Aro assisted Drew up onto the examination table, hospital gown in place. X-rays had been taken to see the extent of her injury. Aro stood beside her, keeping close watch of her.
His brows were pulled together, a slight crease between them. Red eyes blown wide. Cool fingers traced patterns on top of her thigh. His lips down turned.
"Please don't look at me like that." She whispered taking hold of his hand with her right hand.
"How am I looking at you?" He mused, cupping her cheek.
"As if I'm so fragile, already broken. The imaging isn't back, the pain medication has kicked in. I'm—"
"Do not finish that sentence, Doctor." He warned, voice dropping a few octaves.
She shuddered when he caught hold of her chin.
"You wish I did not worry over you it makes you uncomfortable. I want you to consider my perspective. That someone I care for dearly has been hurt, possibly with nerve, muscles, ligaments and bones broken or torn. You are not a burden to me, your well being is and always will be my priority. You are in luck Marcus is not here."
"I —" Drew struggled whilst Aro looked up at her from under thick lashes.
She remembered the many arguments she'd had as a fresh young adult. The fear that churned her stomach of another person caring for her. Relying on others, meant trusting them. Each person that entered her life left. No one stayed. She was tired of opening only for someone to be gone. A crack fissured into her heart each time. She was getting too fragile.
She tried, she really did, to open. Aro in these last few weeks had her spiraling. She was willing to be close so quickly, it was baffling. There was a sense of safety that enveloped her whenever he was near. She didn't have the urgency to plan any escape route or to push him to the edge. He wanted to be there for her. To face her demons head on and care for her. Even if it meant overstepping some boundaries. He desired to be present in her life. She found herself willing to do so.
"I'll try. I'm not used to this…"
"It takes time, amore, to be at peace with your inner turmoil." He murmured kissing her temple. "Know that we are not going anywhere. Immortality and all."
Drew's cheeks warmed. He remained keeping contact with her skin. He'd read every concern and worry in her head. She would try, she realized to accept the care.
It took her a long time to open herself up to others. Constantly moving around, seven schools between ages twelve until fifteen. They never remained. She built friendships in her PhDs that she had been unable to before being much younger than her classmates. She'd been to therapy in that time to come to terms of her trauma. She'd kept romance at am arm's length due to concentrating on her studies. In her career she wished to keep it casual… she'd justified it as wanting to get her feet about her… until now. She gave Aro's hand a light squeeze, taking a deep breath. She wanted to be closer to him.
"Thank you, for being here. Despite my denial." She admitted.
"I will always be by your side."
The door opened to the room.
"Thank you for your patience, I have the results here."
Dr. Perez put the X-rays up on the illuminated board.
"As you can see, there are fortunately no breaks. The bones remain strong and intact. There is some swelling within the muscles which is usual with a dislocation. I recommend we pop the shoulder back in place and a sling be used to stabilize the joint. There should be time to ice the area daily, pain medication to manage symptoms. I do not recommend heavy lifting or repetitive movements for a few weeks, as in the field work. Exercise it within a few weeks, the brace will only be needed for a few days."
"Thank the gods." Drew exhaled a grin on her face.
The two vampires looked between her and themselves.
"You need to pop it in." She realized. "Make it quick."
Wednesday morning, she made her way to work. She hummed to herself passed the receptionist, she wanted to stop off for coffee before she headed to her desk for the day.
"Danvers, you were under strict orders not to be here." Az pinned her with a glare, from next to the coffee machine.
"I've got a few things to sign off on I forgot about." She replied, filling her mug with coffee.
"If anything was needing to be signed, I am capable to do so. You are under clear instructions to be nowhere on university grounds. If you were, you were to be sent straight home."
"Reports are still due. I'm to be away for four days, and we must keep on top of this all. Kingston is gone home on emergency still." She argued.
"I can manage, this work is going nowhere it has not been for three hundred years. You however are under direct orders not to be here, as per our employer and your boyfriend. Go home Danvers." He took her mug from her.
"It is a dislocated shoulder my right hand still works. I will be at my desk not another place."
Az's brows creased. He pinched his nose bridge. "I do not want to be skinless. I may or may not agree you are still capable of working, however your boytoy has made his words clear."
"Who would tell him I was here?"
"He would see your name upon the papers, which are dated."
"What would he truly do, honestly? He wouldn't skin you."
"Your boyfriend bites, he is not all bark. In fact, he's falsely polite and will kill."
She paused. Azrael had a point, Aro was a vampire. A king at that, he could easily make the man disappear. She really liked her co-workers too, they didn't need to go missing.
"That's— fair. Okay." She remembered the first time she'd met him, scared in her own shoes. "I should pack… I haven't done that yet. Not that I can do it too well."
Az pulled out his phone, flipping it open and dialing. "Dav, get your stuff your off the rest of the day with Danvers. She needs help packing. If that's what it takes to keep her away from the office. It's paid."
"You're even paying her?" Drew laughed. "Alright, I will leave."
"Good."
Davina practically dragged her home within a few minutes. She put Drew next to her half-filled suitcase mindful of the sling.
"Okay, let's start with what's in here." Davina began lifting a few of the items, a light blue sweater dress and black stockings. "These are okay, it's supposed to be chilly."
She folded them back up and placed them to the side. Drew had kept a variety of clothes from sweaters, t-shirts, long sleeves and jeans and trousers and skirts, she wasn't sure what to expect in where Aro was taking her. She'd included two dresses for any fancy dates. She wanted to be prepared, as he had been tight lipped on their destination and only told her it would be in northern Italy.
"Drew, seriously what are these atrocities?" Davina held plain black cotton underwear. "This is a romantic four day get away, to get more intimate, isn't it?"
"Those are back ups in case my period sneaks up on me."
Davina nodded slowly folding the stuff back into the suitcase. "Smart… but you need something more too."
Davina turned and headed into her closet. She opened the top drawer of her dresser and dug deep. It wasn't long until she had a dark purple lacy bra and matching low cut panties. The set still had the tags on them. "These are what I'm talking about!"
"I forgot I had those." Drew took them with her good hand. They had been bought on some random shopping spree with Davina. The girl was always shopping, so Drew ended up buying a few extra things.
Drew folded them and placed them in the suitcase, while Davina went digging.
"Oh wow, what was the occasion for this?"
Drew looked up her face burned. There Davina held up two hangers from further in her closet. One was a lilac lacy baby doll with the cups that were see-through. the other a bright red lace trimmed deep V-neck satin teddy lingerie.
"Prepping for the weekend?"
"I bought those after our wine tasting three months ago, when you said I wasn't adventurous enough to buy these things. I had gone slightly tipsy to the boutique and bought them. Hence the tags."
"Ah you're more of the silk chemises from what I see." Davina turned hanging them back up and grabbing the few silk chemise nightgowns from their hangers.
"The goal is nude in the end, why make it complicated?" Drew chuckled getting up and digging further into the corner, she grabbed the lace baby doll set with sheer cups. "I'll bring the two baby dolls. Easier access."
"If I dig further will I find garters, and leather pieces?" Davina teased.
"I left my whips at home." Drew drawled. She laughed seeing Davina pause in her packing of the lingerie.
"I don't know if that's a joke."
"I don't have a whip. I'm more into the rewards than pain."
"So silk or satin restraints?"
Drew shook her head pushing Davina away from her sock drawer. "I'll let Aro supply those, he's got a lot of ties."
"Nope! I surrender. I don't need to picture the man. He's hot but also twenty years my senior."
"He's barely in his early thirties." Drew corrected. Give or take a few millennia…
"Swimsuit?" Davina asked onto the middle drawers.
Drew paused. "Honestly never thought that over, sure this will be a romantic weekend, but we never discussed activities. It's unrealistic to think we'd only be in bed. Maybe I'll pack one or two."
"This is turning into a lot. Can we reduce the number of sweaters you've packed?"
"That's a good idea. I'm an over packer. I still need my night bag in there, bonnet, hair care… do I bring a wig, or do I just go beg Siobhan to braid my hair?" Drew mumbled to herself meeting her own gaze in the vanity mirror.
She'd been sporting her natural look for this week since she wasn't underground. They weren't long enough just to use her natural hair. Would she need a few looks for this weekend? Aro had a habit of taking her out to extravagant places… She wanted to be prepared. What if they did go swimming…
"Hey, Drew, relax… deep breaths…" Davina caught her shoulders gently holding her in place. "You're over thinking this, you've got time before you head out with Aro. Your hair is versatile and beautiful. We can twist or braid your hair if you want simple and protective. This isn't about your hair though. What's got you worked up?"
"I haven't been sexually active with a man in a long time… and when I was it was terrible." She blurted.
"That's it?" Davina gave a small smile.
"I'm twenty-six years old and my only sexual experiences with a penis were a few hand jobs, and one time at a party and he pre-maturely ejaculated."
"Please know that has nothing to do with you. That's all on the man." Davina chuckled. "Tell me, are you open to the idea of being intimate with Aro?"
"Of course, we've done a few things more than making out."
"Do you trust Aro enough to communicate with him?"
"Yes."
"Then you'll be fine."
"How are you so sure?"
"Because all you need to do is use your big brain and communicate your concerns with him. He's a grown man, and if that's the case he will care enough about his partner's pleasure. Thus, you two will do this at your own paces. Consent is a big thing." Davina explained. "So, deep breaths, take your time and you've got it. You can seduce Siobhan, which is no easy feat."
"I'm usually so confident in my sexuality. Women are just –something else. I'm comfortable with them. Men I revert to this state of nerves."
"You're used to being dominant, in new circumstances you revert to the submissive. It's okay to be a switch."
"There's a term for this?"
"Of course. Have you ever explored BDSM?" Davina questioned.
"Not much. I never picked up a book on it."
"BDSM has a lot of things that can be translated into bigger world around it. Consent, communicating your needs, safe words. People are very diverse, and needs are different in each relationship. I'm not into the extremes of the lifestyle but I enjoy some parts the care and control especially."
"Aro is one hundred percent a Dom, we've established that before." Drew smirked.
"That's obvious." Davina laughed. "He's loaded and holds a lot of power, there's this air about him. It's dark and sexy. You can be the same way when you know what you're doing and comfortable. In new situations it can take some time to come out. You were reserved when I first met you."
"Yet you still managed to make me social."
"I'm charming and everyone adores me. It's my superpower."
"Exactly, now let's get your stuff packed so we can go to lunch."
"Amore, are you ready?" Aro asked entering her foyer. He was casually dressed in slacks and a knit sweater.
"As I can be, you've divulged no specifics." She teased. It was just after four thirty am.
"We are headed to one of our properties in the north. It is a Villa on the hills of Conegliano, surrounded by a few vineyards, one of which we own. It affords us some privacy." He explained. "We are headed to Florence to fly to Venice we can explore the city first of course, then head up the home."
"Oh, it sounds wonderful." Drew smiled embracing him. "Will you be alright to fly?"
"It's our private plane, the weather will be overcast when we arrive. It is the benefits of autumn in Venice, a good chance of clouds."
"You own a private plane? Why am I questioning this, of course you would." She slipped on her shoes.
"Multiple, a bigger set for overseas. They are leased out now and then to others or used by the guard. It is the easiest way to travel and not draw too much attention."
"Fair point mobsters need secrecy." She agreed slipping on black jacket, she was ready to go.
She was within a few steps of him near the door. Aro raised his brows an upwards curl of his mouth as he leant down to her. She kept his crimson gaze firm, not caring as his gloved hand caught her chin. He was a few inches from her face. His cool breath washed over her, smelling of mint.
The silence between them tense, while her heart thundered in her chest. She offered a soft smile. "I'm joking. I know you're a ruler of the entire vampire world."
"Indeed, I am," His lips ghosted close to hers as he responded.
She inhaled. His cologne was enticing as was all of him. Eyes heavy as she tried to keep looking up at him. She closed the distance wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. He didn't resist, capturing her lips in a few gentle kisses. Lips parted she took shallow breaths trying to calm the twisting in her belly, that grew stronger every time she was near him. Heart hammering into her chest.
How had she feared being intimate with this man? It came like second nature to her. Kissing him, running her hands through his soft locks of ebony. Though his skin was cool to the touch and stiff at times, he made her burn with desire. It didn't take much for him to have her melting at the knees, so easily receptive to each touch, caress, kiss. He'd so easily pleasured her before. It didn't require her brain to realize each moment could be amazing.
"Thank you for planning this." she whispered pulling back.
"One of many in our future. I plan to make sure you experience immense pleasure this weekend." He winked straightening, arm out to escort her out of her flat.
He took her suitcase in the other hand while they exited, pausing for her to lock up.
One thing Drew could count on, it was sleeping soundly on an airplane. She hadn't meant to sleep all the time on the flight but no coffee and a simple breakfast, it was the perfect mixture to have her falling asleep.
"Amore, we've arrived." Aro said quietly, running his hand up her back.
She propped up off his chest, blinking taking in the brighter light in the cabin. She stretched buckling up seeing the light pop on.
"It's been three hours, really?"
"Almost, we will land in a few minutes."
"I'm going to need espresso," she yawned.
"There are other ways we can keep you awake." Aro offered, leaning close to her. His cool ungloved hands traced patterns upon hers. "A few dreams we can make reality."
She bit her bottom lip studying his face.
Aro could bring her to the brink of pleasure, in multiple ways. He'd shown how easy it was for him, with his tongue, fingers, and words to make her climax. She glanced to the window, where the sights of Venice came into view, Marco Polo airport. The ancient city which she was being given the time to explore.
His laughter pulled her back to him.
"Amore, when I plan to bring you to the peaks of pleasure it will not be rushed. I will not try to compete with that thirst you have for knowledge." He kissed the hand he still held.
"Please never make me choose."
A/N: Thank you for reading all! I didn't mean to be away so long but I had a course for my degree and also got sick for the past two weeks :P but I am here still I promise! It's why I didn't wait to post this chapter until the weekend, and when I finish the chapter for my other story too.