by Jill Sanders
“I’d like that,” she said, stifling a yawn.
“Rest. I’ll wake you up when we get there,” he told her.
She didn’t need any further encouragement and felt herself drifting off, lulled by the hum of the car and the sound of the windshield wipers clearing the rain off the windshield.
She woke when Aiden shifted as the car stopped. “We’re home,” he said softly.
For a moment, she thought he meant they were back in Florida. At River Camps. Then she blinked and noticed the building they were stopped in front of and scooted out of the back of the cab and let him lead her inside.
She didn’t know how she made it up the stairs, but she sat on the edge of the bed as he pulled off her shoes and pants.
She quickly pulled off her coat and then, while keeping her T-shirt on, pulled off her bra and tossed it across the room.
“That was perhaps the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen you do,” Aiden said as he toed off his own shoes.
She’d already crawled under the blankets and was waiting for him to join her.
“I’m too tired to think,” she said with a yawn.
“Sleep,” he said and when she didn’t feel him climb in the bed with her, she opened an eye.
“Are you coming to bed?” she asked him. He was standing at the window, his phone in his hands.
“Soon, I wanted to—”
“Aiden.” She sat up and opened the blankets for him. “Shut it off. Come to bed. You can do whatever it is in the morning.”
He chuckled, then set his phone on the nightstand, unzipped his jeans and removed his shirt, and crawled in beside her in only his boxer shorts.
He was warm and she relaxed against his chest, enjoying the play of muscles. She’d missed him. Missed feeling him so close to her.
As she drifted off to sleep, memories of Aiden filled her thoughts and dreams.
They both jolted awake to the sound of a phone ringing.
“Mine,” she said and noticed Elle’s number on her screen. “Morning,” she answered the call.
“Bridgett got away?” Elle asked.
Instantly, she knew she was on speaker phone again. Most likely, all of her friends were gathered around the breakfast table in the employee dining hall.
She ran a hand over her hair, pushing the red locks out of her eyes. “Yeah, she never showed up at the hospital. The police are looking for her.”
“And you think she’ll show up here?” Zoey asked.
“No, I don’t think, but I’m not taking any chances,” she responded. “Especially since you have a baby on the way.” She stood up and walked over to the window and looked out. She was a little shocked to see snow covering the ground.
How long had it been since she’d seen the white powder? Not long enough. She shivered at the thought of heading out in the cold and turned back to the room. Aiden was lying in bed, shirtless, watching her.
She couldn’t stop her eyes from running over him. God, how had she not really taken the time to appreciate how perfect he was before? It was as if she’d been given access to a gift and then shunned it. Now she could see what she’d been missing for all these months and desperately wanted to get her hands on it, on him, again.
“Earth to Aubrey.” Elle’s voice broke into her thoughts.
“I’m here.” She shook her head and turned back to the window. “It’s snowing here, but we’ll be heading to the hospital again soon. I’ll let you know how my father is doing then.”
“Okay. For now, Brett is staying in the apartment in my old room,” Elle added. “You didn’t tell us that he was injured.”
“He was?” Aubrey turned back to Aiden.
“Sprained wrist, and he looks like someone beat him with a baseball bat,” Zoey added.
“Still, he’s fit enough to hang out here for a while. It’s not like we think Bridgett’s going to come here. She hasn’t thought of us since the last time she tried and failed to get our dad’s money,” Scarlett said.
“I doubt she’ll come here, but we’re on alert,” Elle added.
“Good,” Aubrey said.
“Now, we didn’t mean to wake you up. Get some rest,” Zoey added.
“Thanks, I’ll keep you posted.” She hung up.
“Everything alright?” Aiden asked as he shifted, which had the sheet that covered him falling lower over his hips.
“Yes.” She ran her eyes over him. “So, I was thinking.” She slowly started to crawl up the bed towards him. “Just how much do we want to change the rules?”
His eyes locked with hers as he reached for her. “I think we could take a few days… reprieve. Seeing the extenuating circumstances.” He reached for her and then pulled her up until she was lying over his chest as his hands roamed over her hips.
Instantly, she felt her entire body jump into full speed. She was hot and cold for him at the same time. He was running his hands slowly over her hips. When he nudged his fingers under her underwear, she arched and moaned, trying to get closer to him. She could feel his hardness pressed against her and felt just as affected as he was.
Finally, she laid her lips over his and the rest of her melted.
“I’ve missed this,” he said, his hands firmly on her butt. “Being with you. Holding you. Pleasing you.” Suddenly, she was spun around and he was pinning her to the bed.
She laughed up at him. “I let you do that.”
He chuckled. “Good, now maybe you’ll let me do so much more to you.” His hands trailed over her stomach, down to the apex of her legs.
She closed her eyes on a sigh and reached for him, only to have him slip out of her grasp.
“Since we’re making an exception, I’m going to make this last,” he said.
She watched him slowly lift her shirt, and then she leaned up and he removed it completely. Her skin heated as his eyes ran over her. He leaned down and trailed his mouth over her, causing her skin to vibrate.
“Aiden,” she begged as her nails dug into his shoulders.
He’d moved lower, his hands spreading her legs wide until he settled in between her thighs as his mouth covered her silk panties.
She cried out as a finger slipped below to brush against her naked skin.
“Come for me first,” Aiden said against her skin as he tugged the material away so he could trail his mouth across her.
She grabbed a fist full of the sheets as she arched and moved under him. God, he was so good at pleasing her.
Maybe that’s why she’d allowed their relationship to go on for so long? She couldn’t believe how wonderful it felt to have him touch her again.
“Please.” She closed her eyes and held her breath. Needing, wanting, the release.
“Come for me,” he growled against her thigh. “I want to taste you again. God, how I’ve missed you.”
She felt herself building and knew that she was no longer in control. She would gladly give him anything he asked.
Moments after feeling her release, he moved up and covered her with his own body. She found enough strength to reach up and wrap her arms around him.
“Aiden,” she sighed as he slipped into her.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he groaned as he moved above her.
“Please.” She dug her nails into his hips, needing him to start moving. Needing all of him.
She wrapped her legs around him, and he laughed as she tried to get him to move.
Since she couldn’t get him to start, she decided to try a different tactic and, instead, leaned up and trailed her mouth over his shoulders. When she scraped her teeth over his skin, he groaned, and she smiled when she felt him start to move.
“Witch,” he groaned as he trapped her hands in his.
“Tell me you’re still under control,” she dared him.
“I’m trying to be.” He chuckled as his eyes ran over her. When they locked onto her erect nipples, she knew he’d lost the last hold of his control.
He leaned down and covered her mouth with h
is again. She felt the deepness of the kiss. Knew that whatever happened now, they were in this together.
“I didn’t think it was possible to be exhausted and pumped at the same time,” he joked as they lay in each other’s arms afterward.
“I feel the same.” She ran her fingers over his chest. “I’ve missed this.”
“Sex? Or me?” he asked, glancing down at her.
She thought about it a moment and had him shaking her.
“Both,” she admitted with a laugh.
“We’d better get to the hospital,” he said after a moment. “I know this great little place we can stop and grab some breakfast before we head there.”
“Oh?” She glanced down at him. “I didn’t think you’d been to New York before.”
He shook his head. “Spent a semester here my freshmen year in college,” he admitted. “Hated it and transferred down to Georgia instead.”
She laughed. “Did I tell you it’s snowing out there?” She motioned towards the window.
“I heard.” He frowned. “We could be in our swimsuits on the beach right now.”
“I know.” She let him go and watched him stand up. He walked around the room, comfortable wearing only his skin. Her eyes followed him.
“Well?” he asked from the bathroom door.
She stood and followed him into the other room.
“Damn.” He stopped and looked around. “This is a far better bathroom than I have downstairs.”
She’d paid little attention to it yesterday, but now she glanced around and appreciated the glass, the marble, and the clean lines.
There was an entire wall for a shower. White tiles and clear glass made the room feel twice the size it was. A modern floating tub sat in front of etched glass windows. Dual porcelain sinks with large mirrors hanging over them filled another wall.
Aiden was right, the bathroom was gorgeous. Better than the one she had back at the camp.
“I guess I didn’t get to fully appreciate it yesterday. I was too busy being worried for my father.”
“Speaking of which,” he said as they stepped into the water together. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your conversation last night.”
She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. “No, you didn’t. He’d just woken up.”
“Oh?” he asked, holding onto her.
She sighed and rested her forehead against his chest. It was hard to explain, but she hadn’t been crying because she’d been relieved that he was okay. She’d been crying because he’d woken up and once again called her Nora instead of Aubrey.
She had a feeling that her father was slipping away from her. Not that he’d ever been a major part of her life. The entire time she’d lived under his roof, she’d only seen him about a dozen times a year.
He’d controlled so much of her day-to-day life that she knew he’d been watching everything she’d done. It had been almost like living under a microscope. Like she was trapped in prison instead of a home.
She tried to think of one good time she’d had with her father while she got dressed and ready for the day, but the only thing she could come up with was the day he’d ridden with her to drop her off at the airport so she could go to River Camps.
She pulled on the best dress pants she’d packed and double-checked her reflection one last time. Aiden had disappeared downstairs to the room he’d left his luggage in to get dressed.
Her eyes ran over to the bed they’d shared last night, and she felt her body instantly respond to what they’d done to each other earlier.
She couldn’t believe the control he had over her body. It was almost as if he snapped his fingers and she jumped to attention.
“Ready?” he called up to her.
“Coming,” she replied and then felt her face flush at the memory of him making her come several times that morning in the bed and again in the shower.
Isaac’s place was bigger than they needed for the visit, but it was nice to have room to spare and their privacy, which they wouldn’t have in a hotel room. She knew that Isaac rented out the empty home when he and his wife weren’t living in the beach house that they’d purchased not far from the campgrounds.
They stopped at a little bagel shop a few blocks from the hospital and had breakfast sandwiches. The simple sandwich was one of the best meals she’d had in a while.
They showed their IDs to police positioned outside the room and were approved for entry. A nurse opened the door for them. It was the same nurse that had visited her father last night.
“I just got back on shift and wanted to check in on your father. It looks like he had a good night.” She stood back so they could walk into the room. “I was just going to go check and see if Dr. Williams was around.” She smiled at them and then left the room.
“Hi, Dad.” Aubrey walked over and sat next to her father’s bed. “How are you feeling this morning?” She noticed instantly that his coloring was better.
“Confused.” Her father sat up slightly. “No one will tell me where Bridgett is.”
She took a deep breath and glanced over to Aiden.
“I’ll go…” He glanced towards the door.
“I could use some real coffee,” her father threw towards him. “I’m sure you could find a respectable coffee shop somewhere near here. I like it black.”
Aiden’s eyebrows shot up, and Aubrey shrugged. “Would you mind? I could use another cup myself.”
“Sure.” He walked over and leaned closer to kiss her, lingering over her lips. She guessed it was so her father would get the hint that he was more than just an errand boy. “I’ll be back,” he promised her.
“Is that serious?” her father asked when they were alone.
Instead of answering him, she shrugged. “Was what was between you and Bridgett serious?” she countered.
“It is.” Her father’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean, was?”
“Dad, Bridgett poisoned you. She’s the reason you’re in here. You almost died.”
Her father shook his head. “No, that can’t be true.”
“I’m assuming she had you change your will?” She felt her stomach roll at the thought.
“No.” He frowned. “She didn’t have me change it, but I was going to do so after the wedding.” He jerked his hand free from hers, and she felt her heart dip. “She enlightened me about all the things you’ve done.”
“Done?” She frowned down at him. “What have I done?”
“You and your little friends. Just like Nora. She came begging for a handout as well. Of course, she didn’t want me to have any say in my own heir. I blame her for ruining you. Had I known that you were a lost cause…” He shook his head. “She spoiled you those first eight years. I believed I could turn you around, but it was obvious that first night when you showed up late for dinner that you were just like her. Wild. Nothing and no amount of money I spent on you would ever tame you.”
“Is that what you tried to do? Tame me?” Her stomach was doing small flips as she looked down at him.
“You were my only heir. It’s a fortune. I needed to make sure that you understood the responsibility that came with the name Smith.” He coughed, then waved her away when she moved to help him sit up a little more. “Over the years all you did was disappoint. First at home, then at school. I thought that forcing you out of the home at eighteen would wake you up.” He shook his head. “But you went and started art school. Art school,” he added in a distasteful tone. “Then you shacked up with those friends of yours. The only responsible one out of the bunch was the Rodgers girl. Of course, she ended up disappointing her parents as much as you disappointed me. But I was magnanimous and offered you a job anyway.” He sighed and rested his head back. “Disappointed me even further.”
At this point she felt her temper build.
“You are my father. The only thing I needed from you, you never gave me.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Nor could you ever offer anyone. You are, without a doubt, the most se
lfish man I’ve ever known. I was a little girl whose world had been turned upside down, and you were concerned about me being late for dinner?” She realized her voice had risen when he shifted and started to cough.
She wanted to leave him, to watch him suffocate in his own spit, but her kind heart won out and she rushed over and poured him a glass of water and then handed it to him.
He shoved it aside and it spilled onto the ground.
“I’m trying to help you.” She was growing even more frustrated.
“You’re probably the one who poisoned me,” he said firmly just as the door opened and Dr. Williams stepped in.
“Harold.” Dr. Williams rushed over to her father and frowned down at his friend. “It’s thanks to your daughter and Aiden that you’re alive right now. She’s the one who called me and asked me to stop by last night. Aiden is the one who found the poison in your bourbon decanter. The police have interviewed your staff and some of the staff have confirmed that Bridgett had been seen sneaking out of your office earlier yesterday morning. No doubt that is when she slipped the alprazolam into the decanter.”
The doctor handed her father a glass of water and waited until he took a sip.
“Now, the police wanted me to inform them when you are ready to talk to them. However, if you don’t open your eyes to what was really happening, then I’ll have to keep them at bay.” He walked over to touch Aubrey’s arm. “You are indebted to your daughter and Aiden and so am I. Do you know what it would have done to me if I’d lost my favorite patient?”
Her father chuckled then leaned back and closed his eyes. “I’m tired.” He turned to the doctor. “Any word on Bridgett?”
“She hasn’t been here,” he answered. “Aubrey has.” He nodded to her. “Now, I’m going to go see about getting the latest blood test results to see if you’re clean and clear.” He turned towards the door, but glanced back. “I’ll order you some breakfast.”
He disappeared and she turned back to her father.
Chapter 20
When Aiden came back with coffee from the little shop in the lobby of the hospital, he didn’t know what else he could do except stand by Aubrey. She was desperately trying to convince her father that she wasn’t the monster Bridgett had made her out to be.