“Come on, Aiden. We’ve been cooped up for weeks. What’s the worst that can happen?” Charlie said.
“It’s only a few drinks in the pub. Go out and enjoy yourselves,” Sarah said.
Charlie looked at Aiden eagerly then thigh fived Sarah when he nodded. He wasn’t much of a drinker or one for socialising but things had been oddly quiet and almost normal for the last few weeks since he had left Rafael's villa.
“I’ll go get ready, then,” Charlie said, practically bouncing out of the living room door.
Aiden waited to hear her footsteps upstairs then asked, “Did you visit the circle?”
“I did,” Sarah sighed. “It was what I expected it to be. The King refused to lift the binding. I’m still powerless to help protect her.”
“Binding? I never knew you’d been bound. Why would they do that?”
Sarah waved a hand in dismissal, “It isn’t important. You never told me what’s going on. Is there something I should know?”
Aiden shook his head. “No, nothing. It’s fine. Don’t worry. Are you sure you don’t mind us staying a while longer? We’ve already been here long enough and…”
“Don’t be bloody ridiculous. Of course, I don’t mind. I really like her and love spending time with the two of you. The question is, how do you feel?”
Aiden hadn’t really thought about how he felt about the living arrangements. He had been so caught up in protecting Charlie, he had barely realised how much time he had spent with Sarah. “Better. I feel better than I thought I would. I’m not quite ready to call you mum, but I’m happy to be around.”
“Ready?”
Charlie was standing at the door with a huge smile. She had changed into a tight white tee-shirt, black skin tight jeans and black leather boots with a ridiculous amount of buckles and the chunkiest soles that Aiden had ever seen,
“I think there are some straight jackets missing some buckles. You seem to have them on your boots,” he mocked.
“Will you come with us?” Charlie asked Sarah, ignoring his jest.
“Oh, no, but thank you for the offer. I’m a stay home and knot, kind of woman. You kids have fun, though.”
The quaint little pub was just what Aiden liked them to be – quiet and almost empty, with a perfectly arranged seating area that offered optimal views of the entrance, pool room and beer garden.
“You're casing the place, aren’t you?”
“I’m not a burglar, Charlie. They case places. I don’t but yeah, I always make sure that every entry is in my sight. Force of habit.”
He had been doing it for years, ever since school when he would watch for the bullies coming for him. He had learned then that he needed to be aware of his surroundings and always have an escape plan.
“What’s it like?”
Aiden saw her eyebrow raise slightly and a spark of wonder dance across her caramel eyes that were as deep as the sea. A knowing smile crept across her face and Aiden wondered what it would be like to taste her cherry red lips.
“What?” She asked, bringing him back to his senses.
“Sorry, what do you mean, what’s it like?”
“Being a, you know, what Sarah is.”
Aiden shrugged. It was a question he couldn’t answer. It wasn’t like he was an actual Faery that could do magic and fly and whatever else it was they did. He was normal, apart from the shifting, of course, but for all that he knew, that could be the wolf that allowed him to do that.
“I think it’s pretty cool. You’re definitely the hottest Faery that I’ve ever seen.”
Aiden felt a rumble of pride in his gut as she lowered her eyes and finished her drink, trying to hide the flush in her cheeks.
“Thanks, I, erm… I’ll grab us some more drinks,” he said.
All too soon, the barman rang the bell for last orders to be made and Aiden found himself wishing the night didn’t have to come to an end. He had never been one for spending time and talking but there was something about Charlie that made him want to spend the entire night talking about anything and everything.
“I don’t know… if I can… make it back, you know. I think… I may… just a smidge… have overdone it...”
“You'll be fine,” he said, finishing off his drink.
“Will you hold me up? If I stumble… or fall flat on my tits?”
Not trusting his mouth to control its words, he stood and held out his hand for her to take. Pulling her to her feet, he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the door.
“I think we should…”
Aiden raised an eyebrow at Charlie’s giggle as she placed her head against his chest and stepped off the pavement. Her ankle rolled, causing her to burst into a fit of laughter as Aiden held her up.
“I’m falling for you, ha! And you saved me, my fuckable faery.”
Charlie turned her face towards him as she stumbled again and as Aiden scooped her into his arms, she placed a hand on his stubbled cheek. His skin burned with the same need that he saw in her eyes and as her fingers worked their way towards the back of his head, he stumbled himself.
“Falling for me, too…”
Her whispered words cut off at his inadvertent gasp. He had felt her breath on his face as she moved her mouth closer to his and it was almost too much for him to bear. His entire body ached to taste her as her lips got closer, begging for him to take what they offered.
Please…
His beast whimpered at the intensity that was thick enough to crackle the air around them and it was all that Aiden could do, to not push his mouth against hers.
“You are very, very drunk, Charlie, and I don’t want you doing anything that you might regret in the morning.”