes practically glowed with intensity.
He walked with a limp, reinforcing the guilt swamping her about hitting him with her car. Guilt made her anxiety levels shoot through the roof.
She couldn’t see any bruises on his chest, when she managed to pry her eyes away from the damp happy trail that disappeared into his pants. He settled on the couch, making it look like a love seat with his long frame.
When he’d asked about the guest bed, her mind leapt immediately to her own lonely mattress and the carnal pursuits to be had there.
Get a grip, girl. You just broke up a few hours ago!
“Why don’t you let me know how to rub you the right way?” he’d said.
She narrowed her eyes at him, feigning annoyance. “Are you flirting with me?”
“Flirting comes as naturally as breathing in the South, ma’am,” he said.
“I thought ma’am was usually reserved for distinguished women.”
He raked his gaze down her body and back up to her face. The look was as palpable as a caress, making her feel strangely exposed. She remembered taking her shirt off and wondered how much he’d paid attention to her in her bra when she thought he’d been nearly unconscious.
He met her eyes, a playful grin on his face. “When you’re raised right, it’s used for all women. See, things like that just confirm you ain’t southern raised, honey.”
She wanted to ask exactly what he meant by that, but she didn’t know him, and she had a pretty good idea what he was angling for. It seemed to her he was an incorrigible flirt, and didn’t need any encouragement from her to make leaps in misjudgment.
He looked dangerous in a purely sexual way that would just get her into trouble. She wasn’t open for invitations. Better to leave his suggestive words and looks alone and give that boy a wide birth.
He could probably finagle her into doing whatever he wanted if he tried long enough. The knowledge disturbed her. She didn’t like to think she was a sucker for a pretty face, but she damned sure wasn’t immune to it.
“I have to get cleaned up and ready for bed, myself,” she said, fighting the heat steaming her insides to mush like overcooked vegetables. The man oozed sex appeal. Bastard.
Be hard! Be stern! You don’t know this guy, she said to herself. He could be a rapist!
She might not tell him no if he tried something.
He looked like he wanted to try something. Something dirty.
It could just be her imagination running wild.
He looked like he’d be good in bed. The kind of guy that would bite and gnaw on her in all the right places, like a dog with a bone.
No, she would tell him no if he asked or hinted again. She didn’t want or need a man in her life right now. Least of all one that had a wild, animalistic glint in his green eyes that made her pulse race and her cunt quiver like an earthquake rumbled underfoot.
Swallowing with an effort, she grabbed a blanket and pillow for him and left him in the living without saying another word. Retreating to her bedroom with her purse and car keys, she closed the door firmly behind her and leaned against the hollow core door, trying to catch her breath.
Why was she so out of breath and shaky feeling?
Sweat dampened her shirt, making her feel sticky and uncomfortable.
She was emotionally and physically drained. The thought of bathing after the ordeal of her day made her want to fall asleep on her feet.
She straightened up and turned the lock on the door with authority, satisfied when it clicked into place.
After thinking it over a good minute, she decided that just in case he was a maniac rapist waiting until she fell asleep or got naked in the shower psycho style to make a move, she wedged herself on the other side of her dresser and forced it in front of the door. The clawed feet made a terrible racket as they dragged across the laminate flooring.
She winced but didn’t give a damn what he thought. This was her house, and if she wanted to barricade herself in her room, then that’s what she’d do. She wasn’t about to shower or sleep without an obstacle between them.
Just in case.
***
Sleeping on a couch too short for him to spread out on made Aiden’s neck and back ache. Sunlight streamed through the blinds, making him wonder why the builders faced her house to the East to meet the sun.
“Ah! It’s too damned bright in here,” he muttered to himself, burying his head under a pillow.
The damage was done, however. He was awake, and he wasn’t sure he could handle staying at Nydia’s place until his pack returned. Maybe he’d try calling them when she got up and brought her phone out with her.
His stomach rumbled, trying to eat a hole through his back.
Healing himself after the fight had taken a lot more energy than he was used to, plus, he’d been interrupted in his hunt before he’d managed to track down any game.
It was a wonder he’d had the reserves to shift or heal at all, but he supposed that was more instinct and adrenaline than anything else.
Nydia was still asleep in her bedroom. His ears twitched, listening for movement. He didn’t want her suspicions raised any more than they already were at his ability to walk around without any pain. Keeping up the pretense was wearing his nerves thin.
Walking into the kitchen, he opened the fridge and peered inside for something to eat. She had cheese sticks, which he unpeeled and began munching on as he continued to look for bacon or sausage. There were eggs, but if there wasn’t any meat in the house, he didn’t feel like going to the effort of cooking. Besides, she might think he was better and could leave if he started “iron chef-ing” it in the kitchen by cooking his own breakfast concoction.
He couldn’t find any meat in the meat drawer or the freezer.
Aiden frowned. His stomach growled.
Maybe she just hadn’t gone grocery shopping in a while? What the hell kind of person didn’t have meat in their house?
The implications made Aiden shudder.
He moved to the pantry but didn’t find anything but canisters of Arborio rice, canned beans and peas, pasta, flour, and sugar. Low sodium, organic and all garbage in Aiden’s eyes. Everything seemed to have a place with the labels neatly facing in the same visible direction.
Just looking at her pantry, he could tell she was one of those new age health nuts. She was probably a vegetarian too.
Aiden shuddered again.
He rubbed the back of his neck to make the hairs there settle back down.
Finally, he spotted bread and peanut butter and pulled both out to make himself a sandwich. He opened the bread and pulled out three slices for a triple decker, smeared the nut butter all over everything, and munched away, dripping crumbs over the countertop.
Feeling a little better, he went to the fridge again and poured himself a glass of milk, drained it, and left that on the counter too before heading back to the couch to catch some more sleep.
He was dou
btful he could sleep anymore, so when he heard shrill complaints coming from the kitchen sometime mid-morning, he roused up with a start.
“Why did you leave a mess in my kitchen?” Nydia demanded, standing over him with her dark face scrunched in irritation.
She actually looked cute when she was mad, and normally, mad chicks just pissed him off.
“Huh?” he asked, playing the dumb card. When all else fails, playing dumb usually worked.
She waved her hands in exasperation. “You left the bread open. It’s stale now. The peanut butter lid was off and you got crumbs inside the peanut butter and all over the counter. Don’t you know when you do that, the bread molds inside the peanut butter? And then you left dirty dishes on the counter. Did you not get raised right or something? I guess I should be glad you didn’t drink out of the milk jug and got a cup.”
He arched his brows. “So I got a little raising. Are you OCD or something?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, making her breasts bulge against her blouse. Aiden couldn’t fail to notice the dark skin peeping out of her white shirt. He liked the contrast and thought she looked sexy in the morning with her black hair tousled from sleep and no makeup on. Even the way her forehead wrinkled was pretty cute.
“Not diagnosed as having any problems. I like to think of myself as particular,” she said.
“I’ll say. I’m sorry. I was too tired to clean up. My legs hurt where you hit me with the car. I struggled to stand as long as I did.” If he could have, he would have laughed at himself for that one and the look on her face. Gawd, he felt like such an ass.
She frowned, glancing from his legs to his face. “Well, I’m sorry I fussed. I guess they were right and I am a bitch.” She sighed. “I’m used to things being a certain way in my house. I’m not used to having company over so long. Richard never lifted a finger to feed himself or help in the kitchen.”
“Who’s Richard?”
She groaned. “Just some jerk I was dating. I guess I overlooked just how big a jerk he really was because I wanted it to work out.”
“Is that were these clothes came from?”
“Yeah.”
She went into the kitchen and made some lemonade for the two of them. She watched Aiden out of the corner of her eye as she made the drinks. He appeared to be using all the strength he had just to sit up on the couch. It was obvious that he was in a great deal of pain and agony.
He needed to go to a hospital. She wondered if he had a phobia of doctors. She knew plenty of people did, and hospitals gave her the willies. She’d hated getting shots with a passion, but then, didn’t most people?
She made a mental note to check his wound at the next opportunity. She didn’t want to urge him to get up if he didn’t have to.
Nydia joined him in the living room and sat in the chair opposite the sofa. She’d asked for a few days off for a long weekend. They were going to spend extra time up in the mountains fishing and swimming and letting his family get to know her. That hadn’t exactly worked out, and now she had this guy in her house.
Her brow furrowed in thought.
How was she going to get him out without appearing too rude or inconsiderate? Or as Richard said…a bitch.
Even though she was nitpicky, she still didn’t want people to take home the wrong impression of her. She was aware of the flaws in her personality and worked on curbing some of her traits as well as she could.
She couldn’t help that she’d been raised to be a stickler about keeping a clean house and a cleaner person. It came as second nature to her now. But at least she realized it bothered some people and made an effort not to be so rigid.
That should count for something, in her book.
Aiden sipped on his lemonade. “This is good.”
“Thanks! Organic lemons and local honey.” Nydia sat her glass down on a coaster on the table.
“So who called you a bitch to your face?”
Nydia groaned. “Richard. I thought he might be Mr. Right until yesterday. We’ve been dating for a few months now and sometimes he could be something of a jerk, but all of us have faults. I thought I could get over a lot of his issues if he could accept mine. I can admit that I’m no picnic. Then he took me to the country to meet his family.” Nydia leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees.
“His family is just so sarcastic and nasty. I know some people are like that, but I didn’t expect for them to act that way towards me. I thought he was bringing me there so they could get to know me, but it just seemed like I was a target for their ridicule. I despise sarcasm. If you have something to say simply say it and be done. Don’t beat around the bush and hide how you feel behind nasty, snide remarks. For that matter, I’d been on my best behavior, but I had the feeling he’d been telling them my negative traits from the get go. Commiserating almost.”
“Sounds like it,” he said, nodding.
“I just had this feeling he’d been telling them about my diet and that I was a germaphobe. His sisters act like they’re better than the rest of the world, although I couldn’t see why.” Nydia leaned back in her chair.
“When I had had all I could stand of their sarcastic remarks I tried to tell Richard about the problem and he told me that his sisters were treating me the way I deserved to be treated. He told me in no uncertain terms the way they were acting was a direct result of my being an uptight bitch. I told him to go to Hell. Basically. Anyway, I’m through with him. I can’t change who I am. Some things can be worked on, but I’ll never be someone else. I’m not willing to pretend to be something I’m not.”
Aiden watched her a long moment, making her feel fluttery inside. She shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable, but the way he looked at her, it was impossible.
“You don’t seem like a bitch to me. Uptight, maybe, but some of that relaxes once you’re in a relationship long enough.”
Nydia stood up and took her empty glass into the kitchen and rinsed it at the sink then returned to her seat. “I suppose that there could be some truth in what he is saying. I can be neurotic when you get me on a bad day. I’m sorry the whole thing happened, and I do feel a little guilty for having fought with him in front of his parent’s home. I acted like I didn’t have any raising.” She shook her head, covering her face as if she could hide her embarrassment.
“Lord, talking about it now, it sounds so stupid and juvenile. I probably overreacted like an idiot.”
“Sounds to me like you were standing up for yourself when no one else would. It’s admirable that you’d defend yourself instead of taking it lying down. That guy, Richard, is an asshole. Obviously, you two shouldn’t be together. I wouldn’t let my family treat you, rather, a girlfriend like that if we were serious.”
“You’re sweet.”
“Honey, sweet is the last thing I am. Real men ain’t sweet unless they’re trying to get into your pants.”
Chapter Six
Nydia met his face and caught that strange look again that made her feel hot and weak inside. She didn’t consider herself a novice in the bedroom or around men, but she’d never encountered a sensation like this around one before. Instant, undeniable, potent lust. “Is that what you’re trying to do?”
“Is that what you want me to do? Try and seduce you so you’ll let me stay?”
She lifted her chin in the air. “I wouldn’t sleep with you if you tried!”
“Oh really?” He leaned forward, his eyes glittering. “You think you could resist me if I tried?”
“I can go a long time without needing my itches scratched,” she said.
He laughed. “I hear you. Personally, I like getting my back scratched once a day.”
“I’ll bet you do,” she muttered.
He pretended not to hear her. “And honey, if I was aiming to seduce you, you’d know it. I’d practically beat you over the head with my charm,” he said, cheesing at her with a dazzling grin.
Nydia wanted to knock him in the head.
She crossed her arms over her chest. Men had to be led around by their noses sometimes. Why couldn’t any of them take initiative when the time was right? And why did they have to be so obnoxious when they thought you wanted them? “No. I’ve got no interest in screwing around with you or anyone else right now.”
A sound came from his chest. Amusement at her denial? She wasn’t sure.
His jaw hardened. “Sounds find to me. Besides, I’m just trying to survive.”
His off the wall response made her want to scratch her head.
“You think I could borrow your phone? I know you’d like me out of your hair. I’ve got some friends that can help me if I can get a hold of them.”
Savage Instinct Page 5
