by Tina Saxon
The position he’s in hits that perfect spot, and the ache starts to build inside me again. He leans over, his hard chest against my back, and wraps his arm around me, grabbing my breast and squeezing. I arch my back again as pleasure explodes through my body, and I pulsate, squeezing him tight. His body tightens and his hold on my hips becomes painful as his pelvis pounds into my ass. My whimpers turn to loud moans. A deep, guttural groan grinds out my name and his body convulses against me. I try to hold us both up with my arms, but they give out and we fold over the arm of the couch. I can feel the rise and fall of his chest. He digs his head into the back of my neck, his breaths hot and heavy. Both his arms wrap around me, and he lifts me to a standing position.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I can use the excuse that I had a horrible day, but I did ignore him because I was afraid he’d bring up the wedding again. He pulls out of me and walks into the kitchen, wets a hand towel, and returns. He gently wipes between my legs, avoiding eye contact. The awkward silence makes me feel horrible. He throws the towel and it lands in the kitchen sink. The side of his mouth twitches. I smirk, knowing he’s probably given himself ten points for making it. When he looks down at me, he grins.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he says, kissing the tip of my nose, and then leads me to the bedroom. He sits on the bed and pulls me onto his lap. “Addison, I can’t have you—” He pauses and looks down for a second. “A text would have been nice if you were too busy to take my call.”
“I know.”
“All day long I thought you were pissed at me. For bringing up our wedding. Then I was furious at you and then at myself for thinking that maybe you didn’t want to get married.”
“Aiden, that’s not it at all. I do want to marry you.” I cup his jaw, running my hand back into his thick hair. I pull my leg over his hips so I’m straddling him. “Even when you’re brooding and take it out on me while you’re fucking me.” I bring my lips to his and kiss him softly.
“I’m not sorry,” he murmurs against my lips.
“You shouldn’t be.” His hands move up my thighs to my back, and he pulls me tight against his chest, deepening our kiss. Our tongues intertwine, sparking the fire that hadn’t been put all the way out. My body trembles, feeling his arousal at my entrance. He lifts me and slides right in.
This time there’s no angst. No demands. No submitting. It’s only love. Our hearts are stripped bare, exposing two people who aren’t perfect but are perfect for each other.
***
I watch him slip his arms into his white shirt. The bottom is wrinkled from tucking it in. When he pulls his tie around his neck, he looks up at me. “Can we go eat now?”
A smile tugs at my lips. The rough day I had no longer hangs in my thoughts. It’s been replaced. I nod, slipping a blue shift dress over my head. I’ll be damned if I go out looking like I did before. I sit down on the bench at the end of my bed to put my wedges on, and Aiden walks up to me. He runs his hand through my hair, and I let out a soft mewl. His hand gently moves to my chin and raises it so I’m looking at him.
“I don’t like thinking you’re mad at me.” So I’ve learned.
“I didn’t purposely ignore your calls,” I answer apologetically.
“Which I didn’t find out until four.” I’m surprised he waited that long.
“I’m sorry.” I stand up and teeter-totter on one foot since I only have one shoe on. He wraps his arms around my waist, steadying me. I grin. “Thanks.”
He wags his eyebrows and cocks a crooked smile. “I’ll always be here to catch you, sweetheart.” I laugh at his comment, as corny as it might be, I know it’s heartfelt and true.
“Well, thank you for taking me to a happy place.”
“Any time,” he says. His hands move to my ass, and I can feel my dress creeping up my legs. “Like right now if you wanted.”
I slap his hand. “No. I’m starving.”
“So am I,” he says with a wicked smile. He shoves his hand under my dress and squeezes my ass, pulling me into his hardness.
“You’re always hungry. We just had sex twice.” I push him away and sit back down to put on my other shoe.
“Well, since you’re down there.” I look up at him and roll my eyes. “Really? That’s original,” I joke.
He chuckles and shrugs a shoulder. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
A half hour later we walk out of my building, and I feel much better about how I look. Especially next to Mr. GQ himself. We decide to walk instead of grabbing a cab; it’s a gorgeous fall evening. The leaves are changing to vibrant oranges and reds. The cool air is a reprieve from the clammy, hot summer nights.
After going back and forth about where to eat, we finally agree on Chinese. When we sit down, I clasp my hands together on the table and look at Aiden. “So, was that my surprise?”
“Oh, Ms. Mason. I need you to clarify that.” He lifts a brow and a playful smile appears on his lips. “Because I’d hate to assume what you are referring to.” Smartass. He only wants to hear me say sex. I return the smug smile and lean forward on my elbows.
My voice is hushed as I stare into his mischievous green eyes. “Where you fucked my pussy until I was happy,” I purr. A groan comes from the back of his throat as he sits back in his chair and adjusts himself.
“No, that was not your surprise.” He takes a large gulp of water and crunches some ice in his mouth. A little heated, babe? I chuckle to myself. He clears his throat. “Do we have any plans on Sunday?”
I look up and think about it. My eyes dart to his. “Um, yes. And you better not have made any plans during the football game because I’m not going to be anywhere except in front of the TV watching it,” I declare. It’s Cowboys versus Giants. The game that divides us as a family. As much as I love Ryker, I can’t cross over. I am a diehard fan. He grins, reaching into his pocket to pull out a white envelope. He places it on the table and pushes it toward me. I pick up the envelope and open it slowly. Inside are five tickets to the game.
“How about watching it at the game?”
A squeal escapes my lips. I jump up and sit in his lap. “This is an awesome surprise!” I wiggle in his lap unintentionally.
His hands grip my legs to stop me. “I’m still not recovered from your dirty mouth, woman, so stop.”
I laugh and give him a quick kiss before hopping off and sitting back on my chair. I pull the tickets out and look at them again. My eyes widen in surprise. “How in the world did you get these tickets?” I ask, holding them up in the air. First row. Fifty-yard line. Right behind the team. The wrong team, but I’m not complaining.
“Mack. He owns the whole first row in that section. He gives me tickets a couple times a season.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal. Must be nice. “He knows you’re a big Cowboys fan, so he called me yesterday asking me if I wanted some tickets.”
“You’ve known since yesterday and didn’t tell me.”
“I was going to this morning, but …” He trails off and arches a brow in accusation. I bite my lip. Yep. I’m a horrible fiancée.
“I decided to hire a wedding planner,” I say, hoping it’ll ease his mind that I’m thinking about it and ease my guilt. His smile grows, causing his dimples to deepen with satisfaction in his eyes.
“Can we set a date?” he asks with bated breath.
“April 29,” I respond with certainty. My response surprises him. He tilts his head, and I can tell he’s trying to associate that date with something of importance. It’s not. I had already looked at dates in April a week ago, I just hadn’t picked one. April is one of my favorite months because of the weather and all the beautiful flowers. As long as it doesn’t rain, which is why I decided on the end of April.
“I’m not debating the date, but is there a reason?” I smile at being able to read him so well.
“No, I just love April.”
He claps his hands once and grins. “That’s enough for me. April 29 you will be officially min
e forever.” I shake my head. Silly man. I’m already yours, forever.
Chapter eleven
The face Lexi’s giving me when she walks out of her room can’t be good. The shirt hangs in her hand and her bottom lip sticks out. “What’s up, Lulu? Did it not fit?”
We received a special delivery package. Ryker found out we were coming to the game tomorrow and sent all of us a jersey. I laughed when I pulled out the jersey for me and looked at Syd and said, “He’s kidding, right?”
Lexi took off with hers to try it on and obviously she’s not happy about something. I almost say, “I’d be mad too if I had to wear that,” but I purse my lips together and just wait to see what she says.
She juts out her hand with the shirt in it. “It’s wrong,” she pouts.
“What’s wrong with it?” I say, taking it from her and holding it up in the air to inspect.
She huffs adorably. “It has Dallas on it. I live in New York.” She throws her arms out. I smile at her animated expression.
“Lulu, that’s Ryker’s last name,” I explain.
Her expression changes to confusion. “Why do I want Ryker’s last name on my shirt? It should be my name.” She pokes herself in the chest with her thumb. “And…” she starts again. “The number is wrong. It says six. I’M STILL FIVE!”
“I can’t believe Ryker forgot you were still five,” Sydney giggles from my side. I shake my head. There’s an unspoken contest going on between the guys and Sydney about who Lexi thinks is the best. She truly loves all of them, but it’s funny to see how they try and one up each other. I don’t think it matters, though; Max will always be her number one.
“I know,” she huffs again, crossing her arms.
I turn and look at Sydney, glaring so she’ll stop, then look back to Lexi. Her defeated little face was so excited about the jersey when it got here.
I pick her up, putting her on the barstool, and spin her to face me. “Ryker’s football number is six.” She starts to say something but I shush her. She looks at me with wide eyes and waits for me to continue. “A team jersey has a player’s name and number on it. Usually you wear the one with your favorite player on it.” She tilts her head and thinks about it.
“Ryker is my favorite player.” I nod. Ryker is the only one on the team she knows.
“He’s so excited we’re coming to his game, he wanted you to have this.” I place the jersey in her lap. “There will be so many people wearing his jersey all around us because they love him.”
“I love Ryker,” she says, hugging the jersey. Then she stares at me.
“What?” I can see the wheels turning in that little head of hers.
“Don’t you love Ryker?”
“Of course, I do. He’s one of Aiden’s best friends.”
“I heard you say you’d never wear his jersey to the game.” Shit. I need to learn she’s always listening.
I open my mouth to explain and then snap it shut, changing my mind. “When I was little…” I point to Syd, “…we grew up in Texas. We loved the Dallas Cowboys and would go to the football games all the time and cheer them on. We are still big fans.” I open my arms as wide as they’ll go. She giggles. “And that is who the Giants are playing tomorrow. I can’t go against my favorite team. Aiden will be wearing a jersey just like you, though,” I add, hoping she’ll be satisfied with that.
“And Damon,” Syd says, walking over to the bar. She reaches for her bottled water and takes a quick drink.
“So, it’ll be us against you guys?” She puts her hands on her little hips and smirks. She learns quickly.
“Yep, and we’re going to take you down.” I tickle her belly, and she squeals.
“Noo. We’re going to take you down,” she says between her giggles. I laugh. Aiden is going to love this.
***
“Tater Tot! Where’s my girl?” Aiden yells. She must not have heard him come in because usually she’s out here the second she hears his voice. They have become quite the pair. I adore the special time they have together. Hearing him talk with her about her dad and the special things they did makes my heart swell and always brings tears to my eyes. He doesn’t want to replace her dad, he wants to share the space with him in her heart.
“Aiden!” she screams, running from her bedroom. She runs into his arms, and he swoops her up. “We match.” She pinches her jersey and holds it up to his.
“Yes, we do.” He holds up his hand and she high-fives it. “There’s a traitor among us,” he says, eyes narrowing. She tilts her head with a look of confusion.
“What does that mean?”
He laughs. “Someone doesn’t love Ryker.” She nods her head in understanding, narrows her eyes like he did, and they both glare at me.
I shake my head at Aiden. “Would you stop saying that? I do love Ryker. I don’t love the team he’s playing on.”
“Our team is going to win,” Lexi says with a cute, competitive voice.
“You think so, huh?” I laugh at the dynamic duo. “We’ll see.”
Aiden has Lexi on his shoulders as we walk into the stadium. This is my happy place. The fans’ excitement is infectious. My nerves tingle as my heart beats a little faster, adrenaline running through my veins. I thought about doing sports medicine just so I could experience this over and over. It was a fleeting thought because I had already decided my path.
“I can’t believe we both ended up with Cowboys’ fans,” Damon jokes as we walk through the tunnel to our seats. Syd hits him on the arm.
“I could say the same for you,” she giggles. “I’m sleeping with the enemy.”
He playfully growls and grabs her waist, leaning down and attacking her neck. She laughs as she pushes him off. “And you love it,” he chuckles.
“Look at what she’s wearing,” Aiden says, eyeing me up and down. “You think I give a…” he stops himself and glances up to Lexi. She’s not even paying attention. She’s looking at everything. He looks back at Damon. “Yeah, I don’t care. That’s one of my favorite outfits ever.” He wags his eyebrows and smirks. He’s especially fond of the boots. Heat spreads low in my belly, thinking about the times he’s demanded I keep the boots on while I ride him. A salacious grin spreads across his face as if he can read my mind. Who am I kidding? He knows.
Syd and I are wearing the uniform we wear whenever Dallas plays. Jean cut-off shorts, cowboy boots, and our Cowboys jerseys. We’re a little out of place here, but it doesn’t matter to us.
When we walk through the tunnel to the open stadium, Lexi’s eyes double in size. “Wow!” she beams. “It’s so big in here. Look, a balloon!” She points up to the sky.
We all look up. “That’s a blimp,” Aiden says. “It’s like a balloon.” She nods and moves on to the next thing. Aiden flips her over his shoulders so she can walk down the stairs. She slips her hand in his, and we walk down to the first row of seats. I’ll admit, I’m feeling special right now. We’ve never sat this close. The team is right in front of us. The reporters line the field, taking pictures of the players practicing.
“These seats are incredible,” squeals Syd. She bounces on her toes and gives me a hug. “Thanks for inviting us.”
We look up the stadium seating at all the people. Other Cowboys fans wave down to us, and we wave back. “It figures Mack would give his seats to Cowboys fans,” a male voice from the seats behind us says. We look at him and politely smile.
“You gotta have some winners on this side,” Syd says in her sweet, southern drawl. He smirks and shakes his head. Aiden and Damon introduce themselves to the guy. I guess he’s some big wig in the tech industry. I stop listening and turn to face the field. We got here a little early because I wanted to make sure Lexi experienced the entire thing, so we watch some of the Giants players practice.
When Ryker comes out on the field, the place erupts with cheers and whistles. Lexi looks at me wondering what’s happening. I point to Ryker. She jumps up out of her seat and yells for him, waving her arms around.
“Well, at least one of you girls has it right,” Jack, the tech guy, jokes. Lexi spins around and gives him a huge smile.
“We’re going to take them down,” she says, pointing to me, repeating my words from yesterday. I burst out laughing.
“I like the way you think,” Jack says, holding his hand out for a high five. She gives him one and turns back around. “Good thing she’s taking after her dad.”
Lexi turns back around to Jack. “Aiden’s not my dad. My mom and dad were killed. Addison is my foster mom,” she says matter-of-factly. “But Aiden will be my foster dad soon.” She jumps in his lap and gives him a big hug. He returns it, but all of us sit still, wide eyed over what she just said. I turn and softly smile to Jack. He’s not sure what to say either. He smiles back and nods. There’s nothing to say. When Lexi jumps out of Aiden’s lap and resumes screaming for Ryker, I link our fingers together and squeeze. It’s intriguing and mortifying the way a child can be honest without any emotion.
Her truth isn’t the way she feels, it’s just truth. She loves Aiden like a father, but he isn’t her father. At least not yet. Aiden picks up my hand and kisses my knuckles.
“She loves you,” I whisper. I don’t want him to be insecure about what he means to Lexi because of what she said. It’s the first time he’s heard that. I’ve had time to deal with hearing it for a few months. It’s gut wrenching at first until you realize that kid’s actions speak so much louder than words.
“I know,” he replies. He takes a deep inhale and blows it out his nose, nodding that he’s okay, and sits forward in his seat. He positions Lexi between his legs and points out random things to her, explaining the game. I sit back and watch them. A couple guys on the team notice Aiden and wave to him. Hmm…I wonder how many guys he knows on the team. Lexi gets super excited, thinking they’re waving to her.