expression while pushing his frame away from hers; his face didn’t betray anything before he’d left her room and closed the door behind him.
Only then did he break into a humongous grin.
Fuck.
Where had that come from? He had not expected it. Not at all.
Aiden had spent years of his life perfecting the art of seduction and by nineteen, he’d been a master at it, so if there was one thing he knew, it was women.
Until today, he hadn’t even bothered reading her amber eyes, because he’d expected to see nothing in there.
Today, he had though. Her eyes, her lips, the hands she hadn’t hesitated throwing around his shoulders.
That was a woman who wanted him.
Him.
He had no idea how that was possible, but he was not questioning it.
The most beautiful woman in Gaia fancied herself a Beast.
A novice would have taken her then and there, against the door, but Aiden knew she was confused, probably wondering at her own sanity right about now.
If he’d taken her, she would have bolted – and when a creature like him unexpectedly had a shot at a woman like Sibelle Thornton, he was in for keeps.
Which meant playing his cards right.
Chapter Seven
Guards
S he was stunned, lost for words, numb to it all.
It had been something between five minutes and five days since the Beast had released her from his hold – she was completely incapable of effectively measuring time.
She recalled the way his hard frame had fit between her legs, thought of the prominent bulge grinding between her thighs, and shivered.
Eventually, she gave herself one hell of a pep-talk and managed to get on her feet.
She needed to occupy her mind and spirit with something; anything.
It was her day off – the library opened seven days a week, and as most people liked to fight for weekends, she’d claimed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Normally, she’d spend the day reading, but for once in her life, the idea held no appeal: she needed activity to stop her mind from going back to the Beast. Losing herself in romances featuring beefy, tall, cocky alpha-males was not going to help.
She texted Lucia, who came back to her announcing she’d be free around three in the afternoon; she needed to see her, anyway – it wouldn’t be long until Ben got hold of her and tried to rope her into staging an intervention or something. Lucia needed the whole story beforehand.
So, that left a little over five hours to fill in. She was considering a run or a stop at her dojo when her stomach groaned, redefining her priorities.
First, breakfast.
The one thing her apartment didn’t have was food; she’d already got Clocks to direct her towards the kitchen downstairs, so she made her way there, weary.
The fridges were the domain of Cook. She didn’t know his name, but he’d been introduced as such. He was a small but compact man, barely her height, at least twice her weight in muscles; he might have been attractive, if it hadn’t been for the multiple facial piercings – through the bridge of his nose, all around his lips and his eyebrows. As it stood, he was pretty fucking scary.
If her short sojourn in the Nest had taught her one thing, it was the fact that she was extremely sheltered; things outside of what she considered as the norm frightened her.
But she wasn’t going to let it define her, so she did her best to smile, and said hello, swearing she’d never again make a stranger feel insulted by her ignorance, if she could help it.
Cook smiled back. She shuddered – but discreetly.
There hadn’t been a buffet or any readymade sandwiches on her first day, so she’d assumed she was expected to fend for herself if she didn’t arrive on time for the communal meals.
Wrong.
Cook almost roared when she approached the fridges. Roared.
“I cook,” he told her in a rough, unpracticed tongue, pointing towards his chest.
Then, he’d stood there, and for a beat, she wondered what he wanted from her. Tentatively, she
Only then did he break into a humongous grin.
Fuck.
Where had that come from? He had not expected it. Not at all.
Aiden had spent years of his life perfecting the art of seduction and by nineteen, he’d been a master at it, so if there was one thing he knew, it was women.
Until today, he hadn’t even bothered reading her amber eyes, because he’d expected to see nothing in there.
Today, he had though. Her eyes, her lips, the hands she hadn’t hesitated throwing around his shoulders.
That was a woman who wanted him.
Him.
He had no idea how that was possible, but he was not questioning it.
The most beautiful woman in Gaia fancied herself a Beast.
A novice would have taken her then and there, against the door, but Aiden knew she was confused, probably wondering at her own sanity right about now.
If he’d taken her, she would have bolted – and when a creature like him unexpectedly had a shot at a woman like Sibelle Thornton, he was in for keeps.
Which meant playing his cards right.
Chapter Seven
Guards
S he was stunned, lost for words, numb to it all.
It had been something between five minutes and five days since the Beast had released her from his hold – she was completely incapable of effectively measuring time.
She recalled the way his hard frame had fit between her legs, thought of the prominent bulge grinding between her thighs, and shivered.
Eventually, she gave herself one hell of a pep-talk and managed to get on her feet.
She needed to occupy her mind and spirit with something; anything.
It was her day off – the library opened seven days a week, and as most people liked to fight for weekends, she’d claimed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Normally, she’d spend the day reading, but for once in her life, the idea held no appeal: she needed activity to stop her mind from going back to the Beast. Losing herself in romances featuring beefy, tall, cocky alpha-males was not going to help.
She texted Lucia, who came back to her announcing she’d be free around three in the afternoon; she needed to see her, anyway – it wouldn’t be long until Ben got hold of her and tried to rope her into staging an intervention or something. Lucia needed the whole story beforehand.
So, that left a little over five hours to fill in. She was considering a run or a stop at her dojo when her stomach groaned, redefining her priorities.
First, breakfast.
The one thing her apartment didn’t have was food; she’d already got Clocks to direct her towards the kitchen downstairs, so she made her way there, weary.
The fridges were the domain of Cook. She didn’t know his name, but he’d been introduced as such. He was a small but compact man, barely her height, at least twice her weight in muscles; he might have been attractive, if it hadn’t been for the multiple facial piercings – through the bridge of his nose, all around his lips and his eyebrows. As it stood, he was pretty fucking scary.
If her short sojourn in the Nest had taught her one thing, it was the fact that she was extremely sheltered; things outside of what she considered as the norm frightened her.
But she wasn’t going to let it define her, so she did her best to smile, and said hello, swearing she’d never again make a stranger feel insulted by her ignorance, if she could help it.
Cook smiled back. She shuddered – but discreetly.
There hadn’t been a buffet or any readymade sandwiches on her first day, so she’d assumed she was expected to fend for herself if she didn’t arrive on time for the communal meals.
Wrong.
Cook almost roared when she approached the fridges. Roared.
“I cook,” he told her in a rough, unpracticed tongue, pointing towards his chest.
Then, he’d stood there, and for a beat, she wondered what he wanted from her. Tentatively, she
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