Finding Peace

by Emilia Finn

  Jon’s eyes narrow as he tugs her tighter against his chest. “You don’t like scotch…”

  She pushes him away, fruitlessly, since she’s about as strong as a toddler. “No, I don’t. This is fine.” She lifts her margarita and sips.

  I turn into Peaches, because I want to smell her, I want to touch her and talk to her. I want her to stop looking at me like she has no clue who I am. “Evie’s fine, by the way,” I murmur into her ear. I tuck her blonde locks behind her ear, noticing just now that her scars are almost hidden, blended in with makeup. I wonder why she did that.

  Her arms break out in goosebumps at my touch and I grin. She’s in there, she’s just pretending she’s not.

  “She’s happy?” she whispers back, unable to resist.

  “She was sound asleep, star fishing Jack’s bed when I left.”

  I even got to read her a bedtime story and received sweet Evie hugs before I left, not that I tell Tina that. I’m already on thin ice, I don’t want to draw extra attention to the situation. No matter what though, I wasn’t leaving until she was asleep and happy.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome, Peaches.” I bravely run the tip of my finger along her thigh, her right leg crossed over her left, her ankle resting against my shin. “Having a fun time?”

  “Yeah.”

  I move my hand higher, approaching mid-thigh, keeping my touch feather light and I bite back my triumphant smile when she shivers. “You like Marcus?”

  Please say no. I kind of liked him, he seemed okay. Don’t make me go hurt him.

  “Anyone ever tell you you’re super observant?”

  My finger freezes and I frown. So she does like him?

  “He’s nice. They all were.”

  “You wanna take him home?”

  Say no, dammit. Say fucking no.

  “No, I don’t,” she says and I find myself breathing again. “He was nice, even after he realized he wasn’t getting lucky. They thought they were protecting us, but we were okay. Iz and Kit are my muscle,” she murmurs with a smile.

  “Yeah, you’re safe with the girls.”

  “Listen, Aiden,” she starts, turning into my side and I frown as the others at the table stop to watch. Thankfully it’s loud in here, so they can’t hear us, but still, I glare at them until they turn away and mind their own damn business. “I wanted to apologize--”

  “Apologize? For what?”

  “For freaking on you last week.”

  Is she serious? “No, Peaches. That’s on me. I knew your history and I took her out anyway. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “And I know you, and I know you love her. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I didn’t even have time to chase you guys down, you’d already brought her back.”

  “I tried to make pancakes with her--”

  “Yeah, she told me. Turns out you can’t cook for shit,” she laughs. She hasn’t forgotten me.

  “But she told me she knew how,” I argue. “She doesn’t know shit.”

  “Yeah, but she’s three,” she laughs again, pressing closer to my side. We’re now touching from shoulder to knee, and I fight the urge to grab her far knee and just drag her up and over so she straddles me. I didn’t get to try that one out yet.

  Her dress has her tits sitting all perky and shit, I wouldn’t mind burying my face between them, and I have a feeling, straddling me, they’d be perfect height.

  “Yeah, so I’ve since found out that not all pancakes come from bottles. I feel cheated, like everyone lied to me all my life.”

  “That’s pretty tragic. Should I set up a support group or something?”

  “Nah, that’s fine. Perhaps you should teach me yourself though.” I welcome the images floating through my mind of her in my kitchen tomorrow morning, wearing my shirt and nothing else as she whips up pancakes from scratch.

  “Maybe,” she murmurs softly, looking down at her lap and I feel her hair brush my shoulder. Fuck, to bury my face in her hair again would be heaven.

  “Did you have a good week?”

  “Not really,” she murmurs sadly. “I felt pretty awful, because I was a bitch to a nice guy.”

  I frown. “You had a shitty week because of me?

  “No, I had a shitty week because of how I treated you.”

  “So why didn’t you call me? I told you to.”

  She shrugs, tucking her loose hair behind her ear again. “Because I was an awful person. I didn’t deserve to be made to feel better.”

  I grab her chin, bringing her face close to mine. “You always deserve to be made to feel better, Peaches. Always.”

  Despite the stares I can feel drilling into the side of my head, I bring her face forward and touch my lips to hers; dry, decent for public, but proving a point. “Always,” I repeat as I pull away. She sighs, her soft breath saturating my face as her lashes flutter. “Wanna dance with me?”

  “Yes,” she answers quickly. “I do.”

  I take her hand and pull her from the booth, conscious of the fact she’s wearing a skin tight dress and dangerously high heels that bring her eyes to my nose. I like it.

  Jim sits back in his seat, hugging Izzy against him and wearing a disgustingly smug smile, but I don’t care, because I’m going to dance with Peaches.

  Despacito plays loudly through the club, and since we’re in Rome, I decide fuck it. I grab her hips, slamming her against me and I fight back my own smugness when she quivers in my arms, her arms winding around my neck, her hips rolling against mine in rhythm with the deep bass of the music.

  My hands rest on the dip of her lower back, the tips of my fingers stretching over the swell of her ass, and since she’s wearing these shoes just for me, I press our chests together and I bury my face in her neck, bathing myself in her hair.

  Perfect.

  “I’m sorry I was a bitch.”

  “We’re done with that now.” I nibble on her neck, tasting her sweet skin, remembering again the exact taste of her from last week.

  “You’re being entirely too forgiving.”

  “Not at all, Peaches. You honestly did nothing wrong, can we move on?”

  “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.” I spin her body out, then pulling her back, I tuck her under my arm so my chest presses to her back and her ass rests against my dick.

  She sucks in her breath at the same moment she realizes I’m hard, and I bury my face in her neck again. “I want to feel you wrapped around me again, Peaches.”

  “Fuckkkk.” Her head falls back against me, her hair tickling my nose, and her legs go weak as though she can’t stand on her own two feet without help.

  “Exactly,” I murmur as I bite down on her earlobe. “Exactly that. I wanna fuck you. Slowly. I wanna take my time, since last weekend was a little rushed.”

  I push her away from me again, spinning her twice, then pulling her back in so her legs rest on each side of mine and her vibrating, hot core straddles my thigh.

  Yeah, she wants it too.

  She lowers the final inch so her pussy sits on my thigh and she rubs herself on me, moaning into my mouth as I take it with mine.

  I leave one hand on her ass, kneading it, marking it and the other comes up to cup her neck, to keep her close.

  I angle her head to give me more, her tongue ducking in to taste and I groan against her. She’s so sweet. And warm. She’s vibrating for me.

  I could take her on the dance floor and I doubt she’d say no.

  “Stay at my house tonight?” I spin her body away from mine, then on the return swing, her body crashes against mine, her hips slamming against mine, clothes being the only reason I’m not already inside her.

  She licks her lips. “Okay.”

  “Can we go now?”

  “Okay.”

  Thank god.

  I lead her off the dance floor, clasping her hand tightly in mine. “We’re going,” I tell our table; Jon and Tink, and Jim and Iz. I look back to the dance floor to f
ind Bobby and Kit hip grinding and making out indecently, making Tina and I look like fucking saints.

  “Y’all have fun,” Iz says, passing Tina’s purse and Jim smiles conspiratorially. Whatever, we’re all grown-ups. They know where we’re going.

  “Come to Kit’s for breakfast,” Tink says with a wink and I turn just in time to see Tina roll her eyes.

  I feel like we’re all thirteen and sneaking out for our first kiss.

  “Right.” I begin to drag her away. “Jim,” I call over my shoulder. “Don’t forget to pay our tab.”

  “You cheap fucker,” he calls out, but I have Tina moving down the steps and out of range before he even finishes.

  “Slow down,” she laughs, but I go faster, holding her hips and essentially letting her glide across the club floor.

  “Won’t let you fall, Peaches.” Never.

  I move us outside and to my truck, and I lift her into the cab, tucking her legs in before I slam the door closed. I run around the hood, then switching the ignition on, I have us peeling out of the lot and cruising through my gates only a few minutes later. I enter the passcode then nudge the gates with my bumper, eager to get inside.

  I pull into my drive then hop out and move to her door. Tina already has her legs out, her purse clasped in her left hand. Before she gets her feet to the concrete driveway I take her weight, wrapping her legs around my waist and fusing my mouth to hers.

  She tastes so fucking good.

  “You’re mine all night?”

  “Yeah.” She squeezes her legs and pushes her tongue against mine. She’s so fucking hot, passionate, ready for me.

  “You promise?”

  “Yes,” she murmurs, sucking on my lower lip. “I promise. Take me to bed. Then you can take me to breakfast at Kit’s.”

  “Good deal, Peaches. Good fucking deal.”

  I walk us to my front door then inside, slamming the door behind me, relishing the fact we don’t have to be quiet tonight. This might be the only chance we ever get. I’ll have her screaming for me before we’re done.

  I carry her upstairs, our mouths fused together, our teeth nipping, our tongues swiping, our hands bruising.

  “Aiden,” she murmurs, her breathy moans like a drug, taking me under so deep I don’t ever want to resurface. “I want you to make me feel good.”

  “Always, Peaches,” I promise. “I’ll always make you feel good.”

  My hands squeeze her ass, unable to stray from their obsession with the succulent globes. If I could just strip her down naked and have her walk around day to day like that, where I could see it anytime I wanted, if she’d work naked, serve coffee naked, just be naked twenty-four seven, that’d be nice.

  “Take me to bed, Aiden. Make me feel good.”

  “Yeah.” I crash through my bedroom door and throw her down. She giggles as she bounces on my bed, her long ponytail spreading hair down over her shoulders and tits.

  Her short dress has rolled up her thighs, sitting around her panty line now, and my mouth waters.

  She looks fucking amazing in my bed. Can I keep her forever?

  I let my eyes slither along her creamy long legs, longer since her heels give her more height. Her calves are toned and smooth, her thighs strong and bitable.

  Her panties, a see through red lace, have me panting like a damn dog. I can see her folds and the moisture from within.

  “Gonna take your panties off with my teeth,” I promise her as I climb onto my knees, slowly dragging my jeaned thighs between her legs, relishing the way her breath hitches at my contact. Yeah, she’s ready for me.

  “Yes please.”

  I lift up to look into her eyes. “You gonna talk dirty for me?”

  She blushes. Fucking beautiful. “I’ll say anything you want me to.”

  I groan. “Yeah?”

  “I’ll do anything you want me to,” she promises, and even though I fight it, my mind instantly flashes to blind folds and fucking her ass.

  I drop my head against her chest, slowing myself before I do something that she’ll regret later.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Nothing,” I tell her, but my voice is muffled against her skin.

  Her fingers curl around my head, holding me, caressing me. “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No Peaches, you always say all the right stuff. You’re perfect.”

  “So why are you sad?” Her nails work against my short hair, scratching my scalp and I work not to groan again.

  “Not sad, Peaches. I’m just trying to slow down before I hurt you.”

  I feel her heart rate speed up, different to the way it was when aroused. I already scared her. Fuck.

  “Hurt me?”

  “Not like… not purposely hurt you. I just mean, I guess I can be a little rough during sex sometimes. I don’t wanna get carried away and upset you.”

  “Rough?” she murmurs softly, though I lift my face to confirm the smile I knew I could hear. “Rough how?”

  How much can I tell her before she runs away screaming and never comes near me again?

  I lower my face again and sample her skin, biting down near her ribs, lifting her legs so they wrap around my hips, and grinding against her.

  Tina cries out, her chest lifting off the bed, offering herself up to me like a tasty fucking platter.

  My left hand explores, pulling her sexy red dress down and popping her tits free. I didn’t get to play with them much last time. Her hands fly to my hair again, pulling me against her, pushing me away.

  I move long, trailing kisses along her fiery hot skin, then I take one pebbled nipple into my mouth, sucking in and biting and she cries out, rubbing her pussy against me, begging for more contact.

  “I mean.” I bite down again, not too hard, but enough to let her know. “I mean I like to hear you cry out for me. I like to make your pretty cream skin pink from my hands.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “What?”

  “That’s hot,” she giggles, leaning up to take my mouth with hers. Her tongue dances with mine and I groan again.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” she moans.

  “But what about… you know. The stuff that happened to you before?”

  “You’re not him, Aiden. I’ve never thought that. This is different.”

  “But where’s the line, Peaches? I need you to guide me. The last time we did this, we promised no regrets, but there was anyway. I don’t wanna risk you.”

  Holy shit. I don’t want to risk her? It’s the truth.

  When did I get attached?

  “The only regrets I had last time were my own, for the way I treated you.”

  She uses her hand to push me over, so I roll and drag her on top of me, my eyes drawn to her tits as they sit high above the scoop of her dress.

  I look into her eyes. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Tina. Most beautiful woman I know.”

  She leans down, resting her chest on mine then she softly takes my lips with hers. This is different. This isn’t hot passion, this is sweet, the lifetime type stuff, and my heart races with the tenderness she floods my body with.

  “Thank you.”

  “That wasn’t a line.”

  “I know,” she kisses me again, her soft breath filling my body, her soft breasts comforting me. “I believe you. I believe every word you’ve ever uttered. You’re a good man, Aiden Kincaid. I’m very glad to have met you.”

  She undoes me. She’s so pure and perfect.

  “Now tell me more about this spanking stuff.”

  Maybe not completely pure.

  I push her up to sit on my hips again, then I lift her dress, dragging the tight material up and over, baring her entire perfection for my eyes to feast.

  Her skin is pure, no ink, no piercings, nothing except a long scar below her bottom rib, running along as though someone took a marker and traced the bone.

  He marked her.

  “Hey.” She pulls my eyes back to hers. “Talk
to me about what you want to do with me. To me. Don’t drag me back there. Don’t focus on the past.”

  “Fuck, Peaches. I don’t know how,” I admit on an agonized groan, realizing that her painful past has me locked up. I don’t know how to proceed, having already been here and fucked it up, I don’t know how to be me, how to pleasure her, because I’m scared of making the wrong move. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what will hurt you.”

  “How about you trust me to be a grown ass woman who knows how to speak, and if I have a problem, I’ll tell you.”

  “It’s not that simple.” There’s too much at risk.

  Her hand cups my face, her thumb resting against the point of my chin. Her touch soothes me. “It is that simple. If you don’t trust me, then we lose anyway.”

  “But you don’t trust me.”

  “Says who?” she asks. “I never once said that.”

  “But--”

  “And, truth be told, you’re one of the very few people in this world I do trust.”

  “You do? How?”

  “You love my daughter?”

  “Yeah,” I smile. “Yeah I really do. I love her.” Which is why the risk is so high; it’s double or nothing. They’re a package deal, and I could lose them both.

  “I can count on one hand the people in this world who love my baby. Maybe two hands now that the Kincaid numbers are growing. You love my daughter, and I know it’s true. I trust you.”

  She trusts me. But do I trust me?

  “Aiden?”

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “My panties are still on.”

  My eyes drag down her almost naked body perched upon mine. My hard dick is pressed against her red silked pussy.

  “Yeah,” I admit, as my lip twitches. “Yeah they are.”

  “I recall you mentioning something about taking them off.”

  “Yeah--”

  “With your teeth.”

  “I did say that.”

  “You’re not a liar, are you?”

  “No, Peaches. I’m not a liar.”

  “So get to--”

  She squeals out when I roll us, the sound making me smile even as I push her down onto my bed and I let my mouth explore her beautiful body. I move past the scar on her ribs again. She’s right. She’s always right. I won’t let him ruin this. He’s not welcome here.