Rebirth Ch. 01

Resigned, she flung her gloves and cap away before rushing back to his side, dismayed to find blood on his right arm. Closer examination showed a gush slowly oozing the red liquid but he appeared unharmed otherwise, his pulse still steady.

She added a few logs to the fireplace. A hurried trip to the bedroom produced extra blankets and a first aid kit. Immediately she went back to her guest and removed her chilled coat, very careful to keep her gaze above his neck. She grabbed some of the blankets and wrapped him up, tucking the edges. His skin was surprisingly warm to the touch and he was not shivering. She, on the other hand, could hardly grab the cloth with her hands shaking so badly, the tips blue.

A hastily bandaged arm later, she looked down at her patient, really seeing him for the first time. His long hair was wet and fell carelessly around his face, touching his corded shoulders. His closed eyes were covered by a pair of nicely arched eyebrows and thick, long lashes, his face completed with a strong nose and pink lips that should have been blue.

She touched them.

They were warm and soft. She continued to look at him. There was something about him that fascinated her and she could not draw her gaze or her hand away. Her heart now boomed for an entirely different reason, the rock in her stomach turned to the flutter of butterfly wings. Tracing the outline of his lips, her fingers trailed over his healthily glowing cheek, then his slightly crooked nose and his eyebrows.

He seemed oddly familiar though she knew she never met him before. Even unconscious he had a presence that she would have remembered, the contour of his face catching her artist's eye. She would love to capture his essence in paint, to preserve that bold maleness that was not diminished by his state of unconsciousness.

A slow ache bloomed low in her belly. It was an ache she had not felt in more than five years. After her attack, even the idea of sex made her nauseated. She certainly had not felt any attraction to anyone since then.

But now, her sex was swollen and dripping in rapid readiness. Her nipples pulled tight by the cold, tightened further and the urge to rip the heavy material of her clothing away from the aching tips was unthinkably strong. Her heartbeat escalated and her lungs demanded more oxygen. She bit her lip against the urge to lean over and touch them to his.

Alarmed and dismayed at her shameless reaction she recoiled away from him, horror and dread descending over her. Her chest rose and fell as she scanned him to figure out what made her react this strongly to a man she had not officially met.

A man she feared.

It could not be his handsomeness. She had seen several handsome men and never felt desire claw through her insides that way. Maybe it was because she isolated herself for so long and denied herself even the touch of her own hand.

Her eyes were once away drawn to his lips and unbridled an image of him kissing his way down her body flashed through her head. She could almost feel them on her skin. Her breathing hitched and her eyes nearly rolled back in her head. Nerves endings fired impulses wildly making her feel fevered and out of control.

She jumped to her feet and retreated to her bedroom, not able to get away fast enough.

Sitting on her bed she fought the impulse to run back to his side. Even now she could still smell him, a slightly peanuty smell with no hint of aftershave.

She loved peanuts.

Would he taste that way too? She bet he would and her tongue tingled visualizing him exploding on her tongue as she...

Realizing the direction of her thoughts, she took a deep breath, squirming where she sat. Raking a hand through her hair, she saw how badly it shook. Was she finally losing her mind? Her mother told her she would every time they spoke on the phone. That seemed the only viable explanation.

She just needed to survive the night, she told herself, and everything would return to normal. Soon she would drive him down to safety or better yet he could make an exit as dramatic as his entrance and simple disappear.

She had to be crazy for taking the fact that he fell from the sky in a fiery ball so well.

She took another deep breath and stood. Peeling away her wet clothes, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror that was braced against the wall. She looked exactly liked she felt. Horny and on the verge of a meltdown.

Her heart was beating so hard, so fast, that the skin visibly jumped at her neck. Tongue swiping over her dry lips, she studied her refection. Her jeans were still caught around her ankles, the sweater on the floor beside her. The simple design of her peach colored bra and panties stood out against her pale skin, molding her curves. The cotton material gently abraded her nipples with every exhale.

She cupped a globe and lightly pinched. Her mouth opened on a sharp inhalation as she hardly controlled the urge to moan.

Following the path of her softly rounded tummy, she molded her sex through the barrier with her other hand. Moist heat dampened her fingers. Bringing her fingertips to her nose, she closed her eyes and savored her musky perfume before her hand descended to her wet sex once more.

Lowering the cup over her right breast, she rolled the tip. Her breast flushed pink, nearly matching the color of her underwear. Her fantasy took off as she imagined the captivating stranger whispering his naughty intentions in her ear, his hands molding her fresh until she was putty in his arms.

Her clit burned, the ache so strong she cried out softly, her mind swamped by lust. Dipping her fingers below the waistband, the first touch to the throbbing nub made her knees buckle. The pain to her knees was dismissed as she rubbed at her wet nether lips. Dipping into her creamed well, she circled the demanding bud in tight bands. She imagined the lips she touched not too long ago closing over the distended tips of her nipples and her womb clenched.

Her cheeks were red with color, the pupils of her eyes dilating over the brown lens. She bit her lip to contain her cries and was not entirely successful. Her skin glistened with a fine sheen of sweat as her back arched, her fingers moving faster and faster, her hips straining harder and harder. In her mind's eye he licked at her creaming pussy like a hungry cat, his fingers sinking deep.

Colors exploded and blurred her vision as climax turned her limbs to mush.She braced herself on the floor to keep from falling, certain she had never experience anything as powerful.

Mocking brown eyes flashed through her mind and destroyed the temporary bliss of her orgasm. She remembered the way Grayson used the reactions of her body to taunt and shame her. Had all the deprecating remarks he said been true? Was her true nature that one of a harlot like he said? She was masturbating, her libido pushed to the brink as she pictured the face of a man she claimed to fear only a few feet away. What else could be said of her behavior?

Shame filling her, she turned away from her reflection. A quick search of the drawers and she hastily donned fresh panties, uncaring that they did not match her bra, another pair of jeans and a sweater. Replacing her socks, she avoided looking at her image in the mirror and returned to her patient on stiff legs.

Looking down at him she was once against struck by that pang of recognition and her body's reaction was no different. Her pussy clenched despite the heaviness of her thoughts, her earlier orgasm not easing the pressure. Fighting the unreasonable consequence of his close proximity, she got him a pillow and gently placed it below his head.

Her clumsy attempt at a bandage was becoming undone and she decided to replace it. First aid kit next to her, she knelt by him. She peeled the bandage away and gasped.

There was no sign of the wound.

Carefully she touched the area to find nothing but warm, smooth, unmarred skin. A sound came from his lips.

Without thought she flew across the room until the wall stopped her, chilling fear gripping her bones. Quickly turning back, she saw that he was still asleep. She slumped against the wall, hyperventilating. Sinking to the floor, she buried her head between her knees.

The first tear fell onto the hand weaved rug. Then another and another until harsh sobs were forced from her throat.

****

The sound of sobs pricked Aiden's ears and instantly he was awake. He opened his eyes and watched the heaving shoulders of the crying woman through his lashes. Like she felt his stare, she looked up. There was a desolation in her eyes that reached for the loneliness in his soul and they connected, instantly, hotly.

One heartbeat boomed as time lay suspended.

Two.

Then three.

His heart swelled with immediate recognition. A very primal part of him reared its head and howled a possessive claim.

Mine.

Everything in him reacted as a brutal wave of arousal washed over him. On the heels of the sexual impatience, anger festered, hot and menacing. Who dare place that look of defeat on his woman's face? Violence swirled beneath his skin, craving to be unleashed.

She shrank further against the wall and she begged, "Please, don't hurt me."

Carefully he sat up, not wanting to frighten her further. Fighting to bring his emotions under control, he tucked the blanket around his hips. "I'm not going to hurt you, love. Please, don't be afraid."

She continued to shake and buried her head between her knees once more. Unsure how to deal with the situation he stayed still but minutes ticked by and she maintained her fearful position.

Slowly he stood. Adjusting his makeshift clothing, he was careful not to make any sudden movements but still she stiffened. He slowly crossed to her and sat a few feet away.

"Hi. I'm Aiden. Thank you for rescuing me," he said as she looked at him through her softly curling hair. He offered a smile but it felt alien on his lips. He could not remember the last time he did the action sincerely.

She opened her mouth as if to reply but a devastated look pooled in her eyes and as quick as a frightened deer, she bolted up the stairs.