Hear My Heart: Baytown Boys

by Maryann Jordan

  It was exciting to know so many people in town already. Katelyn brought over some appetizers while Corrine held little Finn. Nancy and Claire Evans were sitting at the tables also, Nancy with Eddie on her lap. Belle, Jade, Madeline, Jillian, and Tori rounded out the group.

  Katelyn slid next to her and said, “Mitch and Aiden came to talk to Gareth. I’m so sorry you’re getting those calls.”

  “I still think it’s just a prank,” she said. “It’s annoying, but I’m not afraid.”

  “Well, just so you know, Gareth is working on your phone. I haven’t done that kind of work before, so he’s teaching me as we go. We’ll have your phone back to you tomorrow.”

  “No problem. Since Emily is at a sleepover tonight, Aiden gave me his in case of an emergency or something.” Smiling her thanks, she turned her attention to the others as they caught up on each other’s lives.

  Glancing over to the side, she observed Celia and Sandra at the bar, their heads bent together as they chatted. It was something that normally she would never think about, since both women worked in the Municipal Building together, but after having been there interviewing them, she could not help but take note. Her attention soon went back to the conversations at her table.

  Corrine handed little Finn to Katelyn and moved to her side. Leaning over, she whispered, “I hope I don’t sound like an over eager mother, but I just want to say that I’m so pleased that you and Aiden are seeing each other.”

  She smiled widely, her heart warm at the acceptance. “That’s really nice of you to say. We’re still so new, but…well, that means a lot to me.”

  Corrine’s smile slipped as she stared over her shoulder. “I think you’re wanted.”

  Swinging her head around, she noticed that Sandra was standing nearby, her eyes imploring. Excusing herself, she slid from the booth and walked over to her. She glanced toward the bar and noticed that Celia was no longer sitting there.

  Sandra, her eyes nervously darting around, whispered, “I don’t know what’s happening, but I feel like I should warn you. Please, just be careful.”

  Eyes narrowing, she tilted her head slightly to the side trying to discern her meaning. “I’m sorry?”

  Sucking in her lips, Sandra stepped back slightly. “Honestly, I don’t know anything for sure. I just…”

  “Did Celia say something? Is this coming from her?”

  Shaking her head, Sandra said, “No. Not really. Nothing definitive. There was just an inference.”

  “Inference?”

  Sandra shook her head again, her eyes darting to the side once more. “I just get the feeling that there are some who would rather you not find out anything.”

  Before she had a chance to respond, Sandra turned and quickly pushed her way through the crowd and out the door. She stood for a moment, lost in thought, wondering what Sandra meant and what Celia may have said to her. Sighing, she knew it was not the first time that she was upsetting people with an investigation. No one likes having their work checked, even if they are innocent of any wrongdoing, but especially not if they are committing fraud.

  Turning back toward her friends, she heard the sound of a group entering the Pub. Twisting around, she grinned at the sight of Aiden leading the pack. He walked straight to her without hesitation and wrapped his arms around her tightly, publicly claiming her for anyone to see.

  She slid her arms around his waist and held on tight, the two of them letting the rest of the noise in the crowd fade away. At that moment, with her daughter happily playing at a friend’s house and the man she was falling for in her arms, she could not remember ever being happier.

  He smiled as he looked down, her eyes shining and her smile wide. He ran his nose along hers and whispered in her ear. “What’s got that sweet look on your face?”

  “Let’s get out of here,” she said, her voice raspy with need.

  His smile matched hers and his blue eyes twinkled. “Oh, baby, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

  With a wave toward their friends, they walked out of the pub together.

  20

  Aiden escorted Lia to her front door, his fingers shaking slightly where they splayed on her lower back. He wondered if it was just him, but as she placed the key into the door, her hands were shaking as well. They entered her house and he was struck with uncertainty, an emotion he rarely felt.

  A flash of his previous habits flew through his mind. Entering a woman’s hotel room always meant wondering what preliminaries he needed to go through to get her into bed because the act of fucking was the only reason he was with them. Some fun. Some laughs. But essentially…just to get off. And then he was out of there, having no desire to learn more about them or small talk and sure as hell not to stay for breakfast the next day.

  But as he and Lia entered her living room and she dropped her purse to the table by the sofa and turned toward him, her own nervousness sent a fierce wave of protectiveness through him. He wanted to comfort her. Care for her. Hold her. But, suddenly full of self-doubt, his hands stayed rooted to his sides,

  Her warm, wide eyes stared up at him and she said, “I feel like I have no idea what to do next. Isn’t that crazy? I was married, yet everything before you seems to have just disappeared. And I’m just standing here wanting you to want me and not having a clue what I should do.”

  Her honesty slammed into him and all the faceless women before her, their coy smiles, flirtatious manners, winks and seductive talk, flew from his mind. It was as though they had never been and all that was left for him was the beautiful woman staring nervously up at him, opening her heart.

  In two steps he was directly in front of her, his hands placed lightly on her neck with his thumbs up toward her chin. “Your beauty fills my eyes, but it’s who you are inside that fills my soul. I’ve never wanted anything more than this moment, right here, with you. Tonight, we only do what you want to do, how you want to do it, when you want to do it. Just the fact that you’re here with me, is enough.”

  Her lips curved into a soft smile and her hands slid around his waist. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this moment for a really long time,” she confessed. Lifting on her toes, she met his lips halfway. Skimming her lips over his, she pressed her body tightly to him, opening her mouth to allow him to plunder her soft depths.

  The kiss, which started slow, quickly flamed white hot. With his thumbs still on her chin he angled her head slightly so that he could explore with easier access. His tongue slid between her lips, the touch light to begin with before becoming more demanding. She answered with a groan that he felt down to his cock as their tongues tangled.

  He slid one arm over her shoulder down her back, banding her tightly to him. His erection strained painfully as it pressed against her stomach, but he did not want to move too quickly, preferring to savor the taste and feel of her lips instead.

  Lowering her heels to the floor, she separated from their kiss and he stared at her reddened lips for a second before moving up and getting lost in her melted-chocolate eyes. He felt her pull away and the cool between their bodies replaced the heat that had just been there. Immediately, she slid her hand to his, linking their fingers. Stepping away, she pulled him along and they walked up the stairs toward the bedroom.

  No pretense. No artifice. Just her letting him know exactly what she wanted.

  At the top of the stairs, right outside her door, he halted, their hands jerking slightly between them. She turned and looked up at him, a silent question in her eyes. He tugged her back toward him and with his free hand smoothed the wrinkle in her brow.

  “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” he said. “I want this to be all about you.”

  He watched the smile slide across her face and she replied, “I just want you. All of you.” She sucked in her lips for a moment before lifting her eyes again. “I don’t know what this will mean to you but, you should know before we go further, it means everything to me.”

  Again, her ho
nesty filled him. “The gift you’re about to give me is the greatest gift I’ve ever received. I promise to treat it with care and to cherish it.”

  With a wordless smile she turned and led him into the bedroom. He cast his eyes about the room, seeing an antique white, queen-sized bed, covered in a light blue bedspread, a matching dresser, and a floral-patterned, comfy chair angled near the blue curtained window. Furniture never held any fascination for him, certainly not what was in a bedroom, but as he took in the space, he realized it was so like her. Understated, but classy.

  As she squeezed his fingers, his attention focused back on the woman in the room, her smile wrapping around his heart as her eyes captured his gaze. She stepped closer, her lips melding with his once again. He loved the taste, the feel, the sensations that engulfed him whenever they kissed. He allowed her to take charge and she pulled him tighter. After a moment, his patience unexpectedly snapped and he angled his head for maximum contact, plunging his tongue inside her mouth, the slow kiss flaming hot.

  His hand, which had been cupping the back of her head, slid down her arm to the bottom of her shirt. He tangled his fingers in the material and lifted slowly, peeling it upward. When it snagged on the underside of her breasts, she lifted her hands above her head, allowing him to remove it completely before tossing it to the floor.

  The pale, soft skin of her breasts spilled over the top of her satin bra and he sucked in a quick breath before trailing kisses from her mouth down toward the beckoning flesh.

  Lia’s skin felt alive as each touch of Aiden’s lips tingled across her nerves, beading her nipples into tight points. As his face disappeared into her cleavage, she reached behind and unfastened her bra. He lifted his head slightly and, with a quick shimmy, the satin dropped away from her. Instantly, he bent to take one nipple into his mouth, sucking deeply. The jolt sent shockwaves throughout her and she dropped her head back, arching her body into his.

  She clutched his waist before grabbing the material of his shirt and sliding it upward. As soon as his abs were exposed, her fingers began to explore the dips and ridges of his hard muscles. She loved that his muscles were honed from a combination of lifting boxes at the pub and the sports he enjoyed, while he maintained a slight softness around his waist, belying he liked to eat and drink as well. A real man.

  He lifted his head from her breasts and, reaching behind him, grabbed his shirt. Jerking it over his head, he threw it and it landed on the floor next to hers. For a moment the two of them stared at each other, naked from the waist up, their bodies so different and, yet, as they moved together, so perfectly aligned.

  The feel of her soft flesh pressing into him had his cock straining even harder, but he wanted to do everything he could to make it perfect for her. He found the side zipper to her skirt and lowered it slowly, sliding the clothing over her ass and down to the floor. She held onto his forearms as she stepped out, kicking the skirt to the side.

  As his gaze dropped lower, he stared in awe. Her full breasts, with rosy-tipped nipples, beckoned, but the sight of her satin panties and lace-topped thigh-high stockings dropped him to his knees. He grasped her ass cheeks as he buried his face against the soft skin just below her bellybutton. Kissing his way downward, he breathed in the scent of her arousal. Moving lower, his lips met satin and he could feel her heat. Grasping her panties, he slid them down her legs and she clutched his shoulders to steady her body.

  When Aiden’s lips latched on to her wet folds Lia gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders. Too soon, he pulled back and she moaned in disappointment, but he just chuckled and stood, shucking his boots, socks, and jeans, managing the feat without stumbling over. Her eyes moved across his muscular chest but the light trail of hair leading down to his boxers caught and snagged her attention. She wanted to run her tongue over each dip and curve but, from the look in his eye, she knew that would have to wait.

  He tossed something onto the bed and she turned to see a strip of condoms now lying on the bedspread. When did he grab those? At the sound of clothing being removed, she eagerly looked back just in time to see him jerking down his boxers. Her eyes landed on his jutting cock, long and thick and wide, the veins standing out.

  He placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her back until her legs hit the bed. With another nudge, she fell backward, her legs dangling off the side while she balanced her weight on her elbows. He dropped to the floor and disappeared between her thighs. As his lips latched over her heat, she flopped backward on the bed unable to maintain a coherent thought.

  Aiden feasted on Lia’s wet folds, sliding his tongue deep inside her sex. He loved the scent of her, the taste of her, the feel of her. He felt her hips jerking upward and he grinned. He lifted one hand from her thigh and pressed it flat against her abdomen, holding her in place.

  He continued to lick, suckle, nip, and plunge his tongue before moving up, latching onto her clit. She stifled a groan, but he was not having that. Lifting his head, he grinned. “You feel it, you let it all out, babe.”

  Nodding, he continued and she cried out, her fingers digging into his scalp as her orgasm rushed over her. He lapped her juices as the trembling in her body slowed. Kissing his way from her core, over her belly, to her breasts, he latched his lips around her nipple for a moment. Then, crawling over her body, he leaned his head down, kissing her lips so she could taste herself on his mouth.

  With the scent of sex lingering in the air, he lowered his hips between her legs after rolling on a condom. Ready, he stared down at her hooded eyes and hesitated.

  Her arms lifted from the mattress and up to his shoulders, where she gave a little tug. “I want you.”

  Her words washed over him and he marveled that such a perfect woman wanted him. That she trusted her care to him. Her complexion glowed in the moonlight and her long hair spread across the bed.

  “Please.”

  That one-word undid him and he plunged his straining cock deep inside her, fully seating himself in one thrust. Her hips immediately jerked upward to meet his and he moved slowly. Dragging his cock deep inside her sex, he felt connected in a way he had never felt before. With her fingers on his shoulders urging him on, he began to thrust with more force. With each plunge, he felt a wild desire to claim her in every way possible.

  The friction quickly built to a crescendo and Lia tried to stare at Aiden’s face, but the emotions crashing into her were overwhelming. For only an instant, the face of her husband came to mind. He had been handsome, well-built, and in the early days their sex life had been amazing. She had felt loved and cherished by him, but it was only with time that she came to realize it was because he had an image of the perfect wife and perfect family in his mind. When reality did not meet that image, he was unable to cope. And with that shift in him, he had no longer appealed to her as a man. By not allowing herself to be involved with anyone for years, she had forgotten what this kind of intimacy felt like.

  Forcing thoughts of Carl out of her mind, she held Aiden’s gaze, understanding the difference. He knew all of her and all of Emily and wanted them both. A smile moved across her lips as she realized how much she had grown to care for this man that was giving himself to her.

  As the friction finally engulfed her, all thoughts fled her mind other than the image of Aiden’s face above hers, his body rocking into hers, and the emotions swirling between them.

  Aiden watched the various emotions play across Lia’s face and for an instant he was fearful of where her mind had gone. But, the look in her eyes when her orgasm hit again, told him that she was right there, in this moment, with him. He planted himself deeply and threw his head back, his neck straining as his orgasm rushed from his body, feeling more connected with her than he had ever felt with anyone in his life.

  Holding his upper body away from her, propped on his elbows, with his hands on either side of her face, he lowered his head for a kiss. Unsure of the words that were tangled in his head, he poured all of his feelings into the kiss.

/>   She reciprocated, kissing him in return with the same intensity.

  After a moment, he leaned away from her and, holding her gaze, said, “I wish I was better with saying what’s in my mind, and I hope this doesn’t scare you, but I just have to let you know, you mean the world to me.”

  She replied by holding him close, allowing him to rest his cheek on her chest, with her arms wrapped tightly around him. He shifted his body to the side, taking his weight off her while leaving his head on her chest, reveling in her.

  As the air slowly cooled their heated bodies, he listened to her heart beating strongly against his cheek. “God, I love the sound of your heartbeat in my ear.”

  Well sated, they both began to drift to sleep wrapped in each other’s arms and just as sleep claimed him, he heard her whisper, “That’s the sound of my love.”

  21

  Sunlight peeked through the slatted blinds, casting the room in a warm glow. Lia blinked open her eyes and for a few seconds wondered how she had slept so late. Then the feel of heat all along her back hit her at the same time she felt the heavy weight of an arm wrapped around her, holding her tight. She smiled and snuggled deeper into the warmth, loving having Aiden wake up with her in her bed.

  Having woken up alone for so many years, she noticed everything. The weight of his body on the mattress next to her. His breath, warm against her neck. His muscular arm banded around her. His hand resting at her breast. For a moment, she closed her eyes and all the cares of the world slipped away and she reveled in the feel of this man’s body holding her next to him.

  With his breath tickling her cheek, he said in a sleepy voice, “I don’t really want to move away from here but when is Emily expected home?”

  She smiled at his concern for her daughter and said, “Her friend’s mom said that she would bring her home about ten o’clock.”