by Jill Sanders
“I guess you have been stretched pretty thin. We should’ve given you more time…”
“Aubrey.” He waited until she met his gaze again. “I’ll be fine. Really. Besides, I’m looking forward to telling your father off.” He smiled and enjoyed when her lips turned upwards as well. “Now, how about that swim?” He stood up and pulled off his shirt and shoes. When he reached for his jeans, her eyes ran over him, and he knew instantly that she wanted him.
He’d made a point not to make the moves, since this was her game and not his, but as she pulled off her shorts and tank top to expose the sexy cream-colored bikini, he realized not making a move was one of the hardest things he’d done in a long time.
He jumped into the warm water and turned just in time to see her head disappear under the water with a large splash.
When she surfaced, she was laughing and pushing her red hair out of her eyes.
“So,” he said, swimming closer to her, “tell me again this great plan you and your friends came up with.”
Their bodies bumped against each other before she moved away. “It’s not that complicated. My friends didn’t want me to go alone and since you were sitting next to me and, well, because they know about us…” She shook her head. “They volunteered you to go as my chaperone. Then Elle suggested we pretend to be a couple, a real couple, since I told them that my father would never buy it if I dragged a man who was just a sex-friend along with me.” She sighed. “So, that’s it. We’re heading to the city under the ruse that we believe that he’s died, while pretending to be a real couple. Our hope is that I can shake free of my father’s hold once and for all. Or at least piss him off enough that he stops trying to play games with me.” She shrugged and leaned against the side of the pool.
“What happens when we get there and find out, officially, that he’s not dead?”
She sighed. “This is where it gets weird.” She moved to sit on the stair. She wrapped her arms around her knees and hugged them to her chest. “In the will his lawyer gave me tonight, it says that my father has left me everything.” He watched her frown. “Which is what I’ve been trying to avoid for years.” She shook her head. “Anyway, this is where I’m going to have to do some acting.” She glanced at him. “We both will have to.”
He moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I think I can handle whatever you throw at me. I was in a couple plays in high school,” he offered with a smile.
Chapter 13
This was the dumbest thing she’d ever done. Aubrey frowned down as Aiden loaded her suitcase in the private jet. How had she let her friends talk her into going back to New York, let alone convince her to take Aiden with her?
When Elle had suggested it, she knew it was because of her and Aiden’s newly exposed relationship. Her friends were starting to meddle, which is why she’d kept her tryst with Aiden a secret for so long in the first place.
She knew her friends were trying to take it upon themselves to connect the two of them together. Permanently. She should have kept her mouth shut and her secrets to herself.
“Ready?” Aiden asked, offering her help up the ladder.
She straightened her back and climbed up herself. She heard him chuckle as he stood back so she could walk past him. She’d heard all about the Costa’s private plane. Dylan had flown Zoey to Vegas and back in it when her and Scar’s father had passed away. They’d also taken it on their honeymoon.
Still, her friend’s description paled in comparison to the sleek interior of the plane. She’d ridden in first class lots of times, since her father never purchased anything else, but this was something else.
“Nice,” Aiden said and then whistled. “Guess I should’ve asked Owen for a bigger payoff for Hammock Cove,” he joked.
She smiled as she sat down on the leather seats.
“We’re preparing to leave, if you want to strap in for takeoff,” an older man said from the captain’s cabin. “Once we reach altitude, there’s plenty of food and drinks. Feel free to help yourselves.” He motioned to the bar. “There’s a bedroom in the back if you wish to sleep.”
“Thank you,” she said, strapping her seat belt on.
Zoey was the nervous flyer out of the group of them. Still, she was a little anxious since she’d never flown in such a small plane before.
“Nervous?” Aiden asked her.
“No, you?” She glanced over at him and watched him strap his seatbelt on in the seat next to her.
“I meant about seeing your father again.”
She sighed and glanced out the window.
“A little,” she finally admitted. “It’s been years since I’ve seen him.” She closed her eyes and leaned back against the leather. “I thought that he was old the first time I laid eyes on him.”
“How old where you?” he asked, watching her closely, his gaze heating her.
God, she’d missed him. Being with him. Being around him. Feeling his touch, knowing he was there to soothe her desires and take away her pain.
But she knew he wanted more from her. More than she could give him. She played with the diamond heart and knew that he had planned on her thinking of him each time she touched it.
He’d told her that he would patiently wait until she was ready for him, but no matter how long he waited, she could never give him what he wanted.
“Eight years old,” she answered as the plane started taxing.
“How is it we’ve known each other for over three years now, and yet we don’t know anything beyond the basics about one another?” he asked.
She felt her stomach roll and looked away from him. Just looking into those sexy eyes made her want to drop her guard.
“We had other things to fill our time with rather than talking,” she admitted.
“Right,” he agreed with a chuckle. “Ever think of trying something else?”
“Like what?” she asked, knowing where he was leading her. She didn’t have the energy or the willpower to pull away at the moment. So she decided to hear him out instead.
“Opening yourself up to something deeper?”
She stiffened and said under her breath, “I don’t have that luxury.”
“It’s too bad really,” he said as she glanced back at him. “Something tells me you’d learn a lot.” He shrugged.
“Like what?” she asked as the plane shoved off, causing her to be pushed back into her seat as they hit the open air.
“Like…” He smiled. “My birthday, my favorite color.” He leaned closer to her and lowered his voice. “Not to mention, my favorite song.”
She rolled her eyes and tried to hold in a laugh. Deciding to play along, she leaned closer to him as well. “Okay, shoot.” She motioned to him.
“No, you don’t. It doesn’t work like that.” He shook his head. “You’re either in or you’re not.”
He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest as if he were done with the conversation.
Her eyes narrowed as her irritation grew.
God, why did he have to be so good-looking. His dark hair fell across his forehead, and he was doing something new with his facial hair, keeping the stubble so that he looked a little dangerous and even sexier than usual.
“Blue,” she said finally and glanced sideways at him.
“Hm?” he asked.
“Your favorite color. Is it blue?” she asked.
He chuckled. “No, that’s not how the game is played.”
She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. She hated games.
“Not playing?” he asked when she remained quiet.
“No,” she answered.
“Fine.” He shrugged. “What if I could guarantee to not cross the line? The same one you set three years ago.”
She felt her heart skip as hope filled her. Was he saying they could continue with their physical relationship and he’d back down from trying to get her to fall in love with him?
“What are you saying?” she asked. “Just so we�
�re perfectly clear.”
“What I’m proposing”—he leaned closer to her again and smiled—“is a new game. One where you get to keep tight reins on that heart of yours.” He glanced down to where the diamond he’d given her lay over her own heart. “While opening yourself up a little and getting to learn more about me.”
She thought about it and asked a little breathlessly, “What do I get out of this?”
He chuckled. “I would think that was perfectly clear.” He smiled and she felt her heart skip at the thought of his hands roaming over her body once again. How long had it been? God, how had she survived?
She felt her body instantly respond to the possibilities and couldn’t stop the smile. “So, it’s that way, is it?”
He chuckled. “If you want to play.” He was only a breath from her now. “No one is forcing you to go along. After all, it’s just…” His eyes locked onto her lips. “A game.”
God, she was in trouble. She knew there was no way she was going to come out of this unscathed. Hell, at this point, she’d already been scorched by him.
“Fine.” She threw up her hands. “Let’s play. What is your favorite color?”
He shook his head. “Rules first.” He held up his fingers. “Two of them.”
She’d set her own rules when they’d started playing her game years ago. Still, he’d kept the promise to keep their… relationship away from her friends. He’d also kept what was between them physical. Until recently, when everything had changed all thanks to her breaking things off.
“What are they?” she asked, needing to know before she agreed to anything.
“No more hiding. If we do this…” He motioned between them. “It’s out in the open. We’re out in the open. One hundred percent.”
She held in a groan. “And the other rule?”
“Until I say so, the physical stuff”—he smiled and slowly ran his eyes over her— “is in the background. The game is about getting to know each other in other ways.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “What’s wrong, Aiden? Don’t want to have sex with me anymore?” she teased.
He laughed, the low sound deep in his chest. “God, there’s nothing that I want to do more most of the time, especially now, knowing there’s a bedroom back there.” He nodded behind them. “But let’s focus on other things first. Sex comes second. Besides…” He lowered his voice. “We both know we’ve pretty much conquered that arena.”
She smiled as she thought about it. What could she lose? If this was just a game, then the more she played along, the more she knew she’d gain. Besides, she was good at cheating. “Okay.” She nodded. “Agreed.”
He slowly extended his hand and waited for her to take it. It was warm and callused and so much bigger than her own, reminding her how wonderful it had always felt running over her skin.
“Red,” he said finally, reaching up with his free hand and running a strand of her hair through his fingers. “Red is my favorite color.”
She felt her entire body flutter with want. She glanced down at his lips. “And your favorite song?”
His lips twitched. “Dark Side of the Moon.”
“Floyd.” She sighed. “I should’ve known.”
“You?” he asked.
“Blue,” she answered, not really focusing on her response.
“And your song?” he asked with a chuckle.
She smiled. “Wind of Change.” She knew she was throwing him off but enjoyed seeing his eyebrows rise.
“Scorpions?”
She nodded. “Classic rock was the only thing I knew I could do to really piss my father off. He even destroyed all my records when I was young, so I went digital. If it was loud and I could scream to it, I blasted it.” She smiled. “Still do.”
He chuckled. “I can totally see that.” He glanced down at their joined fingers. “Best place you’ve visited?” he asked.
She thought about it for a moment. “River Camps,” she answered truthfully. When he gave her a look, she shrugged. “It’s true. It’s the one place that I’ve dreamed about returning each time I left. There has never been a place I’ve been as happy.”
“No place?” he asked her as he took her hand.
She met his eyes and thought about the past three years.
River Camps was more of a home to her than any other place she’d had before. More than the small apartments she and her mother used to bounce around from or the massive stuffy place her father called home.
Even when the five of them were crowded in the small three-bedroom two-bathroom apartment, she’d been more at home than anywhere ever before.
She knew it was in part due to her sisters and, as much as she tried to, she couldn’t deny in her own heart that part of the reason was due to Aiden being there for her. Always.
“No.” She shook her head. “You?” She lifted the diamond around her neck and played with it, noticing that his eyes followed her move. She watched the left side of his mouth twitch and rise as her fingers played over the heart.
“I traveled to Florence, Italy, fresh out of high school. I could get lost in the architecture there. The history.” His eyes returned to hers. “Ever been?” he asked.
“No. Italy, yes, Florence, no.” She relaxed at the change of subject.
“Favorite food?” He shifted, bringing her closer. “I think I know this one, but hit me with it.”
She laughed. “You know it. Burgers and chocolate.”
He laughed. “I thought so.”
“You?”
“Burgers are right up there, but I’d have to say, instead of chocolate, I have an affinity for strawberries… and cream.” He reached up and played with her hair again.
She felt her entire body respond instantly. A small moan escaped her lips as memories of him pleasing her with his lips surfaced.
“Aiden.” His name was nothing more than a whisper.
“I never said I wouldn’t torture you.” His eyes locked with her lips. “Like you’ve been doing to me over the past seven months.” He leaned closer and she sucked in her breath, hoping, dreaming that he’d kiss her. Everywhere.
Instead, he pulled back and stood up suddenly. “Want something to drink?” he asked casually.
“Damn you.” She closed her eyes and took several calming breaths.
She heard him chuckle as he made his way behind the bar and started rummaging around. “There’s beer, wine, champagne, sodas, juice.” He glanced up at her.
“Wine,” she answered then added, “white, if they have it.”
“They do,” he said, pulling out glasses and pouring them each a glass. He handed her a glass and then produced a plate of fruit, cheese, and crackers.
“I’m sure we can have dinner when we land. This should hold us over until then.” He sat back down beside her. “So, when we land, what exactly is our plan?” he asked after taking a grape.
“As far as I know, we’ll get settled in at the place Owen arranged for us, then…” She shrugged as she thought about it. It was so hard to switch her gears from sex with Aiden one moment to trying to plot out how to deal with her father the next.
“We could always show up at your father’s place unexpected. After all, if you believed he was dead, wouldn’t you plan on staying there instead?”
She frowned. “Yes and no. The last time I spent a night under that roof was on my eighteenth birthday.” She shivered remembering how Harold had coldly turned her away. “I doubt he’d except anything else than me stopping by.”
He nodded and took another sip of his wine. “So, we show up after dropping our things off and grabbing some dinner.”
“Sounds good.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Not really. What I’d like to do is reroute this plane to somewhere remote and disappear for a week instead.”
He set his glass down and picked up her hand. He lifted it to his lips and for a moment she dreamed about how his lips would feel all over her body instead of on the back of her palm.
“But yo
u won’t. You can do this. Make a stand once and for all. Show him just how terrible he’s made your life. A bully will always bully someone who never stands up for themselves.”
“I know you’re right.” She glanced over at him. “Do you know, that’s initially why I took tai chi and judo. There was this group of girls that picked on me.” She chuckled. “It’s funny, they chose me because they thought I was too pretty. Too rich.” She rolled her eyes. “Too perfect. Judging a book by its cover can leave people so shortsighted.”
“What happened?”
“After the first year, I let it slip that I was taking self-defense classes, knowing it would get back to the group. The moment they started picking on me again, I used some of my best moves to disable them without hurting them… permanently.” She shrugged. “The Wildflowers gave me the courage to stand up for myself. Without their love and friendship, I probably wouldn’t be here.”
Chapter 14
It was hard listening to Aubrey talk about her tortured childhood. One thing that he’d gathered from listening to her talk was that she’d been all alone outside of the presence of the Wildflowers.
He knew what it was like growing up an only child. Still, after second grade, he’d had Brett Jewel, his best friend. The two of them had gotten in enough trouble as kids that everyone joked that they were brothers. When Brett had chosen a path of law and peacekeeping after school and Aiden had taken business and architecture classes, their friendship hadn’t wavered.
Even now, they got together at least once every few weeks for beers or to watch a game. He didn’t know what he would have done if he hadn’t had a friend throughout his life. He could only imagine what it must have been like for her.
They continued to talk and answer each other’s questions until the plane landed. On the taxi drive from the airport to the place Owen had set up for them, they remained silent, and he could tell she was growing more nervous.