The Art Of Listening

Chapter 9

This kiss was very different from any kiss I have ever had. His lips soft, yet firm and I swear sparks exploded all over my body. I had read so many books that describe that and thought they were full of shit, but they aren't. When he pulled back, he looked into my eyes and smiled. "You are so beautiful, Artemis. I never want you to doubt that. I swear that  I will do everything I can to remind you of how special you are for as long as you allow me to." 

"I second that!" Lorilee said with a smile and I blushed bright red knowing that she had just witnessed that kiss. "You have friends here who love you and care for you. Never doubt that. We see you for who and what you really are, not what we want you to be." Jax said, cupping my cheek. Before he could say anything else, a loud and rowdy group of werewolves bounded through the door. "Morning, Artie!" Trevor grinned, then they all took in our position. Jax and I standing so close, his hand cupping my cheek, my face flushed. 

"Well, what did we miss?" Justin asked, wiggling his eyebrows. Trevor grinned like an idiot, Adam looked lost, Ian looked a bit angry, Blaine looked confused, but Lorilee was laughing her ass off.  "You missed Jax kissing the stuffing out of sweet little Artemis after she was ranting about being ugly and fat and being rejected because of a nightmare she had after Brad attacked her last night."  They all looked at me, anger burning in their eyes, "Say what now?" Blaine ground out. I sighed, "Let's go sit down, it's kind of a long story." They all followed me into the living room and sat down. I looked around for a place to sit, but my friends pretty much took all the spots. 

I just began to pace, telling them everything, avoiding eye contact because I didn't want to see the emotions on their faces. I didn't want to cry anymore. There were lots of growls and snarls, Blaine was happy about me hitting Brad with the skillet but when I was finished, I sat on the end of the coffee table and waited for them to say something. Trevor spoke first, "I am glad that you are ok and that Jax and Lorilee were here for you, but you know that you can call any one of us at any time and we will be here for you. We are your friends too, and we love you. I see you as a sister, hell, all of here do." Adam nodded, "Yeah, Artie, Trevor and I grew up with a house full of boys and always wanted a sister." Justin was next, "You are very lucky, Jax. I wish she was my mate, so beautiful and smart." Ian snorted, "I feel sorry for her, your mate, because you're an ass. Artemis, I know why you think the way that you do, but you couldn't be more wrong. You are beautiful inside and out. You bring joy and life into this place and we are very lucky." 

Blaine knelt in front of me and took my hands in his, "Babygirl, if I wasn't a mated man, I would be all over you. You don't see what we do, but you glow like the moon itself. Don't ever doubt that we all love you and care for you." I chuckled, but then stopped. "Wait, what is a mate?" The whole room laughed. Trevor placed a hand on Blaine's shoulder. "A mate is literally the other half of your soul. They are the one you are destined to be with forever, your one true love." My mouth dropped open, "Wolves are so romantic, I wish it was that easy for the rest of us." 

Trevor's eyes went to Jax, who was smirking, then he looked at me and laughed. I was lost. "So are all of you mated?" Blaine shook his head, "No, Babygirl. Justin, Ian, and Adam are unmated." I looked between the two and it hit me. "Holy shit and coco pebbles, you two are each other's mates! That is so hot! I mean awesome, that is awesome." I burned with embarrassment. They chuckled, "Yup, we are mates and it was a bit of a shock, neither of knew that we were gay." Trevor laughed. 

I stood up and stretched, "I am going to throw on some clothes and make you all some breakfast. I will be right back." With that, I dashed up the stairs. My head was spinning with all that has happened since last night. As I reached my room, my mind went back to that kiss. It felt so good, his touch felt good. Then my mind wondered to the way his hands felt all over my body as he checked my injuries. All I could think about was his hands and lips. My body started to heat up. "Penny for your thoughts." Jax's deep voice came from behind me as I stood in my closet. I jumped and turned, knowing that my cheeks were bright red.

"Hmm, I bet I can guess, my Angel. By the shade of your adorable cheeks, I would say you were thinking naughty things, hmm?" His voice is deep and low as he slowly stalks towards me like a predator. I swear my heart was going to beat right out of my chest. As he reached me, he drew my into his arms, pulling me close. He leaned down to speak into my ear, "Your heart is racing, Angel. Do I make you nervous?" I gulped and nodded, unable to find my voice. He began to nibble my ear, "You smell so good, my sweet." His hands began to roam my body, one moving to my hair, while the other gently rubbed my back. He gripped my hair and moved my head to the side, kissing and nibbling my neck.

I couldn't help the moan that slipped from my lips. "That is a beautiful sound, Angel." His voice had grown husky and I could feel him growing hard against my belly. He kissed up my neck to my lips, plunging in and pillaging my mouth. His tongue danced with mine and I moaned again, gripping his shirt tightly. He gripped my waist and lifted me up, lightly slamming me into the wall. I automatically wrapped my legs around him and he gently ground himself against me. He moved his lips across my jaw, down my neck,  and across my collarbone, nipping and sucking. My hands moved into his hair, gently tugging it and a moan came from him this time. I was a goner, I wanted him badly. I bucked my hips and he groaned, his hands moving under my shirt and rubbing my sensitive nipples. 

"Artemis! Jax! Where are you two?" We both froze as the closet door flew open. "Holy shit!" Ian was standing there, mouth open and eyes wide. I buried my face in Jax's chest and felt him laugh. "We will be right there, we, um, got a bit distracted." Jax told him and I heard the door close. "This isn't over, Angel." Jax said as he lowered me to the floor. "Get dressed." With one last kiss, he left. I sighed and threw on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt before heading down to the kitchen. 

As I was cooking, I heard Trevor tell Jax that they needed to talk and both men walked outside. "What is that all about?" I asked Ian, who has been glued to me since I came downstairs.  He grinned, "You'll see." I narrowed my eyes at him, "What does that mean? Trevor isn't going to hurt him, right?" Ian laughed and shook his head, "Don't worry, it isn't a bad thing. Trust me." Blaine, Justin, Adam and Lorilee came in as I was setting plates on the table. Justin wiggled his eyebrows at me, "I heard you were busted making out in the closet, young lady." I swatted at him and he danced out of the way laughing. "Hey, I am an adult and if I want to make out in the closet, I will." Ian snorted, "If I hadn't come looking for you, it would have been a lot more than making out." I threw a piece of bacon at him, but he caught it in his mouth. With an evil grin, I patted him on the head, "Good boy." He growled playfully at me. "I am not a dog, I am a wolf." 

Jax and Trevor came in and laughed. Trevor took a seat and Jax placed a kiss to my temple before sitting down. We all ate breakfast laughing and joking, I was the happiest I had ever been but the feeling that something was going to go wrong burned in the bottom of my stomach.