Animal Heart (Beast & Beauty) (13 page)

“Oh fuck, Maddy,” he cried out and moaned loudly as he came. She was filled with joy to hear him say her name and to give him this moment.

She didn't stop but kept going, revelling in the salty heated rush that filled her mouth. She held him tightly in her hands, taking it down, and licking him softly, over and over.

His hands stroked her hair. Then he sniffed hard, taking in a deep breath, and his whole body shuddered like a tiny human earthquake. She turned and lay on top of him to keep him warm, stroking his stubbly cheeks with her fingers, and brushing his hair back from his face.

She looked deeply into his bright blue depths.

“Let me know when you want some more of that,” she said, kissing first his nose, and then his lips.

“
Much as I'd love to, I don't know if my mind can take being blown any more than it is at the moment.” A lazy satisfied grin spread across his face and he stretched. “C'mon, let's go back to the ranch. I wanna get you on my nice soft bed.”

As they approached the ranch-house, two things caught their attention. One was the return of the old blue truck that Mia had stolen in her hasty departure, and the other was the loud and heated argument going on outside between Mia and a few of the others.  They dismounted and walked up to the group who had gathered around her.

“Mia... Nice to see you. Staying or visiting?” Aden asked in a deliberately bland tone of voice.

“Don't pretend you're actually interested,” she said sarcastically.

“You've been a member of our pack for over seven years. Of course I am,” he replied, treading a little more carefully and softly.

“God, have I really wasted that long on you?” she ground out nastily.

“I wouldn't call it a waste. We've enjoyed each other's company, worked together, and had a lot of fun, haven't we?” His eyes held hers for a moment.

“Yeah, that's all I ever was to you. A lot of fun.” She looked away with a teary sad look. He sighed yet again at her single-minded line of thought and conversation.

“Talking of fun, you had your own with Maddy's car, didn't you? That was spiteful and uncalled for Mia.”

“The little bitch deserved it for stealing you from me,” she spat back, giving Maddy a hateful look.

“I was never yours to steal. As I said over and over again. I think you have very selective hearing, don't you? But whatever… Are you staying or going?”

“Staying I suppose,” she grumbled,

“Well you can start by apologizing to Maddy for wrecking her car,” he ordered with a stern tone of authority.

“Like hell...” she replied with a glare in her direction.

“Then you'd better go.”

“Okay, okay... Sorry, right?” She flashed her eyes at Maddy reluctantly, and extremely briefly.

“How sincere and deeply meant that was,” Aden added sarcastically.

“Don't fucking push it. That's the best I can do.”

She stalked off, back inside the ranch house with her bags of belongings.

God, she was such a little bitch of a she-wolf at times...  

He looked at the others in his pack. No one was more troublesome and bitchy than she was. She should have the word 'bitch' tattooed somewhere on her body. Preferably somewhere very painful.

Aden snickered to himself with amusement. She was going to get a helluva surprise when she went in her room. He followed her inside, along with some of the others, and waited for it...

“WHAT THE FUCK....”

And there it was. She came charging down the corridor with an angry flushed face.

“Why is there a strange man lying on my bed?”

“Ah, that'd be Cal. He's stopping over. You'll have to make up a guest room.” He knew it was a little mean of him, putting Cal in there when he knew she might be back any day. But he wanted her to realise that she couldn't walk out and come back as and when she liked, and that everything would be the same as it was, especially after what she did to Maddy's car.

“And who the hell is Cal?” she demanded.

“That'll be me, pretty lady, and who the hell are you?” Cal's deep southern rumble of a voice sounded out from behind them as he arrived through the corridor. The look on Mia's face changed in an instant as she took stock of him. Tall and good looking in a rough and tough way. Wild fair hair, currently shirtless, and tattooed with a vengeance. He stood proudly and confidently with his thumbs tucked in his jeans pockets.

Aden had to admit he was a giant of a wolfman. A touch fearsome in his looks, without any effort whatsoever.

He watched with complete fascination as Mia melted in a puddle before his very eyes.

“Oh...” she managed, blushing and fluttering her eyelashes at him uncontrollably.

Cal cocked an eyebrow at her, waiting for an introduction. She obviously wasn't up to remembering her name, so Aden remembered it for her.

“This is Mia. She used to stay in your room,” Aden said pointedly.

“Did ya now?” he replied with a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Well how 'bout that. I'll be havin' some very pleasant dreams in that bed from now on.” His eyes raked her over shamelessly, eating her up, and then once again for dessert.

He held out his large hand to her in greeting, and she placed her very small hand in his, looking as if she was about to faint, overcome with big wolfman desire.

“So pleased to meet ya Mia. Tell me, where've ya been hidin'?” He shook her hand gently and carried on holding it, stroking it gently with the fingertips of his other hand.

“Not far. I needed to get away, you know... To think things over...” she rambled, her wide eyes glued to his deep brown gaze.

He laughed loudly, flashing his impressive, gold-toothed grin her way. Her eyes glazed over, awash with lust.

“I meant where've ya been hidin' all my life honey...?” he drawled, and winked at her cheekily.

“Oh ha ha...” she spluttered, highly embarrassed at the blatancy of his come-on in front of everyone.

“Well now, lucky for you, I've got a bottle of this best here Crown Royal just beggin' to be opened. How about ya tell me yer
whole
life story, sweetheart? Right from the beginnin'. Let's go get ourselves nice 'n comfy, shall we? In yer old room... I've a feelin' we're gonna get along real fine...” He led her by her hand, and she trotted off obediently at his side as they all looked on in amazement.

Unbelievable! He's tamed the wolf-bitch in thirty seconds flat...

They took the horses back to the stables and finished up there quickly. Maddy took his hand and pulled him to one side urgently.

“I need to speak to my parents, my friend, and my manager at work, right now.”

“Can't you do that later?”

“No, I want to do it now. It's bugging me and I want my head to be clear of it, before anything else, you know?”

“It's okay, I understand. Go ahead then. I'm taking a quick shower, so I'll see you in my room, hmmm?” They walked back through the ranch door and he gave her a quick peck on the cheek and a squeeze of her ass as he left.

Smiling, she picked up the phone on the reception desk and began tapping out her workplace phone number.

She got through to Karen, her manager, and explained she needed an unpaid leave of absence for a while. The conversation was awkward and strained, and she felt bad about letting them down at a busy time. They finally agreed to a one month absence which would give her some breathing space, at least. She had to get around working out her notice somehow.

She moved on and rang her friend Jade. She was cool about it, but obviously a little curious. She was telling her friends and parents the same story for now. She needed a change. Just for a month. There was the possibility of working there permanently, and she wanted to see how it went, on a trial basis first.

She finally tapped out her mom's mobile phone number nervously. She had left this phone call for last because she knew her parents would ask probing questions. They were intuitive, clever people, and she knew they wouldn't be fobbed off with a vague answer. She knew her dad would be disappointed about her decision to give up her career. They'd put a lot of effort and money into her education. Her parents were professors, at Mount Royal University in Calgary. They were proud of her success and her independence. After her older sister had become pregnant at sixteen, and was now on her third child, by two different fathers, there had always been more pressure on her to achieve. Her phone went to unavailable mode, which was odd. Her mom
always
answered her phone and kept it at her side constantly. It was Saturday and she should either be at home or out shopping. She tried the home phone instead.

Someone female answered quickly.

“Hello…”

She didn't immediately recognise the voice, although it had a ring of familiarity to it.

“Oh hello, it's Maddy here. Is my mom there?”

“Oh Maddy, thank God it's you.” She suddenly realised who this was. It was her aunt Jackie, her mom's sister. She was about to have a conversation with her, but her aunt seemed overly tense. “I've been fretting like hell because I didn't know where you were, your phone was unreachable... Maddy, listen... I'm so sorry, there's no easy way to tell you this, but your parents had a car accident last night. Your dad suffered a severe head trauma. He's in a coma and hanging on, just barely. Carly's at the hospital now and I've got her kids with me while Lew's at work. But your mom, I'm so sorry love. Celine's... well... she's gone…” Her aunt's voice cracked with emotion and she broke down on the phone.

“No... no. Not them... It can't be true? Not my mom and dad...” Her heart felt like someone had stabbed it, the pain was so fierce. Tears filled her eyes in a second. She let out a high pitched wail of distress as she dropped the phone on the floor. Sammy appeared immediately from the kitchen and picked up the phone, holding Maddy's heaving, and tearful body against her own.

“Hello... I'm Samantha, Maddy's friend at Heart Mountain Ranch, what's happened?” She proceeded to have a conversation with Jackie. Maddy clung to her in a state of shocked and sobbing disbelief as she rocked her from side to side. Some time went by and she was passed over to him. His clean scent engulfed her, and his strong arms surrounded her, as he picked her up and carried her off. Her body was wracked with heaving sobs as he held her tight, lying next to her on his bed. He smoothed her hair back and kissed her forehead. He murmured soft words of comfort, shushing her gently, and quieting her down.

“I'm so sorry Maddy,” he finally said, when her sobs had subsided enough for her to take it in.

“My mom, my dad, oh no... Aden, no....” she wailed in horror.

“I know. I'll take you back, you need to be there.”

“You can't. It's the full moon in less than two days.”

“I know, and we'll think of something. But you need to be there. Your dad and sister need you.”

“Oh God, this can't be happening...”

“Look, I'll bring you back as soon as you can leave. Don't fret about it. I'll always be here for you, I promise. Get yourself packed, we're going right now.” Aden took charge of her, taking her back to her room and collecting her things. Before they left her room, he took her into his arms and gave her a long, wonderful kiss. “Remember that. Won't you? When things are bad.” He gave a tiny smile and tipped her head up with his fingers. “Now call your aunt and tell her you're on the way. Let's go.”

Her body felt weak with a flood of emotion and a massive dose of nervous tension, as Aden drove up to her parents' house in Calgary. It was a beautiful home, where she had grown up happily, and set on the outer limits of town, in a semi-rural spot. They had a sizeable plot of land, which they hadn't needed for years since they'd sold her pony. The horse box still stood at the end of the paddock, next to Pip's small stable. She gazed at it all blindly and miserably, as they made their way up the long dirt driveway to the house. Aunt Jackie came out to greet them, waiting on the porch. Her eyes were filled with tears.

Carly appeared from behind her with her three children, baby Charlie, toddler Danny, and eleven year old Courtney. Carly's boyfriend Lewis appeared at her side.

“Maddy...Oh Maddy...” Her sister came forward and clung to her, and they both sobbed their hearts out. “I thought it would be best to wait, until you got here,” Carly choked. “He's gone Maddy… Dad died… two hours ago.”

They held each other up. She didn't know how, but they managed to get inside and seated in the living room. She vaguely heard Aden introducing himself to Jackie in the background. Her manners had slid away for a moment, understandably.

Danny gave her a toy train of his to hold and she looked at it blindly through a veil of tears. They were all alone now. Apart from their two remaining grandparents who were in ill health and lived in Australia. Aden sat at her side, took her hand, and gave it a comforting squeeze. She sank against him and buried her head in his broad chest as her sobs came again. He hugged her close, stroking her head. No one should have to lose their parents like this. It wasn't fair, she thought. God had a lot of explaining to do, to her mind.