Terms of Agreement

35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Aiden

T here was nothing— nothing that could compare to the feeling of Charlotte Hall coming apart beneath my fingers. My cock twitched in agreement beneath her still trembling thighs. Fuck. That was… Shit. Her breath came out in warm pants against my neck and I slowly removed my hand from her clit, straightening her skirt and smoothing the material of her jumper down. I ran a palm up and down her back, unsure of what to expect, when she finally lifted that pretty face up from my shoulder.

I felt her body go tense in my arms and my hand hesitated in its path up her back. What was she thinking? Did she… regret it? The thought spilled over me like a bucket of ice water, the reality of our situation flooding back into focus. Shit. What had we done? What had I done? This wasn’t part of our deal and I’d been so caught up in the moment at the pub—

Charlotte straightened, lifting her flushed face up to meet mine. I grunted as she shifted in my lap, my cock so sensitive that even the slightest movement sent a wave of desire rippling across my skin. Charlotte’s eyes widened, her gaze dropping to my lap. I watched as the little furrow appeared between her brows, her teeth biting down over her lower lip as she reached a hand towards me.

Shit. My hand shot out to stop hers. My cock throbbed in protest, but I ignored it, knowing that if she touched me now, I wouldn’t be able to stop. And that kind of complication wouldn’t be good for either of us.

‘But…’ Charlotte’s mouth popped open, freeing her swollen lower lip.

‘I’m fine,’ I assured her, fighting through the haze of want that had settled over me, and willing the blood to move away from my cock so that I could think clearly. But with her this close… with her lipstick smudged and her curls tussled after my touch… all I could think about was the way my name had sounded on her lips as she came.

‘But…’ The crease between her brows deepened, ‘don’t you want…’ The question hung in the space between us, heavy and unfinished. It wasn’t the only thing. I was pretty sure I’d go home to find a fucking mark on my cock from where it had been rubbing against my zipper for the last twenty minutes.

‘I should go.’

‘Okay.’ She nodded, shoulders sagging as she eased off my lap. But I didn’t miss the way her eyes dropped to my crotch, or the way her pink cheeks deepened to red when she saw I was still hard.

‘I’ll call you?’ I offered as I made my way towards the door, not enjoying the slimy feeling the words left on my tongue. I slipped on my sneakers, keeping an eye on Charlotte, whose gaze was resolutely on her own stockinged feet. My gaze trailed a path up her legs as the memory of her sexy secret danced across my mind—what were those called again? I shook my head. Fuck, those were sexy. My mouth twists as my gaze travelled up her body. Charlotte Hall—who would have guessed?

‘Yeah, okay,’ she said, her voice coming out softly, barely above a whisper. I noticed the moment her mind started to churn through what had happened, and that’s when I knew I’d made the right decision. Even so, I wished I could say something—anything to put her mind at ease. But how could I? I didn’t know what the fuck was going on either.

‘I’ll call you,’ I promised, opening the door and stepping out into the hallway. She smiled, but I could tell from the faraway look in her eyes that she didn’t believe me. I wasn’t sure that I believed me either. ‘Goodnight, Cupcake,’ I said, making my way towards the stairwell at the other side of the hallway.

‘Goodnight, Aiden.’ Charlotte’s soft voice carried down the hall after me.

What the fuck was I going to do?

***

I spent all weekend pacing up and down my apartment, trying to figure out what to do. Did we just pretend that none of it had happened? That she hadn’t come apart in my lap? That I hadn’t come to the memory of her after I’d got home that night and again the next morning? Fuck. I didn’t think I could do that. I didn’t think I could be around her and not remember the way she moaned my name, the feel of her body beneath my hands, and her lips on my neck. Sure, it’s not like I was around her a lot. Under normal circumstances, I saw her maybe twice a month, and even that was only in passing. But we were way past normal now. And fuck if I knew what to do about it.

She’d seemed into it, though. Hadn’t she? I mean, I think it was safe to assume that she’d enjoyed herself. But had she enjoyed herself with me ? Or did she just enjoy getting off? I shoved my fingers through my hair, turning on my heel and marching back across the living room floor. I felt like an addict. I paused, catching sight of myself in the entryway mirror. I looked like an addict.

I was an idiot. This was why we’d drawn up that contract in the first place. To keep things simple and the lines clear. But I’d fucked it all up by thinking with my cock. I turned, spinning away from my dishevelled reflection, and strode back into the apartment. I’d kept my distance from her for a reason. And now I’d had a taste of her and I already wanted more. Hell, I wanted more than a taste—I wanted it all.

I wanted her pleasure, but I wanted her peace, too. I wanted the Saturday mornings that followed the Friday nights… But I also didn’t. I picked up the mug of coffee I’d abandoned, grimacing at the first sip of its now-cold contents. I didn’t want a relationship. The worry. The drama. The feelings. And I knew she didn’t want one either—a woman like Charlotte could only be single by choice.

Sinking onto the sofa, I pulled my phone from my pocket and started scrolling through my contacts list. I wished I could ask Ed about this, but not only was he off on his honeymoon in Spain, he was also under the impression that Charlotte and I were in love. With a sigh and a flick of the wrist, I flung the useless device to the other side of the sofa.

Tapping my fingertips against the sofa’s leather upholstery, I let out a heavy sigh. There was one option I’d only briefly considered… I leaned forward, burying my face in my hands. Casual sex. Fuck buddies. No strings attached. But how the hell did anyone get into that sort of arrangement? It wasn’t like I could just text her. What the hell would I even say?

‘Hey, Cupcake. It’s me. Remember Friday night? Yeah, you do? Well. I was wondering if you wanted to do it again… on my face? No? You think I’m a creep and will be filing a complaint with building management? Fair enough.’

How did people do this? I mean, okay, sure, not any people I knew. But people out there in the universe did things like this all the time. They had to or there wouldn’t be so many fucking movies about it.

Reaching across the sofa, I picked up my phone, navigating through my messages in search of my text thread with Charlotte. I was just going to go for it—just float the idea by her. The worst she could say was “no,” right? But just as I started planning the text, a sharp rap against the front door had me launching from my seat.

‘I didn’t do anything,’ I sputtered, holding my hands up to the empty room. And then, with huffing an incredulous laugh and ignoring my heated cheeks, I took a small, hesitant step towards the door.

The sound of keys twisting in the lock had me scrambling to the other side of the room in search of a weapon. Hands clasped around the closest thing—a potted snake plant—I raised it in a pitcher’s pose and whirled on the intruder.

The door swung open on its hinges and there, backlit by the hallway fluorescents, stood Louise. ‘Hey, Roomie!’ She stepped into the entryway, dropping an overstuffed duffle and tote bag to the floor as she stepped out of her shoes.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘It’s November,’ Louise said, lining her shoes beside mine before turning to look at me. ‘You said I could crash for a couple of weeks?’ Her features tipped down into a frown in response to the blank look on my face. ‘Jas’s parents are in town… remember?’

‘Oh!’ I sagged, setting the plant on the dining room table, my eyes darting to my phone. Shit.