Aiden (Members From Money Book 8)

by Katie Dowe

  Pushing her hand away, he pulled back enough to unbutton Charli's jeans and tug them off her legs, taking her panties with them. Her legs were long and lean, her pussy barely covered by a dusting of black curls. Swallowing, he shoved his jeans to his knees and lay over Charli, kissing her hard as Charli rubbed her wet pussy against his cock while she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  "Fuck me, Mark." She hissed against his mouth. "Fuck me hard."

  Mark couldn't ignore a request like that. She was so wet. One firm thrust and he slid in easily to the hilt. Her inner walls clamped down on his cock and he had to stop a moment to gain his control back. If he didn't, he was going to come now and then it would be over. He wanted this to last longer than a few seconds.

  "Mark." Charli slapped his buttock and dug her nails in. "I said fuck me."

  Mark chuckled.

  "As the lady commands."

  He pulled out almost all the way and slammed back in. Charli moaned and arched into him, clutching his arms. He set up a pace that had him jackhammering into her, pushing her along the couch. Charli pushed up his sweater and raked her nails down his chest. Mark growled and pushed hers up to her neck, taking her bra with it. Her breasts popped out and Mark lowered his head, taking one breast into his mouth. Charli moaned and began playing with her other breast, tweaking the nipple as her other hand pressed his face against her chest.

  Her pussy clamped down even more on his cock and Mark knew he wasn't going to last long. He picked up the pace and Charli's moans got louder as she thrashed under him.

  "Fuck, Mark! More!"

  Mark couldn't ignore that. Pushing himself back onto his knees, he changed the angle as he thrust. His thumb found her clit and he flicked it.

  Charli screamed and bucked against his hand, her orgasm hitting her hard. Her pussy contracted even harder around his cock and Mark felt his orgasm hit him. He buried deep with one last thrust and spilled his seed inside her, the orgasm leaving him sweating and trembling.

  *****

  "You've got an appetite there, Mark."

  Mark shrugged and he shoveled a large piece of syrup-drenched waffle into his mouth.

  "I'm hungry."

  Roberto Garcia grinned as he piled beans onto a piece of sausage.

  "You usually eat like that when you've had a long night of sex."

  Mark winced and glanced at the next table, where there were two co-ed girls eating bowls of fruit. They glanced over at them when Roberto spoke and giggled between them. Mark could feel his face going red.

  "Say it a little louder, why don't you?"

  "Well, you do." Roberto swallowed his mouthful before he spoke again. "Who's the lucky girl, then?"

  "Bobby..."

  "What? You normally tell me about them. What's so special about this one that you won't tell your best friend?"

  "Stephen's my best friend."

  "Fine, second best friend." Roberto leaned forward. "What's going on?"

  Mark debated what to say. He had known Roberto since their university days and they shared everything. Stephen had joked that they were like a pair of nattering old women with the gossip and details they told each other. They had been having these Sunday morning breakfasts every month since they were nineteen years old and Mark always looked forward to them.

  But not today. He didn't want to divulge what he had done.

  Sex with Charli had been incredible. She was so responsive and unashamed of what she did in bed. Mark found himself wanting more once he got his breath back and had taken her to his bedroom, stripping themselves of the rest of their clothes. They had had sex twice more that night, finally falling asleep just before dawn. When Mark woke up at his alarm Charli was gone. She had left while he was asleep.

  He didn't know what to think about that. While the night before had been incredible he didn't like the end result, which had been Charli leaving without saying goodbye.

  Mark sighed and looked down at his breakfast, suddenly not feeling hungry.

  "She's Andy Henson's ex-girlfriend. She'd only broken up with him an hour before we..."

  "Before you fucked her?" Roberto groaned. "Mark. I thought you had more respect for women than that."

  "I know. But I couldn't help myself. When she started coming on to me, I just couldn't stop." Mark remembered the first time they had sex on the couch and smile. "She's addictive, Bobby."

  Roberto shook his head.

  "You're an idiot, do you know that? Henson is going to go mad when he finds out."

  "Considering Charli walked in on him having ass sex with his agent, I don't think he's in a position to argue."

  Like Mark, Roberto had been a tennis fanatic as a young man. But unlike Mark, he had chosen to follow a more stable career and became a cop. Married with two children, Roberto was the regular family man. He hated cheaters and couldn't understand all the sleeping around.

  "Jesus. That boy is one messed up bastard."

  Mark couldn't agree more. The problem was he felt messed up. He sat back and rubbed his hands over his face.

  "The problem is, Bobby, although this was a one-off thing, I don't want it to be. I like Charli. And I mean really like her." He smiled to himself. "We talked after the second time..."

  "You have sex more than once?"

  "Will you shut up?" Mark played absently with his fork. "We talked and we found out we had a lot in common. We were both on the track team in the same high school."

  "She went to Booker T Washington with us?"

  "Not quite. She was a freshman the semester after we graduated. Same with Henson. He's on the wall of fame for his tennis right next to me, apparently." Mark smiled as he remembered their two-hour long talk. "We both like reading the same type of books, we support the same sports teams and she's quite a film buff. She's a great girl."

  Roberto surveyed him for a moment. Mark could see him sizing up the situation. He resisted the urge to squirm; Roberto had an ability to make Mark feel like one of the suspects he interrogated.

  "You really like her, don't you?" He asked finally.

  If it had been Stephen, Mark would have laughed it off, mainly because Stephen wouldn't ask unless it affected his tennis. If it had been his mother or his sister he would have blushed a bright red and mumbled like a schoolboy who had been caught fumbling behind the bike sheds. But this was Roberto and he couldn't lie to Roberto; the man could smell a lie a mile off.

  "Yes, I do." He finally admitted. "I didn't mean to sleep with her or get to know her like that. I was just meaning to put Henson off his game by making him think that Charli was cheating on him. I don't use girls like that, I know, before you go off on me." He added quickly when he saw Roberto's face twist in disapproval and he opened his mouth. "But it was the only way I could mess with his psyche. It was only meant to be talking and leaving the rest to his imagination since he's a paranoid bastard. None of what happened last night was supposed to happen. It just did."

  Mark did mean it. He really did like Charli. While they had been talking Mark realized that Charli was more than a classy woman. And he wanted to know her even more.

  But from the way she left he didn't hold out hope that she felt the same way.

  "How does she feel about you?" Roberto asked.

  "She left my apartment while we were asleep. What does that tell you?"

  She was probably feeling guilty after what she did. After all, Charli had only just given Andy his marching orders. Just over an hour later she was having sex with him. She probably had a lot of conflicting thoughts going on.

  "Leave it to stew for a few weeks and then speak to her." Roberto picked up his mug of coffee. "See what happens and if you can still be friends if she doesn't like you like that. She just ended things with a guy she'd been with for a decade. She'll need time to clear her head."

  Mark wasn't sure if he would be able to wait. But he respected Roberto's opinion and knew he was right. He stared at his phone, wishing he had Charli's number. He wanted to talk to her now.r />
  This was going to be a long week.

  Chapter 4

  "I'm pregnant, Mom."

  Those words didn't sound right. They still sounded alien to Charli. But it was true. The two lines on the pregnancy test that lay on the coffee table proved it.

  "Are you sure?"

  Charli closed her eyes and huddled against the cushions, clutching one to her chest.

  "I was supposed to havev my period two weeks ago. I took two tests and both of them are positive."

  She had been feeling sick for three weeks now and had put it down to food poisoning or a stomach bug. She had to keep running to the toilet moments after she had eaten and it was draining her, emotionally as well as physically. A few times the thought she might be pregnant had crossed her mind but Charli had dismissed it. She got contraceptive injections. She couldn't get pregnant with that, surely.

  But then she had remembered that she had forgotten to take her latest injection, which should have been a week before she had sex with Mark. With everything that had been happening she hadn't realized she had forgotten to book an appointment to refresh it. So there was a chance she was pregnant.

  And she was. The evidence was glaring her in the face.

  "That's brilliant." Her mother sounded surprised but delighted. "Congratulations. I bet Andy's pleased."

  "That's the point, Mom. Andy's not the dad."

  "What?"

  Charli bit her lip. She didn't know what her mother would say about what she did but she knew it wouldn't be good. While Atalya Fraser was a level-headed woman she still carried certain principles. She had eased up on sex outside marriage but getting pregnant when she wasn't in a relationship was still a big no-no.

  "Let me explain before you have a go at me." Charli swallowed and braced herself. "I ended it with Andy six weeks ago. I caught him having sex with Kim."

  "Oh, honey."

  Atalya knew about Andy's previous affairs and had urged Charli to leave him. Charli was grateful her mother didn't berate her and say 'I told you so'. She didn't need that right now.

  "The problem is...I had sex that night with somebody else. Unprotected sex."

  She heard the audible groan.

  "Charlotte."

  "I know, I know, but I couldn't stop myself. I was hurting and I wanted to see what it was like to have sex with the guy."

  Charli stopped herself, cringing at how bad an excuse that sounded. She had been brought up better than that.

  "Who was it you slept with?"

  So far Atalya hadn't berated her and for that Charli was grateful. But she didn't let her guard down yet; she could get attacked when she least expected it.

  "Mark Hildenstern."

  "I didn't think you knew him."

  "I met him about a week ago. But I didn't sleep with him until after I ended it with Andy." Charli added hurriedly. "I'm not a cheater, Mom."

  "I know you're not." Atalya sighed. Charli recognized it. Her mother was disappointed. "I'm not happy with how long it took to end things but I am glad you ended things with Andy. Matt told you to end it years ago when you caught him cheating the first time."

  "I know he did." Charli closed her eyes. She wished her brother was there; she needed someone to lean on right now. "But I was too stubborn to do it."

  "Good thing you have now."

  "It doesn't feel like it. Andy keeps calling me, sending me texts and emails trying to talk to me. He hasn't got the message that things have ended between us."

  The last email she had received that morning had shaken Charli but she wasn't going to let her mother know; it wouldn't do to worry her. Atalya was a formidable woman but a massive worrier.

  "He'll get the message eventually." Atalya said firmly.

  "Andy's not the same person you knew when you first met him, Mom. He's not rational anymore."

  If his last email was anything to go by.

  "Have you told the father about the baby?" Atalya asked.

  "No." Charli felt like a coward. She was still trembling. "It's taken me two weeks to get the courage to talk to you about it."

  "Well, you're going to have to tell him, honey. Even if you don't end up together, he has a right to know that he's going to be a father. It's up to him if he wants to be part of the baby's life or not."

  Charli knew her mother was right. Mark did need to know.

  Kissing her teenage crush and having sex with him had sent Charli into a tailspin. Mark was a vigorous yet attentive lover. Charli couldn't remember the last time Andy had sent her into orgasm after orgasm before coming back for more. It had been an incredible night. Until Charli woke up the next morning and realized what she had done. Embarrassment had sent her running with her tail between her legs.

  Now she was suffering the consequences.

  *****

  "Mark."

  Wiping his face with his towel, Mark turned. Charli was standing behind him, looking awkward. She was wearing a pale yellow dress with a white cardigan and white sneakers. A white flower was in her hair. She hadn't looked lovelier.

  "Charli. Hey."

  His cock perked up, as did his heart rate, which was already beating fast as he came down from the intense training session Stephen had put him through on the court. It was a rather hot day and the heat hadn't done Mark any favors. The amount of sweat he had pouring off his body made him look and feel like a drowned rat.

  He had been exhausted and looking forward to a long hot shower. But seeing Charli had made his exhaustion disappear and he was mentally thinking of other things. Mainly taking Charli into his arms and kissing her.

  He had missed her.

  But the expression on her face kept him at arm's length. She wasn't happy about something.

  Charli bit her lip, wringing her hands in front of her.

  "Sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you."

  "You're not bothering me." Mark grinned. "I'm glad to see you."

  "You are?"

  "Of course I am." Mark frowned when Charli didn't smile back. Then he noticed that she was pale and looking thinner than before. "What's the matter? You don't look very well. Are you ill?"

  He reached out to her but Charli stepped away.

  "Not exactly." She looked about her. "Can I talk to you?"

  "Sure."

  Sensing that Charli needed to talk privately, Mark beckoned her to follow him. The nearest door was for the disabled toilet and there was no one in there. He allowed Charli to go in first and followed in behind, locking the door. They might get some raised eyebrows when they came out but it was private.

  Charli was chewing at her lip when Mark turned back to her. He knew she had something to say but he didn't rush her; the poor girl looked like she was struggling with what she had to say.

  "I'm pregnant." Charli's words came out in a rush. "I hadn't had sex with Andy for weeks. I checked the dates and the doctor says I'm six weeks along. The only person I've had sex with in that window was you."

  Mark felt like he had been hit with a sledgehammer. Of all the things to have been told, being a father was not one of them.

  "You're pregnant."

  "Yes." Charli hurried on, "You don't have to be involved with the baby. I can raise it on my own. I just wanted you to know to give you a chance. If you don't want to know, that's fine, but I thought you should know."

  "Whoa, slow down there, Charli. You've just thrown this news on me and it's taking a while to sink in." Mark put his gym bag down and leaned against the wall. His legs suddenly felt weak. "Wow. Me a dad."

  "I never thought I would become a mom now. I did think about it a few years back but then Andy started acting in a way I didn't like, I didn't want him becoming a father." Charli wrapped her arms around her middle. "I don't want to be a single parent but if you don't want to be in the child's life I'm willing to do it."

  Mark closed his eyes and tried to let it sink in. He was about to become a father. Things had happened so quickly between them that he hadn't thought about protection
the first time. The next two times he had remembered to put a condom on but he remembered from sex ed. at school that it only took one time. And they had done something stupid.

  It was too much to take in. Mark didn't know what to say or think.

  He swallowed and opened his eyes. Charli was watching him nervously, a glint of expectation in her eyes. She wanted him to stand by her and help. He wanted to but he needed to get his head around everything.

  "Will you let me think about it?" He croaked. "I've always wanted to be a father but this is very sudden. I just need to get my head around it and think clearly."

  His heart ached when Charli's face fell. Now she looked miserable.

  "I understand." She moved towards the door, her head lowered. "I'll leave you to it."

  She left the bathroom but Mark wasn't going to let her go like this. He snatched up his bag and hurried after her, not caring that people were looking at him strangely because they had been in the disabled bathroom together.

  "Charli. Wait."

  Charli stopped but she didn't turn around. Her back was stiff, her head lowered. Mark walked around and stood before her. He didn't like seeing her like this. He wanted to hold her but he guessed that Charli would shrug him off.

  But he did put his fingers under her chin and lift her head up. Charli's eyes were wet and her cheeks were stained with tears. Mark swallowed and stroked her cheek.

  "Whatever happens I won't leave you out in the cold. That's not how I work."

  Charli sniffed and turned her face a little into his hand.

  "I know."

  That small movement gave Mark some hope.

  "I'll call you tomorrow. It's my day off. We can talk some more then."

  Charli nodded, swiping at her cheeks with her hand.

  "Okay."

  Mark didn't want to leave her like that. He bent his head and kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger on her skin. He heard Charli let out a shuddering breath and when he drew back he saw her eyes were closed.

  "I'll talk to you later."

  Then he turned and hurried away before he did something he would regret. Like take her into the changing rooms with him.

  *****