Page 32 of Significant
“Can I do something?” I stare into his troubled eyes as he reaches for my hand. I find it easier to chase Stephan from my mind with Wolf by my side.
“No, it’s all forgotten.”
Aaron doesn’t say anything, giving me the time to cool down, before he insists on carrying me to our room.
“Let me take care of your cuts.”
Aaron lifts me onto the bathroom sink of our hotel room, not waiting for my reply. He fixes his gaze on the dried blood covering my shoulder and collarbone. I’ve never seen him so concerned, so murky. It seems we are both haunted by a memory, consumed by a past, I want to ease.
After a traumatic event, people adopt different approaches to it. They can ease their darkness by trying to survive any way that they can and learn to live with it. Or they can repress their memories, being the dominant to them—and to everyone. To feel that they are in control, while they aren’t. They are their own slave, their kingdom being their prison. And I believe Aaron is one of them.
He applies pressure with a clean tissue near my collarbone, but my long sleeve shirt doesn’t provide him full access. His touch is mechanical, focused, as if he has disconnected his heart from his brain.
“Aaron,” I whisper, hoping to reach him. “Are you—”
He hands me one of his shirts. “Your sleeve. I need you to change.”
“It’s fine. I trust you.” With my eyes fixed on his, I’m determined to take a leap. Giving him the proximity he needs while battling my demons. I can’t let my ghosts get to me.
His hands slide down my top, his fingers caressing my skin as he lifts it over my head, revealing my black bra. My heartbeat accelerates at a dangerous pace, my breath cut, I’ve never let another man see me since Stephan. Aaron looks upon me with an expression I can’t picture. Hatred? Desire? Pain? All of the above. I’ve been bruised, but he creates something new in me. Something wild.
“You should wear my shirt.”
“Why? Am I repulsing you, Aaron?” I defy him, swallowing my last drop of courage. I won’t let my past define me. I won’t let another man tarnished my confidence.
He starts to clean my cut near my collarbone, his fingers caressing my skin sensually. They slide lower near the entrance of my breasts as I’m gripping the washbasin behind me to calm my nerves. Every one of his touches is erotic. Galvanizing. He isn’t only healing my body, but the bruises of my past. Erasing Stephan’s disgusting touch with a tender one. He is giving me a new hope. A hope to rebuild myself. He slides the strap of my bra down before our eyes connect intensely.
“No, Elle. You are making it very hard for me to resist you.” He inhales deeply, as if his control is escaping him.
He massages the healing cream tenderly below my collarbone, encroaching on my breasts. I bite my lower lip, my eyebrows frowning, welcoming the guilty pleasure that his touch creates in me. He bandages my shallow cut before positioning his body between my legs. Aaron caresses my thighs before squeezing them, a soft moan escapes me, heat streaking down into my belly.
“The way you are reacting to my touch, it’s driving me insane,” he growls in his raspy voice.
He wrinkles his brow, his mouth lowering dangerously close to mine, while my lips part, eager to taste him. His thumb brushes on my cheek, a dilemma visible in his scorching stare. It’s as if he is hesitating between breaking me or freeing me. Between revealing his darkness or his light. Wolf hides his emotions by the desire of the flesh. As for me, I pretend to be perfect, seeking approvals—To be loved.Seen. Desired. Until him. This feral racing driver becomes my addiction. My escape.
Our lips, magnetically attracted, meet in a lustful kiss, finding our freedom. His hands seize my waist, pulling us closer, while my fingers wander into his stygian hair. Electricity sparking between us. Captured in the moment, I lose myself in the abyss of his soul, giving him what he relishes.An escape.I moan toward the fierce heat of our tongues dancing, colliding, melting. He is claiming and possessing my lips, and I doubt Wolf will stop here. He’s a conqueror, he’ll continue until my heart follows. Until he owns my whole self.
Our kiss slows down into something more sensual, taking our time to savor each other’s lips slowly but deeply. We finally break the kiss to be able to catch our breath, and I find my opening to learn more of Wolf. “Aaron… the way you reacted at the track earlier,” I mention. “What happened to you?” For an unknown reason, I feel the need to get closer to his darkness. The need to heal together.
“Forget it.” He hands me his shirt, his whole attitude shifting a three hundred sixty degrees turn.
He heads toward the bathroom door before I stop him by grabbing his wrist. “I can’t, Aaron. You asked me here. If something happen between us, I should know—”
“I’ve told you my past is off-limits. If you want a heart to heart conversation, you should find yourself a goodboyfriend. I don’t do small talk.”
“I’m not your enemy, Aaron. Have you ever thought that perhaps I’m interested in learning to know you? It doesn’t have to be clinical and robotic between us. We can be friends,” I snap at him, crossing my arms on my chest. Yes. I just admitted that us, it will happen. Twice.
“So… you want to be friends with someone who will try to use you for his personal needs? Is that what you want, Elle? To be treated like a nobody?” He snorts, shaking his head.
I am incapable of speaking. He hits me with the somber truth. I’m heading with him into a road with the possibility to live my worst fear. Being used again. Being insignificant, with my consent, and with all my heart. And was I ready to do it? Probably.What’s wrong with me?
“Maybe you are as screwed up as me after all,” he adds before leaving.
An hour later, I take a seat on our balcony wearing his black shirt while watching the golden sunset warming my face. I text with Tania a bit to try to clear my mind of Wolf. A thing that I find impossible to do. This troubled racing driver is haunting my thoughts. The irony is, I’ve been obsessed with perfection. And now, I’m obsessed with a man who is far from perfect and yet seems perfect to me. I laugh, I’m ridiculous. It’s been only a few weeks since I’ve met him, but I have the feeling that I’m getting emotionally involved to a point of no return.
Probably because with Aaron, I don’t have medium emotions. I’m all or nothing. He is an extreme. He is the answer to my job, the answer to my pain, but yet he is a problem. A problem who just appeared next to me. I peek over at him, watching him staring at the sky. He exhales, leaning toward the railing and running his fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. Mysterious Aaron.He creates in me a dark pulsation; I can’t decide if he provokes the best or the worse in me.
He sips his drink in one go, and I could guess it isn’t his first one tonight. “Thomas is gonna kill me, drinking so close to a race.”
