37. CONTROL

37

CONTROL

T he smell of vanilla and orange stirred her senses, pulling Charlotte from the depths of a dream where Aiden lavished her body with attention. She didn't want to open her eyes, afraid of losing the last remnants of the dream.

When a masculine groan sounded too real to be a dream, her eyelids fluttered open at the same time Aiden kissed down from her knee, over her inner thigh. At the sound of her moan, he looked up, meeting her eyes.

"Good morning," he said, voice low and rough. He must have woken up not long before her. She loved his sleep altered voice.

"Morning," she said with a smile.

Her eyes trailed over him. He sat between her legs on the bed wearing a pair of loose athletic shorts and a T-shirt she planned to steal before bed later tonight.

His hand cupped the calf of her bent leg; her other leg lay across his lap. She still wore her sleep shorts and his T- shirt, so he hadn't done half of what he did in her dream. Still, the simple touches over her exposed skin made heat pool at her core and goose bumps rise on her skin.

The hand not holding her bent leg slid up her outstretched leg to her thigh, pausing at the hem of her shirt, his gaze flicking up to hers. She squirmed and slid down, forcing his hand to move up her skin and slip beneath the fabric.

His fingers curled against her flesh, biting into her skin. "Words." He leaned over and kissed her knee. "Tell me what you want, Kitten."

That familiar tension in her chest hit at the sound of the nickname, her nerve endings coming to life as tingles spread over her. Her heart fluttered inside her chest, her breathing quickening.

Most of the time, she talked little when they had sex until he reduced her to a babbling mess of obscenities and unfamiliar noises. It seemed he wasn't having any of that today.

"Touch me," she whispered.

"I am touching you."

His wrist twisted to where his thumb rested on her inner thigh, and his other fingers remained on the outside. He tightened his hold on her thigh enough to bring the smallest bite of pain, making her moan. The grip only lasted a second, but he still soothed the area by brushing his thumb against her skin.

"See? If you want something different, you're gonna have to tell me."

The devil. Aiden was the devil.

His deep chuckle made her think he could read her mind, or her thoughts were written all over her face. She didn't know. None of her mental faculties were operating at full capacity at the moment.

She rolled her lips in and lifted her chin. His brows shifted up in momentary surprise before a devious grin spread across his face. Her swallow sounded loud to her ears.

"I guess if you have nothing to say, I'll take care of this myself."

He shifted, putting her foot onto the bed and rising to his knees. He pulled off his T-shirt with one quick movement and settled back against the wall. His erection pressed against his shorts obscenely. Without looking at her once, he reached inside and pulled out his thick length, pushing his shorts beneath his balls.

His left hand cupped his sack while he stroked the other hand down his shaft, a groan falling from his lips as his head dipped back, thunking against the wall behind him.

Rising onto her elbows to look at him, she licked over her lips as he gave himself slow, sensual strokes, twisting his hand with every pass over his darkened cockhead.

"Fuck, Kitten," he breathed. His chest rose and fell faster, the tendons in his throat standing out in his arched neck.

She wanted to see him break, but at the same time, she wanted him to give that to her.

"I could come like this," he said, voice strained. He grunted. "I could come all over my fist just thinking of burying myself deep inside of you. Fuuuuck." His strokes grew faster, his other hand massaging his balls, pulling them away from his body.

Her gaze latched onto his toes curling where his legs hung off the side of her bed. She'd had enough.

"Aiden," she whined, squirming her hips. Her wet panties pressed against her overly sensitive core.

He rolled his head on the wall to look at her with hooded eyes, slowing his movements. His chest heaved, a shudder passing through his body when he twisted his hand again. He squeezed the base and held it, waiting for her to say the words.

"Please," she whispered. Her fingers curled into the comforter when he didn't move. "Please touch me." She worried her lower lip. Even though he had her aching for him, she wasn't lost to her desires, so expressing her needs proved challenging.

He stroked himself again once. Twice. Three times.

"Fuck me," she said, her voice so low she wasn't sure he could hear, but he sprang into action, moving to his knees and shucking his shorts off, proving he had.

Fingers gripped her waistband and yanked her sleep shorts and panties off in one quick movement. His gaze latched onto her core. The bed beneath her must have a small puddle from how drenched she was. Her thin shorts did nothing to prevent her from soaking through the fabric to the sheets.

She lifted her hand to reach for his cock that leaked a steady stream of his natural lubricant, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist in a tight hold.

"No," he said, a growl to his voice that made a shiver dance down her spine.

She fell onto her back, and he pulled the shirt up her body until her arms lifted above her head, tangled in the fabric. The neck of the shirt stopped right above her nose, covering half of her face. Her lips turned down when he didn't finish pulling the shirt off and stopped moving.

"Aiden?"

"What's the word, Kitten?"

"What?"

"Your safe word."

Her breath caught, and she swallowed. "Um. Creamsicle."

"Good girl. Don't move," he commanded with a light smack to her hip.

Her breath hitched again in response to both the command and the touch.

She sucked in her stomach, back arching, when his teeth dragged down between her breasts and across her belly. The sensations were magnified because the shirt held her not only bound, but also blindfolded to what he did to her. She trusted him, and he knew it, so she didn't fight him on this new dynamic they'd fallen into. She liked it.

He didn't touch her or do anything else for a moment, but then his body heat cloaked her body, his breath fanning over her lips. His lips hovered inches from hers. What did she look like to him like this?

Her lips parted on a whimper at the bruising grip of his hands on the back of her thighs beneath her knees, pushing her legs up. But nothing she felt before compared to the explosion of pleasure that came when he sank himself deep inside her in one hard thrust.

Aiden wasn't gentle.

He rutted into her like a feral beast, hips slapping against her backside as he pressed his entire body weight into her, pushing her knees to her chest.

She cried out when he slammed into her and rotated his hips, lifting his body from hers to angle himself inside her to brush across that sweet spot.

Moving his hands to her waist, he slid her down the bed, positioning her into his lap with her upper body lying on the bed. Her limp legs draped over his thighs, forcing her back to arch. She could do nothing to stop it with her arms bound, and she loved it. The way he manhandled her body like she was his own personal plaything made her core clench around him.

He cursed, pausing his thrusts, holding himself deep inside her.

A sharp smack rang out into the room, and she yelped as a mixture of pleasure-pain flared out over her hip. He didn't spank her hard, but enough that she felt the sting.

"The things you do to me." His hands settled above her hipbones, giving her a little squeeze. "I want to ruin you. Make you unable to walk or sit down without remembering what it felt like to have my cock buried inside of you."

She moaned and rocked her hips against his lap, encouraging him to move. The new sensations from his spanks to the added thrill of losing one of her senses, heightening all the others, brought her close to the edge.

Another smack.

"I'm in control here, Kitten. I'll fuck you when I'm ready to."

Her eyes widened behind the blindfold. The way he spoke when he let himself go sounded dirtier than she ever did.

"You like that, don't you?" Judging by the way he flexed his fingers and his muttered curses when her walls clenched around him and fresh arousal pooled at his words, he already knew the answer. Slowly, he slid almost out of her. "Being my kitten." He punched his hips forward, and she gasped. "Me telling you all the depraved things I want to do to you." Another thrust. His voice lowered. "You like me in control, don't you?"

She squirmed against him as he slowly rocked into her.

"Don't you?" His voice hardened. "Tell me. Say it."

"Yes," she moaned, arching her back when he began thrusting into her hard and fast.

"Good fucking girl."

The brief vulnerability he showed when he first asked her about being his kitten was long gone. Was it because their bond was growing? Was it the grip a Vasirian's primal side had ramping up his natural personality? There might be some truth to that, but they had since grown comfortable with one another. Comfortable enough to let go and show the other parts of themselves they hadn't shown another.

In her case, she didn't even know she was into any of this until he opened her mind to it. Now, she couldn't imagine things any other way. But she knew deep down she could never submit to anyone else like she did to Aiden. Even if he left her tomorrow, she didn't see herself surrendering to another man the way she did him.

His hands roamed as his movements slowed again. If she didn't know any better, she would think he was edging her, or himself. Every time her insides fluttered, he would slow. Considering the way he jerked himself before sliding inside her, she found it surprising that he hadn't come. She suspected the brief moments of reprieve gave him a chance to calm down.

"I need to see you."

She gasped when he pinched her nipples as his hands made their way up to her shirt, slipping it over her head, freeing her arms. Her eyes met his, and her mouth dropped open.

The once dark forest color that made up his irises now looked like deep emeralds glowing against his dark eyelashes. Breathtaking.

Every muscle in his body appeared taut, as if even though he wasn't gentle with her, he was still holding himself back. What would it be like if he succumbed to his most primal urges?

She swallowed. She knew why he was holding back.

Aiden had the strength to hurt her without tapping into his preternatural side. To anyone on the outside, it would seem like he was losing control with her, but he had the ultimate control. Not just over her, but over himself. He had the power to kill her, but he didn't. He pulled his bites, his smacks, his grip. He might leave bruises she would cherish for days, but he would never hurt her with the intent of causing genuine harm.

Her heart swelled as a feeling she'd never experienced before washed over her. His eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Could he feel what she was feeling at this moment?

She'd never been in love before. She wondered if this was it.

Feeling too raw and exposed, she didn't say anything, turning her head on the pillow, breaking eye contact.

Maybe it was too early to say it when she wasn't sure if that feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket fresh out of the dryer on a cold rainy night was actual love, but she couldn't deny something warmed her chest when she thought of how he took care of her in so many ways.

"Eyes on me," he said, slowly rocking into her again.

She looked up at him. His eyes were still glowing, and she wondered if he realized it. Could Vasirian feel it?

He bent over her, running his tongue across her ribcage and along the underside of her breast. He nipped the sensitive skin there, making her moan. His mouth closed over her nipple, and he sucked it tight, flicking his tongue against the tightened bud, strengthening the force of his movements as he increased his speed.

Her neck arched as she babbled curses at the ceiling.

When a familiar tingle started building again, pulsing through her core, she wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her ankles over his firm backside. "Please let me come," she begged. She didn't want him to stop again.

She felt him smile against her breast and that's when she knew he was not only holding himself back, but also controlling her release. Had he waited for her to beg?

He sat up, pulling her body with him. Before she could wrap her arms around his neck, he banded his arms over the top of hers, fingers digging into her back as he thrust up into her body, bouncing her against his lap .

She wailed and hung her head back as the new angle took her to greater heights.

His mouth closed over the sensitive area where her shoulder met her neck, and she felt the scrape of teeth sharper than she ever had before.

Her head snapped up, and she met his wide, wild eyes.

He stared at her, and she knew he was waiting for her to use the safe word.

She wouldn't.

As much as the idea of fangs piercing her skin made her nervous after the painful bite from the rogue, she couldn't pretend she didn't want to know what it felt like to have Aiden bite her with his fangs. Blaire told her it wasn't like another Vasirian biting when Korrenas bit one another. The pleasure was supposed to be incredible. She wanted to feel it. She already felt okay when he tasted her blood before; this was just another step.

Her head fell to the side, her curls falling away from her neck and draping over her opposite shoulder.

His dark brows drew in, and his eyes flashed. "Say the words, Kitten." His voice was nothing more than a guttural rasp.

"Bite me," she whispered.

Without hesitation, Aiden lurched forward, his fangs sinking into her flesh. Her mouth fell open, her body shuddering in ecstasy when her climax overtook her body after the brief pinch of pain dissipated. When he sucked her sensitive skin into his mouth, her blood filled his mouth.

All too soon, the intoxicating feeling fled, leaving her feeling drunk.

With a few quick thrusts while her body slumped against his, limp and unable to hold on for the ride, he grunted, stilling inside her. Warmth spread through her core as he filled her.

He wrapped his arms tighter around her, his forehead pressed against the area where he bit. It didn't hurt. He'd probably healed her. "Thank you," he whispered in a shaky voice.

She didn't understand what he was thanking her for. Her head remained foggy, and she whimpered a little.

"Shhh, I've got you." His hands smoothed over her back, soothing her as her mind came back to her. "You did so good for me. You're so beautiful." He continued to praise her until she felt strong enough to lift her arms and wrap them around him, hugging onto him.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and when they dampened his skin, he pulled her back from him to look at her face.

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know," she said, hiccupping. "I just feel really good." She sniffed.

He chuckled and wiped her cheek with his hand.

"Are we bonded now?"

He blinked. "What? Why would you think that?"

"Because you drank my blood while we had sex."

He licked his lips; her blood stained his tongue. It made her insides tighten around his semi-hard cock, and he winced. "Sensitive," he answered her questioning look. He swallowed. "No. You have to drink my blood too, remember?"

"I forgot," she mumbled.

She'd been so caught up in the moment, she forgot there was another step to seal their bond. She only thought he had to drink and be inside her at the same time.

After a minute or two, he squinted at her as if something perplexed him. His hands came up to cup both sides of her face. "Did you ask me to bite you thinking it would bond us forever? "

When her hips squirmed, and her gaze drifted to the side as embarrassment colored her cheeks, he smiled so brightly it stole her breath. His pure elation punched into her chest and washed over her entire body.

He kissed her tenderly, turning the kiss into something slow and passionate as he held her face in his hands.

When they separated, she asked something that had been on her mind. "Will you biting me turn me into a Vasirian if Blaire isn't one?"

"No. There's a long process around that."

"What is it?"

He slowly lifted her off his softened cock and laid her back on the bed, getting up and walking into their ensuite. After a few moments, he returned with a warm washcloth, cleaning her body of their blended fluids. She was a mess. After he cleaned himself, he crawled onto the bed beside her and pulled the sheet over them, pushing away the damp, soiled comforter.

He turned toward her, propping himself up on his elbow, and traced his fingers across her stomach on top of the sheet.

"In order to become a Vasirian, you have to lose enough blood to be on death's doorstep, either by me draining you myself or by some other means, like an accident or something. The only person who can make your change possible is me. I'd have to feed you my blood at that point, and you would have had to go into the process of accepting the transition. Once that happened, you'd go into something like a coma until the transition completed." He shook his head. "I don't know how safe it is. With you and Blaire being the first human Korrenas to show themselves in hundreds of years, we don't know what happens from that point. We only know the starting process."

Losing all of her blood—or most of it—sounded frightening, but if humans did it hundreds of years ago successfully, why couldn't they do it now?

"Is that something you're interested in?" He tried to keep the hope out of his voice, but she felt it thrum through their bond as clear as spring water.

"I've always been fascinated with legends, myths, and the unknown. To live for what would feel like forever knowing those I care about would be there with me? It opens up so many possibilities." She traced his knuckles with her fingertips.

Mundane human life hadn't done her many favors, but it hadn't been terrible like for some people. If she were honest with herself, she didn't mind the idea of trading her humanity for a longer life with her friends and Aiden. It would give her more years to get it right.

She didn't think telling him without a sealed bond was wise.

What if he changed his mind?