Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Aaron
After the revelation I had at Valerie's shop, I rushed back to work, leaving Nolen to watch over things at Sophisticated Sheen. I needed to run the idea by Maverick, but instead, I walked in on Annalee arguing with Owen.
"Absolutely not."
"What do you mean, absolutely not? There's been three attacks in just as many days. You can't go out of the office unprotected," Owen demanded.
"I agreed you can come with me to the doctor's office but you're not coming into the exam room with me!"
"There could be a threat on your life! You're being unreasonable!"
Shots fired. Even I knew saying that to a woman wasn't a smart idea.
"Unreasonable?" The way Annalee said the one word made me think there was a good chance Owen was going to die today. "Aaron, is it unreasonable for me to want to go into my exam by myself?"
Shit! I really didn't want to be in the middle of this argument but I didn't see a way to get out of it with my balls intact.
"I mean, Owen's right and there could be a threat on your life." Annalee looked at me like I was a bug she wanted to squish. "It's just a doctor's appointment, right?"
"Yeah, my once-a-year lady doctor's appointment."
"Oh." Then it hit me. "Ohhhhh!" I looked over at Owen. "Man, just let her go alone. I don't know why you would want to go to that appointment anyway."
"It's not like it's nothing I haven't seen a thousand times before."
"Owen!" Annalee hissed, and I had to laugh at the smirk on his face.
"How about this," Owen started. "I take you to the appointment and I stand outside the exam room? That way, you can holler if you need me."
That sounded like a fair compromise but what did I know? I was a guy.
"Fine," Annalee huffed, and I let out the breath I didn't even realize I was holding while I waited to see the outcome of this situation.
"Glad that's taken care of. Have either of you seen Maverick?"
"He's at Easton's place with Lyla and Lucien," Annalee quickly told me.
Well, damn. I never thought he wouldn't actually be in the office. The man practically lived here.
"What do you need from him?"
I glanced at my friend. "Valerie just made a good point. These two recent attacks don't line up with what we know about the people behind the data breach."
"We don't know who’s behind the data breach."
I waved Owen off. "You know what I mean. The group we took down on our last op, this isn't their MO."
"Shit, you're right," Owen grumbled. "So, then, who do you think is behind your mother's attack and the almost abduction of Lucien?"
"I don't have the slightest idea," I answered honestly. That was the million-dollar question.
Maverick didn't make it back that day but I texted him what I thought and he agreed that the incidents were probably not connected with the breach.
Which begged the question, who was trying to attack the team and why?
It wasn't like we made a ton of enemies when we moved to town.
In fact, most people in Willow Creek loved us.
"What's got you thinking so hard?" Valerie sat across from me at the kitchen table while I picked at my chicken parmesan.
"Just trying to figure out who could be after the team."
"Did Maverick have any suggestions?"
I shook my head. "He never showed back up at the office. He was at Easton's place with Lucien as they worked through the sketch of his attempted abductor."
Valerie was also picking at her meal and I felt bad that my solemn demeanor was rubbing off on her. Chicken parmesan was normally her second favorite meal that I made. She should be enjoying it and yet she was mostly pushing it around her plate.
"Hey." I stopped her motion by placing my hand over hers. "It's going to be okay."
She looked up between her lashes and gave me a tight smile. "I know. I'm just worried about who is going to be next."
That had me closing my eyes. I didn't even want to think about who could be next but the possibility was there.
"Hopefully no one," I whispered.
We finished dinner in silence and even cleaned up with minimal talking. I was starting to get worried that Valerie was stuck in her head when she turned to me and surprised the hell out of me with her words.
"Let's forget about it. Just for tonight, let's take something for ourselves." Grabbing my hand, she pulled me up the stairs.
When we got to the top of the landing, I guided her toward my bedroom.
"Are you sure?" I asked once we were standing next to my bed. The last thing I wanted to do was rush her, or for her to make a rash decision.
"I'm sure. This is three decades overdue."
I couldn't agree more.
Taking the hem of her shirt, I slowly peeled it over her head and got my first look at her lucious breasts as they spilled out of her bra. “I could undress you every day for the rest of our lives and it still wouldn’t be enough time,” I told her.
“I guess it’s a good thing you’ll have the rest of our lives to undress me,” Valerie said with a teasing tone.
“It’s a damn good thing,” I confirmed as I unsnapped her dress pants and slid them over her hips.
Her brown hair was clipped up today in some fancy bun, but considering I wanted it to fan across my pillow, I took the clip out and tossed it across the room.
“Why am I the only one getting naked?”
A few times Valerie had attempted to help me shed my own clothes but each time I pushed her hands away.
“Because I want to savor every second of unwrapping you and I would lose precious seconds having to remove my shirt over my head,” I told her honestly.
I wasn’t the kind of man who usually spouted off sweet words, but with Valerie, they just came naturally.
“Get on the bed,” I told her after I had her bra unclasped and had shimmied her panties down her legs.
Valerie immediately obeyed but did so with a smirk on her face. “Do I get to enjoy the show now?”
“Maybe.” I teased her with a quick flash of my stomach before getting serious. “Spread your legs. I want to see how ready you are for me.”
I could see the hesitation in her eyes but also the determination, so after only a few seconds, Valerie did as I asked and slowly opened her legs.
“Wider,” I instructed as I unsnapped the button of my pants and slid the zipper down. My jeans fell to the ground and pooled around my ankles.
Not taking my eyes off Valerie, I leaned down and pushed my boxers down my legs before stepping out of them and chucking them, plus my socks, off to the side.
“Like this?” she finally worked up the nerve to ask.
“Just like that.” Her glistening pussy begged for my cock.
As quick as humanly possible, so I wasn’t forced to take my eyes off her for longer than necessary, I whipped the shirt over my head and let it drop off my fingers and onto the floor.
Like a tiger stalking it’s prey, I crawled up the bed until I was leaning over her.
“You ready for me, sweetheart?” I whispered in her ear and nearly came when she breathlessly replied, “I’ve waited years for this moment.”