Reign of Ice (Forever Fae #4)(29)
Hopefully, it was Ariella, but why would she knock on the door? Traipsing down the stairs, I could tell the figure on the other side of the door wasn’t Ariella, but someone from my past, someone I had told I never wanted to see again.
When I opened the door she flung her arms around my shoulders and squealed, “Oh, Brayden, you fought amazing today. It got me all hot watching you and what’s even better is looking at you in your towel. How about we go upstairs and reminisce on the good times we’ve had together.”
What the …
Appalled, I jerked out of her arms, tightened the towel around my waist, and snapped, “What the hell are you doing here, Taryn? I don’t know what’s going on with you, but you better leave this instant.” Taryn and I had an arrangement of sorts a long time ago. There were no commitments or feelings involved … just sex. That’s all it was and that was all it ever would be, but I hadn’t been with her in over a year.
Taryn pouted her lip, and moved closer. “But I thought we used to have fun together. Don’t you want that again? I can tell you and your princess aren’t getting along, so let me relieve some of that tension I know you have built up. It’ll be fun.”
“Enough,” I shouted angrily. “Whatever is going on between me and your future queen is our business. You know very well that what we had between us was over a long time ago. I don’t want you or anyone else for that matter. Now, if you don’t mind I want you to leave … now.”
Taryn narrowed her eyes and stood up straighter. “So what you’re trying to tell me is if I got naked right now and asked you to f*ck me that you wouldn’t?”
“You’re right, I wouldn’t,” I retorted truthfully. “There’s only one person I want right now and it’s not you.”
Taryn laughed sarcastically. “So you’re holding out for the princess who doesn’t even want you? Why would you wait for her when you could have so many other women at your beck and call?”
Because I love her, I said to myself.
Taryn’s eyes went wide, as if she’d heard me, and she whispered, “Please don’t tell me that you love her? Is that what you’re saying?”
I didn’t have to think twice. “Yes,” I said, “that’s exactly what I’m saying. Now do me a favor and don’t come back here again. I’m sure there are plenty of men out there that would be honored to have you, but it’s not me.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she backed up to the door and ran out of it, down the steps and into the night. Sighing, I shut the door and leaned against it. “Ariella, please come home. I really need to talk to you.”
I didn’t expect to hear her reply, but it came through as a soft whisper, so unlike the Ariella from just a few hours ago. “I’m on my way,” she said. “And Brayden?”
“Yes, angel.”
“I’m sorry.”
I was sorry, too. Especially because I was going to have to explain to her what had just happened. Knowing Ariella and her fiery temper she’d blow up at the first mention of a woman trying to get me into bed. Honesty was something I lived by. Hopefully she’d respect that and listen to what I had to say. I love her.
It took me a while to figure out that was what I felt, but it was true. I loved her and I was going to tell her.
I DIDN’T KNOW what to expect when I pretended to be Taryn, but hearing Brayden confess his love to me wasn’t what I thought would happen. I felt guilty for tricking him and the weight of that guilt felt like a boulder pressing down against my chest. However, I didn’t feel bad with confronting Taryn. She needed to be taken down a notch or two.
Taking a deep breath, I stared at the front door to Brayden’s home for about five minutes before I had the courage to walk inside. As soon as I opened the door and shut it, I turned around and he was there. Brayden was dressed in a simple, fitted black T-shirt and jeans, and his hair was still damp from the shower. Just a few minutes ago when I was Taryn, I got to see him in nothing but a towel. My heart raced just looking at him sitting in one of his living room chairs; his legs crossed and resting over the table in front of him, a glass of faerie wine in his hands.
Another sparkling glass of wine waited on the kitchen counter and I assumed it was mine, so I smiled quickly at him and strolled over to the bar, gulping down the glittering blue liquid. It tingled in my belly and relaxed my muscles in an instant. I closed my eyes and sighed.
“I needed that,” I breathed, sinking down into one of the chairs at the bar. “Thank you for pouring me a glass.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied. I could hear him swallow down the rest of his wine and set the glass down on the table in front of him. My back was to him, but I could feel the presence of his body coming up behind me.
Now that the day was over and the excitement of the fight had died down, my body ached and my muscles were sore. I overdid it with Brayden this afternoon, but I wanted to push myself past any limit I had for myself. I had to do it. I put a hand on the back of my neck and began rubbing out the knots of tension.
Gently, Brayden moved my hand away and began working out the kinks in my muscles with his strong yet soothing fingers. Immediately, the tension ebbed and I liquefied under his touch. I couldn’t stop the moan from escaping my lips or keep my eyes from rolling back because of how amazing his hands felt on my body.