Hear My Heart

by Maryann Jordan

  She sucked in her lips for just a minute, and then said, “I told her that I wanted you and I to keep getting to know each other really well.” She held his gaze, and added, “I suppose I should be as honest with you as I am with her. She then told me that she really likes you too and if we wanted to get married, it was okay with her.”

  As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she blushed deep red. “Please don’t take that the wrong way. I’m not saying that we—”

  He pressed his fingers against her lips, stilling her words, then, smiled as he leaned in, kissing her forehead before sliding his lips down to kiss her nose. He continued his path of kisses, landing on her lips. “That’s one of the nicest things that anyone has ever said to me, babe. Please don’t feel embarrassed about what she said.”

  “I told the girls at lunch today that this seemed to be going so fast, but Katelyn disagreed. She said that when something is right, you just know it.”

  “That sounds like Katelyn.” He chuckled, then added, “And I find her usually right.”

  They began to kiss and it quickly flamed into making out on the living room sofa like two teenagers. As his hand slid up her shirt and cupped her breast, she grabbed his wrist.

  “Sorry, babe,” he said, shifting on the couch to ease his erection pressing against his jeans.

  “No, no. I don’t want us to stop. I just want us to take this upstairs.”

  He leaned back and eyed her carefully. “Are you sure? We don’t have to do this.”

  She moved forward the inch that their lips were separated and latched onto him, putting all of her emotions into the kiss. She placed her palms against his chest and pushed gently, until she could slide out from under him. Standing, she reached her hands out and said, “I want this. I want you. I know we need to be careful and I know we need to be quiet. We’ll lock my door, so there’s no chance that Emily could walk in on us. I have no reason to think that she would get up during the night, but if she does, we can be dressed.”

  He held his breath, yearning to hold her while they lay in bed and, yet, wanting her to be certain. She smiled and took his hand, leading him to the stairs. He followed eagerly and once in her bedroom, she clicked the door lock, assuring privacy.

  He pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and set the alarm. “This will ensure that I wake up and can be downstairs before Emily wakes.”

  Lia smiled and he smirked, asking, “What’s that look for?”

  “Nothing. Just realized that falling for you is no longer a possibility, because I’ve already fallen.” His heart nearly exploded at her confession and his mouth fell open, wanting to say something but not sure how to put it into words. “Give me just a minute,” she called over her shoulder, as she headed into the bathroom.

  He sat on the edge of the bed and quickly divested himself of his boots, socks, and shirt. He had just started to unfasten his jeans when she walked back into the room, clad in a silky, pale blue robe. With the bathroom lights behind her, her hair appeared even more shiny, a halo about her head. He itched to bury his fingers in her tresses.

  She sashayed straight toward him, her hands loosening the tied belt. Keeping her eyes on him, she stopped only when her breasts brushed against his chest.

  He watched, enraptured, as she continued to loosen the robe’s belt, the lapels hanging open showing her cleavage and the tops of her plump breasts.

  His hands lifted to the edges of her robe, pushing it over her shoulders, unwrapping a delectable present. With very little effort, the silky material landed in a pile at her feet. Dragging his eyes downward, he lovingly gazed over her body from her breasts to her tapered waist that flared out at her full hips. Her legs were long and toned and he could not wait to have them wrapped around his waist.

  Bending quickly, he lifted her into his arms and lay her gently onto the bed. His cock, already pressing against the zipper of his jeans, was straining to be relieved.

  She leaned up on her elbows, dropped her gaze to his crotch, and said, “That looks painful.”

  “It is,” he smirked. “Do you think you have a remedy for my…uh…pressing situation?”

  Lia giggled then clapped her hand over her mouth to stay quiet. Whispering, she said, “Yes. I think I have exactly what you need.” Giving in to the urge to be more daring than she had been, she slowly opened her legs, exposing herself to his lust filled gaze.

  “Damn, babe. You could make any man drop to his knees just to worship at your body.”

  “And you’re the only man that I want,” she said, her eyes shining. As Aiden kicked off his jeans, she lowered her gaze to travel over his body. His dark hair was a little shaggy and she could not wait to run her fingers through it. She continued her perusal from his muscular chest to his defined abs and as he dropped his boxers, she feasted her eyes upon his erection. “You are so gorgeous,” she said, staring at his muscles flexing as he leaned over her.

  “Oh, Lia, I was just going to say the same thing about you,” he fisted his cock up and down its length, “but before I give in to the urge to plunge inside your warmth, I have to taste you first.” With that, he knelt on the floor, pulling her legs toward him.

  As he kissed her inner thighs, she flopped back on the bed, heady sensations rolling through her. He licked her folds attentively, as though memorizing the taste of her. She jerked and he grinned as her hips lifted from the bed. Sliding his fingers inside her channel, he used his mouth as he nipped, licked, sucked and worked her into a frenzy.

  Just when she thought she could take no more, he sucked on her clit while sliding a finger deep inside. Moving his finger in just the right way, it hit the spot that he had been aiming for and she moaned as quietly as possible as her orgasm rushed over her. After a moment, she relaxed, boneless as she lay sated on the mattress.

  Barely able to raise her head to watch as he crawled over her body, she whispered, “This may kill me, trying to stay quiet while you’re making me feel things I’ve never felt before.”

  He stared at her quizzically. “Never?”

  Realizing her comment had inadvertently brought Carl up, she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up…well, what I mean is…” She sighed. Holding his gaze, she explained, “No. I thought what Carl and I had was good, but I’ve never felt like I do when I’m with you.”

  A slow smile curved his lips and he leaned down to kiss a path across her breasts. Lifting his head, he held her gaze, and said, “You’re the only woman who makes me feel this way. I’ve never had a connection with anyone the way I feel with you. And Lia, you have to know, I only want you.” He placed a kiss over her heart, before sliding his lips up to hers.

  Just like earlier, their kiss turned wild and flamed hot. The soft mounds of her breasts pressed against his chest and he slid back down her body to feast upon her nipples. She lifted her legs and wrapped her ankles around his waist, pulling him toward her.

  “Babe, are you on the pill?”

  Her gaze held his, searching. “Yes, I am.”

  His expression was pained, as he said, “I completely understand if you don’t want to, but I’m clean. We have to be tested as volunteers for the fire department, and my last test was about three weeks ago, and have the results on my phone. I can get tested again whenever you say. But I promise, I have never gone ungloved. Ever.”

  “I believe you,” Lia breathed against his lips, stealing Aiden’s breath.

  He held his weight off her chest, balancing on his forearms, and sealed his lips over hers. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, intoxicated with her very essence. Moving his straining cock to her sex, he looked down at her face, her eyes holding nothing but trust.

  “Tell me what you want,” he begged, holding his cock just at her entrance. He battled the urge to plunge deep inside her but forced himself to go slow. Inhaling, he kept his eyes on her, carefully watching her face as she held his gaze.

  “Aiden, all I want is you.”

  Hearing the words she w
as giving him, he smiled as he entered her slowly, stretching her, his cock hitting every nerve along the way. Building the friction quickly, he kissed down her neck, sucking on the tender area where her pulse throbbed.

  She reached her hands around his shoulders, feeling the muscles bunch and cord underneath her fingertips. Her legs entwined around his waist, opening her up as much as she could, willing to give him all of her body. He groaned and she lifted her hips, matching his rhythm.

  As the friction continued to build, she felt jolts of electricity firing through all of her nerves. The world fell away, taking with it all of the cares that she had been holding onto. Only feeling the rocking of her body as he powered into her, the tremors that began in her core soon exploded outward.

  Aiden watched as Lia pressed her kiss-swollen lips together in an effort to keep from crying out. He would have preferred hearing her unbridled passion, but it was worth it to stay quiet just to experience the gift that she was giving him.

  Wanting to prolong their pleasure, he rolled quickly, flipping her on top of his body. “I want to see you,” he begged. Moving to her knees, she leaned over and placed her hands on his chest, her long hair hanging down in a curtain around them. Lifting herself before plunging back down, she quickly got her rhythm and began riding him.

  Unable to believe that she was going to come again, Lia threw her head back, her smile wide on her face.

  “Please, babe,” he begged. “I want to see your face when you come.”

  She dropped her chin and focused her dark eyes on his, her smile beaming down at him. She felt her inner muscles clenching and he reached between them, pressing on her clit. Pinching her lips together once more, she rode out her orgasm, muffling the sounds of her pleasure.

  She watched in fascination as his orgasm rocketed through him. His head pressed back into the pillow as he continued to thrust upward until the last drop had been wrung from his body.

  She fell forward onto his chest, and a loud grunt emitted from his lips. She giggled and he rolled them so that they were lying side by side. For several minutes they held each other’s gazes…neither speaking, nor needing to. Words were no longer necessary as love flowed between them.

  Aiden knew what he felt, and he knew it was different than any other time in his life. Sex had always been an action, but never an emotion. But Lia had changed him, and he had no desire to ever go back. Knowing he had to say what was on his heart, he could only pray that she was ready to hear the words. “I love you, Lia. I can’t hold that back anymore. I have to let you know. I love you and I love Emily. And I want us to be together.”

  She held his gaze and his heart quickened as he a tear slid down her cheek. He wiped it with his thumb, uncertain what to say.

  “I love you, too, Aiden.”

  “Then why are you crying?”

  She swallowed deeply as another tear slid down her cheek and he captured it as well. “Because I’m happy, and I never thought I would be happy like this again.”

  He kissed her once more, this time with all the emotion that was swirling around them. As their sweat-soaked bodies cooled, he reluctantly climbed from the bed. He bent down to pull on his boxers and looked over his shoulder at her. “Sweetheart, as much as I would love to lie all night with you, skin to skin, I don’t want to risk Emily trying to find you during the night and us not being ready.”

  Kneeling on the bed, Lia felt even more love for Aiden, knowing that he cared so much for her daughter. Walking to her dresser, she pulled out her pajama pants and a camisole before moving into the bathroom. A moment later she came back into the room and crawled into bed with him.

  He wrapped his arms around her, and rubbed his hands up and down her sides. “I will never again feel silk and not think of you.”

  Smiling wide, she could not remember the last time she felt such peace. Right now, it was as though all the cares of the world could not touch them.

  As her body drifted into slumber, his arms wrapped tighter around her, cocooning her in protection and love.

  27

  Aiden was in the kitchen early the next morning, stirring oatmeal and flipping bacon, when Emily came down the stairs. She was dressed in her school clothes, but looked up at him sleepily.

  “Where’s Mama?”

  “She’s upstairs getting dressed for work. Would you like some breakfast?”

  “Uh huh.”

  He grinned as he dished up breakfast and set it in front of her on the counter. She was staring up at him, her nose scrunched, and he could see her mind working behind her eyes.

  “You were here last night, when I went to bed.”

  “Uh…yeah.”

  “And you’re here this morning, when I got up.”

  A sweat broke out on his forehead and once again he wondered where she was going with her inquisitive mind. “I want to make sure that you and your mom are taken care of.”

  “Then why don’t you just stay here all the time? You could move in and be with us.”

  He stared at her, now looking up at him with such hope, and his heart pounded in his chest. Just then, he saw Lia step into the kitchen, her eyes wide, and he knew she had heard what Emily asked. Dropping his gaze back to the little girl staring so trustingly into his face, he replied, “I’d like that, Emily. When the time is right, I’d like nothing more than that.”

  The wide smile on Emily’s face combined with the curve of Lia’s lips caused his heart to nearly burst.

  Lia stepped further into the kitchen so that Emily could see her, and said, “Aiden and I will figure out the right time to make that kind of decision, sweetheart. But, until then, we have him with us lots of the time.”

  Emily, obviously satisfied with that answer, dug into her breakfast. Lia walked over and wrapped her arms around him, rising up on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly. As he stood watching his two women eat and get ready for their day, calm slid through him.

  This is it. They are mine. He now knew what his parents had…what Ginny and Brogan had…what Katelyn and Gareth had. And he knew his days of playing Peter Pan were over.

  Lia walked into the Municipal Building and made her way past the first receptionist, walking straight to Celia’s desk. Celia looked up, a grimace marring her fake smile, and said, “Oh, yes. I forgot that you made an appointment, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, I did. I assume you have a place where we can talk?”

  Celia nodded, but made her wait as she straightened her desk, which was already neat. Finally, after delaying another minute, she stood, smoothed her hands down her tight skirt, and clicked her stiletto heels toward the conference room. She followed Celia in and closed the door behind her.

  Celia blinked when she heard the door shut and gave a nervous laugh. “Oh, my, this must be very official.”

  Lia took a seat and opened her briefcase, pulling out several files before opening her laptop. Celia slid into a seat across from her, her fingers twitching for a moment before she clasped her hands together.

  “I want to question you further about the security of the unsigned checks in your desk. Specifically, how long are they there while waiting for Mayor Banks’ signature?”

  “I…uh…”

  “While the final results of my investigation will go straight to the Town Council, I will let you know that one of my recommendations will be that this step be eliminated. There is no reason why the Treasurer cannot maintain control of those checks until she watches the Mayor sign them himself. To have an interval of time where they are out of her hands, or his, is not good practice.”

  “I…uh…just do as I’m told,” Celia stammered.

  Celia’s demeanor changed to one of uncertainty and Lia continued to push. “How often would you say that the folder with checks is given to you instead of directly to the Mayor?”

  “Uh…about twice a month, maybe,” Celia replied, her brow furrowing in thought.

  “Are they ever left unattended? For example, when you go to lunch or, perhaps, even ov
ernight?”

  Her head bobbing, Celia answered, “Yes. I mean, certainly when I go to lunch.” She licked her lips, and then added, “A few times…uh…overnight as well. If Corwin…um…Mayor Banks does not come back from a meeting or doesn’t want to be bothered at the time, then he will sign them the next day.”

  “Is there anyone who knows that they are in your desk?”

  This time, instead of answering, Celia huffed. “I don’t know what you’re getting at. I don’t know why I’m here being treated like a criminal. I’ve done nothing wrong. I’m just doing exactly what I’ve been told to do by Mayor Banks!”

  “Ms. Ring, I’m not making an accusation,” she said calmly. “My job is to investigate. And in order to do so, I have to have an understanding of how procedures work, where they are failing, and what may have happened in order for someone to have taken money.”

  With lips pinched, Celia continued to answer her questions as succinctly as she could get away with. When they were finished, she thanked her and Celia pushed her chair back sharply, stood quickly, and marched out of the room almost slamming the door behind her.

  Since the conference room was quiet, and she knew that she might want to question others, she stayed, continuing to work. Thirty minutes later, she walked to the door, wanting to question Mark Weber again. With her hand on the doorknob, she halted as she heard voices just outside.

  “What did she want?”

  Knowing she should not eavesdrop, she nonetheless leaned her ear closer to the door, recognizing Silas’ nasally voice.

  “She just wanted to know more about the folder of checks that stays locked in my desk at times. I tell you, it’s downright insulting to have my work questioned like I’m some criminal.”

  “Well, what did you tell her?” he asked.

  “I told her what I do. They are locked in my desk until Corwin wants them. I don’t even know why he bothers. He doesn’t even look at the checks that he signs! Obviously, I didn’t tell her that, but she was taking notes on everything I said. Who knows what her damn investigation file folder has in it.”