Bold & Beautiful (10 page)

“Did it hurt? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” He cupped my face, resting his body weight on one elbow as he gazed into my eyes.

“Only a little,” I admitted.

The look on his face showed he wanted to say so much. “What you were going to say, it’s true. It’s a known fact that you fall in love with your mate before you ever claim them, or in my case, mark them. It happens fast for us. I know it’s different for you. There’s no pressure. Now that my wolf got what he wanted, I should be able to control him and give you the time you need.”

“Maybe I don’t love you yet, but it’s the closest thing to love that I’ve known. It is new, and a lot all at once, but I meant what I said. I’m done fighting this, whatever this defines to be.” I smiled up at him. “And as for wolfy Jonas, I’ll play fetch with him in the yard any time he’d like. I’ll even let him lick me and bite me on occasion.”

He laughed. “We like the sound of that.”

“So do I. I’ve never had a dog before.”

“Wolf, not dog.”

“I haven’t had either.”

“And I haven’t had a kiss from you yet.” His smile faded as he stared down at me. His eyes focused on my lips.

I swallowed hard. “Neither have I.” My voice was barely above a whisper, my anticipation climbing rapidly.

His lips slowly descended upon mine, softly caressing my mouth. He kept one hand on my cheek; the other slid down my body and cupped my hip. Hesitantly at first, I rested my palms on the sides of his hard stomach.

He moved his hand from my cheek, slipping it down behind my neck. He lifted my head slightly, angling me to deepen the kiss.

I opened my mouth in unison with his. My body was aware of his every move, sensitive to his every touch. Where once I was cold, now I was warm. My body absorbed his heat, absorbed his strength and fervor.

His tongue slid along the entrance to my mouth. The taste of him flooded my senses, awakening a new part of me. It was exhilarating; he felt like life, like hot-blooded, energy busting life.

And it was in his touch that every word I spoke to Brody was confirmed. I was already falling in love with both parts of Jonas. I was committed to him long before I realized I was. He felt right; he fit perfectly against me, beside me and in my life. What I told him in the car was the truth. The werewolf way, with a true mate, did ensure that you ended up with the right person, the best person for you the first time around. And I knew that he was the right person, the best person for me.

Suddenly, I felt something hard pressing against my lower stomach. I pulled away from his lips, pinching my eyes shut. “Um, Jonas, I think you need to put some clothes on.”

He chuckled. “Does my nakedness make you nervous?”

“Um, maybe.”

He laughed. I felt him kiss my forehead. “You won’t survive long here if you have any discomfort with nakedness. Every single one of us strips down before we shift, and we don’t exactly change back with clothes magically on us.”

I lifted one eyelid. “Can I at least hold onto my innocence for another day?”

His smile grew devious. “One day?”

I smacked his chest. “You know what I mean.”

He clutched my hand before I could pull it away. He kissed my palm.

My gaze drifted to his shoulder. “Does this tattoo have any meaning?”

“It’s customary for father and son to get matching tattoos on the son’s sixteenth birthday. It’s our way of recognizing the son’s step into manhood, and the father’s matching tattoo is his son’s inheritance note. When my dad dies, or when I reach age twenty-five, I will automatically take over his position in the pack.”

I trailed my fingers along the black tribal design. “You’re definitely a man.”

“And you’re definitely my mate, but if my parents catch us like this, you’ll be mateless. They just pulled up.”

I shoved him off of me, immediately closing my eyes. He laughed as he walked out of the room. I got up, fixed my shirt and bra and climbed into bed.

Jonas appeared in the doorway, already dressed in a new pair of shorts. “I’ll be right back.”

I nodded my head.

When he disappeared, I laid back on the bed. Adrenaline had kept me going, but now, extreme exhaustion was setting in. As much as I wanted to say goodnight to him, I was crashing too hard. I’d have to take comfort knowing that he’d marked me, was going to be sleeping in the room next to me and would be there when I woke up in the morning.

Chapter 27

JONAS

I met my parents at the bottom of the stairs. My mom pushed past me and went directly upstairs. My dad gave me a knowing look. They knew. Somehow, they just knew.

“Was it forced?” Concern wrinkled his brows, but not for me, for my mate.

“No.”

“Good.”

My mother came flying down the stairs. “Next time, please pick up your mess.” She held up a fistful of rags, which were once my shorts and boxers from earlier. She sighed, the fight quickly leaving her. “I’m happy for you, Jonas, but she’s human. Promise me that you’ll be careful.”

“Careful? Mom, she’s my mate. There’s no one else I will ever be more careful with. It’s instinctual. It’s my responsibility to love and protect her, not hurt her.”

Tears welled in her eyes. She patted my cheek. “You’ve grown up so fast. You’re going to make a great husband to Aura one day, and an amazing alpha.”

“No need to get all sappy, Mom. I’m not moving out anytime soon. I did want to talk to you about Aura possibly moving in though.”

“She’s your mate, and that makes her a member of this pack. She’ll always fall under the protection of the pack, and therefore have a place stay.” My dad looked at me, respect gleaming in his eyes. He knew the steps I was taking; he knew what I was feeling.

Every werewolf experiences the impact of finding their true mate at some point, some sooner than others.

“Thanks.”

“Just don’t get her pregnant. I’m not certain I’m ready to be a grandpa yet.” The fear in his eyes was amusing.

I laughed. “We’re keeping it PG for now.”

My mother breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank heavens.”

“You two are dramatic.” I shook my head.

“Wait until it’s your turn.” My dad was the one with an amused expression now.

“I hate to be nosy, but is her medical condition serious?” My mother worried her hands as she waited.

“It’s conditions. Luckily they’re not life threatening from what I read, but they are lifelong.”

“Well, we’re here if you need us. The entire pack is. We told them tonight so they didn’t panic if they ran into Aura on property,” my mother explained.

“Thanks.”

My dad looked at his watch. “It’s after eleven. Go get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, dear.” My mother kissed my cheek.

“’Night.”

I slipped into the guest bedroom, closing the door behind me. Aura was curled into a ball on her right side, the blankets pulled up to her chin. Her blonde hair fanned out over the comforter and pillows.

Even in the darkness, I saw the fresh wound on her left shoulder. Pride surged inside me. She was ours.

Chapter 28

AURA

I groaned, flopping my hand out on the nightstand, feeling for my ringing phone. I groggily opened my eyes. Everything came back to me all at once.

Jonas put a firm hand on my upper arm. “It’s okay. Just tell me where your phone is.”

I scrubbed my forehead trying to think straight. “In the front pocket of my book bag.”

The phone stopped ringing. The second Jonas handed it to me it started again. I looked at my phone, not surprised to see it was my mom calling.

“Hello?”

“Oh my gosh, Aura!” my mother screamed in my ear. I moved the phone away before cautiously pulling it closer again. “Roger just won the casino jackpot in Vegas! He’s cashing it out now. He said he’s going to take me traveling around the world. Can you believe it, honey?”

“Wait, mom! I thought you said you were driving out of town?”

“We did. We drove to the Atlanta airport and hopped a flight to Vegas. Now, you know I’ve never been the marrying type, but I just might take the plunge this time, baby.” She giggled like a schoolgirl.

Vegas? Traveling the world? There she went again, carelessly forgetting about me. “I’m happy for you, Mom.”

“I know. Now, I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone for, but Roger said he’d mail you a check. You can cash it down at the local bank. I don’t know what kind of cell coverage I’ll have, but I’ll call and check up on you. If you have an emergency, call Martha, okay?” She sounded excited and frantic. Near the end, it sounded like she was genuinely concerned for me too. But that was before she said, “Oh, and try not to gain any weight while we’re gone. If Roger buys you any clothes, they won’t fit when we get home then, and it’s hard to return stuff to a foreign country.”

And, just like that, I went numb. I lifted another wall between us. “Have fun, Mom.” My words had no influxes, no gusto. With Roger’s bank account doubling or tripling or growing by who knew how much, I knew I wouldn’t see my mom for a while. What I didn’t understand was how she didn’t feel like a part of her was missing when she was away from me.

With Jonas, I wasn’t in love with him yet, but I felt the emptiness when he left the coffee shop that day. I felt the longing as I sat through art class and avoided him in English. And the love of a mother was supposed to trump all others.

Maybe she didn’t love me… or maybe she did, but just didn’t know how to show it. Regardless, Jonas was right. I deserved more in life; I deserved better in life.

“Oh, I will, honey. I certainly will! Oh! Here comes Roger now. I’ll talk to you later, Aura. Don’t forget to wake up for school. Love you.” She immediately hung up.

I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it. It was 4:06AM and apparently everything in my life was going to change in twenty-four hours.

Jonas pulled me into his arms; my back pressed to his front. “You have me now. I know I can’t replace your mom, but I’ll always be here to love you, to support you and take care of you. And if I’m not, you’re a member of this pack now. They’ll always protect you. As for a place to live, my parents already said you could stay here.” He kissed the back of my head. “You’re not alone now, Aura, and never will be again, regardless of whether your mom comes back.”

I turned in his arms. I was grateful for Jonas, his family and pack, but just as Brody had double-checked to make sure I knew what I was getting into, I had to do the same with Jonas.

“Jonas, my prescriptions are filled once a month, I also have to see the Rheumatologist once a month for an injection. Once a year they do a new scan of my thyroid and stomach and throughout the year I’ll have good days and bad. I don’t have insurance, my mother never believed in government assistance, so all of this has to be paid out of pocket. That’s a lot of doctor visits, a lot of time and a lot of money.”

He pressed a finger over my lips, quieting me. He replaced his finger with his lips, gently kissing the words away. “You’re worth all of it to me, Aura. You’re my mate. There’s nothing you can say or do to make me lose interest, remember?”

I smiled, thinking back to when he first spoke those words to me. Had it really been twelve hours ago? It felt like ages ago. It felt like I’d known Jonas forever, that he’d been a part of me forever. Maybe that’s just it though. He’d always been a part of me, but only recently became a part of my life.

“I remember.”

“Good. Now try to get some more sleep.” He kissed the tip of my nose.

I snuggled deeper into his arms, leaning against his chest. Sleep came easy beside him, or maybe I just slept easier beside him.

Chapter 29

JONAS

Her mom was worse than I thought. She blew her daughter off like it was no big deal. I gave her credit for tending to Aura’s medical needs, but outside of that, she seemed like a flake. And the comment about not gaining weight was the final straw for me. I barely contained my wolf when we heard that one, especially since her mom knew about her health issues.

Regardless, she was still Aura’s mother, an important person in her life, and someone who would always be there. I just wished she acted like she wanted to be there for her daughter a bit more. It was one of those unspoken hurts on Aura’s part. I knew it bothered her.

I held Aura in my arms for the next couple hours, watching her sleep, listening to her steady heartbeat and deep rhythmic breathing. I wasn’t generally a sappy guy, but she brought out the sensitive part of me that no one else would ever see.

My dad knocked on the door a little after 6:30AM. “Hey, son. I’m leaving for a meeting with a potential investor. Have a good day.”

“Thanks. You too.”

Ten minutes later the alarm on Aura’s phone went off. She rolled away from me and haphazardly felt for the device on the nightstand. It took her several attempts to fully wake up enough to turn it off. She scrubbed her face and blinked her eyes several times in succession before she peered over at me.

She gave me a warm smile. “Good morning.” Her voice was raspy, full of sleep.