Chapter Thirty — Aiden
CHAPTER THIRTY
_____________
AIDEN
Trinity melted into the kiss. It was a miracle I’d lasted this long without tasting her lips. Sweet and so fucking soft. Every inhale burned my lungs with the soul-deep knowledge that this woman was meant to be mine.
It felt right to kiss her. It felt right to step into our roles even if we weren’t there yet. I kissed her a moment longer before I pulled back to look in her gorgeous eyes. “Now, tell me what’s wrong, please.”
Her hands were in her lap. Fidgeting. Her gaze darted away before coming back. “It’s all right, Aiden.”
I raised a single eyebrow, telling her without words I wasn’t going to let her sidestep this question. She’d winced and wilted when she saw the menu. Small reactions she kept under wraps.
This was our first date. If she didn’t like the font on the menu, I wanted to know.
Her hands kept fidgeting, and she blushed, the slight color barely visible in the dim light. “It’s embarrassing.”
Embarrassing? I couldn’t imagine anything she would say would be embarrassing. We all had embarrassing stories, myself included. I kept my hand on her skin, loving the feel of it.
“One time, when I was a teenager, I snuck out and got drunk. Had a good time. But I wasn’t an experienced drinker. The hangover was brutal. I threw up all over my clothes.
“It was common for me to sleep in on weekends, so I was trying to sneak back into the house without my family knowing. But I also knew if they saw me with vomit on my clothes, they’d know something was up.”
My parents would have been more upset with me for sneaking outside our security perimeter than the drinking, but that wasn’t the point of the story.
She laughed, a musical sound that I wouldn’t mind being the soundtrack of my life. “Why do I feel like this isn’t going to end well?”
I smiled. It was easy to smile with her.
“Still hungover, maybe even still drunk, I decided to take my clothes off and put them straight into the washing machine.
We had staff, so my mother would never know.
And it was a Sunday. They were meant to be at church.
So I did just that. I stripped, washed off what missed my clothes with the garden hose, and snuck in through the staff area.
“I almost made it. All I had to do was get upstairs to my bedroom, and there was no one home. I thought I was free and clear.”
“Oh, no.”
“Oh, no, indeed. I walked into the main living room to find my parents, their close friends and colleagues, the local priest, and the local bishop, all there, all having tea, all staring at my dick.”
She covered her mouth with her hand to muffle her laughter. “What did they do?”
“They stared at me, and I stared at them. It took about five seconds for everyone to realize what was happening. Then I bolted for the stairs. Didn’t come down until well after the priest and bishop left. They never looked at me the same way.”
“I’m sure. That’s a good story, but I’m not sure why you’re telling it.”
Leaning in, I brushed my lips over her cheekbone. “Because it’s embarrassing. We all get embarrassed.” She gasped softly. “Tell me, please.”
Trinity let her head fall a little. Now her head leaned against mine. A tiny gesture of trust and submission. Her voice was tiny. “I’m a picky eater. I really wish I wasn’t, but no matter how hard I try some things, I just don’t like them. One of those things is seafood.”
Ahh. The menu here was almost entirely seafood. “Why is that embarrassing?”
“Because I’m an adult?” She winced. “It feels… it feels silly. And it’s all right. I’m good at finding something to eat that I like.”
“What kind of food do you enjoy?”
“I like lots of things.”
I pulled her mouth to mine again, unable to help myself. I liked lots of things too, including her and the way she tasted. “Tell me what you want to eat and I’ll have the chef make it. It was my error. I should have asked you what kind of food you enjoyed.”
She looked up so fast, horror on her face. The expression would be comical if it wasn’t so sincere. “Don’t do that. Please. It’s so beautiful here, and I’ve always wanted to come. I didn’t even think about it. I don’t want to force them to do something they’re not prepared for.”
The fear she felt was real. Of causing other people inconvenience. It was a common feeling, but this felt deeper. Fear of being a burden, maybe?
“The desserts look amazing, though,” she said, lifting the menu again. I looked with her. Raspberry crème br?lée, a flight of ice creams with uncommon flavors and a variety of toppings, a pumpkin cake, and tiramisu.
“How about this,” I said. “Let’s eat dessert here. Then we’ll go eat the main course somewhere else.”
“That wouldn’t bother you?”
“Not at all. I want you to enjoy everything.”
The way she stared at me reminded me of the story I told. Those five seconds when no one knew what to do. She was trying to figure out if I was serious. I was.
Because too many men carried their egos in their pockets instead of a wallet, I knew what she expected: for me to complain because I’d planned this, and feel resentment or anger because she wasn’t grateful for the effort.
Trinity never needed to worry about that with me.
“What kind of dessert do you want?” I asked her. “We’ll order, and then I’d like to see your list.”
“I don’t know. They all seem good.”
“Then pick two. We’ll each get one and share.”
“Crème br?lée,” she said. “And the ice cream.”
I glanced at the flavors again and froze. Cardamom, green tea, lemon thyme, and violet. “Absolutely,” I told her. “I want that violet ice cream.”
“I’ve never had it. Might be a little weird since it’s my scent.”
Running my palm down her spine, I finally released her. The waiter approached. “That’s exactly why I want to try it. No doubt it will be delicious. Do you mind if I order for us?”
“Feel free.”
The man held his pen, expectant. “We’re going to pass on the entrees and go straight to dessert,” I informed him, ordering what we wanted. If he found it strange, he didn’t show it. Just retreated in silence.
I slid my phone in front of Trinity, already open to my copy of the list the others had given me. Nothing out of the ordinary. They hadn’t shown me Trinity’s, though they had no problem letting me know that they thought her list was incredible.
She gave me her phone in return, and I began to scroll.
It was a very good thing that the two of us were sitting in a darkened corner and behind a table. Otherwise everyone might get an eyeful of my dick hardening in my pants.
Now I knew what they meant. Down the line, the things she marked positively were things that I had as well. Masochism was a maybe, but with everything else here, I wasn’t worried.
Trinity swallowed. “Wow.”
“That about sums it up, yeah.”
She shyly handed me my phone back. “Can you send me a copy?”
“Absolutely.”
I watched her shift, turning toward me. “I know we have the lists, but that doesn’t tell me everything. Tell me what you like and what you want.”
“There’s very little on your list that I don’t enjoy, but if I have to choose a label, I call myself a pleasure sadist.”
Her mouth dropped open in a perfect O, fueling my imagination for what it might look like when she was overwhelmed by the same pleasure I was telling her about. “A pleasure sadist? What does that mean?”
I leaned closer again, whispering in her ear. Feeling her shiver just made me harder. “I will pleasure you until it reaches the point of pain, and then teach you to crave it.”
“Oh.” A moaned breath. “I’ve never thought about that. Or pain, really.”
“If you’re willing to try—”
“I am.” Her answer was almost too fast. “Yes.”
Curling my arm around her hips, I moved her so she was almost in my lap. “And though I’m never going to be an asshole about it, I have a pretty serious ownership kink. Which is why being out with you while you’re wearing everything I chose is intoxicating.”
Trinity’s body softened into mine. “That’s what does it for you? The clothes?”
“Less the clothes, and more the fact that you’re wearing what I picked. Among other things.”
“What else?”
“Mmm.” The sound in my chest was somewhere between a growl and a purr.
“Everything. Coming inside you when we fuck, making sure you take every drop because you belong to me. Being able to show off that you’re mine, knowing that you’ll let me, no matter how I choose to do that.
” Lower. “I’d love to lock a collar on you. ”
Her whole body shuddered, and perfume seeped from beneath her dress. She liked that idea. A lot.
Across the room, a man at the bar stared in our direction. He clearly looked at my Omega, and those possessive instincts came bounding forward, asking to go for a walk.
“You see that man at the bar? The one staring at you?”
She looked. “Yes.”
“Ownership is me illustrating how thoroughly you’re mine.”
“How?”
“That depends on you. Do you trust me? You won’t be exposed.”
She looked up at me. The lids of her eyes were heavy, the green in her eyes hot. “Tell me what to do.”
“Keep your eyes closed or on me. Don’t look at him again. He’s nothing.” I watched them flutter closed. Her body was still tucked against mine, turned away from most of the room. No one looked in our direction other than the man at the bar.
When he finally looked at me and not her, I kept our eyes locked as I slid my hand into the top of Trinity’s dress. No bra. Her nipple hardened beneath my thumb. I stroked her skin until it was hard enough to see through the fabric. The man still watched.
“No one is looking at us but him, and he can’t see anything,” I whispered. “No one will see.”
I bent, pulled her dress below her breast, and took that nipple in my mouth. Trinity whimpered with the flicks of my tongue, breath shaking when I teased her with my teeth. I wanted to bite down and show her how pain could lead to pleasure and the reverse. Not yet.
Trinity grabbed me when I switched to her other nipple. “Aiden.”
It wasn’t a warning or fear. It was a desperate plea because she felt too much. I wanted to torture these tits until she came.
With one final, slow lick, I released her and made sure she was covered before I lifted my head and stared straight at the man. Smirking. I stared until he finally looked away and downed the rest of his drink.
“You’re exquisite,” I said.
“I can’t believe I just let you do that.”
Laughing, I kissed her temple. “You belong to me, remember? You didn’t let me do anything. You trusted me, and I chose.”
The words relaxed her, just like I knew they would.
“Maybe you should have marked exhibitionism higher.”
She shook her head. “I get what you mean, but no. It wasn’t that he was watching. That doesn’t—” A heavy, inhaled breath. “That doesn’t turn me on. I like the feeling of… all that mattered was what you told me to do.”
“You like the feeling of being owned.”
So many emotions passed over her face, it was like getting a glimpse straight into her brain. This wasn’t an easy thing to like or even admit to liking. Still, she straightened her shoulders and nodded firmly. “Yes. I do. Did they tell you about the dynamic we settled on?”
I shook my head. She laid it out piece by piece. Free use. Mainly sexual. Extra colors. Ethical bratting permitted. It was basically a dream.
“I have no complaints about any of that.”
The waiter returned, placing the desserts on the table in front of us. Trinity waited until he left to turn to me, all business. “I want a scene with you before that dynamic applies.”
My heart thudded in my chest. “Before? As in—”
“We don’t know each other. But honestly, I don’t know the others well either. I wanted time with you before I said yes, but I was already leaning that way, and I can’t deny that you feel the same as they do. Safe. And fucking hot.”
We both laughed, but I didn’t dare speak yet.
“I don’t want you to stay away. I want all of us to be together, because if that’s the way it’s going to be, it’s the way we need to learn and figure it out. But I want a scene first before you start pulling me into dark corners of the apartment.”
I kissed her. Hard. Every single feeling I had was in that kiss. It was everything I wanted to say and everything I couldn’t. Relief and joy and a settling I never knew I needed.
“I’ll move in tomorrow,” I said between kisses.
“You’d better.”
I kept kissing her until our dessert began to melt.