This was a bad idea.
“Should I have left your shirt on?” he asks softly.
“I’m…insecure about…”
“Don’t be,” he replies. He kisses the valley between my breasts and my breath explodes from my lips and I tilt my head back. I lean on my forearms as he fumbles with the button of my shorts, gently pushing them down and tracing my slit and rubbing my clit.
Every nerve ending is hyperaware. My nipples harden as the friction builds between his thumb and my panties.
“You’re so wet, Ace.”
I can’t bear to say anything. My wires are crossed. My brain is overstimulated. And this…man is saying all the right things. His fingers hook into my panties and pull them down and throws them carelessly on the ground with my shirt. He scoots me up the counter so I’m lying flush against the countertop and places my legs over his shoulders.
His tongue encircles my clit, and a moan I’ve never heard escapes me.
Holy. Shit.
Is this heaven?
Charlie refused to go down on me. He said it was unsanitary and gross. Derek is a real man. A man who knows exactly how to worship my body.
My fingers tangle in his wavy hair as he laps me up from top to bottom. My skin tingles, and my legs wrap tighter around his head. He reaches out and pinches my right nipple. Gently first, and then harder.
“Derek, I’m going to…”
I can’t finish that sentence, because I’ve already taken off. My soul has left my body, the stomachache I’ve had for years is dissipating.
I’ve fallen dead weight.
He grins above me and pulls me into a sitting position.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come in your mouth. I tried to warn you.”
He pushes the hair out of my face and tucks it behind my ears.
“Don’t ever be sorry for that. You taste amazing. And I got to taste your orgasm. It was delicious.”
I giggle nervously as he pulls me off the counter.
“Do you want to go further?” he asks cautiously.
I nod eagerly.
I want Derek Hawthorn to fill me up. I want to feel his skin against mine while I give him his. He kisses my lips, my own taste on my tongue feels erotic and earthy.
“Come on.” He laces his fingers with mine and leads me to the master bedroom. He leaves the lights off. I get it. Honestly. I’m pregnant with another man’s baby.
He rips his shorts down, his thick, and long erection springs free. I involuntarily gasp. I can’t believe this is happening.
The slickness between my thighs begs for penetration, for him to claim me as his. He sits down at the edge of the bed and pulls me onto his lap. The tip of his cock teasing me, begging for entrance.
He slams his lips onto mine, fisting my hair and holding my right leg in place.
“You’re so beautiful, Aria.”
He says these things, and I can’t help but close my eyes. What if he’s just saying that? What if he’s doing this because I’m a challenge he wants to conquer?
“Get out of your head, Ace. You’re so tense. This is supposed to be relaxing.”
I nervously giggle, but that turns into me crying out because he’s taken my breast in his mouth, suckling, soothing, and nipping at my nipple.
Sweet Jesus.
His hands cup my ass and gently lifts me up, lining me up with his cock. He lowers me slowly, and when I feel him, I hiss. He lies back, allowing me to take control of the situation.
I’m in full control. I determine the pace and when to stop. And it’s…empowering. I lean forward slightly, lifting myself up and dropping down until I get used to his girth.
Every movement has me begging him for more.
Not once has he told me I’m pathetic, or I’m not doing it right. He reaches out again, rubbing my clit with his thumb.
I nearly crumble on top of him. With his free hand, he holds my hip steady, while he matches every stroke.
He tells me I’m beautiful. He tells me I’m strong. He tells me there’s no place he’d rather be right now.
I collapse on top of him and let him take over. He thrusts into me and holds me close to his chest.
“Derek,” I plead.
“Say my name, Aria.”
“Derek,” I whimper.
With one final thrust, he finishes inside of me.
I refuse to look at him, too embarrassed to show my face after the stunt I just pulled. I immediately dismount, and try to move to the bathroom, but his arms wrap around my waist, forcing me to stay put.
“Don’t go anywhere. Just lay here a minute.”
I give up trying to fight him. I face the wall as he scoots closer to me, gently pulling me against his chest. His legs hike up against my bare ass, my wetness drenching his leg.
“Are you all right?” he asks.
Tears prick my eyes. My voice will give me away, so I nod instead.
“Talk to me, Ace. Are you all right?”
“Yeah,” I manage to choke out.
He runs his fingertips the length of my arm and trails them back up. I shudder, but a sense of warmth washes over me. He’s taking care of me, just like he promised he would.
Fuck.
“You’re an amazing woman, Aria McKenzie.”
A watery giggle echoes in the room as he kisses the crown of my head.
“Coconuts,” he says softly.
“What?”
“I always wondered what your hair smelled like. I’m finally placing it. Your hair smells like coconuts.”
“You’re a weird man, Derek Alexander Hawthorn.”
He chuckles into my hair and nuzzles into my neck.
“Maybe you’re the one who’s weird. Everyone I’ve ever met thinks I’m awesome.”
I giggle and roll my eyes. “Yes, I’m sure all the women you meet worship the ground you walk on.”
He groans. “I think I’ve got you figured out, Ace. But I’m going to keep it to myself because I don’t want to scare you away.”
My stomach churns at the thought of this being more than it is. I love his daughter, but I am not about to put her in danger because I like the way Derek’s dick feels inside of me.
“Derek…” I turn around and face him. There’s no light in this room. My eyes are adjusting to the dark, I still can’t make out his silhouette. Maybe that makes things easier.
“What’s on your mind, Aria?”
“I’ve been having dreams…about…this.”
His hand tightens on my hip.
“Seriously?”
“I’m in my second trimester now and—”
“Ah.”
Shit.
“I’m sorry. I’d stop them if I could. But I haven’t been touched by someone nice in a long time.”
His hand finds my face and caresses my cheek.
“I’m not sorry,” he murmurs.
“But what I said still stands. This can’t be anything.”
“No, it can’t,” he replies, though there’s no malice in his tone. “Listen, my whole world revolves around Zoey. And this was…amazing…and I want to do this at least a dozen more times before the sun rises, but I can’t jump into something with somebody and fight through the custody battle.”
“I get it,” I reply softly running my fingers through his hair. “A relationship is complicated. And I don’t think either of us do complicated.”
He chuckles.
“But…if you wanted to continue this…no strings attached…”
“That’s a complication,” I retort.
He holds my ass in his hand gently squeezing and tapping it lightly.
“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. And that’s saying a lot, because when I was in Afghanistan, Ava Reid visited.”
I scoff.
“What, you don’t believe me? I have pictures.”
“That’s not what I’m dismissing.”
He sighs, his warm breath moving closer. His lips find my forehe
ad and his hand splays out on my lower back.
“Mark my words, if Charlie ever got brave and decided to show his face here, I want you to know I’d be the first person to tear him apart.”
I weakly smile.
“You would make some woman insanely happy one day, Derek. Not every woman is like your ex-wife.”
He stills at my words.
“And not every woman is like you.”
My heart soars at this, but I wish it wouldn’t. I’m too smart to get my hopes up. This can’t happen.
His constant soothing of my skin puts me half asleep before he speaks again.
“I don’t know if I believe in reincarnation, but on the off chance it’s real, I hope in my next life, we find each other again. I’d treat you right.”
Tears cloud my vision.
Because had I stayed put, I could’ve avoided Charlie altogether. I could’ve made a play for Derek Hawthorn and proved to him I could love his daughter too. Hell, I already do, damn it.
28
DEREK
“This looks cozy,” a voice sounds off from the doorway. When my eyes fly open, I reach for the gun in my nightstand and point it to the intruder in the doorway. “You won’t do that, Bubba. Now get up and come into the dining room. We need to talk.”
Fuck.
She sleeps like a rock, tangled up in my sheets and her hair covering her face. I grab my sweats and reluctantly sneak out to the dining room to find Nate, severely pissed off with a gun in his hand.
Maybe I shouldn’t have left mine.
“You have sixty seconds to tell me what the fuck is going on.”
I raise my eyebrows.
“She came over last night and spent the night.”
He cocks the gun.
“What the fuck, Nate!?”
“She is not your plaything. She is a woman who is supposed to be healing. You’re not supposed to be confusing her because you can’t keep it in your pants for five seconds!”
Oh, god.
“Put the gun down, Olson. We can talk like adults.”
“Hey assholes!” A voice echoes around the room in speakers I didn’t even know existed. “Olson, put the fucking gun down, you idiot. Bubba’s your brother. Bubba, that was a dick move.”
“Stop calling me that!” I bellow to Tanner’s voice. I’m going to kill him for putting cameras in here without my knowledge.
“How many houses have you bugged?” Nate asks.
“I’ll tell you when you put the gun down. Otherwise, I’m going to alert Steve, and judging by the beauty in your room, it’ll end badly. For both of you.”
He keeps digging his hole.
Nate growls and places the gun on the dining room table. And to my horror, Aria appears at the doorway, wearing one of my shirts and a pair of sweatpants three sizes too big for her.
“What the hell?” she murmurs.
“Aria, are you all right?” Nate rushes to her and leads her over to the table, sitting her down.
“I’m fine. What are you doing? And how many other people are here?”
“It’s just Nate. Tanner’s been watching.”
I want to take the words back the second I say them. She grows rigid, and she glares at me.
“What do you mean by watching?”
“I didn’t watch that,” Tanner reasons.
Holy shit. He isn’t making this any better.
“Saying you didn’t watch that means there’s something to watch,” she snaps.
Tanner stays quiet for a moment.
“Um…I don’t know what you want me to say…”
“Tanner, will you fuck off already?” I shout.
“Hey, motherfucker! I just saved your life!” Tanner replies.
“I wasn’t going to shoot him!” Nate bellows.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Leave it to these assholes to ruin everything for me.
“You were going to shoot him?” she demands from Olson. He looks away sheepishly.
“In a place where there wouldn’t be too much damage.”
“Oh my god,” she grumbles in frustration.
“Hey, Saw? Can you get off now? I need to talk to my children.”
Tanner snickers, then suddenly goes quiet. She turns to Nate and glares.
“What’s your deal?” She asks.
“Maybe we can do this where he’s not around…”
For the love of God.
“I came here on my own fruition.” Nate narrows his eyes, like he doesn’t believe her. “You see, when women get into their second trimesters, our hormones get wacky. I had to take the edge off.”
He pushes away, obviously uncomfortable.
I, on the other hand, turn to her to search for any signs of regret.
“I’m okay. And I’m going back to Annie’s.” Nate stands in front of the door.
“Why, was he too rough with you?”
She sighs.
“I’m not giving you a play-by-play, Olson. He was fine.”
Ouch.
“And you’re ruining my buzz by being here.”
He frowns.
“Are you sure you’re all right? Because I can shoot him and blame it on the job.”
Asshole.
“I’m fine. Honestly.” She takes a deep breath and glances briefly at me before turning back to Nate. “Now, it would be super if you could go back and do your job so I can do the walk of shame without my entire family witnessing it.”
Defeated, Nate glares at me once more before stepping out. I approach her quietly, wrapping my arms around her. Her cheek rests on my right pec, and a content sigh escapes her.
“We go back to the way we were, right?” she asks with a hint of a frown.
“Yeah. No complications for either of us.” She nods and leans against the door. “I’ll miss you when you walk outside the door, Ace.”
She giggles and rolls her eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere. I still live here. And now that I’m not wearing what I used to, I’ll be at the barn more often.”
It’s not enough.
I kiss her gently on the lips. Her arms snake around my neck, pulling me closer to her. Her intoxicating coconut scent fills my senses, making a permanent imprint on my soul.
“It won’t be the same.”
She sighs and drops her arms.
“No. The chase is over,” she admits sadly.
Doesn’t she know I don’t give a damn about the chase? There’s something inside of her…what it is, I don’t know. But the one thing I do know is we are supposed to be together.
“Don’t be a stranger, okay? Just because we did the nasty doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
She nods and waves. It’s early enough so the whole property isn’t awake yet, so I watch her walk to Annie’s.
She’s beautiful in my clothes. She’s beautiful stark naked too.
Aria looks over her shoulder when she opens Annie’s door and waves. I wave back and watch her disappear into the dark house.
It’s three o’clock in the morning when I crawl back into bed. There’s no point of going back to sleep, though I don’t think I’d be able to sleep even if I was tired. I pull the pillow she used and hug it tight against me. It smells like coconuts. I’m so grateful for that.
I couldn’t sleep a wink when she fell asleep. When my eyes adjusted to the dark, I studied the scars on her back. Some of them are deep. Some of them are still slightly raised, but healing. The fresher scars were healing, to the point if I were to see them in the light, they’d be a light pink color.
Aria McKenzie isn’t the first woman to appear at my doorstep unannounced, only to crawl into bed with me moments later. But…she is the most memorable. She doesn’t play games. She doesn’t like the lines. To hold her in my arms is a gift I don’t deserve. But fuck me if I don’t find myself pining after her.
29
ARIA
27 weeks pregnant…
My eye
s crack open when the sunlight streams through the living room. When I got in late last night, I didn’t want to have to explain to Annie why I wasn’t in bed with her, so I crashed on her ugly green sofa.
I’ve missed morning feed by hours. And when my vision focuses on the numbers on the cable box, I realize it’s ten-thirty.
I’m still traumatized by the first trimester, where I was hugging the toilet for most of the morning. But since then, I’ve learned to sit up slower, to eat something the second my eyes open.
Even if it’s month old chocolate that sits in a crystal bowl in the middle of Annie’s coffee table.
“Good morning, Peanut,” Annie announces as she grabs an apple from her fruit bowl and drops into the seat at her dining table where her laptop sits open at the ready.
“Good morning,” I reply groggily.
“So. What’s new?”
I slept with Derek.
“Nothing. Couldn’t sleep last night. The couch was more comfortable.”
“Mmmmhm,” she hums as she types, drowning me out.
“Are you hungry? I can make some pancakes,” I reply, desperate to change the subject.
“Pancakes sound good. Are you sure you don’t mind? You did waltz in at three in the morning. You must be exhausted.”
Whomp there it is.
There is no point in keeping secrets in this family.
Her mischievous grin is contagious, and I can’t help but smile.
“Okay, so I spent some time on your porch swing last night. I got stuck in the YouTube vortex.”
Annie rolls her eyes. Good thing she’ll let me pretend like she doesn’t know exactly what I did last night.
“Nice clothes,” she teases.
Of course, when I look down, I’m wearing Derek’s shirt and sweatpants. I close my eyes in frustration. I was floating on cloud nine when I walked in last night I didn’t bother changing.
“Thanks.”
I shuffle into the kitchen and search for the pancake mix. When I turn around, she’s standing inches away from my face.
“Peanut.”
“We’re not talking about this,” I grumble, side stepping her and making my way to the island to mix the ingredients.
Make Me Dream (The Sage Creek Series Book 1) Page 22