Chapter 20
20
Aaron watched Belinda walk from the kitchen to the living room, placing the two beer bottles on the coffee table and the large pizza box he’d arrived with. She handed him a plate and sat on the sofa beside him. It was late by the time he and Sam had finished for the day and even later by the time he’d made it to Belinda’s apartment with the pizza.
She crinkled her nose. “I feel like I should have cleared off my table enough for us to eat there.”
He halted the bite of pizza that was on its way to his mouth and replied, “Why? Your table is your work space, and there’s no reason to change that just because I’m here. Anyway, the fact that you’re letting me eat here is more than enough.”
She grinned. “I wanted to have dinner with you.”
“Yeah, but I should have offered to take you out somewhere.”
Shaking her head, she disagreed. “No, this is better.”
He took a bite and chewed slowly, savoring the flavors but realizing how hungry he was since he’d skipped lunch. “Anything with you is better than going home to an empty apartment and trying to figure out what to nuke for dinner.”
She licked a dollop of pizza sauce from her bottom lip, and he stared, wishing it had been his tongue that caressed her lip. Her lips moved again, but he belatedly realized that she was speaking.
“I’m sorry… what did you say?” he asked.
Her expression fell slightly, filling with sympathy. “I was just saying that Hayley mentioned how hard a case like what you and Sam are working on can be. And I wanted to do something to… I don’t know… help.” She shrugged. “But then you brought the pizza, so you really did it all.”
He set his plate on the coffee table and shook his head. Twisting to face her, he held her gaze. “Oh no, Belinda. I only brought pizza. That’s nothing. You provided a place of comfort and company. That’s more than what I would have had going home alone. Just being able to come here and know I’ll be surrounded by the beautiful nature pictures that are calming and share conversation with you takes me to a better place than where my mind has been all day.” He wondered if his meager explanation could possibly begin to let her know how much her invite had meant to him.
Her blue-violet gaze never left his face, and then she curled her lips slightly. “That’s what Hayley said, but I wasn’t sure.”
His brow furrowed, and she continued. “I asked her how I could help you, and she said that the best way to help when you’re having a day dealing with death, or a murder, or abuse, was just to be present and to be myself. And to let you be you.”
He blew out a long breath, slowly unpacking all that she had just said, starting with the first part. “You asked Hayley how you could help me?”
“I hated that you would have to face such a terrible day and go home alone.”
“And then you texted me the invitation to come over?”
Her smile warmed his heart, and she nodded. “Of course I did.”
She said it so easily, as though wanting to help him was second nature to her. Once more, realizing that with past girlfriends, he’d never had that… someone who thought of the emotional demands of his job. “Thank you,” he said, hoping his voice didn’t shake as much as he thought it might. Leaning toward her, he touched his lips to hers in a soft, barely-there kiss. When he leaned back, she had her eyes closed and let out a tiny sigh as her lips curved more.
She was utterly captivating, and he’d so willingly let her go. Pulling himself back from the brink of the cliff where people jump off when they drown in past regrets, Aaron returned his full attention to Belinda.
They leaned back slightly so their gazes could meet. “I fucked up last year, Belinda. I knew it at the time but had no idea how to make it right. Then I realized I couldn’t make it right until I understood myself. Who I was without the shadow of abandonment covering everything about me. And I don’t know that I’m ever going to say that my past won’t still be in my mind, but I don’t want it ever to alter my future again.”
Her eyes held his. Blowing out a little puff of breath, she said, “Aaron, we just weren’t on the same page last year, and that’s okay. I was hurt at the time, but the truth is that sometimes two people who are right for each other just aren’t at the right time for each other.”
Her words were like a balm, soothing over him in a way that he hadn’t felt since Sally used to take care of his scraped knees. He sucked in a breath through his nose that he felt hitch on its way to his lungs, and his arms tightened around her. “You make me happy, Belinda. You make me want to be better. You make me want to?—”
“I don’t want you to change, Aaron. You don’t need to change for me.” Her eyes reflected the depth of her sincerity, imploring him to grasp the truth of her confession. “I just want you, but only if you want me, too.” Her gentle laughter, tinged with a hint of nervousness, broke through, lightening the moment. “That sounds like we’re in elementary school passing notes… if you like me, check the box.”
He chuckled, and warmth eased the tightness in his chest. “Okay. If you like me, will you check the box?”
“Yes,” she confirmed with a radiant smile. “I’ll check the box, Aaron. I really like you.” Then she held his gaze, peering deeply. “What about you?”
The urge to capture her lips in a kiss was overwhelming. It wouldn’t be the first time, but it would be the first time he knew without doubt or questioned what he wanted, what he felt, and what he would fight to keep. “I’m crazy about you, too, Belinda. I want to be with you. Only you. And I want to be worthy of you.”
The air crackled between them as their gazes locked and words fled. Pizza, éclairs, and beer no longer held his attention. All he wanted was her. But he hesitated… he knew he was all in, but would she believe him?
Suddenly, she tossed her paper plate onto the coffee table and lunged at him. He barely had time to get his plate onto the coffee table so that he could wrap his arms around her as their lips met. The kiss wasn’t slow and gentle. It was wild, with tongues tangling, noses bumping, his beard scraping her chin, and her fingernails scraping along his chest.
He’d landed on his back, and she wasted no time straddling him. They’d gone from zero to sixty in only a few seconds, but desire flooded his being, and his cock had reacted instantly. She sucked on his tongue. Groans, pants, moans, and even grunts sounded out in the small apartment, but he had no idea which sound came from which mouth.
They both gave in to the rush of need as the kiss flamed hotter. Suddenly, her mouth was gone from his, and he blinked up at her in surprise. Belinda had sat up while still straddling him, her warmth pressing against his erection and jerked her shirt off, whipping it over her head.
“Whoa… what… damn,” he moaned. “Sweetheart, we don’t have to?—”
“Shut up, Aaron,” she said, grinning as she lifted his hands to her breasts. “You’re ruining my spontaneous moment.”
He rocked his torso upward, sliding his hands around her back. “Babe, I don’t want to ruin anything. But it would kill me to be your regret.”
She clutched his face. “No regrets, Aaron. You, me, us, here, now.”
He chuckled at her succinct statement. “Well, all right.” He pulled her tighter, sealing his lips over hers, while she made quick work of discarding her bra. Her hand tugged at his shirt, and he took over, grabbing the back and jerking it over his head.
Now, breasts to chest, she leaned back and grinned. “Damn, you are gorgeous. Smooth, tanned skin over muscles that look photoshopped. You could really give a girl a complex, you know!”
Chuckling, he dropped his gaze to her breasts tipped with rosy nipples just ripe for the plucking. “Talk about photoshopped, sweetheart. You’ve got the body of a goddess.”
She leaned closer and whispered against his lips, “And it’s all for you.”
Sucking in a hasty breath, he needed more room to do everything to her that he wanted and she deserved. Shifting his hands to her ass, he shifted so that both feet were on the floor. He stood, keeping her in his arms while she wrapped her legs around his waist. Walking to her bedroom, he laid her on the bed, and his hands went to her jeans. Working them down her legs, he snagged her panties along the way. Now, with her spread out before him, his gaze slowly moved from the tips of her toes to her beautiful smile. Awed and humbled, he understood the gift she was giving him. Not just her body but her trust. And he would do everything he could to care for the treasure.
Her arms reached out, and she wiggled her fingers. But he wasn’t about to rush. He shucked his shoes, socks, and pants after grabbing a condom from his wallet. Once naked, he crawled over her body, trailing kisses along the way until he came to her sex. Burying his head between her thighs, he inhaled deeply, the scent of her arousal like a nectar enticing the bee. With the flat of his tongue, he licked her and discovered the taste of her was just as enticing as the scent. “Better than a fuckin’ éclair.”
“Damn, Aaron,” she groaned, her hips moving toward him even more.
He thrust his tongue inside, and her growl met his ears.
“Oh my God.” His moans almost drowned out her words.
Wanting her to lose control in the same way he felt his slipping, he assaulted her senses with his tongue now teasing her nub as he added a finger deep inside her sex, crooking it to find the spot that would take her over the edge. With his other hand, he reached up, gliding his fingers over her sensitive skin to reach her breast, where he pinched a taut nipple.
He kept up the pressure, noting when her breathing hitched and her fingers clutched the comforter. She cried out his name, and he’d never heard anything better. Then he felt the flutters from deep inside and knew he’d never felt anything better.
Slowly crawling up her body, he trailed more kisses over her soft skin, reveling in each discovery. He pulled one nipple deeply into his mouth, and she wrapped her legs around his waist again. While he moved between her breasts, she locked her ankles behind him, holding him tightly to her, but in truth, he needed no encouragement to tie their bodies together.
He was about to reach for the condom when she beat him to it. She ripped open the packet, and with a sparkle in her blue eyes, she lifted a brow. “May I?”
“Hell, yeah.” He winced as she rolled the condom on.
She gasped, “Oh, did I hurt you.”
“No way, sweetheart. It was just the feel of your fingers on me. Fuckin’ amazing.”
She grinned as he settled over her, his hips separating her thighs as his cock rested at her entrance.
His gaze rested on hers, the feel of her gentle fingers tracing patterns on his shoulders causing his breath to hitch. “You need to know…”
Her brows furrowed slightly. “Know what?”
He held her gaze, then lowered himself to a whisper away from her lips. “Know that I am yours. Completely. Body, soul, and heart, Belinda.”
Sucking in a gasp, she blinked the moisture that he could see had gathered. Closing the distance, he kissed her lightly. She shifted her hips upward as he thrust and was immediately fully sheathed. It felt like sliding into heaven.
They matched each other in movements, their bodies so perfectly aligned he knew he’d found his match… and his mate. Holding his chest over hers with his weight on his forearms, his hands cupped her face. Their eyes never wavered as the sensations of his cock dragging through her tight channel overtook all other thoughts.
He bent to kiss her again but managed to keep it light as her breaths came in pants. Alternating between fast and slow thrusts, he knew he was close to coming and wanted her pleasure to join his. Reaching between them, he fingered her swollen, tender nub.
Her nails dug in as her head pressed back against the comforter, and she cried his name again. As her inner muscles squeezed his cock, he followed her in his own release.
Slowly continuing to pump until he was drained, he gathered her in his arms, rolling slightly until they rested side by side, heartbeat to heartbeat.