Again: A Second Chance Romance

by Nikki Chase

  “I may have learned a thing or two over the years,” he says with a grin. His eyes grow sober as he watches me intensely with those sharp eyes that never miss any detail. “I’m never leaving you again, princess. I’m serious. I’m not going to let my mom or your dad keep us apart.”

  “They can’t make us do anything they want,” I say. “We’re adults now.”

  “Yeah,” Aiden says, although he sounds unconvinced.

  “Hey, let’s forget about that for now, okay?” I don’t like the gloomy atmosphere that has suddenly descended as soon as Aiden mentioned our parents again. “You told me to be present. Let’s just be here and forget everything else. So we missed out on each other for the past ten years. That sucked, but I’m here now, and you are, too. We're finally together again.”

  Aiden studies my face, his eyes darkening. “Okay, princess, nothing else matters tonight except you and me.”

  He lifts my chin up and takes my lips again, but this time there’s hunger in his kiss. He’s not trying to show me how he feels about me. He’s claiming me. He’s taking what he knows belongs to him, what he knows I’ve offered up to him.

  “Look at me,” he says in that low, demanding voice that makes me melt. “Take off your clothes. I want to see you.”

  I pull away just enough to take my shirt off. My cheeks heat up when I see Aiden’s eager eyes roaming all over my cleavage and my creamy belly. I slide my butt off the couch and wiggle out of my jeans.

  Sitting in my underwear now, I meet Aiden’s gaze, my heart pounding in my chest.

  Damn it, if I’d known Aiden was coming, I would’ve worn something other than a giant sports bra and a pair of old cotton panties.

  Still, there’s nothing but appreciation in his eyes. “Take it all off,” he says in a deep voice that almost resembles a growl.

  Slowly, with full awareness that Aiden’s watching my every move, I unhook my bra and slide the straps off my shoulders, then I let it fall to the carpeted floor, to join my shirt and jeans in a heap.

  Just as I hook my thumb into the waistband of my panties, Aiden leans forward and puts his hand on my back, pulling me close. He drags his lips over the sensitive skin of my neck as his hand grabs my tits. When my lips part, my breaths come out in deep, heavy pants.

  “Lift up your legs,” he whispers near my ears, his breath tickling me.

  I put my legs up on the couch like Aiden wants me to, and he pulls them over his lap. Without any warning, he drags me over the couch, positioning me so my ass rests on his sturdy thighs.

  Aiden watches me with a smirk as he pulls my panties down my legs, exposing all of me. His gaze travels from my eyes down to linger at my nipples before he settles on my pussy. His runs his fingers lightly over my mound, sending tingles straight to my core. Wetness drips out of me.

  It hasn’t escaped Aiden’s notice. He catches my arousal with his finger, making me gasp when he touches my pussy lips. He licks his own fingertips. “You taste real sweet, princess. I bet you’ll taste even sweeter when I’m through with you.”

  Aiden’s hand runs up and down my thigh. My breath catches in my throat every time he gets close to the top, but he always chuckles and takes his hand away again, watching my frustration with amusement.

  “I’m going to have so much fun playing with your sexy little body,” he says as his fingers dig into my flesh, giving me a hint of the torrential desire running just under Aiden’s calm exterior.

  I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy having my body be his little plaything.

  His hand, dark and oversized, looks menacing resting on my creamy thigh. I feel small and vulnerable under his touch. His denim rubs against my ass, reminding me of how naked I am, how powerless.

  He can do anything he wants to me.

  And yet, even though normally I hate the thought of being under anyone’s control, right now I want nothing more than for Aiden to take charge.

  “Look at me,” Aiden says as his hand finds my petals. He lightly runs his fingers over my folds, sliding back and forth as I watch him with eyes open wide and lips parted by desire.

  He finds my clit and presses lightly, but it’s enough to send a shudder through my whole body. “Good girl,” Aiden says as he pushes two digits inside me at once, keeping his thumb on my clit. He finger-fucks me until I’m writhing and moaning, lifting my ass off his lap to get him deeper. I know I’m acting wantonly, but I don’t care. All that matters is release.

  But as soon as it seems like release is just within my reach, Aiden takes it away. “Not so fast, princess,” he says. “If you’re going to come, you’re going to come on my cock.”

  Aiden flips me over until I’m lying with my bare stomach over the couch—I’ve never been happier to have chosen this couch with a removable fabric cover; we can get down and dirty now, and all I have to do later is take off the covering and throw it into the wash.

  I mean, I wouldn’t want to interrupt Aiden right now, when he’s in his element. Every little thing he does feels so powerful, so masculine, and I can’t help but yearn for him. My clit is, without a doubt, throbbing right now. Throbbing.

  Aiden gets on his knees between my legs and pulls my wrists together behind me. “You said you’re mine. Are you prepared to give me everything, princess?”

  “Yes,” I sigh as Aiden rubs my hands over his bulge. Even through his jeans, I can feel how hard he is, and it excites me. I want that inside me. It’s the only thing that’s going to satisfy me now.

  I hear the sound of Aiden’s jeans being unzipped. The couch shifts as he takes them off and drops them on the carpet.

  My heart pounds. With my hands held behind me and my legs spread apart, I’m completely helpless. Aiden can do whatever he wants with me. The thought fills me with apprehension, but at the same time . . . excitement , too. I trust him not to hurt me.

  “Get on your knees, princess.”

  I gasp when Aiden’s cock brushes against my thigh. It’s hard and impossibly hot.

  “Ready for me?” he asks, almost growling.

  “Yes,” I say, sticking out my ass, begging him to fill me.

  “Good,” he says as he aligns the head of his cock with my slick opening. “But I was going to do this, whether you were ready or not.” He thrusts forward and fills me completely.

  “Fuck, princess, you’re so wet for me,” Aiden groans, letting go of my wrists to grab my waist. He pulls me onto his cock and grinds into me.

  I whimper as my pussy muscles clench around him.

  Aiden slides in and out of me, his hard cock rubbing my pussy walls in all the right places. He pushes my waist down, forcing me to arch my back, allowing him to get even deeper inside me.

  I lose my breath, both from my own pleasured gasps and Aiden’s vigorous thrusting. I pant and gasp, too lost in our mating to remember to breathe.

  Aiden lies flat on top of me, his chest hard and hot on my back. When he starts to kiss the back of my neck, I shudder, making him growl. “That felt so fucking good, when you shiver like that.”

  I whimper as he bites me.

  “Am I hurting you, princess?” he asks.

  “No,” I moan. “I mean, yes. Yes, you are but I love it.”

  “I’m going to leave a mark if I bite you any harder.”

  “I don't care. Please, A, do it.”

  Then, so encouraged, he bites the back of my neck, hard, like a lion would when he mates. The harder Aiden bites and the more painful it gets, the tighter my muscles clench around his cock.

  He picks up his speed, slamming into me harder and faster. As his movements become more frantic, he wraps his arm around me, holding my neck in the crook of his elbow. He supports himself with his other hand on the couch as he rocks back and forth on top of me.

  “Say you're mine,” Aiden growls in my ear.

  “I’m yours,” I say in between moans.

  “Good girl,” he says as he fucks me with abandon, slamming again and again inside me, impaling me with his
thick, hard, pulsing cock. My body shakes, out of control, as I reach my peak. Aiden grunts at the final thrust as he pumps his hot cum inside me.

  As he wraps his arms around me, his body relaxes, and he plants a sweet kiss on my temple. That’s the opposite of the dirty fucking we’ve just done, but it’s also the most appropriate thing for him to do at this moment.

  “I love you,” he says.

  “You always know exactly what to say and when.” I smile as I nuzzle into him. “I love you, too.”

  We remain in this state of blissful unawareness for the rest of the night. Aiden stays over and sleeps like a baby until it’s time for us to go to work. After work, he comes home with me again.

  And so, without much discussion or negotiation, we slip into shared domesticity.

  I always thought living with a man would be difficult, but it’s surprisingly nice to wake up to Aiden, come home to Aiden, and fall asleep in Aiden’s arms.

  After ten years of pining for him, I finally have him back and I can’t get enough of him. It feels like work and sleep are just obstacles I need to get through to get my next fix of Aiden.

  As if it’s not enough that I get to spend virtually all my free time with the love of my life, there are other perks to living with Aiden, too. He’s great with house chores, having lived with his busy single mom previously. Some nights he even cooks for me.

  Oh, and the sex. That’s nice, too . . .

  Okay, it’s more than nice. It’s better than I thought sex could be.

  I wish things could continue to be this way, indefinitely. But we both know that’s impossible. There’s an axe hanging over both our heads, and we’re trying our best to ignore it because we know how precious time is.

  We tell ourselves that we’re just trying to be fully present in the moment, but in reality we’re just stalling.

  We both know a storm’s coming our way.

  Aubrey

  “You’ve never cooked a day in your life, have you?” Aiden asks as he peers over my shoulder.

  I hold the onion a little tighter between my fingers while my knife-wielding hand slices through the translucent-green layers. My eyes sting like a bitch. And it doesn’t help that I’m so nervous about this dinner I can’t focus.

  “No,” I admit as tears roll down my cheeks.

  “Don’t cry. It’s okay if you can’t cook,” Aiden says as he wraps one arm around my waist and wipes my tears away. “I still love you just the same.”

  I laugh and sniffle at the same time as evil, onion-y, sulfur-laced air jabs me right in the face. This is a strange sensation. “It’s just the onion,” I say.

  “I know, princess.” Aiden gives me a light peck on my forehead. He grabs the cutting board, onion and all, and takes it away.

  “Hey,” I protest as I wipe my tears with my forearm, “I was doing stuff to that onion.”

  “You can continue doing stuff to it here,” Aiden says as he places the cutting board on the stove. He points up. “This nice, big vent is going to suck up some of those irritating chemicals. Freezing the onion before cutting helps, too, but we don’t have the time.”

  “I should’ve bought something from my usual place instead. I think I can pass off some of those dishes as mine. Like the nachos, for example,” I say as I turn around to face the stove, keeping my eyes on the big, sharp knife in my right hand. I shouldn’t be trusted with this weapon; I could actually hurt someone with this.

  “Before tonight, I would’ve told you to just watch some cooking videos on YouTube and follow the directions. But after seeing you attempt to cut the onion without peeling off the skin . . . I don’t know.” Aiden checks the water that’s boiling in the pot. “Maybe you should stay away from the kitchen altogether.”

  “And you’ll cook for me?” I ask, smiling.

  “Sure, on my days off,” Aiden says without any hesitation. He seems to have embraced this sharing-an-apartment thing, even though this is only supposed to be temporary and he’s going home tonight.

  If it weren’t for him, I would’ve given in and called for delivery. But Aiden has been cooking since his mom started working. Throughout the week, they’d take turns preparing the meals.

  I feel embarrassed knowing how much Aiden had on his plate when he was still in med school—he had to follow the same jam-packed schedule I did, work part time on top of that, and be responsible for some house chores, too.

  Meanwhile, I only had med school to worry about. My dad wanted me to focus on my studies to the point where he used to send someone to come deep-clean my apartment once a month.

  Now that I’m paying for everything myself, I’ve decided to fire the cleaning lady. I still eat out all the time, though.

  “Ouch! Son of a…!” I stare at my finger as blood escapes through a tear in my skin and forms a little red droplet at the tip.

  “Are you okay?” Aiden takes my hand and guides me to the sink. He turns on the tap and holds my injured finger under the cold water. “Good thing I fixed the tap, huh?”

  I hiss as the water hits the open wound, but soon it stops hurting so much.

  “Maybe you’re too anxious to cook today, princess,” Aiden says. “Why don’t you sit there at the kitchen island and let me finish up?”

  “No, let me do the stuff that doesn’t involve sharp things, at least. I told my parents I was going to cook for them. I want them to see that I can take care of myself now. Maybe then they’ll finally see me as a grown-up.” I let the water drip off my finger and let it dry.

  “Not all grown-ups cook,” Aiden says as he turns off the tap.

  “I know . . .” I stare at the stainless-steel kitchen sink. “I guess I just feel like I need to do everything I can think of to help my case.”

  When Aiden levels his gaze at me, there’s concern in his eyes. “You know you don’t have to do this on your own, right? I can stay if you want me to.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s going to help.” I can’t predict how my dad’s going to react after I tell him I’m once again dating the boy he spent a fortune getting rid of. He can get pretty mean when he’s angry, and I’d rather not have Aiden there to see that ugly scene.

  Aiden lets out a big sigh. “I wish there was something I can do.”

  “But there is. You’re going to have a talk with your mom, and I’m going to have a talk with my parents.” I put my hands on Aiden’s muscular arms. “That’s the best way to do this. Hannah says that’s how she and Earl deal with their respective families.”

  “If you say so, princess.” Aiden pulls me into his arms. “My mom’s easy, though. I just want her to understand that I’m not leaving you. There’s really nothing she can do to me to change my mind.” Aiden pauses as he looks down, deep into my eyes. “Your dad, on the other hand . . . I just hate the thought of him doing something to punish you in some way.”

  “It’s okay. He’s just my dad. He’s not going to seriously harm me. Like you, I just want my parents to understand that I’m not leaving you. There’s nothing they can do to me to change my mind. I’m supporting myself anyway. What can they do to me?”

  Aiden goes quiet, as if he’s thinking about all the different ways my parents can actually hurt me.

  “Are you okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah. I’m just worried for you.”

  “Don’t be,” I say, even as doubt creeps into my mind. “Just kiss me.”

  As Aiden’s lips land on mine, gentle as rain, I melt in his embrace.

  For the past few days, we’ve been holing up in our own little love nest. But we both know this can’t last.

  Now my parents are here to celebrate my first two weeks at my job. They’re visiting to hear all about my experience as a medical resident. My dad knows the Chief of Medicine at the hospital where I work, too, so he may want to drop by while I’m working.

  But they don’t expect to hear anything about a new boyfriend, and they certainly don’t expect me to even be in contact with Aiden.

>   To be honest, the thought of confronting my dad and the possibility of things going wrong terrify me. That’s why I wanted to just keep things the same and not say anything to our parents for a while.

  I was scared that something would happen to tear Aiden and me apart again, and I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could, just in case I never get to be with him again.

  But that’s dumb. We’re both adults. Our parents can’t tell us what to do.

  It’s time to come clean. Aiden and I aren’t doing anything wrong, and we refuse to hide in the shadows.

  Aubrey

  Dinner does not start well.

  Firstly, Aiden only left fifteen minutes ago. It took longer than I thought to prepare the food. Maybe I was underestimating the amount of work I had to do, or overestimating my speed at doing all that work. So we had to rush and my heart’s still racing now.

  And now, as I’m holding the door open for my parents, I notice them staring at something on my neck and then glancing at each other.

  Oh, no.

  Do I have a hickey?

  . . .

  Or several?

  Ever since Aiden learned how much being bitten on the neck gets me going, he’s been doing it all the time. I’ve had to wear concealer to cover the dark marks when I go outside, but I just had a shower and I was so nervous I forgot to check myself in the mirror.

  “How was your trip?” I ask, in an attempt to act normal.

  “As usual, it took too long, the seats were too small, and the babies were too loud,” Mom says as she gives me a hug.

  “How are you, sweetheart?” my dad asks, his gaze still fixed on something on my neck.

  “I’m good.” I give him a hug and close the front door.

  “It smells good,” Mom says.

  “Wait until you taste it. Take your seats.” I gesture at the dining table. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  As soon as I get to the bathroom, I lean forward over the vanity to look more closely at my neck.

  Damn it.

  I grab some concealer from my medicine cabinet and dab it over the purple mark on my skin. It’s a small one, but it’s pretty close to my throat and I have no doubt my parents saw it.