Chapter 6

Astrid

I'm goingout with Caden again.

If you had told me even a few days ago that I would be going on a date with a biker, I would have laughed or called you crazy. If you had told me I would be looking forward to it, I wouldn't have believed you, but that's exactly what's happening.

I can't deny that I can feel the bond he was telling me about. I opened up to Caden so much yesterday and told him things I hate talking about with anyone, even Nara. I told him though, and I'm still not sure why, other than I felt comfortable with him.

Caden is picking me up tonight, and I've dressed appropriately for our date. I have a pair of jeans and a pale pink long-sleeve shirt on. I slip a jean jacket over my shirt and head down the hall.

My childhood house is decorated the same as it's been my whole life. There's one picture on the wall in the hallway, a gift from my grandma before she passed. It's of my mom and dad on their wedding day, my mom's belly swollen with me. Neither of my parents are really smiling, and I glance at it briefly as I pass by.

My mom is in the kitchen, cutting up some vegetables. The knife slams down on the cutting board with way too much force, and I know that she's pissed. My dad is passed out in his recliner in the living room; a few empty beer cans litter the floor around him.

The scene is all too familiar. It happened almost daily when I was growing up. My mom getting mad about whatever, and my dad drowning himself in beer until he passed out and didn't have to deal with her anymore.

It's no secret that they didn't really want to get married. Theirs was a shotgun wedding. They had been a drunken one-night stand, and when my mom learned she was pregnant with me, they were forced to get married. I know that both of my parents blame me for their miserable lives. I used to too, until I heard that some kid's parents at school were getting divorced. At one point, I even begged my parents to separate, but they never did.

"Where are you going?" My mom snaps as I head for the front door.

"Out," I say a second before I walk out the door.

Caden pulls up a second later, and he smiles as I hurry his way. He passes me a helmet and I slide it onto my head. I'm glad I left my hair down as I secure the strap and climb onto the motorcycle behind him.

"Where are we going tonight?" I ask as I wrap my arms around his waist.

"There's a band playing in the next town over. I thought we could check them out. It's supposed to be like a festival with a bunch of food trucks and stuff."

"Sounds fun."

"It will be," he promises a second before he takes off.

I hold onto him tightly and enjoy the ride as we weave down the streets and head towards Acorn Bend. It's not that long of a ride, and I try to enjoy the scenery, but it's hard. It's hard because my mind keeps straying to the gutter.

Dirty thoughts of Caden between my legs flow through my mind, and I shift on the bike but can't get any relief. The vibrations from the bike roll through me and I try to squeeze my thighs together, but all I can do is press harder against Caden.

It sounds like he growls, but it's probably just the bike. My nipples pebble in my bra, and I try to shift back away from Caden's big, strong body. There's nowhere to go though.

Caden speeds up, and I wonder if he's getting turned on too. An image of him above me, moving inside me, pops into my head, and I let out a moan.

All of a sudden, Caden veers off onto the shoulder, and I gasp.

"What are we doing?" I ask him as he turns off the bike and climbs off.

"I just need a minute," he says through gritted teeth.

I watch as he stomps off into the woods, and I frown after him. I wonder what could have gotten into him.

He comes back a minute later, right when I was about to go looking for him. He doesn't look happy and I notice he's walking kind of stiffly.

"Are you alright?" I ask him as he walks right up to me.

"I can smell you," he growls.

"What?" I ask, blinking in surprise. "Yeah, you told me that when we talked about shifters."

I'm so confused about what's going on.

"I can smell your arousal," he grits out, and my jaw drops.

I can feel my cheeks heating with a blush.

"I… I," I open my mouth, but I have no words.

"Goddamn it, Astrid. The way you smell," he groans as he runs his nose up my neck.

I shiver at the touch, and I hear him snarl.

"I… Caden," I babble, and he kisses the base of my neck.

I tilt my head, giving him better access, and he takes advantage, licking and kissing a path up my neck. He licks my earlobe, and I arch against him. Having the bike between my legs is kind of perfect. I grind against the seat of his Harley and moan as he makes his way towards my lips.

"Caden," I moan, and he groans as he claims my mouth.

His lips mold against mine and his hands cradle my face. Mine land on his chest and I can feel his heart racing out of control against my palms. I'm sure that mine is beating just as hard and fast.

His tongue brushes against the seam of my lips and I open for him. He slips his tongue into my mouth and I melt against him as his tongue tangles with mine.

A car speeds past, honking at us as it goes, and I jerk back. I'm sure that we make quite the spectacle out here on the side of the road.

Caden glares at the car as they drive off, and I lick my lips. I can still taste him there and it only turns me on more.

"We should go," I say, and he nods, then swallows hard as he stares down at his bike.

"We're going to take my truck until we're mated," he mumbles as he climbs on, and I bite back a smile as we take off once again.

My body is still buzzing and I try to get myself under control as we make our way to Acorn Bend. Caden pulls into a busy parking lot and I see string lights strung up between the trees and a bunch of food trucks parked all around.

Caden parks, and we climb off, but when I look over at him, all of those feelings from the bike come racing back.

"Let's go and take a look around," he says, and I lick my lips.

He snaps, his hands lying flat on the bike seat in between us and he hangs his head.

"You're going to kill me," he growls, and I take a tiny step towards him.

He holds up a hand to stop me and I freeze.

"I want you. Badly," he says as he looks into my eyes. "But it's not the right time. You need to be sure about us before we're together, because once we are, there's no going back. There's no breaking up for us. Once we're together, we're together."

I nod, and he takes a deep breath and stands up.

"Let's go have some fun," he says, holding out his hand to me after a moment.

I pause for a second before I slide my hand into his and we head off to look around.

I don't tell him as we listen to the band, or when we eat, but the truth is that I think I am ready. I like Caden. I trust him. Plus, he's the only man that I've ever been interested in. He says that we're meant to be, and I believe him.

Now I just need to work up the courage to admit that to him.