Saint Ives Whelan Chronicles Ch. 02

Thank you all for the nice replies on the previous chapter. Here we have the continuation. Again many thanks go towards AsylumSeeker for editing Ch2. I promise I am working on the rest of the stories.

Feedback, positive or negative, is more then welcome, all I ask is to keep it polite.

Enjoy the read.

Saint Ives Whelan Chronicles: Dominic Saint Ives - Whelan

Chapter Two: A Nice Ride Home

Getting up they said their goodbyes to the other girls. Holding her hand Nick weaved his fingers together with hers, leading her out of the club. Once outside he brought up his arm, holding her close to him while he led her to the side of the building. Reaching for the car keys in his jeans he stopped next to a midnight blue Jaguar XK. Pressing the button he unlocked the car, opening the passenger door for her.

She looked puzzled towards him. "You drive that?" She pointed at the car again, her excitement growing by the minute. She didn't get in, but moved around the door, slowly walking round the car, one finger slipping over the side and hood of the car.

Now it was his turn to be puzzled, her tiredness seemed to be gone from one minute to the next. "Yeah, at least tonight, I got a few cars." he admitted.

"A few?"

He chuckled. "Yeah a few, perks that come with the job. I own my own company, as I said, I'm only here as a favor to the family. I don't really work here."

"So this one," she continued, "basic or custom model? I like the color, nice to see one not in bright yellow like most others."

"Well it's pretty basic, just had the engine pumped a bit. Oh and the car seat adjusted," he said, scratching his head, "else I wouldn't fit."

Going around the rest of the car she smiled up at him. "She a smooth ride?"

"Want to find out?" came his reply. To his own amusement he found himself stretching out his arm, the keys dangling on his finger.

"How much I'd love to but I won't, I only live nearby, that wouldn't do it justice," she replied, a bit surprised. He would let her drive this beauty, no questions asked? However she knew the short drive would only be a tease, so better pass.

Coming over to her he grabbed her hand, put the keys in it and said, "Then take us for a longer drive, we're not that far from the city edge, there are some long easy roads." She had better say yes now before he changed his mind, he normally never let anyone else drive any of his cars. He had a few, but for all he cared she could take whichever one she wanted, it was all fine.

It did come as a bit of a surprise that she seemed to love and appreciate nice cars, and he'd bet if they talked cars in more detail she'd understand what they would be talking about.

"You sure?" she asked again.

Moving to the driver's side he opened the door, pointing inward. "Get in before I change my mind," he said with a wink, "I'm sure you know a few roads around."

Unable to keep the excitement at bay she walked up to him, hugged him tightly, and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek before sliding in the driver's seat. He just stood there, frozen, reveling in the imprint her body made against his, remembering each curve. Getting his act together he closed the door, hurried around the car and got in the passenger seat himself, for the first time ever in one of his own cars.

"Thank you again, Nick," she said while starting up the car. Steering the car towards the passing traffic, she quickly accelerated and placed the car amongst the rest, driving towards the edge of town.

The short drive was spent in easy silence, she enjoying the ride, Nick just looking at her, drinking in each bit of her he could see.

The more he found out about her, the more he wanted her, not just as his mate, but as a friend, companion and certainly as a lover. His mind wandering a bit he did worry about how he was going to explain to her that werewolves and the like were no myth or fairytale, but actual living creatures. They had their own problems and hierarchy, and he had advanced as high as one could in the werewolf community, the king amongst kings and queens.

"Mind if I take up the speed a bit? The road seems deserted enough here and I'd love to hear the engine work a bit," she asked. Fran still couldn't really believe he'd let her drive his car, it was a secret passion of hers that none of her friends knew about. She loved fast cars, but sadly she was in no position to afford one like this on her own, so driving one was even rarer. She felt like a child let loose in a candy store.

Looking to the surroundings for a few seconds he then turned towards her. "Sure, crank it up a notch, should be fine out here."

Once back to watching her, he could see the excitement on her face when she started to drive faster, hands gripping the steering wheel. Still amazed by the fact he'd let her drive his car, he could see she was having the time of her life. Keeping her eyes glued to the road, she took the curves with ease, as if it was all she had to do all day long.

Taking note as to where exactly they were driving he pointed out a small road to her. "Take a turn there, follow it, we can sit there for a bit if you like, then head back home."

Scouting in the direction he had pointed out, she noticed the small road, turning onto and following it. It led them through a dense forest which then opened up to a small lake. Stopping not far away from some large rocks she shut down the car and simply took in the beautiful sight in front of her.

"It's beautiful, so calm. I never knew we had a lake so close to town," she said.

"It's beautiful indeed," he said while gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, letting his hand rest on her shoulder for a few seconds, noticing the shivers it gave her. "Come, let's get out and go for a small walk, it's still quite warm."

Both walked silently to the lake. Once there she handed over the car keys again.

"Thanks again, you have no idea how that made my day," she said again

"You can stop with the thank-you's now, I'll get embarrassed soon," he told her while giving her a small nudge with his shoulder. "It was nothing really. Just hope you enjoyed the ride as much as I did."

"Don't get me started. The girls don't know about it but it's been a secret hobby since I was able to walk. My daddy was a mechanic and whenever I could I followed him like a shadow. As I got older and was able to help out it didn't take long to get me interested even more," she told him, gazing into the distance.

Grabbing her hand again, he weaved his fingers through hers and gave a gentle tug. "Let's walk for a bit and you keep telling, I'll listen."

Exhaling softly she continued. "I was an only child so daddy spoiled me, only a little. When I got to my teens I was able to take apart a complete engine and put it back together. When I was old enough to get my driver's license daddy bought me a cheap car wreck." She laughed at the memories.

"I'm still surprised it didn't fall apart when we arrived with it at the garage. But it was mine, took me the better part of two years to completely do it up and make it road worthy."

Sadness covered her face but she continued. "Once it was finished and having checked everything twice over I was so proud of what I'd accomplished, so was daddy. Excited to give the car a test drive I took my daddy along." She stopped walking and turned around, watching the lake, sighing a little then dropping her head.

Standing behind her Nick put his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You don't have to go on if you don't want to." Having a gut feeling that whatever came next wasn't going to be something he'd like hearing, simply because it made her sad, he didn't want her to be sad, not if he could help it.

"It's ok," she said, reassuring herself a little. She knew she didn't talk about what happened much and even though she only knew Nick a few hours it felt like she knew him a lot longer. Also, having his arms around her made her feel safe, protected, a feeling she never experienced many times before.

"We didn't get far, maybe two to three miles from the garage. I was crossing the street, we had a green light. A truck ran right into our side. I escaped with a few minor bruises and a broken arm but daddy..." she hesitated a little. "Daddy got quite severe injuries. Most of them healed but he broke his back as well, paralyzing him from the waist down. If you would have seen the car after the accident you'd be surprised he even made it out alive. His side was completely mashed together; they had to cut it open just to get him out." She held back a small sob but couldn't stop a few silent tears from trickling down her cheek.

"Shh, it's ok." Nick comforted her, slowly turning her around in his arms. Noticing the tears he lowered his head and kissed them away, repeating the action in silence until there wasn't a single one left. "I'm assuming he's in a wheelchair now?" he asked.

"Yes, he is. I know he doesn't blame me for it, it's a freak accident, but still I can't shake this feeling of, of..." She sighed again, resting her forehead against his chest. "I don't know, it just doesn't feel right. He had to give up being a mechanic, the third thing he loved most besides my mom and myself. He tried after he got better, but being bound to the wheelchair was too restricting for him. He tried running the more business side of the garage, but that didn't work out, he missed the grease too much, working on the actual cars. So after a year he sold his half of the garage to his partner and retired."

"How is he doing now?" He had a feeling she didn't talk about this much so he gently tried to pry a bit further, hoping that if she told him more she'd feel better later on.

"Right now he's doing fine, he went through hell at first though, getting chair bound, then selling his part of the business. Strange but true he's dealing cars now. A friend asked if he was able to find him an old sports car and the search got him hooked. One thing led to another and he's now one of the few in the country dealing in rare and hard to find cars," she ended.

"So if I want to find an old Ferrari from the sixties your old man is the one to talk to then?"

Giving him a mock blow on his shoulder she said, "Never call him an old man, he'd chase you halfway around the country to rectify that!" Fran was barely able to hold back her laughter.

"So even though things didn't start so well he ended up happy now?"

"Yes, he's happy now."

"So why do you still feel it isn't right then?" he pushed a little. It was clear her dad had accepted his current condition and made it work. He wondered why she still hadn't accepted it.

Her laughter stopped immediately. As she looked up at him with pain in her eyes he regretted asking her right away. But he was curious now as well, what in her mind could make that tragic event still make her feel so sad about it? Hugging her closer he gently pressed her head against his chest, stroking her hair, playing with a few strands.

Releasing a heavy sigh she started talking again. "I have come to terms with all of it, I gave it a place, I can see how my daddy changed and accepted it as well. But I can't lose the feeling I got away too easy. Sure my car was a heap of scrap metal, but that's nothing, if needed that could be replaced. Though it saddened me a great deal, we worked together on that car for two years and then that car got him in his current state. Before the doctors told him he'd never be able to walk again we were already planning on rebuilding it together."

"But then getting the news he couldn't walk anymore shattered that dream again, I suppose?"

"Yeah, I was devastated. One for the fact he got chair bound and secondly because we couldn't have that one on one time anymore both of us loved so much, it isn't right!" she said firmly. "I haven't been near a garage since, apart from picking up and dropping off my own car for annual checkups."

Leaving her hair alone he moved his gentle ministration to her back, giving a few massaging strokes on her neck, slowly moving down her spine until he reached the top of her jeans, then repeating the movement back upwards.

"Hmmm see if I get this right, because of the accident you have stopped doing the one thing you loved doing most, cause you think it's not right doing so cause you can't do it with your dad?" he summed up. He felt her tense up just a little.

"If you put it like that, then yes, I have," she replied a bit angrily.

A plan was already forming in his head, one which would mean they would spend more time together, get to know each other better and it could give back something she obviously missed a lot. "Would it really be that bad to fiddle with a car? You certainly still know your cars." He looked down to her, giving her a mischievous wink and a little nod of his head in the direction of his Jag.

"It's not because I don't 'fiddle' with them anymore, that I don't know them," she said, giving him another mock blow to his shoulder.

Holding back a chuckle he rubbed his shoulder, making it seem she really hurt him with her mocking blow. His eyes caught the time on his watch. Reaching for his keys again he held them towards her again.

"Why don't you drive yourself home? I can drive to mine from there on," he said.

Having seen the time on her own watch she realized they'd spent more time out here than she'd thought. "If you're sure then I would love to."

Dropping the keys in her hands, he cupped her face and lowered his head towards hers. Letting their noses touch briefly he moved his mouth to her ear and softly whispered, "If you don't get yourself in that car pretty soon, it won't be that car you're riding, but me. So stop second guessing me and drive that damn thing." Giving her a quick peck on the cheek he turned her around and gave her a fast, soft slap on her delicious bum.

She shrieked at his suddenly changed behavior, one she welcomed as well. Nonetheless she made her way back towards the car, taking a peek over her shoulder. He was right behind her, oblivious of her looking at him. She saw the lust embedded in his eyes, which seemed to have gained a golden glow as well which looked very odd to her.

She went straight for the driver side and pushed the button to unlock the car. Reaching for the door handle she saw both his hands landing on the roof of the car, boxing her in between him and the car. Feeling the heat he seemed to radiate she sensed her own need to feel more of him. Just standing there she waited to see what he'd do next.

"Fran, dear, you have no idea what you do to me," he softly said, resting his head on her shoulder.

Feeling bold she replied, "What did I do then?"

One hand went to her stomach and he dragged her taut against his front, letting her feel exactly what how she made him feel. Having held her for quite some time had taken the better part of his self control and seeing her swaying hips when they walked back to the car didn't help either. He was close to losing his control completely, which was the last thing he wanted to happen right now.

"That's what you do to me, just being near me," he managed to say before he started kissing her neck, leaving a trail of small, gentle kisses. "That's also why I want you to drive home right now."

She felt the bulge in his pants as he pressed her to him and it felt impressive. "And what are you going to do then?"

"How much it may pain me, I am gonna drop you off and go home as well. But I am gonna spend the entire ride home convincing you to meet up again tomorrow afternoon."

Pushing backwards she countered him, surprising herself a little. "You're sure you need to convince me?"

Releasing her, he opened up the car door. "You better get driving, unless you want me to convince you right here on the hood of the car, missy!"

He walked around the car mumbling to himself, but she caught what he was saying. "For once I'm trying to be a gentlemen and she turns out to be such a vixen." It made her smile. She was glad though that he showed so much self control. She wasn't one to go for one night stands and the little time they spent together convinced her they had some attraction going on, she was smart enough not to deny that fact, but also glad he seemed to be the smarter one at the moment.

Placing herself behind the steering wheel, she buckled up. Waiting until Nick had done the same, she then started the engine, slowly turned the car, taking one last longing look at the lake, and drove back onto the main road to head home.

Having noticed her look at the lake he asked after a while, "You really did like that lake, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I never would have thought something so beautiful would be around here, I grew up here and this is the first time I ever saw it. If I had known I would have spent a lot of time there, it's so secluded, peaceful and calming," she answered.

"Will you promise me something?"

"That being?"

"If you ever want to go back there, let me know?"

"Isn't it public then?" she countered.

"Not really", he answered, letting out a small chuckle, "it's part of an estate, so it's basically private property. Only a limited number of people have access to it, me being one of them," he revealed.

She gave him an amazed look. "Ok," she hesitantly answered. He was starting to intrigue her more and more now. "You don't work at the club, just help out now and again, you own your business, hence you got a kick ass car and I've got no doubt a few more stuffed in some garage and on top of that you now mean to tell me you have this as well?"

"Yes to everything," he confessed, giving her a boyish smile, "however I don't own the estate, it's a few families that own it together. Admittedly my family got the bigger part of it." He shrugged his shoulders after that last comment. "But you haven't answered my question, will you let me know if you want to come back here?" He repeated, mentally crossing his fingers for a positive answer.

Keeping her eyes focused on the road she was aware he was giving her something special, suspecting not many had access to this land. Going with the flow like the rest of the evening, she let him know that she would let him know if she wanted to come back here one day. Holding on to that brave feeling, she blindly reached for her purse, trying to get a hold on her cell phone.

Pulling out the phone she handed it to Nick. "Mind putting your number in there? At least that way I know I got the right one."

Congratulating himself, he accepted her phone and clicked on a few buttons until he was able to put his own number in. Once he saved it he let it ring a few times, then disengaged the call. Now he had her number as well.

"There you go, all set." Letting her see the phone screen, Nick Whelan it read, followed by his number.

"Thanks." Accepting back the phone, she blindly slipped it back in her purse.

"Now for tomorrow, you got any plans yet?" he continued.

"Not yet no, but I think there may come some pretty soon."

Unable to remove the satisfied grin on his face, he felt he was on a roll. He got her number, and he'd coaxed her into promising a future lake visit.

"What if I come and pick you up just after lunchtime? Think I got a few things I could show you that will spike your interest," he offered, giving her a wink.

"And what would those things be?" she asked inquisitively, giving him a quick look before focusing back on the road again.

"I'm not going to tell, else it wouldn't be a surprise, but I'm quite sure you'll love it. Cross my heart and hope to die," he added in a theatrical manner. "And that I'll take you to dinner in the evening, if you want."

"Hmmm, I'll think about it for a bit," she answered, knowing she was only teasing him, she'd already had made up her mind that whatever he suggested she would accept. She liked the mutual feelings too much to let them go to waste and she wanted to explore them further. It seemed she took the right gamble because he genuinely wanted to get to know her better too.