“Exactly. No howling, I can shift at will not just on the full moon, though I have to shift on a full moon or else I get incredibly pissy and you don’t want to see me like that… oh, and Dracula wishes he were only afraid of wolves.” She says matter-of-factly.
“Wait… Dracula is real?!” Honestly, at this point, I have no idea what fact or fiction is anymore.
Ava breaks out laughing at my stupid question. “Really? Out of all of that, that’s the piece you latch onto to?”
“I’m sorry Ms. Puss in Boots, not all of us know where the line is between shit we’ve been lied to about our entire lives, and actual fairy tales.” I say, an edge of annoyance creeping into my voice.
“Puss in Boots?” She asks, quirking an eyebrow at me.
“Yeah. A cat who’s a thief. You’re not the only one with jokes there, Macavity.” I tease.
She lets out an honest to god hiss at that. “Don’t you EVER bring up that fucking travesty in my presence again.”
Her reaction is so over the top and ridiculous I burst out laughing and can’t resist pressing her just a little. With a teasing grin, I hum the theme from CATS. The little growl she gives off only makes me laugh harder. She lunges at me with an adorable little glare, but I catch her around the waist, hauling her against my chest, pinning her arms at her sides. She struggles against me for a moment, but only makes me laugh that much harder. In the midst of the little struggle the tie on her robe comes loose and the soft silky fabric slips down off one shoulder.
Our eyes snag and we both go still, connecting for a breathless moment, the air around us getting thick with the spicy sweet scent of her. My arms tighten around her slightly and it's just enough to break the stillness, in the next breath we both move to close the small distance between us. Our mouths crash together, a tangle of lips, teeth, and tongue. A need unlike anything I’ve felt before washes over me and I’m helpless to fight it as I drag her more tightly against me, fisting my hands in the fabric at the small of her back.
Ava wrestles her arms out of my hold, never breaking the kiss, and wraps them tightly around my neck, her fingers diving into my hair and tugging, angling her lips against mine as she deepens the kiss. When Ava nips at my bottom lip with a moan, any semblance of restraint I was holding onto goes right out the window. Gliding my hands from her lower back, I pause and squeeze the firm curve of her ass before reaching down to grip the tops of her thighs. With a swift tug I haul her off her feet and against me, her legs wrapping around my waist as I turn and press her back against the wall of the tiny cabin. Bracing my hands against the wall behind Ava, bracketing her in, I deepen the kiss further, consuming her, desperate for more of her.
Breaking the kiss, I drag my lips across her jaw and down her throat, licking and gently sucking on her pulse point. On a moan Ava tilts her head to the side, giving me better access as she grips my hair even tighter in her fists. I continue my slow exploration down the column of her throat till I reach the soft spot where her shoulder meets her neck and gently nip at it, just barely grazing my teeth over her skin.
Ava goes rigid in my arms and pulls away, pushing almost frantically against my shoulders as she tells me to stop. Not fully comprehending her sudden change in mood, I try to kiss her again, to get her back into the moment with me, but when she gives my shoulders a firm shove and yells my name, I stop, stumbling back a step and settling her on her feet. We are both breathing hard while Ava attempts to right the robe on her shoulders, this time synching it tightly at the waist so it covers her, not able to meet my gaze as I stare back at her in confusion.
“Ava what’s…” I ask, but she cuts me off.
“We can’t Kaden. There’s so much you don’t… we just…. We can’t.” She says, there is so much pain in her voice it tears at me. I don’t understand what changed.
“That damn well felt like we could a second ago” I say, more harshly than I intend. The wince she gives at my words tells me I said exactly the wrong thing. Fuck.
“You don’t understand. You just… I have to go.” She turns away from me and storms towards the door. I can’t let her leave. I know the second she is out that door she will shift and take off. I can’t explain it, but everything in me is screaming to not let her leave, to keep her with me. Reaching out, I snag her wrist and give it a tug, spinning her to face me again. The look of confusion and… is that heartbreak… guts me. I want to touch her, to comfort her. The small contact of her hand in mine sends a calming wave of warmth through my body but it isn’t enough.
“Don’t leave me.” I whisper, attempting to show her just how confused and torn up I am about everything that has happened tonight. All I know right now is that the thought of her leaving threatens to bring me to my knees.
What the fuck has she done to me?!
261
Ava
Mate. My fucking mate. How the fuck
