“You don’t need to explain anything,” she states. “It’s all the same to me. With the exception of, I am not sleeping with you, nor becoming your city girl.”
“Why would you think that? When have I done something like that, Sophia?”
“Your dates are really fuck toys that you disregard after you are bored,” she says. “It’s not like you’ve ever taken a woman seriously. Now that it’s time to get married you’re either trying to find a steady fuck or…who knows.”
“For your information, I haven’t fucked for over a year. Every time I go out on dates, things end up…bad,” I say lightly, instead of telling her that the women bored me to tears and I couldn't get away fast enough.
“Which is when I have to clean up your mess,” she says and crosses her arms. “Is she moving in with you? Because there’s a reservation at The Lodge under her name.”
“You did that,” I blame her. “I tried to reach out to her so we could cancel the agreement and instead, you gave her Pierce’s number. He had no idea what to do so he got her an appointment with me. Fitz is trying to fix that, but so far she hasn’t answered his calls.”
She narrows her gaze. “Why would you want to void your happy nuptials? She’s perfect for you.”
“She’s nobody. Stop searching for excuses to push me away.”
I step closer to her, she takes a step backward, I take two forward. We continue the same dance until she’s pressed against the wall with nowhere else to go. I’m not touching her, but our bodies are only inches apart, and I can feel the heat radiating from her body. Her mouth is so close, I can almost taste the sweetness. When our eyes meet, she exhales sharply.
“Please, Sophie, when are you going to let me in?”
“Henry,” she whispers my name, pushing herself on her tiptoes. I bend. Our mouths touch. An electrified spark surges from the top of my head to the tip of my toes as she parts her lips, allowing me entrance.
I move my hand to her waist, and fist her hair with the other, angling her head and dipping the kiss I so desperately craved for so fucking long. I try to fight the heat of my desire, but it’s hard not to devour her.
She moans, making me crave her even more. Not just her body, but her heart, her soul, and most of all, I crave to be a part of her dreams.
Her hand presses against my chest, and I groan when she pulls her mouth from mine. “We can’t do this.”
“Soph, I know you want me as much as I want you,” I state because there’s no fucking way she would kiss the way she kisses me if she wasn’t attracted to me.
“I’m tired of being with the wrong guy. You’re…we’re not suited for each other. I enjoy your kisses, and I’ve no doubt that we could burn the sheets if we let this lust take over,” she says. “I can’t get involved with you. Sure, I could surrender and just give in to the pleasure that you offer. But what comes next? I’m too old for this. At this point, I want more than to be wanted. I have to know that the guy I’m with is willing to hand me his heart and won’t shatter mine because I’m no longer convenient.”
I brush some strands away from her hair and kiss her forehead. “At this point, I’ve no idea what I can promise you because I’m new at letting myself believe that there can be more than what was planned for my future. All I know is that you’re the only woman who makes me want that, and I not only want you but need you.”
I grab her hands and place them on the left side of my chest. “You want my heart? It’s yours, Soph. You’re the bright light that came into my life to push away the darkness. It’s because of that light that I’m learning how the real world works. But I have to warn you, I’m still new to this art of love so don’t be surprised if I screw up, because I’m bound to do something stupid. I just need…”
She holds my face with both hands. Her big brown eyes capture my gaze. They’re bright and filled with emotions.
“What do you need?” she asks.
“A chance for us to find who we can be, and you know, I could use a little love sometimes,” I answer resting my forehead on her shoulder and hugging her hard.
I surrender to whatever is happening between us. She owns me, even if she doesn’t realize that yet. I lift her, pressing her to me, like she’s my lifeline and the only person who can save me from what I just did, beg for a crumb of love. I feel as if I literally gave her my heart, lowered all my shields, and I’m vulnerable and ready to be slaughtered.
Sophia
My heart breaks with his confession. He just needs a little love. It’s so easy to look at Henry for what he appears to be—a heartless hotel mogul. Not for who he is—a lonely man who has never had a loving family or a relationship forged out of friendship or love. He’s holding me tight as if he’s afraid to lose me, or he’s trying to absorb me so we could become one person.
And wouldn’t this be just perfect if it was real, but how can it be?
“Henry, we’re not meant for each other,” I mumble in his ear, as I anchor my legs around his waist. “This would be… I’m your assistant. That’s such a cliché.”
“Are you finding new reasons to tell me to fuck off?” His voice is so unlike him. It sounds pained, and it’s jarring.
“No, just trying to avoid the meat grinder,” I explain. “Because I can see myself falling for you, and then—”
“And then, we’d be two fools falling in love with each other,” he ends the sentence for me. “It’s a different kind of venture, but one we can overcome—together. You’re my right hand. Who could be a better fit than you, the only person in this world who truly understands me? I’m going blind into a merger where I can lose myself with you, my world. Yet, I plan on winning.”
“Leave it to you to see this as a business transaction.”
“No, I see it as reaching for the only important thing I’ve ever wanted in my life. Which wasn’t planned by anyone. It happened because I believe that you’re my miracle. The one person who can make me feel alive. Just give us a chance. We’ll take it slow.”
Slow is obviously a figure of speech because as soon as he finishes talking, he fits his perfect lips against my cheek. I’m back against the wall. His scruffed jaw scrapes my neck as he moves his mouth down my jaw. The heat in my body increases when he looks at me. His green eyes are dark, overtaken by lust and need. I am dying for a kiss, but his lips are everywhere but kissing me.
“Henry,” I gasp his name.
“I won’t kiss you until you ask me to do it,” the asshole says with a wicked grin that looks great on him and yet is something too new. “I don’t break my promises.”
“Damn it, Aldridge just kiss me,” I beg him, instead of telling him that he just kissed me a few minutes ago.
He merges his lips with mine, one hand cupping the back of my head and the other on the small of my back. I hold onto his biceps as his tongue twists along with mine. The slow intensity is different from any kiss he’d given me before. He deepens it as if the world is about to end. As if nothing else matters but us. As if he’s trying to open up my heart and trying to pour himself inside it.
We’re falling apart, breaking, but all at the same time I feel him putting us together.
He steps back and runs a hand through his hair. “Any other questions before we go back to the festival?” he asks as he lowers me to the ground, his hot breath near my ear, and I’m about to combust.
Yes, why did you stop? Is this over?
“We’re going back?” I say flustered and watch him walk toward the door. “You… We… I thought…”
I lift my hands, shaking them in desperation. Ugh, men. I follow him because…well, what else is there to do?
“Why?” I ask as we walk back toward Main Street.
“I just promised to take it slow, and I plan on keeping my word,” he says, grabbing my hand.
When I look at him he’s smiling with a peacefulness I’ve never seen before. I can’t help but feel like a queen because he never smiles that way, and I’m responsible for it.
It’s not hard to find Pierce and Leyla. They are at one of the booths discussing something with Beacon.
“Everything okay?” I ask when we reach them.
“Do you use lube when you use anal beads?” Beacon asks me as if it’s the most important question he’s ever asked in his entire life.
“What?” I choke.
Leyla shakes her head and gives me a look as if saying do not engage, but it’s too late, Beacon is already showing me a set of beads. “Touch them. They are smooth. Why would you need lube?”
Pierce looks embarrassed as everyone around is gawking at us.
I link my arm with Leyla’s and say, “Leave these men to their nonsense.”
“Where are you going?” Henry asks.
“To buy smooth anal beads. Where else?” I yell, and Leyla and I laugh at their stoic faces.
“What was that?” I ask her as we stroll around the booths.
“Beacon trying to get some reaction from Pierce, who swears there’s no way he could be embarrassed,” she states. “Obviously, Beac won the moment he began to discuss anal sex and beads.”
“Who challenges Beacon? That guy is twenty steps ahead of everyone. He'll always win.” Then I ask, “Why does he sound like he drank the entire café?”
“He’s anxious because his bandmates haven’t arrived yet. Now, what was the emergency? And why did you come back with smeared lipstick and fucked me hair… Did you have sex with Henry?”
“Just a…nice kiss,” I say, using the camera on my phone to check my makeup and fix my lipstick.
“Nice kiss?” she asks skeptically.
“Believe me, it was only a kiss, or I wouldn’t be this…frustrated,” I clarify.
She touches my face and says, “Well, he rubbed himself well, didn’t he? What’s happening between you two? Did you finally check the I-like-you box?”
“You can say that.”
“Oh, girl, you’re doomed. Once you let an Aldridge in it’s hard to shake them off,” she says, grabbing a silver bracelet with a single green bead that’s on display.
“They are addictive,” she warns me, handing it to the clerk. “Do you have more?”
The clerk takes out six more of them and places them on the counter.
“I’ll take them,” Leyla declares.
“Why are you letting yours go?” I ask, handing over my credit card and saying the usual crap, “Merkel is paying.”
After the clerk packs the bracelets in individual boxes, we leave the booth and Leyla gives me a sad smile. “Because Pierce is like cocaine. When you try it, you think you’re in heaven. It wears off; you need more. But when you come to your senses, you realize you’ve just been poisoning yourself. He’s charming, alluring, and I thought he was what I needed for the rest of my life. We realized we weren’t compatible.”
As I’m about to ask why she’s still with him Pierce and Henry appear.
“Thank fuck their buddies arrived or I’d have killed him this time,” Pierce says. “I swear, he’s twenty-eight, but sometimes he reminds me of when he was ten and obnoxious.”
“He is still obnoxious,” Henry admits.
“Beacon?” I ask, and he nods.
“Those weeks when we had to spend time with William, it was us who had to keep an eye on the younger ones, not Grandma or dear Daddy,” Pierce recounts.
“You did nothing,” Henry protests. “It was Hayes and I controlling you five.”
Leyla looks at them confused and questions them, “Where was your father?”
“Busy at The Lodge, or sometimes he’d send an apology with some stupid toy or gadget for each one of us,” Henry explains. “Work always came first. So then we’d be with just our grandmother who made sure the help fed us at the right times, and we had chores to do all week long.”
“I don’t think she liked us very much,” Pierce confesses, not bother by the fact, and I wonder if that’s true.
“She only cared about Carter. Not even Hayes,” Henry agrees, answering my silent question. “He’s the one who looked and behaved more like William—but in a cool, unselfish, unprickish way.”
“I wish I had met him,” I say.
Blaire has nothing but great things to say about Carter. These guys seem to have loved him the most.
“Speaking of mistresses,” Pierce changes the subject radically. We all stare at him. “Martina’s lawyer called me while you disappeared.”
“Why you?” Henry asks.
“Because the other lawyer doesn’t understand what she needs,” he states. “In other words, it might not be easy to get rid of her. Her lawyer sent me a revised agreement that you need to sign. She’s not coming next week because this doesn’t require her presence, but it has to be changed soon. After all, her thirty-second birthday is in just a few months. We have to look into that contract and dissolve it fast.”
“You got to be fucking kidding me,” Henry growls, pulling me to him and kissing the top of my head. “Just meet her price. I don’t want to deal with her. If you don’t mind, I’m done with everyone.”
“It’s your turn to cook…or feed us,” Leyla calls after us.
“Yeah, I’ll get on that.”
Getting on that meant cajoling Dad to make us dinner. Henry spends time with Dad, helping him with simple tasks like gathering the ingredients, washing the produce, and setting up the timers. I’m pretty sure the last one is just to keep Henry entertained since he’s constantly asking questions about the meat, the consistency, or random facts about cooking.
During dinner, we get to hang out with Beacon’s bandmates and the famous G who happens to be one of my favorite musicians in the world. During those days that I have to sacrifice my time for Merkel’s sake, Henry repays me with things like gift cards, hockey tickets, or concert tickets. A few of those times they were to watch her play at Carnegie Hall. All those times he joined me. I’m pretty sure he’s a fan too.
Around eight, we all leave for Main Street where Beacon’s people set up the stage. I was looking forward to hanging out with Grace, but it turns out she’s playing with Beacon tonight. Dad stays behind babysitting Arden. I’ve heard Too Far from Grace before, but the music they’re playing today is phenomenal. It’s a combination of classical music with their regular alternative indie punk rock.
I’m not sure what I like the most about this concert, the fact that I’m so close to the musicians that I can almost touch them, the music, or the company. I’m with all the Aldridge brothers, but also, Henry has created a cocoon for with his arms.
“This is the first time I've watched him play live,” Henry whispers in my ear while Grace and Beacon are playing a crazy rift with guitar and violin. “He’s really good.”
“Aww, he’s proud of his little brother,” I joke, patting his cheek and smiling because he’s warming up to his family. If any of these guys need love, that’ll be him.
He kisses my temple, holding me tighter and resting his chin on my shoulder. “Remind me why we didn’t do this before?”
I shiver when I feel his thumb tracing my left boob.
“Going to a Too Far from Grace concert, or letting you feel me up freely?” I ask, stretching my neck and kissing his jaw. “Stop. We’re in public.”
“Maybe both,” he answers nibbling my ear. “I can’t help it. You’re swaying your ass against my cock. I want to eat you, Ms. Aragon. Do you think they’ll notice if we go back to your house or the mansion?”
“Oh god, look at them. It’s disgusting. My best friend and your brother are dripping sweetness and exuding hormones. What could go wrong?” Leyla yells, but hopefully, only we can hear her.
She’s standing next to me. Behind her are Pierce and Mills, so I’m not sure who she is talking to.
“We saw this coming way before they realized it,” Blaire, who is to my right, says, leaning forward so we can hear her. “It’ll be fine, as long as he doesn’t hurt our friend. The odds are against Henry because I’ll dispose of him if she shed
s one tear because of him.”
“Shh, you’re interrupting,” Pierce growls at us. “Leave Henry alone. It's his first steady girlfriend. If he’s good, he’ll get to second base by tonight.”
Henry grunts, but I kiss his nose and say, “We’ll get them later.”
It’s almost ten when we arrive at the mansion. Nobody is tired, so we stay in the living room drinking wine and chatting until midnight when Hayes announces he’s taking a sleepy Blaire to their room. Beacon’s bandmates head to his studio while Beac and Grace head to his room. Mills and Vance also excuse themselves and leave. It’s just Pierce, Leyla, Henry, and me cleaning the living room.
“Do you think they are just friends?” Pierce asks, picking up the empty bottles of wine.
I’m not sure what he’s talking about, but Beacon is coming from the stairwell and hisses, “No, we’re best friends, Pierce. If you don’t mind, I’m going to practice with the guys. G is staying in my room.”
“There’s your answer,” Henry says and looks at me. “Come on. Let’s go to my room.”
“As best friends or friends?” Pierce asks, and Henry flips him the finger.
“Hey, Sophia, do you want to stay with me,” I say, imitating a male voice while we climb the stairs. “Gosh, thank you for the invite, but it might be better if I go home.”
He looks at me unamused. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to let you go. We’re sharing a bed, not fucking.”
“You promised it’d be slow,” I remind him.
“It’s a promise I intend to keep—unless you ask for more. Still, you’re just sleeping with me tonight,” he says as we enter his room.
This place isn’t too different from his brownstone’s bedroom. I guess it’s because I sent Blaire pictures of it while she was buying furniture to decorate the house. I’m about to ask him for a shirt when I remember that I need makeup remover and to wash my face. Since I’ve been staying on and off in the house, I know where they have the toiletries’ closet. Thankfully, they not only have basic soap and shampoo, but also makeup remover, moisturizer, and extra toothbrushes.
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