The Awakening: Aidan (11 page)

“I don’t take no for an answer, Jaylin. By now, you should know that.”

Who
was
this man?

Gone was the laid-back, infuriatingly smiley Aidan. A new determined glint shone in his green eyes, and his jaw was set with a harsh, no-argument-would-be-tolerated stiffness. Right now, he looked the epitome of a man who didn’t take no for an answer. He also looked rich. Very rich.

She glanced around the plane, seeing it as Aidan’s instead of Mrs. Biggerstaff’s, who she’d known had money. The luxurious inside was even more shocking now, and it did scream male. A powerful, wealthy male.

“Who are you? Some freaking James Bond?”

A wicked twist she’d never seen before quirked the corners of his lips, making him appear all the more dangerous. “I’m not the good guy, Jaylin. I’m the villain.”

Aidan? Bad? Not the Aidan she knew.

The engine revved. She shot to her feet. “I’m getting off this plane.”

She moved no more than two steps before he grabbed her forearm and pulled her back against him. The back of her shoulders pressed against his chest, and immediately her body responded, nipples puckering, heartbeat racing, those reactions skyrocketing when his lips brushed her ear as he whispered, “You’re not going anywhere, Jaylin.” He released her. “Unless you plan on donning a parachute and leaping to freedom, I’d suggest you put on your seat belt and enjoy the ride.”

She jerked at the command in his voice. If he expected her to just do his bidding, he had another think coming. She crossed her arms and leveled him with a “get real” look. His easy amused smile didn’t spread to the rest of his face; if anything, his expression hardened even more before he shrugged and sat down, buckling his seat belt. “If you want to end up on the floor, fine by me, but you’re not getting off the plane. The pilot has already been compensated not to stop.”

The plane moved and she stumbled forward. She grabbed on to the nearest headrest to maintain her balance. Without looking at him, she plopped back on the seat and buckled. “Fine. I’ll just catch a flight back once we land.”

“Every out has been closed. You might as well accept that now. You’ll leave when I say you can.”

She gasped. “How dare you bully me like this!”

He made no apology for his behavior. He didn’t even seem remorseful, just exuded an arrogant determination that grated on her nerves. She didn’t like this Aidan. Not one bit.

Crossing her arms, she shifted on the seat so her back was toward him and stared at the passing runway. How hadn’t she seen this coming?

Pretty damn simple. Aidan having an endless supply of money never even crossed her mind. The Aidan she knew drove a truck, owned a modest log cabin, and wore “Kiss Me I’m Irish” shirts. This Aidan?

She shot a glance at him over her shoulder. Everything about him was unapproachable. The unyielding way he sat in the chair, the precise way he pulled a phone from his pocket, even the stiff way he then sat back against the cushion and placed his ankle on his knee. It was as if he was on his way to an important business deal, instead of heading for a tropical beach resort.

Maybe that was how he was treating this.

“What do you possibly think to gain from taking me hostage?” she asked, unable to keep the question to herself.

“Think of it as you will, but you’re not a hostage, you’re a conquest.”

She twisted in her seat. “Are you kidding me? I’m not something you can acquire, Aidan.”

“People and business are all the same. Sometimes you have to force them to see what is best for them, even if they kick and scream the entire time. You, Dr. Avgar, will be my biggest acquisition to date.” He never glanced up from his phone. As though it was a done deal.

What the hell ever.

“Let me help deflate that big head of yours. You got lucky with getting me on this plane.”

“Luck had nothing to do with it. I observed your weaknesses and I used them against you.”

“I don’t have any weaknesses!”

“But you do.” He lowered his phone and looked at her. “Shifters in pain get to you even if you don’t want them to. Liam being a prime example. You didn’t have to help that first night, but you did. Besides, you’ve proven you’d go back on a vow if given the right amount of money.”

She recoiled from his words, hating the way it made her sound. “I-is that how you think of me? As someone who can be bought?”

His face softened for a fraction of a second before the hardness returned. “You weren’t bought. You needed the money. I knew this and I used your circumstances against you for my gain. I don’t apologize for that. I got what I wanted.”

“From this moment forward, getting me on this plane will be all you ever get,” she spat. “And don’t worry, you will get your bribe money back. I don’t want anything of yours and I don’t want anything to do with you.”

She closed her eyes, realizing she’d already split the money with Pam. She couldn’t take that back from her, not when she knew how badly her friend needed it. Jaylin would repay it, out of her own pocket. Somehow.

“Don’t worry about the money. Let’s just call it an investment in my future. Besides, I’d have never made my fortune if I caved every time someone threw an obstacle in my way.” Aidan leaned forward. “Let me be extremely clear, no previous takeover will have given me the wealth this one will. Failure is not an option.”

His words hit her right in the chest, squeezing her heart. He was so dead serious, she worried he might actually be able to change her mind, make her forget everything she’d witnessed. Make her believe she could be happy—until he died, and she was left with nothing.

She couldn’t chance it. She’d have to find a way to leave. He might believe he’d closed every avenue of escape, but no one was that good. There had to be a loophole somewhere. If there was, she was going to find it.

…

He was that good.

Six hours later, Jaylin watched the helicopter take off from the private tarmac, leaving her stranded. She sighed. They weren’t in Cancun. She didn’t even know where “here” was. It was tropical. A small island. With one luxurious thatched-roof house sitting before a sandy white beach and turquoise waters. She’d be in awe, if she weren’t so pissed off. She grabbed her bag and stalked toward a gravel path that led to the house from the tarmac. Her heels clicked on the asphalt.

Even when they’d switched to the helicopter, she hadn’t been able to escape. As her hair whipped around from the spinning blades, Aidan had gripped her upper arm and ushered her across the tarmac straight into the aircraft. The transition had lasted one minute max. She’d felt like some important person under CIA protection.

Aidan hadn’t said a word to her since they’d taken off, seemingly indifferent to her anger, which only made her angrier. As she wobbled down the path, her heels sinking awkwardly into the loose rock, she dragged her bag behind her. He didn’t offer to help like the old Aidan might have, and she refused to ask. When she reached the clearing, she climbed a long, stone staircase that led to a wraparound sundeck made of the same light stone. Then she hurried to the door and grabbed the handle, wanting to get as far away from him as possible. Of course, the damn thing was locked.

Why? There wasn’t another blasted soul on the godforsaken island to rob it.

Aidan dug in his pocket and withdrew a set of keys. Without a word, he unlocked the door. She shoved past him and into the house. She blinked, then set her face to not show any reaction. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d impressed her. But, damn it, she was impressed. The door led into a huge gourmet kitchen with cherry cabinets and granite countertops. The walls were painted a calming beige—which did absolutely nothing to calm her shredded nerves.

Keep walking. Don’t stop to gawk.

She opened the first door she encountered, not giving two wits if it was a closet. She slammed the door behind her, then gasped.

It wasn’t a closet.

A king-size bed with a white plush bedspread surrounded by the same-colored mosquito netting sat in the middle of the room against the far wall to the left. Red pillows placed on top of the mattress and on the chairs brought color into the room. Two wall-size shutters across from the bed had been folded back, opening the room to the salty air and revealing a small deck with two lounge chairs positioned to face the ocean with a petite wood table between them. The suitcase handle slipped from her hand and the bag clattered to the floor.

She’d never seen anything so breathtaking. She stepped farther into the room, noting that the wall beside the bed was made completely of thick glass and looked out onto a private outdoor terrace—complete with an outside Jacuzzi, shower, and sink—all surrounded by high, smooth stone walls. A generator hummed in the background.

She could live in here forever—which was a huge possibility considering she had to keep Aidan at a distance. But, boy, the man knew how to go all-out. She hurried around the room taking in everything. A door led to a private indoor bathroom. She glanced down. A business suit was certainly not the attire for the setting.

After grabbing a pale yellow tube-top sundress from her suitcase and quickly changing, she hurried over to the fully stocked bar stationed in one corner. She quickly opened a bottle, poured herself a glass of wine and gulped it down, enjoying the little tingles that erupted in her belly. She refilled her glass, then walked around the room. She didn’t know if Aidan meant for this room to be hers, but it officially was. He could have the couch for all she cared. She had everything she needed, including a lock on the door.

A grumble came from her belly.

She frowned. Well, except food.

She hadn’t eaten since early this morning. And she
so
wasn’t venturing out in search of a meal. She’d just power through until she figured out what she was going to do. And she needed to figure it out quickly. This house screamed romance. A couple. Love. And she’d only seen the freaking kitchen and bedroom. God only knew what the rest of the place looked like.

She figured Aidan had planned it that way. Take her off guard. Spoil her. Show her what she’d be missing. The thing was, all the money in the world didn’t get rid of the major problem between them.

He was a shifter. In
Drall
.

She stepped out on the deck. Tilting her head up toward the sun, she soaked in its warmth and inhaled that special salty smell only the ocean created. Her stomach growled again.

Sighing, she opened her eyes. Why did one need food to survive? Couldn’t wine and a gorgeous setting be enough? If only.

A flash of movement caught her attention by a thicket of palm trees down on the beach. The greenery moved and shimmied before a cougar burst out of the foliage and raced down the white sand.

Her breath caught tight.

Muscles bunched and expanded along its furred back as it sprinted down the beach, its paws hitting the lapping water, the spray glistening off its pelt. The animal didn’t slow as it reached the other end and tore into the tropical trees on that side. She listened to the rustling of the foliage before it charged back out. It made it about halfway across the sand before it stopped suddenly, sensing something. Its feline head turned toward her and stared.

Even from a distance, she felt the human staring at her from inside, felt the raw determination, and her heart pounded against her breast.

Aidan’s beast was a cougar—gorgeous, all slick lines and strong muscle that moved with a deadly grace. He was breathtaking in animal form.

Aidan then turned his back on her and continued his run.

Something about his rejection hurt. Why was that? Wasn’t getting him to let her go what she wanted? Swallowing, she went back inside as her belly protested again. She might as well get something to eat while she had the chance. If he was running, he’d be at it for a while.

She slipped from the room into the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she saw that they were well stocked up on food. She grabbed the roast beef and mayo. As she closed the door, a man walked into the kitchen. She screamed, which made him scream.

Throwing the meat at him, she took off for the door and was outside within seconds. Aidan’s cougar was already up the stairs running toward her, but he shifted to human form without missing a step as he neared. She stumbled to a halt, her fear vanishing as he sprinted to her across the deck…naked.

She couldn’t breathe, swallow, do anything but gawk.

She’d seen naked men before, but when the Dea had created Aidan she’d had perfection in mind. His body came together with powerful muscles that flexed with each movement. His sculpted abdomen and well-defined pecs appeared carved from stone. He had shoulders that screamed dominator. And his arms? Bulging, veiny, and lethal.

Her gaze dipped down and she almost lost the ability to stand. Even hanging flaccid among manscaped ginger hair, he was large.

When he reached her, he didn’t hesitate to thrust her behind him. “What’s the matter?”

She was reminded of why she ran out here in the first place. “There was a man in the kitchen.”

The growl vibrating from his body comforted her, but she wasn’t afraid anymore. Hadn’t been since she saw him. She was beginning to wonder if it was from the shock of seeing him naked for the first time or simply because he hadn’t hesitated to come to her rescue the moment he’d heard her scream. Probably a little of both, actually.

She felt safe. Protected.

With all her fear gone, she was conscious of only Aidan. How close he stood to her, his woodsy scent driving her mad. Steps came from inside the house. Growling again, Aidan shifted his body back toward her, bringing an arm behind him to shield her, eyes never leaving the door, and she felt the overwhelming need to lean in to his body, touch him. She really needed to step away, break this hold he had on her, but she couldn’t.

His back rubbed against her breasts, making her nipple tighten. The tense muscles between his shoulder blades begged to be kissed. Lust rushed through her, pooling low in her belly. Aidan stiffened and glanced over his shoulder, questions in his eyes.