Chapter Eight #2
Knowing that still didn’t dampen his desire to toss her on the bed and fuck her until his scent clung to her skin, so that every man she’d come into contact with tonight would have no doubt as to who she belonged to.
“Aiden?”
He blinked, finding her watching him with concern in her blue eyes. “I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” She took a half step toward him before she seemed to remember their relationship wasn’t the kind that allowed for comforting.
She gave a faint smile, something melancholy flitting across her expression before she shut it down.
“If it’s any consolation, I have a large amount of respect for the lengths you’re willing to go for your family. ”
John Finch had failed her horribly if she thought what Aiden was doing was admirable.
Probably after she was labeled a dirty cop.
In the research he’d done on the man, the FBI agent didn’t seem like the type to allow for gray area.
Either a person was a criminal or they weren’t.
To have his daughter labeled as one of the people he hunted had to have shaken him to the core.
Anger rose, threatening to melt the cold wall he kept around himself.
It shouldn’t fucking matter if Charlie was a dirty cop.
She was the last living member of Finch’s immediate family—his daughter.
It wasn’t like she’d been accused of murder.
The charge had been accepting a bribe, which was the very definition of petty shit. For her to be turned out after that…
It made him want to orchestrate a private conversation with John Finch that had nothing to do with the O’Malleys, and everything to do with the daughter he’d hurt so spectacularly with his callousness.
Aiden shifted, not liking the turn of his thoughts.
Charlie was a means to an end. She’d have to fight her own battles—Aiden had enough people to watch over without adding a former cop who would never understand that his life wasn’t the same as most people’s and he could give two fucks how many laws he broke in the pursuit of protecting his family.
As much to remind himself as to remind her, he asked, “Does your father know where you are right now?”
Charlie frowned. “My father is no concern of yours.”
She didn’t ask how he knew enough about her father to ask, and he didn’t offer. Admitting that her role as John Finch’s daughter was a large reason why he’d singled her out might be enough to make her bolt, and Aiden had put too much time and money into this plan to change gears now.
No one but Charlie would do.
So he allowed her to change the subject.
She walked to the mirror and fixed her brilliant red lipstick, close enough that her shoulder brushed his. “Your sister is drowning. I think half the reason she’s been sneaking out is so someone will pay attention to her.”
He didn’t particularly want to hear about the ways he was failing Keira. He knew. He had been for years. “She’s not happy when I pay attention to her. She claims I’m stifling her.”
“And you just listen to her?” Charlie snorted, but the amusement fled as soon as it’d appeared. “Those ruined paintings in her room, the ones that have been ripped to shreds or smeared with black…those were hers, weren’t they? It’s not my place to say it—”
“Then don’t.” He spoke too harshly, but he couldn’t stop himself. Aiden put his hands on her hips and leaned against her back, pressing her against the counter and meeting her gaze in the mirror. “Leave it alone.”
She glared. “Don’t ask too many questions, don’t try to fix things. Am I allowed to piss without your permission, or should I check in with you first?”
This was what he needed—a fight or a fuck to burn off some energy before he had to get his mask firmly in place. “Don’t be pissy.”
“I’m not the one being pissy.” She pushed back against him, but he didn’t give her an inch. “Back off.”
“Why are you really angry, Charlie? Because I’m telling you not to meddle with my family? Or because I haven’t touched that pretty pussy of yours in days?” He ignored her gasp of outrage and reached around to press the heel of his hand against the junction of her thighs. “Do you ache for me?”
She laughed softly, the sound hoarse as she pressed back against him again.
“Who said I need you?” Red haze filtered across his vision, and her next words did little to calm it.
“I’m quite capable of taking care of that myself.
” She covered his hand with her own, digging her nails in a little.
“In fact, I fingered myself while you were in the shower.”
It was all too easy to paint the picture in his head, of her on her back on the bed, her eyes closed and her fingers working between her thighs. He removed his hand, ignoring the way she allowed her nails to rake across the back of it. “Let’s get one thing clear—”
“One thing? I have a goddamn list.”
He bracketed her throat, putting just enough pressure there to stop her words. “Did you change your mind?”
She narrowed her eyes but didn’t try to pretend she had no idea what he was talking about. “You play your game your way. I’ll play it mine.”
Disobedient and willful to the very end. He couldn’t decide if she was trying to provoke a response or if she was just that opposed to being locked down in any way. In the end, it didn’t matter. “I should bend you over this counter and fuck you into submission.”
“Don’t think for a second it would work.” Charlie rolled her eyes. “And beyond that, we’re already going to be late, so unless you’re looking for a quickie, fucking me in any way is out of the question.”
The irrational side of him, which always seemed to come into play around her, rose to demand he throw caution to the wind and prove her wrong.
He reined it in, but only barely. Every time she pushed him, intentionally or not, he slid a little closer to the edge.
It was only a matter of time before he went over—and took her with him.
Aiden let go of her and stepped back. He didn’t like the confusion on her face—or the flicker of hurt that rose as he moved to the dresser across the room.
For all her spikes, there was something fragile about Charlie, and he’d have to be a special kind of bastard to want to shatter her, no matter who her father was.
He opened the drawer at the bottom that had been empty until a week ago. “Take off your panties.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
He gave her a look. “You heard me.”
“I’m waiting for you to explain.”
Aiden shook his head slowly. “There aren’t two separate games—there’s only my game. Either play along or deal with the consequences.” He picked an item out of the drawer and held it up. “Here’s your first punishment.”
“I didn’t do anything wrong.” But her eyes lit with interest at the small blue vibe in his hand.
He motioned her forward, giving her plenty of time to tell him to go to hell.
But she didn’t.
Charlie moved to stand directly in front of him. He lifted her dress to the tops of her thighs, bunching the shimmering fabric. “Hold this,” he ordered.
“You are aggravating in the extreme.”
“So I’ve been told.” He pulled her panties down to her thighs.
It was tempting to kiss her there, but he forced himself to stay on task.
Aiden held the small vibe against her clit as he shifted the lace back into place.
It took a few seconds to maneuver it to exactly where he wanted, but then he sat back on his heels. “You can let go now.”
“This is an important night, Aiden.” She shifted, a frown on her face. “We don’t have time for your sex games to distract me.”
He pulled out his phone and brought up the app he’d downloaded when he bought the sex toy. A flick of his finger and her entire body tensed. Aiden didn’t bother to hide his satisfied smile. It fell away when he touched his pocket and the little box it held. “One more thing.”
“I swear to God, I draw the line at anal plugs, so don’t even think about it.”
That surprised a laugh out of him. What surprised him even more was how good it felt. When was the last time he’d laughed freely in a way that wasn’t calculated?
Aiden couldn’t remember.
He stood and pulled out the ring box. “I’d go down on one knee, but that isn’t the kind of relationship we have.”
“No, it’s not.” She looked a little sick, but she held out her hand so he could slide the ring onto it. “Aiden, it’s beautiful.”
“It was my grandmother’s.” It had taken some shady work to figure out Charlie’s ring size after he’d first met her, so that he could get the ring resized.
He hadn’t told anyone about it. Though he’d been as sure of her as he could be of a near-stranger, he hadn’t wanted to admit the lengths he’d gone through, in case things didn’t pan out.
If anything, she looked even more horrified. “I can’t wear your grandmother’s ring. It’s not right.”
“You have to. As oldest son and heir, that ring rightfully belongs to my future wife. It would be more than a little suspicious if I didn’t give it to you.”
She touched the massive diamond. It was in the same setting as when his grandfather had proposed, little rubies and garnets surrounding the diamond, to represent colors in the O’Malley crest.
It felt a whole lot like he’d just branded Charlie.
It didn’t bother him nearly as much as it should.