Chapter Four
Aric
The limousine pulled out onto the tarmac, dropping them off at a very sleek-looking private jet. The dark black paint with white trim gave it an air of “elite” that few things would be able to match. The twin engines mounted just ahead of the rear tail were also white, a perfect contrast to the rest of the jet. He watched her take it in, eyes bright despite the heavily tinted windows.
“That’s quite a plane.”
He smiled. “Thank you. I’d love to say it’s mine, but it’s one of a half dozen or so that the bank keeps at our disposal as needed. Truthfully, I’ve never felt the need for a personal one.”
Kaitlyn just nodded. That brought a crease to his forehead. She’d been oddly silent the entire ride to the airport.
“You made the right decision to come along,” he assured her, exiting the limousine and holding the door for her. His hand twitched, wanting to be offered as aid while she got out, but Kaitlyn wasn’t that type. She was strong, independent, and not overly prone to acts of chivalry when they were unnecessary. Holding the door was as much as he was going to get away with.
“That remains to be seen,” she said tartly. “Once the rest of the office finds out I went with you, they’re going to say all sorts of things about me.”
“Like what?”
“It doesn’t matter.” She pushed past him, her short, thick form headed for the stairs to the jet.
Aric watched, enjoying the view. Kaitlyn was thick—that was the best way to describe her. Big legs, hips, and a comfortableness with her body that meant she looked almost rectangular down the sides, and yet it made her look better. He wondered if there was muscle under there. A past athletic background perhaps. There was so little he knew about her, it tantalized him to find out more.
I wish I remembered more about our hookup. I’m sure that would tell me.
Even his dragon metabolism had been overwhelmed by the amount of alcohol he’d ingested, unable to burn it off before it left him wobbly and with a frayed memory.
“Either way, I’m happy you decided to join me.” He followed her up the stairs, taking in more than an eyeful of her very solid-looking ass, despite the loose-fitting cream-colored suit pants she wore.
“I would have been stupid to turn down that much money,” she muttered. “But that doesn’t explain why you wanted me of all people. I don’t add anything to this team. I’m woefully junior to be included on a deal this big.”
“You did fine on the last one,” he pointed out. “Better than fine really. I think it was your reports that won them over.”
She rolled her eyes at his compliment, but her expression softened. “Aric, I don’t even know what the deal we’re trying to close is. All I know is that we’re working on another one. Together. Just you and me.”
He dropped into one of the plush executive seats near the front of the cabin, rolling his shoulders to relax at the unspoken accusation in her sentence. So that was it then. That was why she was acting so standoffish. She thought he was bringing her along because she was a woman and had shown she was willing to have sex with him.
But she’d come along any way. Now that was something that bore more thinking on. Was she irritated by it, but willing to do so? Maybe she was okay with hooking up again, but didn’t like that he just sort of assumed it by telling her she was coming with him? There were so many different ways it could all be constructed his head began to swim with possibilities.
“We’re going to meet with one of their military representatives,” he said, choosing instead to answer the other part of her question, pretending like he hadn’t heard the undertones.
“The military? Don’t they have their own funding from their government?”
Aric shrugged, leaning back into the black leather seat, feeling the padding mold and conform to his body. “From what I understand, they did. Now they’re sort of supported by the government, but they need more funding and have been left to their own devices to secure it. Enter us.”
“That makes absolutely no sense. It reeks of lies and illegality.” Kaitlyn went to get up.
“Calm down,” he assured her, waving his hand languidly. “I promise you this is all aboveboard. I’m not here to break rules, especially on foreign soil.”
“Okay fine, but you still haven’t explained why we’re working with the military?”
“That’s something that would normally be above your paygrade.” He eyed her oval face, watching the tiny muscles in it tick in response to his words. She had such a beautiful smile. It was a shame she didn’t use it more often. Full of teeth, it carried right up to her eyes, taking them from looking shifty to bright and active.
Right now though they were darting back and forth, her long eyebrows lowered in suspicion. “Explain please.”
Aric grinned. He loved her tenacity. She’d grown a lot in the six months he’d known her, but even now, in the past two days, something more had changed about her. He wasn’t entirely sure what, but it was so prevalent. He could almost smell it, and her sudden confidence certainly showed.
“Sure. What you probably don’t know, and are from this moment forth sworn to secrecy about, is that—” He paused as the steward came up the stairs and pulled them in behind him, before taking their drink orders and ensuring they had seatbelts on while they took off.
“You were saying?” Kaitlyn prompted when they were alone again.
“Right. So you’re sworn to secrecy about this, and if you tell a soul you will find yourself in a bit of a legal quandary with the government. The bank and—”
“Hold on.” She raised a hand to stop him. “Wait a minute here. I don’t want to be ‘disappeared’ and dragged off to prison. I was never told this was a classified mission.’
Aric shrugged. “Do you want to know what we’re doing or not?”
“Not!”
He blinked slowly. That wasn’t the answer he expected.
“I have other things I need to worry about, Aric. Government secrets is not something I signed on to get involved with.”
Aric watched her face, then shrugged. “We’re going to seal a deal with the military over licensing some advanced mechanized combat suit technology that will then be used by the elite of our Guard.”
Her jaw dropped. “But I said…”
“I know what you said, but it’s ridiculous. I wouldn’t have brought you if I didn’t think you could keep it a secret, Kaitlyn. Have some more faith in yourself.”
“Right. Or you could respect my wishes.”
“I need you on this deal.” The hardening of his voice was undone by the near plea-like undertone to it. Where the hell had that come from? Aric didn’t truly need her. The deal was mostly agreed to, and they were really just hammering out the fine details, like the price. So why was he suddenly so adamant that she needed to come along?
He thought about leaving her there, not bringing her along, and every nerve in his body sang, urging him not to do that. Instead he needed to fight. To do whatever it took to have her along with him. Aric was entranced, thrown completely into the dark with whatever was happening to him and how it involved Kaitlyn.
She’d always been attractive to him on multiple levels. The first thing he’d noticed was her looks, but soon after that he’d found himself interacting with her. Her wits, drive, and overall intelligence had caught his attention and kept it, until she’d been the clear choice for him to bring along on this trip.
“I said I’ll come, but you need to lay it out straight with me right now, Aric. No more secrets.”
He nodded automatically, his attention still focused on whatever had changed between them. It wasn’t him, he wasn’t any different. So the difference lay with Kaitlyn somewhere. What the hell was it? Opening up his senses slightly—just enough to enhance them, but not enough to stir his dragon—he inhaled slowly, drawing in a deep breath of the air. Perhaps she was wearing a new perfume or—
The armrest shattered as his left hand clamped down on it with his full strength, the material unable to handle the supernatural power. Aric groaned as his dragon reared up and tried to escape. The sudden onslaught of its attempts to gain control were more than he’d prepared for. Whatever the hell was bothering it had sent the beast into a frenzy the likes of which he’d never felt before. Falling out of his chair to one knee he groaned again, resting his left hand on his temple as if that would soothe the pain.
“Aric? Aric are you okay?”
He wobbled and had to reach out to balance himself as the plane started forward.
“Should I stop the plane? What is it?” Kaitlyn was hovering over him. She reached out to touch his shoulder, her index finger brushing against his neck.
Aric’s face went red, his muscles bulging, pushing his suit’s seams to the limit. He fought back, hauling down on the demon in his head. They fought viciously. Brutally. The battleground was his mind and it was ripped apart, all because of the smell of one woman, followed by a minute touch of her skin. The ancient beast gave no quarter, but it wasn’t the match for Aric, his human mind stronger, more adaptable than his counterpart.
Slowly he beat it back, exerting control, until once more he could sit up in his chair and breathe normally. His face was strained and he could feel the sweat dripping from his body. It was an embarrassing display in front of Kaitlyn, but there was little he could do about it now besides prepare himself better for the future.
If his dragon had won, he couldn’t imagine the damage that would have been done. It wasn’t fit for these times, a product of his upbringing combined with a naturally nasty nature.
“I’m fine,” he said, offering her a smile that was meant to be calming.
Judging by her reaction, it wasn’t.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“A little bit of indigestion. I’m not a great flier.”
Kaitlyn’s eyebrows rose slowly like an escalator until they reached the top, where they came back down again at the same pace. “Riggghhtttt.”
He smiled again. There was much to be happy about. Much to celebrate.
“No more secrets,” he said, changing the subject, making it clear he wasn’t going to discuss what had happened any further. “Agreed. You’re in the know now.”
Nope, no secrets at all.
My mate.