Page 39

Taylor

“Butterfly. Wake up.”

Aries' lips brush against my ear and I stir awake.

My shoulder aches and I wince as I roll onto my back.

The moment my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep and only woke up once when I found myself tucked tightly against Rayne. My body instinctively feeling the urge to protect her despite only knowing her for a few hours.

Ari’s thumb slides across my cheek as I look at Rayne. Her dirty blonde hair is sticking up in every direction as she cuddles the stuffed bunny to her chest. She has had an iron grip on that stuffed animal since Ari gave it to her.

“Come on. We aren’t going far,” Ari says, sliding his hands beneath me to cradle me against his chest.

My head falls to his naked torso and I take a deep breath, inhaling his freshly washed skin.

Ari’s face is a mask of indifference and I can’t help but worry about what happened down in The Bastille. “Ace? You okay?”

He nods and walks us into the bathroom and sets me on the counter.

Silently, he fills the bathtub before making his way over to me to help me out of my clothes.

Something is definitely wrong.

As he is about to slip my shirt off, I stop him, placing a hand against his heart. My fingers trace the lines of his newest tattoo. A blue butterfly sitting right over his heart. He got it a few days after the shooting and it has since become my favorite.

“Ari. Talk to me.”

I take a deep breath and when his gaze finally meets mine; I see him trying not to laugh.

“What the hell, Ace? You’re laughing?!”

“Sorry Hellhound. I had a plan. I was going to come in here, take care of you, and tell you how much I loved you, but then I saw you with Raynie and my entire speech went flying out the window.”

Pushing him away, I wince, but ignore it. “So you made me think something was terribly wrong instead? What the hell?!”

Ari’s face falls. Ignoring me once again, he gently slips my shirt over my head, leaving me completely naked on the counter.

As he turns around to shut off the water, I move to hop off the counter when he faces me and slides his joggers and underwear down. Not feeling a bit of shame or embarrassment, my eyes linger on his semi-hard cock.

My entire body feels as if it’s been set on fire, and I squeeze my legs together.

Ari’s heated gaze meets mine, and he eliminates the space between us. His cock brushes against my knees and his large hands grip my legs, sliding them against the cool countertop before nestling himself right between them.

A grin spreads across his face and he leans forward, caging me in with his arms against the mirror behind me.

The head of his cock brushes against my pussy and I have to bite my lip to stop a moan from escaping me.

Ari’s head drops to my neck, and he licks his way up to my ear, the head of his cock gliding inside me.

I feel Ari’s teeth graze against my skin and my control snaps. Both my hands move to the side of his face and I slam my lips against his.

My shoulder screams in pain and I let out a cry into Ari’s mouth, but I don’t pull away.

Unfortunately, Ari does.

With one hand, he grips the wrist of my injured shoulder and easily guides it back down. Every muscle in my arm and shoulder feels as if I am trying to rip it from my body. I feel a tear roll down my cheek, but I’m quickly distracted when Ari thrusts inside me.

Ari’s dark eyes glare at me in warning. “Do not move that arm again or I will stop.” Dragging his finger up my body, stopping to pinch my nipple, he makes his way to my neck and squeezes.

Fuck . My head falls back against the mirror and Ari takes that as his opportunity to latch onto my neck.

A moan slips from my lips as Ari’s thrusts grow harder and faster. “Ace.”

His lips kiss their way to my ear. “Shh. I need you to be quiet. Can you do that for me? I promise I will take care of you. I.” Thrust . “Just.” Thrust . “Need.” Thrust . “You.”

Tightening his grip on my throat, I slam my hand against my mouth, nodding rapidly.

His motions become crazed and all I can do is hold on. He needs this. We need this.

Ari and I thrive on honest and open communication, but it's the moments where our minds refuse to silence and our bodies connect in something raw and untamed where I feel the most connected to him.

Together our breathing turns erratic as Ari slows his hips and releases his hold on my neck. Our eyes lock, his hips still moving in and out.

Ari’s head drops to mine and together we both lose ourselves in each other.

An overwhelming wave of emotions consumes me and I feel a sense of loss when Ari slowly slides out of me. The moment does not last for long when he slips his hands under my knees. Slinging my good arm around his neck, he walks us over to the tub and settles us into the warm water.

Burying my face in his neck with my arm tucked between us, I allow the water and the feeling of Ari’s hand running up and down my back to calm my racing mind.

Ari’s whispered tone cuts through the silence and I move to sit, but up he keeps me in place. “You don’t have to say a word, but I want you to listen, okay?”

I nod against his neck and settle further into his arms.

“Today will be a day I never forget. Hell, the last few months will be ones that replay in my mind for the rest of my life. Today I saw what I only dreamed my life could become and you are the reason that dream came true. I once called you my dreamcatcher, and that’s because you were the only guiding light out of my nightmares. But I was wrong. You weren’t chasing the nightmares away, you were holding onto my dreams of the future, only setting them free when the time was right.

“You are the most selfless person I have ever met. Every day, you prove that despite your trials, you are more than the scars on your heart. You are strong, fearless, and the person I want by my side as I help my daughter through this new phase of her life.”

My head pops up and I search his eyes. “A—”

Shaking his head, he stops me with a quick kiss to my lips. “Let me finish.”

Ari’s arms move further up my back, allowing me to lean back, giving me a better view of his handsome face.

“That day at the canyon, you told me you didn’t know what your future looked like in terms of children. Everything I said that day still stands true, but I would be a fool to not see the circumstances have changed drastically. Rayne coming back into my life was not something I could have ever predicted, and neither could you. As always, you are in control here and I feel it is only right to give you a choice. You didn’t enter into this wild ride with me having a daughter. And as much as it pains me to say this, if this is not the path in life you wish to go down, I completely understand. But Rayne and I are a packaged deal. Much like there is no me without you, there is no Ari without Rayne. As much as I love you, Rayne has to come first. So—”

Placing a hand against his chest, I stop him. “I’m going to stop you there Ace.” My voice is short and I take a deep breath.

“My first instinct is to rip you a new one for thinking for a second that you would have to give me an out now that Raynie is back.” Ari’s gaze casts downward and I tap his chin. I wait for his dark eyes to return to mine and continue, “I know you, Aries Clark. You always want the best for everyone, even if it means you are sacrificing your own happiness. But what you don’t see is the moment I opened my eyes and saw that the person I had only dreamed of was right next to me the entire time; I found peace. We have both been through hell and somehow found our way to move forward.

“Even as I thought I was going to die, there was one thing that will stand the test of time. Life is unpredictable. It can change in an instant, but I know one thing will always remain the same. If my fate changed tomorrow and took me away from this world, I know I would find you in the next lifetime. Today, the only thing that has changed is that I would not only look for you, I would look for the little girl who shares the same determination and strength of the man I love most in any lifetime.”

Ari’s head falls to my chest. “Is it possible to love you more than I already do?”

A laugh escapes me and I thread my fingers into his long, wet hair, angling it back up. “I have no idea, but are you ready to see if you can?”

A smile that I have only seen on this man twice; once the day I finally stopped fighting him and the second when he watched Raynie eat ice cream in the back of his truck, spreads across his face.

Pressing a gentle kiss to my lips, he lifts my hand to his heart and covers it with his. “Until my last dying breath and into the next lifetime?”

“Until the next lifetime and far beyond.”

I stare down at the man that used to be a thorn in my side, who is now the best thing that ever happened to me with excitement, knowing that this is just the beginning of what I know will be one damn good life.