Chapter Sixteen
B rooke had always been an overthinker, as Jared pointed out to her. Someone slow to make decisions, always considering every angle, trying to predict the outcome before committing to a course of action. In business, it had proven to be a useful trait.
In her personal life, not so much.
So, as Aiden waited for her to decide if she’d join him in bed, she remembered Jared’s advice.
Have some fun, Brooke.
This probably wasn’t what he had in mind, but she decided to take his words to heart. She was tired of worrying about what would happen, of letting the hurt from the past hold her back in the present. She’d shut off her brain and go with what her heart and body wanted.
Shaking, she nodded, and Aiden wrapped an arm around her waist, leading her to his room.
No sooner had they entered the bedroom than he kicked the door closed and pulled her into his arms, the bandages on his hands not slowing him down.
If he were in pain, he didn’t show it. Instead, he cupped her face in his palms, and his mouth came down on hers.
His tongue forced its way through her barely parted lips and he kissed her. She willingly went along for the ride.
Reaching down, he pulled up her black dress and she helped him maneuver it over her head. He might not worry about his palms but she clearly did.
Aiden stepped back and admired her, his eyes gleaming as he took in her black lace bra and matching panties. She hadn’t dressed with him in mind but she was glad now that she loved sexy underwear.
“Fuck, Brooke. Take your bra off, sweetheart. That, I can’t do.”
She nodded and reached behind her to unhook the clasps, then let the garment slide to the floor. He’d used the time to take off his shirt and unbutton his pants.
“Panties next,” he said, his gaze steady on her body.
She liked how he ordered her around in the bedroom. Hooking her thumbs into the sides of her underwear, she wriggled them down her legs, aware that he was removing his slacks and boxer briefs at the same time. She kicked them aside and stood naked before him.
“You’re gorgeous,” he said in a gruff voice.
Her gaze slid to his long, thick erection and she swallowed a moan.
He stepped toward her, grasping her hips and easing her back until her knees hit the edge of the mattress and she fell onto the bed.
He followed, his body coming over hers. “Do you know how often I’ve wanted you in bed with me? Any bed?” he asked, his voice rough with desire. “I thought about it every night we were apart.”
“As much as I did?” she asked.
He braced himself over her, rolling his hips forward until his erection glided over her clit. She let out a moan and he grinned, then bent his head and swirled his tongue around one hard nipple.
Arching her back, she cried out, feeling the pulsing need deep in her sex. She grabbed his hair, holding him in place. He bit down lightly on her nipple, then began to lavish her breasts with attention, licking, sucking, nibbling, back and forth between each.
She’d never come from breast play alone, but for the first time, she thought she could. Of course, it would be this man to bring her to the edge.
“God, Aiden.” She wrapped her legs around his waist. “I missed you.”
He lifted his head. “I never stopped missing you,” he said, his words sounding guttural and raw.
He rubbed his cock against her clit again, back and forth while he sensually tortured her breasts with his mouth. Suddenly, she began to shake, an orgasming slamming into her with such force, she could do nothing more than rock her hips into his and take her pleasure.
Waves of sensual bliss ruled, white lights flashing behind her closed eyes. When gratification subsided, she settled against the mattress and realized Aiden’s fingers had trailed down her sides, his gaze on hers.
“I can’t believe you watched me,” she said, a heated flush rising to her cheeks.
He grinned the sexy smile she adored. “Once you started to come, I couldn’t not watch.” He lifted his hips and lined himself up at her entrance, then paused, cursing under his breath.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Condoms are in the bathroom. Be right back.” He rolled out of bed.
Watching him walk away, his firm, toned ass a pleasure to view, she mulled over the idea of him traveling with condoms on him… until she heard the sound of paper being ripped open, before he returned, a strip of packets in hand.
“New box?” she asked, hating the hope in her tone. She wouldn’t ask his history. Though there hadn’t been many men, she hadn’t been celibate, and she wasn’t a hypocrite. She just didn’t want to think about either of them with other people.
“Only for you, sweetheart.” He crawled back onto the bed, ripped off one condom, and lay back. He held up his hands, the gauze in sad shape but still covering his palms. “Care to do the honors?”
Smiling, she took the packet and ripped it open, then held his cock in her hand. The silky hard length felt so good in her palm. She rolled the rubber down his shaft and he groaned as she covered him.
“I’m hoping one day we won’t need these,” he said.
She was on birth control, and she would trust him if he told her he was tested and fine, but she wasn’t ready for that kind of intimacy. Though she had a hunch after this time together she was going to be in over her head with Aiden anyway, that wasn’t a step she was ready for.
When she didn’t reply, he sat up and settled over her, his cock poised at her entrance. Then, raising his hips, he buried himself to the hilt. Her heart raced as she felt him inside her again. Memories of the past mixed with the present, melding into the amazing feeling of their joined bodies.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he said.
She did as he asked, locking her ankles around his back, her pelvis tipping upward, giving him deeper access. Her inner walls clenched around him, pleasure filling her.
As he began to pump in and out, slowly at first, then picking up speed, her pulse pounded in time to his thrusts.
Her heart raced, her heels digging into his lower back.
He held nothing back, taking her roughly while she moaned and peppered kisses along his neck and shoulder, needing her own connection to him.
Aiden whispered filthy, erotic words in her ear about how hot and wet she was, how good it felt to be inside of her.
His breath warmed her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.
Pressure and pleasure built inside her, her thoughts hazy and her muscles quivering, an out-of-body experience taking her higher.
She was nearing her peak when Aiden suddenly pulled out. “Aiden, what are you doing? Why are you stopping?” She reached for him as his weight lifted off her.
Before she could protest more, his big hands grabbed her hips and turned her to the side.
Lifting one of her legs over his hips, he slammed back inside her, groaning as they came together once more.
He slid one hand between them, his finger finding her clit.
He rubbed in a tight circle, continuing his rough thrusts inside her.
“Oh, God!” she cried out, gasping as he took her hard. “Yes. Yes!” Her release peaked and she dangled at the edge, ready to free-fall into a sea of pleasure.
“Say my name,” he demanded. “Who is going to make you come?” he asked, his brown eyes staring into hers. He pinched her clit between his fingers.
“Aiden!” Pleasure flew through her and she cried out, her body jerking against him.
He held her in place as she rode out her orgasm. “Fuck, Brooke. I can feel you coming,” he groaned, as she heard his own climax take hold. His hips jerked once, then twice, before he stiffened and came hard.
Sweaty and limp, she gasped when he pulled out. She was totally sated and already her mind reentered panic mode. Their time together was better than her memories, more than she’d ever imagined they could be, which meant she was vulnerable to him all over again.
He slid off her and rose from the bed, walked back to the bathroom, a faint glow now lighting the room. He returned a few minutes later with a damp washcloth.
She held out a hand for the small towel but he shook his head. “Let me take care of you,” he said in a gruff voice. “I’ve wasted so much time without you, and I… I just need to take care of you tonight.”
More intimacy, she thought, her heart skipping a beat. She wanted to fight him, but she didn’t have the strength, nor did she really have the desire. This one night, she could give in.
“Are your hands okay?” she asked, speaking of his injury.
He nodded. “I took off the bandages. I’ll just have to be careful until I can rewrap them in the morning.”
Accepting his answer, she rolled to her back and spread her legs, allowing him to clean her up before he tossed the washcloth to the floor.
To her surprise, his aftercare hadn’t been awkward and when he slid in beside her and pulled up the covers, she didn’t complain or suggest she return to her room.
Her brain was fully functioning and what she’d learned when she came home earlier slammed back into her. He could have been killed tonight.
She had the definite sense he knew more than he was telling her about whether it had been a deliberate move or an accident.
He hadn’t lied but he had protected her from the knowledge he held back.
For now, she was okay with that. She had enough fear in hearing about the incident and she couldn’t handle losing him.
Not when they were tentatively making their way back to each other.
So she was content to stay in his bed, let him wrap his big body around hers, and fall asleep in his arms. Talking about them could wait until morning.