Rylan's Heart
Page 4
Pain tore through her at the thought of him with other women. Why did she care? She’d been with other men. The lie tasted biter on her tongue. She had only been with one and it was against her will. After that she was too busy raising Mckayla to take time to date, much less try to sneak someone into her small apartment and have copious amounts of sex.
That drew a smile to her face. When she dreamed of sex with Mr. Right, it was always in copious amounts. In fact, she was beginning to believe that dreaming about it was as close as she would get to it. At least she knew how to take care of herself.
“I don’t care how many women you’ve had. Maybe you should go and find one of them now. That receptionist looked willing.”
She looked willing to do anything, including sleep with that monster, Peter. Aviana tried to feel bad for thinking that about the receptionist but just couldn’t. So what if Rylan slept with the receptionist. He wasn’t hers, good riddance.
“Lie. I can see it on your face. Your face tells all your secrets, Angel.”
“I’ll have to work harder at having a poker face, and I’m not your angel.”
“Lie. Try another one. Tell me that you don’t go up in flames when I’m around. Tell me that you don’t dream of me and the thought of my name on someone else’s lips doesn’t upset you.”
The darkness inside of him lashed out, causing sounds of thunder in the room. Her eyes widened as he strode towards her on his muscular legs.
“I’m not scared of you.”
“You should be. I should make you shake in your boots. If you had any common sense, you would be diving for the door instead of sitting there like the defiant goddess of the storm.
“Run Aviana, prove to both of us you’re the highly intelligent female I pegged you to be. I won’t chase you if you run now.”
He stood in front of her his arms over his chest his mouth in a cruel slash across his face.
She should run. What idiot took a look at him, heard that darn thunder in their room, and stayed? How was she expected to brave a storm she knew nothing about? Searching inside her, she looked for her survival instincts that kept her alive all these years, but they went missing. Instead, she stood tall inside herself daring him to do his worst.
*~*~*~*
Why wasn’t she running? He’d unleashed more of the storm raging inside of him than ever. A tenth of this would set one of those Hollywood groupies who followed him to running.
She sat there looking unfazed as he raged around her. Aviana was his mate and he wanted to cuss up a storm. Not that it would matter; the storm he stirred did nothing to affect her. He added wind and watched her hair flutter in it.
His cock was rock hard as he watched. Her nipples were pebbled against the thin sweater she wore. Her curves were on display as the sweater hugged her in all the right places. Her chest was large. His eyes narrowed as he thought of palming it, feeling the beauty of it overflowing his hands.
He needed to leave before he did something stupid. It had been way too long since he last felt the warmth of a female under him. Sure, he had a gaggle of females following him. They were all small looking like they needed someone to take care of them. Nothing about them turned him on. Even the bigger ones couldn’t hold a candle to his mate.
His mate, he still couldn’t process that. Why in the world would he, broken and bitter, be given a mate—someone soft like her with such a beautiful presence and wicked sense of humor? He wouldn’t ruin her life by taking her, she had Mckayla and whether she knew it or not, she was going to need every free moment to deal with her.
“Run, Aviana.” She had to leave him to rot alone in his own prison.
“No. You don’t scare me.”
“Then let me scare you. Did you think sitting in a chair alone would allow you to escape me?” Lightning, the real kind, sliced through the room and still she refused to move.
His hands came down on the chair, boxing her in.
“You’re a stubborn mate, made just for me.”
His head lowered until his lips met hers. Lightening shot through his body clawing its way up to his throat. It was the only thing that kept him from demanding she submit to him.
He wanted her spread eagle on the floor or with her hips wrapped around his as he pumped into her.
It was going to happen. All of his fantasies were going to come true. A myriad of fantasies played before his eyes all starring Aviana. She should have run before he entwined their lives together.
He nipped at her lower lip until she opened her mouth with a sigh. If he thought the softness of her lips was pleasurable, it didn’t hold a candle to the minty flavor of her. He swallowed her taste down before he dueled with her tongue. Mmm peppermint—he loved it.
He pressed forward, his arms bending so his chest could rub against hers as he delved deeper into her mouth. Her nipples brushed against his long sleeved tee as he pushed closer, desperate for the feel of the heat and friction from her body.
A small mummer from her lips captivated him. She was his. His brain malfunctioned as he prepared to claim his mate. He wouldn’t give her up; he would find a way to have this family. A mate and a child. His heart split, part of it so scared he was shaking. The other part so deliriously happy he wanted to dance around the room, not that he would ever let that happen. His Matra growled but he ignored it, pushing him into the background.
Standing up, he broke the kiss. Her passionate eyes looked like melting chocolate. Her skin, rosy underneath its chocolate exterior, made him hungry. He wanted to lick her; nothing would do for him until he was between her thighs.
Reaching down, he used his arms to bracket her, keeping her in place as she tried to squirm. Taking her hands, he tugged her to standing, licking his lips as he watched her. With infinite care, he directed her to the floor; he wanted to get closer to her.
He moved her legs apart a little rougher than needed so he stopped, trying to temper his strength. He placed her hands over her head and settled down on her, one hand holding her wrists in place. When his cock pushed against her hot pussy, they both shouted as pleasure snaked through their bodies.
“You want this, little mate. You’re desperate to be claimed by me.”
“Do not…am not.”
“Lie.” He ground against her feeling the molten lava of her body crashing around him in waves. He looked deep into her eyes wanting to become mentally and physically one with her. He didn’t need some trial to tell him she was his.
He pressed into her again ready to claim his mate when the sound of small feet running up the stairs stopped him. He could smell the little girl scent of Mckayla coming.
Jumping up, he reached down and pulled Aviana to her feet.
“Mckayla,” he whispered. He led her to the couch as she patted herself back to perfection.
“I’m here, Mom,” Mckayla screamed as she burst through the door.
“Oh, Uncle Rylan. Hi!”
She ran and jumped at him causing him to protect his lower half from knobby knees and sharp little feet.
“Did you come to see me?” He nodded.
“I came to see your Mom, too. Just wanted to check in and see how the two of you were doing.
“We’re doing fine.” She lowered her voice and whispered loud enough for her mother to hear. “Can I talk to you later, before diner?”
“It’s a date,” he said, ruffling her hair.
Aviana had a small O of surprise on her face covering up the yearning and confusion she felt on the inside.
Rylan sat Mckayla down and headed for the door. Turning, he looked at Aviana, his eyes still storm blue before he shut the door behind him.
Chapter Six
Helping Mckayla with her homework should have calmed her down, but it didn’t. Against all reason, she was burning brighter now than when Rylan was fanning the flame.
“Mom,” Mckayla’s voice brought her back. “I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can. What’s the rule for spelling words?”
“How many times have you done this?”
“None.” She gave Aviana a pout guaranteed to melt her heart.
“Well get started; after you’re done I’ll give you a spelling test to see how much you remembered. You have till Monday with only ten words, you got this.” She wrapped her hands around Mckayla giving her a huge hug before encouraging her to get started.
Closing her eyes, Aviana laid back on her bed. She and Mckayla were doing homework on her bed; it was their special place to learn when Mckayla was having difficulties focusing.
What was she going to do about Rylan? She almost let him…actually she had encouraged him, egged him on, and if needed she would have begged. Something about him made her weak and needy, something she had never been before.
He called her little mate, whatever the heck that meant. There was definitely nothing little about her, not that he seemed to notice. The way he looked at her and his hands touched her—she was going to go up in smoke. Cracking her eyelids, she looked at Mckayla who was too caught up in her work to notice her mom silently going crazy.
“I’m done.”
Aviana took her spelling words looking them over to make sure she wrote them correctly. “Ok, time for a spelling test.”
Taking out a sheet of paper, she said her words one at a time as Mckayla wrote them down.
She checked over them noticing six were right.
“I got some wrong.”
“You also got a lot right. We will do this again tomorrow. I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you, Mommy. Can I go play with Vick now?”
“First you have to put your book bag up. After you’re done with that you can go.”
Mckayla jumped off the bed, put her papers back in the book bag like her mom taught her to do, and went to put it away. She came back into the room and climbed in the bed with her mom and rested by her side.
“Hey, I thought you were going to play with Vick?”
Little arms went around her. “I don’t want you to be sad.”
“I’m not sad, Baby. I’m just trying to figure things out. You go play with Vick and I will be down for dinner. I love you, Baby.”
Aviana gave Mckayla a loving hug before she sent her out to play. “Take it easy on your uncles.”
Mckayla gave her a mischievous grin before her feet took her reluctantly out of the room.
That’s why she didn’t get into relationships. Her daughter needed her and she couldn’t be mooning over some male just because his body was hard and his blue eyes were incredible. Face it, she told herself, there was no way she was going to stop wanting him.
Getting up she went to close her bedroom door and lock it. She took a seat on the floor and opened the palm of her hand. Taking a deep breath, she conjured a small white ball in her hand. Inhuman, she thought, as she looked at it floating there. She had hidden this talent most of her life refusing to believe it was more than a dream. But lies had a way of catching up with you, even if it was only a small white lie you told to yourself.
No, she was human. Her parents had definitely been human and were ready to have her see a shrink when she told them she could do magic as a child. Aviana quickly learned normal people didn’t do magic. She had shoved all those thoughts into a dark vault until the night Mckayla screamed for her.
That door burst open that night and she had never been able to shove it closed again. She closed her fist feeling the ball blink out of existence. This was supposed to follow her to her grave. It was going to be her little secret, the one she hid from the world. Except now, after being ravaged by the storm that was Rylan, all she could think about was the internal fire he lit within her. It touched her little secret and had it blazing like a neon sign.
He promised to teach her how to take care of herself and Mckayla. Would she have to use her small ball of light? Or maybe he meant with a gun? She smiled trying to deceive herself but being too much of a realist to accomplish it. She got up and headed for the door. If she stayed here any longer, her fingers would find their way between her legs as she imagined him plundering her depths.
She stopped and bent over as a spasm of need coursed through her body. She was going to have to find someone to fuck her but not Rylan. He was too dangerous. If she got lost in his storm, she may never find her way to safety again.
Reaching out for the door her mind went to Mckayla’s spelling words. She said them out loud five times. Spelled them and wanted to sit down and write them, at least they took her mind off of him. She was in control of herself by the time she descended the stairs.
“Aviana.” Paige waved at her. “I thought we were going to have to come and get you for dinner.”
“Nope. Here I am.”
“Are you all right?” Paige whispered in her ear coming closer.
Aviana nodded. Page and Calix were engaged to be married, but they seemed married already. She had asked Paige last month about that and the other woman simply grinned. She was so happy. She said that marriage was just a formality for the world, and that she and Cal had already tied the knot.
Paige hugged her before going to sit next to Cal. The need to move into her own place assaulted her again as she watched Mckayla run up to Rylan as he came in the room. She took him over to the corner of the dining room where they all were seated and whispered in his ear.
Later, she really was going to have to teach her daughter how to lower her voice when she whispered. Now she was anxious to hear what she needed to tell Rylan.
He sat on the chair and pulled her into his lap. Aviana’s heart beat faster at the picture they made. He lowered his head, thick neck bending towards her. Mckayla stretched her thin body up as she moved towards his ear.
Family. The picture of Sunday dinners and Frisbees being thrown in the air went through mind as well as nights of hot passion…all she ever wanted captured in that chair as Rylan lovingly held Mckayla. He would make a fine father. He would teach her how to grow up strong and in charge. Aviana killed the thought. She could teach her the same things. Mckayla would be just fine.
“I saw something when I was in school.” Mckayla whispered loud enough for the room to hear.
“What did you see?” Rylan acted like the only one who could hear him was her.
“I saw Mommy, she was scared and there was this monster. He had four legs and lots of eyes and he wanted Mommy.” She looked up at him eyes wide and shiny with unshed tears.
“I’ll protect her.” He held her tight.
“It wants her bad.”
“It can’t hurt her anymore.”
She nodded her head solemnly. “It can. The baby monster can’t hurt her, but the daddy monster can. He’s meaner.”
Rylan nodded his head because she was correct. “I’ll protect her and you too.”
She beamed at him. “I knew you would. I was thinking.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“If you married my Mommy, like Aunt Paige and Uncle Cal are doing, then you could be my Daddy.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek before getting down and going to sit by her mom.
Rylan sat there stunned. Aviana’s mouth dropped open as she looked at her daughter. Everyone else at the table hid their grins.
“Who’s hungry?” Victor stood up striding into the kitchen breaking the tension.
“Me,” Vick and Mckayla called out in one voice.
“How was everyone’s day?” Selma asked, redirecting the conversation. There was a chorus of responses as they filled their plates and started eating and laughing.
*~*~*~*
They left just enough evidence so he would know what happened to Peter. He came tonight to take care of him because he thought he could come into his territory and take over. The Arbrin took care of him first.
That presented a problem. Sudir’s were notoriously
hard to kill. The fact that Rylan had been able to kill Peter meant that he had more power than Zuhun realized. It never crossed his mind that it could be someone else making the kill. No, Rylan with the power he wore like a shield did this.
He wanted to sink his teeth into the dominant Arbrin, wanted both his Arbrin side as well as his Matra side to be submissive to him. He wasn’t much into males, but this one he desired in every way possible. The thought of Rylan bucking underneath him was enough to bring him pleasure.
He tore the thought away; he would have him. Rylan deserved whatever justice Zuhun gave out. He killed Peter. That whole family deserved justice. He would wipe them from the face of the Earth one at a time. Now he would start with Rylan and Aviana.
They had protected the girl. The ward she wore around her neck was strong but how strong would that little other-worlder be when he had her mother hung up to feed him on a daily basis?
He laughed, the sound a deadly hiss. He was in control around here. They defeated him, but no more. Now he would defeat them.
He stepped into the office and did some paperwork now that this hotel belonged to him. He would hire someone to manage it for him while he continued to make plans to capture Rylan and his mate.
Finishing up, he stepped outside watching as his own personal demon came to his side. Tonight he would make her take Rylan’s form. A look of greed took his face. One day he would have the real deal. He would make that male howl in pain.
Chapter Seven
Aviana coated her lips in red feeling pretty as the color brought out the glow in her cheeks. She had taken the time to get ready this morning. Last night as she twisted and turned in her bed hot and bothered, she realized she was being a fool.
What was wrong with a one-night stand? The world did them all the time. All she needed to do was find a man while Mckayla was at school, go back to his place, have sex and leave. Then she’d be good for another ten or twenty years. It was that simple.
“Mom! You look beautiful.”