Piercing Eyes (The Perfect Man #2)

7. Aiden

7

AIDEN

S o this is what it feels like to be in love.

Really in love, I mean. The kind that rewrites every plan you ever made.

Rory is curled against my side, still asleep, her breath warm on my chest. Looking at her now, I can hardly believe she’s real. That after everything—the history between us, the weeks of wanting her, the torture of keeping my distance—she’s here in my arms.

I realized I was in love with her sometime between the third and fourth time I made her come apart. She was moaning my name, squeezing those gorgeously thick thighs around my waist, and I felt a surge of emotion like I’d never felt before. She’s the one , I found myself thinking. She’s the one I’m meant to be with. Not just for a while, but for the rest of my life.

Rory stirs against me, and I hold still, wanting to catch every second of her waking up. Her eyes flutter open, immediately finding mine.

“Morning,” she says, groggy with sleep.

I laugh softly and lean down to kiss her forehead. “Good morning.”

“Oh God, my hair must be a mess.” Her hand moves to smooth it down.

“Leave it messy.” I trap her hand in mine. “It’s sexy as hell.”

She laughs and lets her hand fall back to the pillow. Her eyes lock with mine, a look of gentleness coming into her face. “Did last night really happen?”

“You mean did we really have mind-blowing sex five times?” I trace my fingers over the soft curve of her chin. “Yep. I distinctly remember every single time you screamed my name.”

She smiles, blushing sweetly, and Christ, the way she looks at me—it hits me right in the chest. Three words press against my lips, begging to be said.

I love you. Rory, I love you.

But I can’t say it. Not yet. Because what if she doesn’t feel the same way? Or what if it’s too much, too soon? The thought of her pulling away, of losing what we’ve just found, halts the words in place.

“We should get some breakfast,” I say instead, running my hand through her hair. “Let’s go to the best place in your neighborhood.”

“God, yes. I’m starving.” She stretches, the sheet slipping down to reveal more of her gorgeous curves. Then she sits up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “I’ll just take a quick shower first.” As she starts walking away from the bed, she looks back at me over her shoulder, a flirtatious gleam in her eyes. “Want to join me?”

I’m out of bed before she finishes the question.

“French toast is not better than pancakes.” Rory points her fork at me, her eyes lit up with that playful spark that drives me crazy. “You’re objectively wrong.”

“Objectively?” I shoot back, grinning. “Rory, Rory, Rory. You clearly haven’t had the right French toast.”

“I’ve had enough to know.” She takes another bite, making this little moan that goes straight to my cock. “This right here? This is breakfast perfection.”

“You’re cute when you’re wrong.” I reach for a bite of her pancakes, but she blocks me with her fork. God, I love seeing her like this—completely relaxed, completely herself.

Then her whole body goes rigid. The playfulness vanishes from her face, replaced by something that makes my muscles tense. I follow her gaze across the restaurant and spot a guy with his arm around some woman’s waist.

“Is that Michael?” I keep my voice steady, but anger starts burning in my chest.

She nods. “And apparently his new girlfriend.”

I study Rory’s face, looking for any sign that seeing him is triggering bad memories of his harassment. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just...” She presses her lips together. “I really don’t want to deal with him.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

Her eyes widen. “Shit. They’re walking this way.”

Every protective instinct in my body goes on high alert. I’ve seen the texts he sent her. I don’t want that piece of shit anywhere near my girl.

“Rory?” Michael’s voice carries enough artificial warmth to make my fists clench. “Hey.”

“Hi Michael.” Rory replies without a hint of a smile on her face.

“This is Jessica.” He squeezes the woman’s waist, clearly trying to show off. “Jess, this is Rory, my ex.”

The woman gives an awkward wave, probably sensing the tension rolling off all of us.

Michael’s eyes narrow when they land on me. I see his jaw tighten as recognition hits—he knows exactly who I am.

I meet his stare head-on, letting him see that I’m not someone he wants to fuck with.

Jessica tugs at his arm. “We should find our table.”

“Right.” His eyes linger on Rory with an intensity that makes my blood boil. “Good seeing you.”

The second they’re out of earshot, I lean forward. “Are you okay? Do you want to leave?”

“No.” She shakes her head. “I’m not letting him chase me out of here.”

She picks up her fork again, but her hands have a subtle tremble. Every fucking muscle in my body wants to go over there and teach her ex a lesson about respect, but I also don’t want to make things worse, so I follow Rory’s lead instead. We try to get back to normal, but the easy vibe from earlier is shot to hell.

When we finish eating, I head to the counter to pay. When I turn back toward our table, what I see makes my vision go red. Michael is standing over Rory, his body language screaming aggression.

“Just hear me out,” he’s saying as I approach.

“I told you to leave me alone.” Rory’s voice shakes, and that’s it—I’m done being diplomatic.

“Back the fuck off.” My voice cuts through whatever bullshit Michael was about to spew.

He turns to face me, trying to puff himself up. “This is a private conversation.”

“No, it’s harassment.” I step into his space. “And if you don’t walk away right now, you’re going to regret it.”

“Stay out of this.” He tries to turn back to Rory, but I grab his arm, spinning him to face me.

He takes a swing that I see coming a mile away. I block it easily and use his momentum to slam him against the nearest wall, my forearm pressed against his chest.

“Listen carefully, you piece of shit.” I keep my voice low but deadly serious. “If you ever come near her again—if you so much as breathe in her direction—I will personally make sure you regret it. Understand?”

The fear in his eyes is exactly what I wanted to see. I release him and he practically runs back to his table.

I wrap an arm around Rory’s waist as we leave. Rory is quiet as we walk to her place, silently nodding every time I ask her if she’s all right.

But the moment we step into her apartment, she breaks. Her shoulders start shaking with sobs that tear right through me.

“Hey.” I pull her against my chest. “Talk to me.”

She presses her face into my shirt, her tears soaking through the fabric. After a few moments, she takes a deep breath. “No one’s ever stood up for me like that before.”

My arms tighten around her. “I’ll always protect you. Even if you weren’t mine, I’d do anything to keep you safe.”

She lifts her face to look at me, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. Seeing her so raw and vulnerable makes it impossible to keep the truth to myself.

“I love you, Rory,” I say.

She inhales a little breath. Then the sweetest, gentlest smile lifts the corners of her lips. “I love you, too.”

Hearing her say it back to me makes the whole world feel right again. I drop my lips to hers as she tilts her head up to meet my kiss. When our lips meet, everything inside me ignites—love and desire tangling together so intensely I can barely fucking breathe.

I lift her into my arms and carry her to the bedroom, where I lay her on the bed. I undress her slowly, kissing her soft skin, telling her how beautiful she is over and over again. She undresses me too, her hands tugging off my clothes until there’s nothing between us but skin and heat and need.

I reach between us and fist my hard-on, guiding it between her spread thighs. I push the swollen head of my cock into her wet slit, overwhelmed all over again at how good she feels. Sliding in deeper pulls me straight into bliss, but it’s the high moan that Rory lets out that really does me in.

Breathing hard, I watch my cock slide deeper into her pussy, claiming her inch by inch. When I slide out, my cock is slick with her cream. Jesus Christ. With a groan, I push back into her, thrusting deep.

I raise my eyes to Rory’s and hold her gaze as I roll my hips, giving her everything. She keeps her eyes locked with mine, her lush lips parted and her grip tightening on my biceps as I drive harder and harder into her, her pussy squeezing tight around me. How anything can feel this right or this good is beyond me.

And to think that in the near future we could be wearing matching wedding bands, and that not long after that, her belly could be round with our first child…

A groan spills from my throat as I hear Rory telling me she’s close. I drop my mouth to hers, capturing her pretty lips as she comes. Her pussy pulses hard around my cock, milking me like crazy. I spill into her, filling her with a thick stream of cum as I think about how I can’t fucking wait to propose to her.