Chapter sixty three

Chapter sixty three

Drayton

My mum always claimed there was magic at the beach house. She made us eat every family dinner outside even when it's cold.

Jonathan and I always complained about the weather, but we eventually followed her wishes, not because we believed her but because we wanted her to be happy.

But after today, I realized maybe my mum was right after all. This place is magical.

I ran my fingers through Arielle's hair as we stared at the ‘reverse falling star’. This was the most at peace I've felt since…well, ever.

If someone had told me two years ago that I would be holding Arielle McAlister in my arms like in some cheesy romance movies, I would have called them crazy. But right now, it was the most perfect moment in my entire existence.

I suspected that Charles was the one that hurt her, but I didn't expect all the despicable things Arielle caught him doing. Just when you think you know a monster, they do things that make you realize you were wrong.

“What are you thinking about so much?” I asked, interrupting the comfortable silenddg.

I didn't want her to worry about Charles. I knew firsthand that thinking about shitty Dads wasn't worth it.

“Do you think we can catch those stars if we try?” she responded.

I let out a small laugh.

“That's what you're thinking about?”

She lifted her head from my shoulder and shrugged.

“I don't think so. It's just a light projector with sound and motion sensors.” I replied. “And that's not what you were thinking about.”

Her lips tilted up in a teasing smile. She batted her eyelashes slowly and seductively.

“Really? What was I thinking, Mr King?” she asked.

I tucked a few strands of hair away and immediately captured her lips between mine. She released a little moan of satisfaction. I pulled her closer so she was straddling me and deepened the kiss.

She plowed her fingers into my hair and tugged hard, but I barely registered the pain. I was too engrossed with this. I hiked her skirt up and gave her ass a little squeeze. She let out a moan that I quickly captured in the kiss.

One thing I've learned is that I can never get enough of her. I wanted more. More than just kissing each other breathless, or sharing shitty family's story, I wanted her in every possible way.

I wanted her to come to me whenever she was in trouble. I wanted her to trust me. I wanted to own her but also worship her. I wanted to give her the world. I wanted her…to be mine.

I guess I've always wanted her. But I hid those twisted feelings with years of rivalry. It took her nearly dying for me to realize them. But now, I was never going to let her go.

Arielle bit down on my lip, almost drawing blood.

“Hmm! A little feral tonight?” I chuckled. My voice was so thick that even I didn't recognize it.

“Where's the fun in being gentle?” She smirked, her eyes brimming with lust.

I smacked her ass hard and squeezed tightly. She sucked in a sharp breath.

“You were saying?” I smirked.

She glared at me and was about to say something when her stomach growled loudly.

“You haven't had anything to eat.” I asked, my tone immediately shifted to worry. She shouldn't be skipping her meals for so long.

“I'm not hungry.” Her stomach growled louder this time and she cursed under her breath.

“Well, your stomach seems to disagree.” I stood up and stretched my hand out to her.

“Let's go make you something to eat.”

As soon as she got on her feet, I swept her off her feet and carried her in bridal style. She gasped in surprise

“Put me down. I can walk.” she squealed and kicked.

“Given how loudly your stomach growled, you would only take a few steps before you collapse.” I snorted.

She gasped in mock horror.
“How dare you speak to a lady like that? You are a disgrace!” She scoffed.

“Yeah, but a hot one.”

She rolled her eyes and turned her face away. I carried her upstairs and headed for the bathroom. I balanced her on her feet when we got inside.

“Oh! Bathroom sex! Finally crossing something off my sex bucket list.” she smiled.

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Frozen. You need to freshen up while I go make us something. Trust me, our first time is not going to be in a bathroom.”

I placed a kiss on her lips but I couldn't pull away. Maybe I should consider crossing bathroom sex off her list.

As if reading my thoughts, Arielle said,
“Maybe our first time will be in a bathroom after all.”

I finally pulled away from her.
“No, you need food. I'm gonna leave you to it. Towels are in the third drawer.”

I stepped out before I could change my mind and take her offer.

I went down to the kitchen and began to whip up some pancakes. Todd had definitely not being here today, which was weird. Jonathan always had the housekeeper here to keep tabs on me.

I didn't question it, of course. Not when it ended up working in my favour. Whatever moral conflict Jonathan was having was not my business.

My phone pinged on the island indicating a text message but I ignored it. Several other messages entered but I didn't bother to check them. Nothing was going to ruin this night for me.

My phone started ringing. I sucked in a sharp breath, already pissed at whoever was on the other end. But my irritation turned into confusion when I saw it was Penny calling.

It was pretty late for Penny to call someone. She's usually either asleep by now or have her nose buried in a file. Besides, I sent her text earlier to inform her I wouldn't be coming home

But I picked up anyway.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Drayton. I know it's pretty late but I was wondering if we could talk.” she said.

My confusion deepened. Penny usually preferred physical confrontation to phone calls. She was calling me in the middle of the night to talk, that was unsettling.

“Did something happen?” I asked immediately.

“No, I'm fine. It's just…” she paused. I could sense hesitation from her. Another unsettling thing. My aunt never hesitate.

“How about we just talked in the morning? I'm sorry for disturbing you. You should go back to sleep.”

“But…” she hung up before I could finish my sentence.

I stared at the phone screen in confusion, wondering if I should call her back.

“What's wrong?” I heard Arielle said from upstairs.

“I just had a strange phone call with Penny. She asked if we could talk but…” I stopped mid sentence as she walked down the stairs.

Her hair was wet and clung to her face, making her look ethereal. The small fire in the living room seem to cast a golden shadow on her skin. She was…magnificent.

“My clothes were dirty and I didn't want to wear them back. I found this in the closet. They're pretty comfy.” she said.

I hadn't even noticed what she was wearing until she pointed it out. She was wearing one of the shirts I'd stashed here for when I sleep over.

Seeing her in my shirt awoken a primal need inside me. I wanted nothing more than to tear that shirt off her and show her just how much I wanted her.

“Appreciate the stunned expression, but do you mind passing the pancakes?” she gestured to the plates on the counter top.

Right. Food.

I slid a plateful of pancakes over to her. I watched as she bit into them and moaned in satisfaction. I never cared for cooking, but I couldn't deny how proud I felt in that moment.

“Does this usually work for you?” She asked after eating the last of the pancakes. I hadn't touched a single one on my plate, I was too busy staring at her.

“What?” I asked half minded.

“Bring a girl to a beautiful place, make her delicious pancakes and hope to win her heart?”

I strode towards her and wrapped my arm around her waist.

“That depends. Is it working for you?”

She drew closer to me and ran a finger over my face in a gentle, caressing way. Her thumb grazed my lower lip and tugged.

“Guess you'll have to find that out yourself, Dracula.” She whispered into my ear, her breath slowly caressing me.

I closed the distance between us and kissed her hard. In that moment, I realized something with staggering clarity. Something I've tried so hard to ignore for a long time.

I might be in love with Arielle McAlister.