Aaron Ch. 01-05

We've been sold what we can buy

In our hearts there's a fire,

You can see it in our eyes.

"Who told you to play this?" Kate asked angrily.

"It's my car, my fucking ipod, nobody told me to play it, nobody will tell me not to fucking play it either." He answered back in exactly the same tone.

"You like Jack Savoretti? Whatever."

"You know this song?" Aaron looked at her as she rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah I like his stuff."

"Can I turn it up a bit?" She chewed on her lip a little and he tried not to watch what she was doing to her lower lip.

"Yeah just keep it below a roar." He returned his eyes to the road.

"I'm sorry I just never pictured you listening to something I would like."

"That is such a stupid thing to say. We were friends don't you remember anything good about me?"

"Well Lexi told me about something."

"Not something someone else told you, something you know, remember about me? Anything good you see in me?"

The deafening silence was broken by him pulling over and getting out of the car. He glared at her and then ran.

He couldn't change into his wolf out here but if he had stayed in that car he would have lost it. Totally fucking lost it. She had known him since she was born and couldn't think of one, not one bloody thing about him she liked."

"Stay in the car Kate."

"I will not. I'm already out of the car. Where are you going?"

"I'm going for a run. I'll be back soon."

"Come back and lock the car, we can run together."

"I don't want to run with you."

"I am well aware." It was the touch of sadness in her voice that convinced him to stop increasing the distance between them. It wasn't however enough to make him walk back. He moved to a log and sat down.

"I knew you still hated me." He said quietly as she approached.

"I don't hate you. Never did, not really." She sat beside him and leaned against him needing to offer touch to comfort him but also seeking comfort herself. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have taken so long to reply, I was thinking."

"You couldn't think of anything."

"Moron, I was remembering. I remember when the kids at school teased me for being a freckle faced gingernut and you told them freckles were angel kisses and that everybody with a brain knew autumn leaves were more beautiful than summer ones. I remember when my mum left and you came and sat with me and told me I could have your brother and that your mum and dad loved me more than you anyway so I could have your spot in the family. I remember the night of my eighteenth birthday when I was so drunk and making a complete fool of myself you held my hair while I vomited and cried and never laughed even once at me."

"Oh." He put an arm around her then and they just sat in silence for a bit.

Aaron couldn't stop the small hope building. Maybe she didn't hate him after all. Maybe she would start to see how he had really felt and he wouldn't have to confess his secrets. Maybe she would work it all out on her own. His mate was so smart, it amazed him she hadn't called him on his shit way back then.

"We should keep going. Aaron, I see the good you try to hide. I just don't know why you insist on hiding it."

"I'm a moron remember?"

"Whatever." She laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You're my moron now."

***

"Fuck look at this shit hole." Aaron drove into town slowly. There seemed to be a mix of closed down store fronts and abandoned houses along the main street. He turned into a side street when he saw a person walking that way and as he continued driving past spotted a bar, it seemed to be pretty busy considering the time of day.

"Over there." Kate pointed out a row of portable homes. "I think that would be where she lives."

"Yeah okay let's go check into the motel and then we can go have a drink at the bar and meet the locals."

"Awesome babe, I totally can't wait." Kate tussled her hair and chomped on a piece of imaginary gum.

"Never do that again. I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life."

"Like totes muffin, no probs."

"I am going to die before this day ends aren't I?"

"If you're a big strong boy I'll make it up to you when we get back to the motel tonight." She twirled the end of her hair around a finger now and looked at him all sexy.

"I'm thinking that doesn't mean anything like what I am hoping it does." He groaned.

"I'm not one of your skanks Aaron so no probably not." She lost her character as her eyes flashed with her wolf. Then she fought for control and said politely, "But I will let you look at my playlist and top up you ipod."

"More like you just want to check out my playlist and steal a few new tunes."

"Oh look at my sexy man being all clever. So hot."

"Whatever."

"Yeah I am not going to be able to keep that act up so I don't think I'll bother at all. I'd want to claw my own eyes and tongue out by the end of the day."

"And cut off your ears, that whingey twang is worse than nails on a blackboard."

"True. So I guess we will just be fucked up versions of ourselves then?"

"Seems easiest to keep real. Oh fuck. Look at that." Aaron stared at the motel ahead of them. The sign called it 'Paradise' it looked like the gateway to hell. Directly under the large neon sign was a smaller sign offering overnight or by the hour room rates. "Classy."

"You think there's another motel in this place?"

"Not according to google. Shit this looks like the sleazy sort of place where the owner puts hidden cameras in the rooms and livestreams to a porn website."

"I'm sure he only does that in the premium rooms babe, too risky having all that dead air time for the overnight guests, he'll be focusing on the by the hour guests."

"Couldn't you have just said I'd watched too many b-grade movies and was being stupid?"

"You may be a moron, but this time..."

"Okay well don't be saying anything until we have checked the room out with the gadgets Carl and Mason gave us."

"Genius, Right there." Kate rolled her eyes as they drove into the space reserved for check in.

"Whatever." He leaned in and gave her kiss, a very thorough kiss, "Just go with it for the audience sugar."

***

Man he can kiss. Kate was damn pleased she was sitting because the way her legs were shaking she'd be on her way down right now. His tongue stroked along hers. Briefly played with the piercing in her own before tracing the roof of her mouth along the inside edge of her upper gum line. His lips were firm, moist enough to not be dry and hard, but not overly wet. She had had a few good kisses in her time but between the one in the bar when she recognised him as her mate and this one, she was just about ready to bend over and beg him to take her. Shit. She couldn't let this get out of control.

She pushed him back, "Easy tiger."

"Sorry. I've never liked kissing much. I mean, I don't often do much kissing at all, but I can't seem to stop..."

"Aaron, stop lying. Everyone knows how much you've spread it around..."

"Sex. Fucking. Not kissing. I'll give you the number of every girl from the past ten years and you can ask them."

"Like you'd know their names let alone their numbers."

"Fuck. Forget it." He got out of the car and went to check in.

"He wasn't lying."

"Shut up wolf. What would you know?"

"You hurt him. Every time you accuse him of lying he burns with it."

"It's guilt."

"You're a fool. You better sort this out fast because once this mission ends if you haven't sorted things out with our mate. I'm going to."

"Whatever."

Kate watched Aaron come out of the motel office and climb back into the car. "I told him we were exhausted and had been travelling for days and wanted the quietest room he had."

"Yeah and?"

"We have a room at the far end, next to the cleaner's supplies."

"Good work." She chewed on her lip then caught herself and stopped, "Um Aaron, about the kissing, I like kissing you too."

"Just leave it Kate." He started the car and drove to their unit. "I'll check in with Thorn."

CHAPTER FIVE

"Yeah, we're looking for this little blonde tramp named LJ. She said she was from here." Kate spoke to the guy behind the bar but kept her voice just loud enough so a few nearby would hear.

"What you want her for?" A woman sitting at the bar asked.

"She and I have to talk. She tried to steal my man." Kate put a possessive hand on Aaron's arm. "I don't take that shit."

"If I had a man like that one I wouldn't either. You looking for Jolene's girl, but she never comes back here."

"Jolene, her mother?" Aaron asked in a sexy rumble. Yeah play up the hot guy role, moron, not like I'm wet enough and jealous enough already, Kate thought to herself.

"Yeah, she's over there in the booth. No point trying to talk to her right now though. She's flying over the fucking rainbow right now."

"Yeah, well her skank daughter deserves everything she gets. Came into my room and climbed into my bed. Thing is I got lucky I was out. My twin brother... well yeah she got unlucky."

"Two of you?" The woman ran a tongue over her lips appreciatively at that.

"Look exactly the same, only Aaron here he's good ya know? His brother, yeah not so much, total slut. Keeps screwing all the girls he can, even though he knows he's going to kill them all." Kate couldn't help thinking about how different Aaron and Alex were in every way, especially their looks.

"Infected eh? Yeah we got problems with that here too but some of these skanks don't even care who they fuck. Come to think of it disease is the least of their problems." The barman looked across the room at a poster on the wall. "They end up missing or dead, or like Jolene over there so hooked on drugs they can't even function."

"Yeah, welcome to Paradise." The woman said bitterly and down the last of her drink. "Get me another drink and I'll go introduce you to Jolene."

"Whatever she's having and a couple of beers for me and my girl." Aaron handed over the cash. "Send a couple more over in a bit, think we'll be here a while, had a big drive and I want to get shit faced and then sleep like the dead."

"Stick to the beer then mate, because the shit that lot are on never lets you sleep."

"Jo, Jolene, yeah that's right skank it's me Lou, these two here wanted to meet you."

"Fuck off Lou, I'm busy."

"Yeah well, they bought me a drink so now we're going to have a round or three with you, and they can get to know what a bitch you are."

"I told you, it wasn't my fault. He paid like everyone else and what am I supposed to do turn down good cash?"

"He was my husband you slut and we were best friends."

"I gave him back to ya, not my fault if you decided not to keep him."

"Yeah well I guarantee neither of those two plan on paying so you may as well tell them to get back to wherever they belong."

"I've never paid for it." One of the two stood, "And I sure as fuck wouldn't pay for your crap ass. Come on bro I'm out of here."

"So now you see where the daughter gets it?" Lou plonked herself down in the booth as soon as the two men left.

"Well I'm not about to feel sorry for her."

"That's her mother? How the fuck did she end up so amazing?"

"Reign in the wolf baby, if you kill her mother now we won't learn anything and the mission will be a bust."

"Kill her? I'm too scared to touch her, ewww."

"Smells like she's doing a good job of killing herself anyway."

"You know the brat?"

"Ahhh fuck Jolene, pull your head out of your bum and think about it. She isn't a brat anymore, she done grew up, into a slut just like her mama. Makes ya real proud don't it?"

"Oh, right, yeah, I haven't seen her since... I dunno."

"Since her boyfriend killed himself after watching her fucking his father?"

"Damn, forgot that, man that was a big night in this hole. Full on."

"Yeah that bitch was getting a good hiding until the cops showed up."

"What was that about reigning in my wolf?" Kate teased Aaron but realising how close he was to actually losing it she leaned in and nibbled on his ear. "It wasn't like that, we know Luna. I know what happened that night, all the girls do..."

"I don't need to know, these filthy bitches saying stuff like that about our Luna, our alpha, our family... I can smell so much nasty in here it is like I'm fucking drowning in it. Fuck you need to stop me from drowning in it."

"Shhhh I've got you. Kiss me Aaron, breathe me in, fill, your body, with me."

"Fuck. Don't say shit like that."

Kate immediately sat back in the chair and put up all her walls. He'd fucked up again. He grabbed her and pulled her close. He placed her hand on his cock and leaned into her "I want to take you so bad. I want to drown in you. I want you to drown in me. I need you to be mine. I need to show you how much I..."

"Fuck you two are so hot together." Lou spoke across the table, which totally killed the conversation but not the feelings of either the man who spoke them in her ear or the woman who panted against him as she heard him making his claims.

"So you can see why my girl here isn't happy your daughter tried to break us up. But we aren't really here to tear her apart either. She's a bit of a fucked up mess, apple, tree, you know? Anyway we wanted to tell her it wasn't me. Warn her she's got to get to a doctor."

"Can you contact her?" Kate stroked a hand up and down Aaron's thigh, letting the edge of her hand now and then run along his hard length. He vibrated under her hand and on the next stroke his hand put a stop to her teasing and he clenched it tight against his leg, holding it still.

"Nah, I don't even know where the little bitch went. Well I heard about the murder, but nothing after that."

"Murder?" Aaron looked from Kate to Jolene and back again. Seeing how little Kate reacted he growled, "When we get back to the fucking room you better tell me everything I need to know about what she has been through. You hear me?"

"It isn't my fucking place. Thorn knows everything. Luna will share what she wants with you. Thorn will share what he wants or needs with you. I am not breaking her confidence. She is my best fucking friend."

"Just the stuff that is public knowledge then so I don't fuck up this mission."

"Yeah whatever."

"Said it was self-defence but we know better than that don't we Jo. That girl has been craving cock since she had her first lip gloss."

"She killed a man?"

"Yeah. Told everyone he tried to rape her but more like she'd been riding him hard and got carried away." Lou waved out to the barman for more drinks.

"Smashed in his brain." Jolene shrugged. "I get it, few men I'd have liked to kill too, over the years."

"I can drink to that." Lou raised her glass.

"You'd drink to anything, you whore." Jolene stood up, "You'll need to let me out, I need the bathroom."

"So you two going to be staying for a bit?"

"Well we need to do some work on the car and rest up some, be here a few days I guess. Maybe a bit longer if I have to get in any parts."

"You a mechanic?"

"Not officially, but I can handle a bit of grease."

"I bet he rocks a pair of overalls and a dirty rag, don't he?" Lou winked at Kate and then said, "She's gone to have another hit. You won't get any sense out of her now. You may as well head out. Not like she was able to help you much anyways."

"We'll finish this round then. You always lived here Lou?"

"Yeah, know everyone in this town. That bitch and I have known each other since kindergarten."

"Can you tell us where the supermarket is?" Kate interrupted worried they were pushing too hard too fast.

"Yeah if you're at the motel drive three more blocks and you'll find it. Not sure why they built it outside of town, bloody crazy."

"LJ's father still in town? Maybe he knows where she went?"

Lou's laughter was genuine, "That man left town right after that kid popped out. That's why Jolene's so fucked up. She loved him something awful. He filled her up with promises and lies and then fucked off."

"Who fucked off?" The barman dropped the drinks onto the table.

"John. Remember what Jolene was like back then? She wasn't perfect but she loved him."

"Yeah enough to trap him with the oldest trick in the book, not sure if I call that love Lou."

"So she got knocked up on purpose. It isn't like she killed anyone." Lou shrugged, "We do what we gotta."

"Yeah and how's that worked out for any of you?"

"Fuck you." Lou's eyes went to the poster they had seen earlier, she raised her glass and appeared to be toasting to the girl on the wall. "I'm out of here. May see you before you take off. I'm here most days."

"Yeah, we'll be round again." Aaron looked at the poster more closely.

"Daughter?"

"That would be my guess?"