The next chapter is posted! Enjoy!
As it drifted into early summer, Mia and Aerin continued growing closer.
Something that her family has noticed as well. It brought them happiness and relief to see Mia moving on with her life and putting both attacks behind her.
They believe Aerin had a lot to do with it because he's been a good source of support from the start and that was why Mia bounced back as quickly as she did. She had also been much happier and upbeat. Something that the rest of her family hasn't seen since before the first time she was assaulted by her ex.
The pair would often find the time to squeeze in make out sessions whenever they could. Each kiss was filled with passion, like a fire that could not be put out and always had them breathless in the end.
They have yet to go further than shared kisses though. After everything she had been through in her life, he didn't want to rush or pressure her to go further. He left the decision solely to her. When she is ready to go further, she will let him know.
Mia fully appreciated it and was moved by this.
She awoken to her phone alarm going off. She reached over to her nightstand and tapped onto the screen to turn off the chime's ringtone. Then she pulled her arm back and placed it back down on the bed in front of her.
Mia felt the weight of an arm slide off her back, then felt the bed dip a little behind her, before feeling a soft pair of lips press a small kiss to the side of her forehead.
Her eyes were still closed as a small smile crept onto her face.
"Good morning." He says.
"Morning." She replied.
Then she lazily rolled onto her back to face him.
Aerin was lying on his side facing her with his head propped up by his hand and elbow, giving her a lazy smile.
The pair started sharing her bed not long after they shared their first kiss. Now, it seems her bedroom has gradually become his, these last couple of weeks. Sharing a space like this didn't feel awkward at all for them.
He has shared the bed with her a few times before in the past. The first time being the night after the assault, when she didn't want to be alone.
From then on, whenever she awoken from a nightmare in a cold sweat on the verge of a panic attack, he would come in and stay with her.
Thankfully, these nightmares were very few and far in between as of late. But the few that did happen, he was there for her.
In a way, whenever they had slept side by side, his nightmares would all but disappear as well. Now, he too is hardly plagued by them any longer. It was strange yet welcoming that their nightmares would just disappear and not return when they were together.
"So, what is on the agenda today? As you would often say." He inquired.
"Well, being that it is going to be a hot one today, I would like to go swimming. Hopefully, the water has warmed up a little more. Seeing as the last time we stuck our feet in during a walk along the shore, I thought our feet were going to freeze off." Mia replied.
"So, taking a day off from writing and dancing then?" Aerin stated.
"Yep, I'm slacking off today so to speak." She announced.
"Slacking off or becoming lazy?" He teased.
"Hey, you must fit in some fun between work. Otherwise, life would be dull, boring, and miserable." She pointed out.
"Excuses, excuses." He jokes.
Mia quirked a brow at him, and his smirk just widens.
"You're one to talk. I think you should do a few laps in the water. A little exercise won't hurt you." She joked back.
"I assure you, there is nothing wrong with my stamina or strength. But if you insist, I swim about like a fish, then I'll do it, if not to just amuse you." He says.
"Yeah, and then you can start getting a tan on that pasty pale butt of yours." She said, with an amused grin.
A thoughtful crossed his face.
"I don't know. To get a tan there would mean I'd have to strip down bare. Thus, making your face turn a lovely shade of red in the process." He stated, with a hint of contemplation.
"You do realize I have seen a naked man before so, I doubt I'd be blushing like a schoolgirl if I saw that." Mia informed him.
"Really? So, you mean to say I can go for a swim without the swim trunks you bought me a few days ago? Alright then." Aerin jokes.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head with a small smile.
"I can't win with you, can I?" She implied, with a sigh.
"Just as I can say the same for you." He says, as he leans in and captures her lips in a kiss.
She smiles into the kiss and reaches up to cup his cheek, while deepening it.
He reached over to caress her cheek, then slowly dragged it down her neck, over her shoulder, and down her side, making her tingle, as their tongues battled for dominance.
Aerin didn't shift in too close to her as they continued making out. If he did, he'd end up poking her hip with his morning wood, and was concerned it may freak her out.
A few moments later, the pair pulled away to breathe.
When they did, there was a disturbance on the bed as Tundra jumped up onto it and approached them. Then he plopped himself down next to Aerin and started showering his face with kisses.
This made Aerin pull back while sputtering and trying to push the large dog's head away from his face.
Mia started laughing as the scene played out.
"Guess Tundra wanted to get in on some of the action too." She said, between laughs.
"Forget it, don't like him like that…. knock it off." He added while continuing to push the dog away.
Eventually, Tundra let up and pulled back.
"Must like you more than me now. Seeing as you got all the morning kisses from him, and I haven't received even one." She teased.
"Yes, though I cannot say I enjoyed them." He says, as he rubbed the dog slobber off his cheeks and jaw.
"Well, maybe breakfast will help perk you back up. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Mia stated, as she sat up, pulled back the covers, and got out of bed.
"May as well help you make it then. Because the longer it is delayed, you're bound to get 'hangry' as you like to put it." He replied, with a small grin as he got off the bed too.
She then told Tundra to get off and once he did, Aerin helped her make the bed.
Mia grabbed her iPhone off the nightstand, and they left the bedroom. The pair headed down the hall, crossed the living room and entered the kitchen.
Tundra automatically went to the back door, stood there and started to whimper while staring at them.
That was when Aerin went over and opened the door to let him out so he could use the bathroom. Afterwards, he closed the door and walked back over to help Mia start preparing breakfast.
While she went into the fridge to grab some bacon, eggs, and butter, he went into the cabinets and pulled out a skillet and placed it on the stove.
They always worked quickly and efficiently together while preparing meals and Mia appreciated it, because it made it quicker to prepare a meal, cook it, and serve it. He'd also help her with loading the dishes in the dishwasher afterwards.
It wasn't long before the aroma of sizzling bacon began to fill the kitchen.
Tundra had eventually returned to the back door and barked a little to be let back inside. Mia went and did just that while Aerin started scooping the bacon out of the skillet and put some strips on both the plates on the counter next to him. Then he grabbed the bowl filled with raw scrambled eggs and poured that into the skillet next and started cooking them.
While he did this, Mia took the time to put some food and water into Tundra's food and water bowl. She then washed her hands in the sink and started assisting him once more with the cooking.
Within the next few minutes they were sitting down with a plate filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a couple slices of wheat toast.
"What time did you want to head out to the beach today?" He asked her, as they ate.
Mia shrugs, "Probably start getting ready to head out not long after we finish breakfast. Though if that is too soon for you, we can push it to a later time. While I may not really have anything to do today, you may have some things to do."
Aerin shook his head, "No, not really. I have yet to start thinking up ideas for a book. So, I've still been mostly just reading books and researching things on the laptop still."
"Well, at least you know you have plenty of time and can start whenever you want. A lot of authors go through periods where they don't start planning a story for a while. It could be days, weeks, or even months before they decide to start either writing a new story or come up with a storyline for it. Some authors like me, make up their own deadlines for when they want to get things done." She explained.
"And the publisher doesn't mind this?" He asks.
"Nah, Steph has other writers she publishes for beside me. So, it's not like she really sits around on end while waiting for me to finish a book. She splits her time going over the other authors' works too." Mia replied.
"I see, so you really can take as many breaks as you want then, and she won't fret over it." Aerin stated.
"Not at all. One of the things I like about Steph is that she is very chill and laidback. There are quite a few publishers out there who can be rather uptight and hound you with a ton of emails asking you when the deadlines are. Another author that I have met that also works with her told me his last publisher was like that, and this is why he left him. Said the guy was a straight up dick." She says.
They chatted a little more before they resumed eating.
Once they finished and everything was cleared off, both headed back to her bedroom and started getting things ready for the beach.
Mia went into her dresser drawers and pulled out one of her bikinis and a cover up. Then she headed into her bathroom to change into it.
While he went into one of the drawers and pulled out his navy-colored swim trunks and started changing out there in the bedroom. He pulled off his night clothes and stuck them underneath his pillow like he and Mia usually do with their night clothes.
Then he pulled on the trunks. He didn't bother tightening them with the drawstring and tying them, figuring the elastic waistline of the trunks was good enough at keeping them in place.
After a few couple more minutes, Mia opened the bathroom door and walked out. She had just finished capping the bottle of sunblock that she usually kept in the cabinet beneath the sink when she wasn't using it.
Mia then went into her walk-in closet on the other side of the bedroom and pulled her beach bag down from the top shelf and pulled it out. She then went into a small basket right next to it and pulled out a couple rolled-up beach towels to shove into the bag, before leaving the closet.
"Ok, I got a couple towels in here for you and me. I also slipped the sunblock in as well. Is there anything else you would like to bring? Like a book or something?" She asked.
"Yes, I'll bring the one I've been currently reading that's still on the nightstand over there." Aerin says, while gesturing to the nightstand, before walking over to it.
He picked up the copy of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald that he had just started reading.
He had only recently got it from one of the local bookstores in town when he went out with Mia a couple days ago when she ran some errands.
Mia packed her small Anker speaker into the beach bag along with his book when he handed it over to her.
"Just need to grab my book. I forgot I left it on my desk in the office." She told him, as she grabbed a pair of sunglasses off the top of her dresser that was sitting in the corner.
"Alright." He replied.
They both headed out and crossed the hall to the office and she picked up her book and bagged it.
Aerin tried to hide his amusement when he saw the book she was reading. It was called Real Wolfmen: True Encounters of Modern America by Linda S. Godfrey. He recalls her telling him once that she was one of her favorite authors and had a bunch of her books. All of which were books on the paranormal and people's encounters with mysterious cryptids.
"I'm starting to think if you were to have an encounter with a cryptid yourself, that author would be the first person you call." He couldn't resist teasing her.
Mia snorted at that.
"Very funny. But no. If by chance I ever did have an encounter with some strange unidentified animal, I doubt I'd tell anyone without fear of being labeled as crazy or a druggie." She quipped.
"But we've already discussed that you are a little crazy." He ascertained, with an amused grin.
They walked into the kitchen where Mia pulled out a couple water bottles to fill for themselves to take with them.
By the time they got everything ready and left the house, it was around 9:30am.
It was already very warm. The sun was shining and there were hardly any clouds in the sky as they walked over to the garage and opened it so Mia could grab a couple of beach chairs to bring with them.
He offered to carry both the folded-up chairs that hardly weighed anything. That way, all she had to carry was the beach bag. She thanked him for the offer, and they started heading several yards ahead to the beach.
When they got to a nice spot not too far from the water, they set their things down and got themselves situated. She helped him open the beach chairs and sit them up in the sand. Then Mia started pulling her beach towel out and unfolded it. Afterwards she laid it over the sand next to her beach chair.
Then she kicked off her slides and tugged her cover up over her head and shoved it into the beach bag between the two beach chairs.
Aerin couldn't help but stare. This had to be the first time he had seen her with such little clothing on. The only areas covered were her chest and privates. He thought she looked quite flattering in it.
He averted his gaze though when she shifted her attention over to him.
"You want to put some sunblock on you, so you don't burn and turn red like a lobster?" She teased.
"Yes, I suppose. Seeing as I know I'll never hear the end of it from you if I leave here looking like I just came out of a tomato garden." He said, with a small grin.
"Good. Because I can tell you right now, there is nothing fun about sun poisoning. What it is; is an extreme case of sunburn. So bad, it will make nasty boils and blisters pop up on your skin and they're quite painful. At that point the sunburn is equivalent to a second-degree burn." She explained.
"So, you're indicating it could happen if you don't put this lotion on?" He inquired.
"Yes, it can happen if you don't put any on at all and you're out in the sun all day while it is this strong." She replied.
He was about to open the bottle when she spoke again.
"Do you plan on keeping your t-shirt on the entire time, even when you're in the water or are you taking it off?" She asks.
"I planned on taking it off before going in." He said.
"Then I suggest you take it off now, so that you can apply the lotion to your front and back, so you don't burn there. Basically, cover every inch of skin you can that isn't covered by clothing." She instructed.
He gave her a brief nod, before putting the bottle down on the seat of the beach chair and pulled his shirt off.
This was the first time Mia had seen him with a shirt off. She couldn't help but let her eyes wander.
He had some tone to him, that was for sure. Then he uncapped the bottle and squeezed some of the white lotion into his hand. Like he saw her do at least once before, he started rubbing it into his skin.
It took him a little time to rub it all over. Though getting his back was challenging and awkward. That's when Mia stepped in.
"I can get your back for you, seeing as it's one spot that is difficult to do on your own." She offered.
"Thank you." He says, as he hands her the bottle of lotion.
"Welcome. Just need you to turn around and give me your back." She requested.
"Sure." He replied.
Aerin shifted around as he sat in the warm, coarse sand, giving her his back.
Mia crouched down onto her knees behind him, tossed his long hair over his shoulders, and started pouring some lotion into her hands. Then she started smearing it all over his back.
She could feel the muscle beneath the skin as she rubbed the sunblock in.
It was no wonder he slammed her ex around so easily. He really was quite strong. She was almost surprised he didn't cave Lucas's face in when he slammed him so aggressively into the island a couple times.
Mia tried to put it out of her mind. She didn't want to waste any more time remembering that horrible time he came to her house with every intent to harm her.
She finished applying the lotion pretty quickly, making sure she covered his whole entire back with it. She didn't bother getting the back of his neck, because his long hair covered it, already giving it protection from the sun.
"There, you're all set." She tells him, while backing up.
He turned back around afterwards.
"Thank you. Are you heading in now?" He asked.
"I can wait for you. Seeing as you need to give the lotion a few minutes to settle in before entering the water. You go in too soon; it could wash off. So, I'll stay here and annoy…I mean keep you company." She ended with a tease.
"Aren't I the fortunate one." He stated, in an amused tone.
"Yep. Because I'm pretty much here to drive you crazy. If it's not working than that means I'm doing a piss poor job in doing so." She joked.
Aerin chuckled a little at that.
"I wouldn't say you're doing a bad job. Quite the contrary, you're doing a good job of it." He jokes back.
"Oh good, so I haven't lost my touch then." Mia stated, with a smirk.
He just shakes his head with an amused grin.
Figures, the woman he ended up falling for, was really quite the comedian. She was also very different from any of the women he encountered back on Middle Earth. Being around for as long as he was, he cannot say he ever really came across any who was humorous like Mia.
After about ten minutes of sitting, they decided to go in the water.
Aerin made sure to slide off his slip-on sneakers first and placed them aside next to his beach towel that he had laid out on the ground. Then they walked in together. It was very gradual, seeing as the water was still pretty chilly.
The waves were a bit rough, and they could feel the slight pull of an undertow beneath the surface with each wave rolling in. So, because of this, they stuck close together and didn't go out far.
By the time they stopped wading in, the water was up to Mia's chest and up to Aerin's midriff.
Despite it being nippy, he found it to be pleasant and the longer they stay in, the more used to it they will get.
She tried moving around a little to warm herself up. Something that he noticed as he stood next to her.
"Cold?" He asked.
"Just a bit. That's why I'm moving my arms around a little. Get's some movement in to warm myself up." She replied.
A mischievous smirk slowly appeared on his face.
"I know a way that will warm you up quicker." He told her.
As Mia shifted her gaze to him, he quickly reached for her, grabbed her about the waist, twisted around and lightly threw her back.
Not a few moments later, she found herself completely submerged in the ice-cold water.
As soon as she came up, she let out a yelp at the coldness, while brushing her soaked hair back. She also heard him laughing his ass off from his little stunt.
"Seriously!?" She barked.
"What? You mean to say it didn't work?" He inquired, between laughs.
Mia glared at him as the water continued rolling off her.
But then her gaze flickered behind him and that is when she saw a fairly big wave rolling in. She didn't say anything or bother to warn him. Instead, she waited for it to be upon him, then she grinned at him, before diving beneath the wave as it came.
Aerin turned too late to see the big wave slam into his back and sent him tumbling forward.
He flailed about as he tumbled ass over tea kettle beneath the turbulent wave as it rushed to shore. Once he hit the sand and stopped rolling, he stumbled to his feet.
Mia watched from the water as he stumbled to his feet. She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh when she saw he lost his trunks, and they slid down his legs giving her a nice view of his bare ass. Then when he turned a little, she saw the profile of his prick.
He actually had a nice package on him.
When Aerin felt something was off, he looked down at himself and realized that his trunks were haphazardly around his shins. Then he heard Mia laughing from the water.
"Nice view! Thanks for the strip tease!" She called out with some laughter in her voice.
He just shook his head and pulled his trunks back up. This time, he tightened the waistband with the drawstrings and tied them in a bow. Had he done this to begin with when he changed into them back at the house, he probably wouldn't have almost lost them.
He's lucky the swim trunks weren't pulled off completely, otherwise, he would've lost them.
Afterwards, he waded back into the water towards her. By the time he met up with her, she still had a wide, amusing grin on her face.
"Best revenge ever and I didn't even have to do anything. I just let the wave do all the work for me." She touted.
Aerin just gave her a small smile.
Then he closed the gape between them and lowered himself more to her level in the water until they were eye level. He reached out and lightly placed his hands around her back. Then he started pulling her closer.
Mia lifted her arms and draped them around his neck as her front became flush with his.
They were out far enough beyond the breakers now. The pair stayed like that and let themselves shift over the incoming waves. That gently rolled over the surface.
"I suppose this means you enjoyed that little impromptu show." He stated, with the small smile still on his face.
"Well, I can say it didn't disappoint. And…you do have a nice ass." She teased.
"Oh really? Well, if you ever wish to see it again, all you have to do is ask." He teased back.
Mia chuckled a little at that.
"Thanks for letting me know and you won't hear any complaints from me." She jokes.
"I don't doubt that. Seeing as I didn't hear you complain just before when it occurred." He said, with a hint of laughter in his tone.
She gave him a small smile, before she leaned in and gave him a kiss.
Aerin gladly returned the kiss and parted his lips so that he may deepen the kiss. Mia slid her tongue in to caress his, causing a small grunt to leave him as he caressed hers back.
Their bodies began to heat up, and the water didn't feel as cold, as they continued sharing the intense kiss that made their hearts thump wildly in their chests.
It was an amazing feeling they both shared. Mia can't say she has ever felt anything this strongly before.
Whereas the last time he felt anything remotely close to this, was with his companion from well over an age ago. It was an intense and deep feeling he thought he would never feel again with another.
Yet, here he was, feeling it once more, and Aerin knew it meant she was the one for him. Just as she knew he was the one for her.
As always, they pulled back feeling a bit breathless.
Mia then laid her head down on one of her arms that was draped around his neck, relaxing in his hold as the waves gently rocked them.
"You excited for tomorrow?" He asked.
A small smile crept onto her face.
"Yeah, it's always a pretty exciting endeavor. Gives the girls a chance to showcase their developing skills and how far they have come each year. We have the end of the year recital for that and for fun." Mia says.
She was talking about the End of the Year Dance Recital her class has every year in the Middle of June.
"And I'm sure they will be great. Seeing as they always gave exceptional demonstrations during their lessons." He replied.
Her small smile gradually turned to one of amusement.
"Maybe you can let them do your hair again." She jokes.
"No thank you. Can't say I really liked it when Robin, Penny, and Charlotte decided to do my hair in braided pigtails, then to top it, they tied them off with bright pink ribbons then put those ghastly metallic colored barrettes on the sides above the braids.
I'm thinking they intentionally tried to make me look like that girl from that one show we watched, what was it called? Oh right, Wednesday. If I didn't know any better, they were trying to make me look like her. Could barely look in the mirror without a mortified look on my face." He says, as he crinkles his nose.
Mia couldn't help but laugh a little when he brought that up.
It was just last month, and the girls wanted to give him a little 'hair makeover'. Being the good sport he was, Aerin sat crisscrossed down on the floor and let them do it. In the end, all of them were laughing at how his hair turned out.
Of course, Mia had to take it a step further and grabbed her iPhone and took a picture. Sadly, he believes she still has it on her phone. Basically, it was of him sitting on the floor with the braided pigtails hanging low over the front of his shoulders with the pink bows in place at the bottom. He was surrounded on either side by the girls in the class, all of them in various stages of laughter.
"Look at it this way, be thankful none of them had a little make up kit with them. Otherwise, you would've gotten a makeover too. Complete with lipstick, eyeshadow, and blush." She teased.
"Don't even think about giving them ideas to do so." He told her.
"Don't worry, I will. Pretty certain Delaney has a makeup kit at home." Mia joked.
"You're very close to having me throw you again, Wilwarin. May get you to fly even further too." Aerin playfully threatens.
She tightened her hold around his neck after that.
"Nope, I'm staying right here. Besides, why ruin the moment. This is nice and relaxing." She tells him.
"Fine, but I'm still not letting anyone paint my face. That is just one more nightmare I do not need." He said, in a joking manner.
"Fair enough. I won't say anything to them about it." She replied.
They continued holding onto one another for a little while longer. Until they decided it was time to get out and warm up in the sun.
It turned out to be a very nice beach day. The pair spent their time alternating between going for a dip, reading, listening to music, and talking. Just a nice break from life in general.
Until Next Time