Tempted (A Player Brother Romance Book) (A Standalone Novel) (Player Brothers Book 1)

by Adams, Claire

  The door slid open and a very naked Aiden stepped into the shower. Instantly the sight of his body made me react. I silently marveled again at his exquisite physique. The curls of ink on his arms, perfectly complimented the muscles flexing beneath his skin.

  "Hi," I said.

  "Hi," he answered, stepping towards me.

  I welcomed him by wrapping my arms around his neck and finding his lips with mine. The water engulfed us. Aiden picked up the soap and began to lather my body, rubbing his hands over my torso, my ribcage, and my breasts, teasing at my lips all the while.

  I did the same and when our bodies touched we slipped and slid as the foreplay continued. He had already made me come with his mouth, but I wanted to find out what else he could do. My hands slid down his body, as much as they could while I still kept my body as close to his as I could, as my fingers found his firm manhood.

  He inhaled sharply as my fingers wrapped around him.

  I looked up and saw his eyes go dark as he tilted his head back. I caressed him gently, still unsure how to proceed as I hadn’t had as much experience as I believed he had. I traced my fingertips over the head of his cock, taking note as his hips twitched in reaction.

  He kissed me roughly, pulling us both underneath the shower, rinsing the foamy lather off our bodies. Once we were completely free of it, he opened the sliding door, pulled me out and lifted me off my feet. I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, trailing water behind us the whole way.

  He gently lowered me down onto the bed, hovering over me just as he had earlier today on the beach. This time he kissed me, fulfilling the wish that I had wanted before when we lay upon the sand. I kissed him back, feeling the connection grow between us.

  I hadn’t answered him before, when he had asked me if I wanted a relationship, because in that moment I hadn’t had an answer. As our bodies tangled together in rising pleasure, I knew what my answer should be. Throughout everything we had been through the strength of our friendship had remained a currant underneath all of the competitiveness and tension. I knew that no matter what he would always be with me, and I would always be with him.

  He lifted himself over me, my whole body tingling with anticipation. I felt him press against me, his eyes locked on mine as our bodies at last became one.

  He held back moving in a slow rhythm, as if fighting the urgency that was so apparent in his breath and his eyes. With my legs wrapped around his waist, I arched my hips forward, clutching my fingers against the broad musculature of his back. He showered me with kisses, from my lips, along my forehead, a gentle caress of the lips above each of my eyelids.

  I had never felt so adored, so cherished.

  His ragged breathing increased and I felt my own desire escalate in turn. Seeing him turned on to such a degree made me feel powerful and vulnerable all at once. With my fingers tangled through his hair, I kept his face in front of me as much as I could.

  I wanted to see him.

  I wanted to be in the moment with him as much as he would let me.

  He stayed with me, our eyes locked as if in a silent bond as our bodies joined. I wondered if this is what it felt like to be made love to. If any part of me still clung to logic, I knew that I wanted to love him even if I couldn’t yet bring myself to say it.

  "Blair," his voice whispered in my ear revealing his urgency.

  I felt the same way as he sounded. I couldn’t take any more of the pleasure he imposed upon me, and yet I couldn’t stop.

  I wanted more, and yet even more.

  "Aiden," I whimpered in response. "Oh, god. Aiden!"

  He placed his forehead against mine, locked his arms around my shoulders. The softness in his eyes betrayed his emotions, and I felt as if mine were open to him as well. At last we came together both crying out in each other’s arms, echoing the sound and rhythm of the ocean that we had carried with us from our day at the seaside.

  He fell alongside me and I curled into the hollow of his arm, placing my hand upon his chest. We lay for a long while without speaking. I felt at peace, for the first time in a long time. I chose not to say anything for fear of breaking the spell that held us both in that perfect place between reality and fantasy. His fingers traced absent minded circles around my shoulders. In this way, lying in his arms fully at peace, I drifted into a dreamless dose.

  Chapter Nine

  I awoke a little while later feeling happier than I had in a long time. Across the hall I heard the shower running. I knew that I probably needed to go home. We had only napped for about twenty minutes, and it was still a few minutes before midnight. I wanted to get a proper night’s sleep before our meeting with the senior partners tomorrow.

  I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood. I grabbed Aiden's lined shirt and pulled it over my head, deciding to head to the kitchen. When he came out of the shower I would tell him then my intentions. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought that I would become Aiden Player's girlfriend.

  Briefly I considered joining him again in the shower, but decided against it. That would probably just get us started again and put us in a distracted mood for the rest of the weekend.

  I felt like I had a silly grin across my face as I headed down the hallway. I wasn’t sure what to do with myself as I waited, when I spied a bowl of fruit on the counter in the kitchen. Absently I picked up a banana and peeled it as I wandered over to the patio window.

  I stood there looking out enjoying the view of the ocean as I ate the banana. The feeling of a silly school girl had taken over me as I played over the events of the day, wondering if he had planned the whole thing or if he had taken a leap at the spur of the moment. Our chemistry felt undeniable, especially after the love making that had just taken place.

  How could I have held him at arm’s length for so long, I wondered.

  And why did I become so laser focused on something I wanted in the realm of my career, but couldn’t have admitted even to myself, that I had wanted Aiden from the moment I saw him.

  I wandered back into the kitchen to throw away the banana peel. As I did so something caught my eye, a shape that triggered something in my brain and caused me to take a second look. Lying just on the top of his full garbage can was a small brown pill bottle. It looked empty at first glance, and I momentarily thought about leaving it alone. But I knew that he had never been on any kind of medication as a child. Out of empathy or curiosity I picked up the bottle and read the label.

  Amphetamines.

  My heart dropped into my stomach and my pulse began to race.

  I should not have looked, and I knew that.

  But now I had.

  The place where the name had been printed had been marked over with a black marker, which made me wonder if he had gotten them illegally.

  This didn’t seem like Aiden at all.

  My mind whirled at what this meant, as I questioned what to do. I needed to ask him what this meant. I needed him to tell me that I was misinterpreting what I saw. I needed him to prove to me that he was still the same person that I had known and had come to know again, the same person that I had fallen in love with. I reeled at the realization of the implications.

  The water stopped, and a few minutes later I heard Aiden walking down the hallway. For a split second I debated on throwing it back where I had found it, but I couldn’t let it go.

  I had to know.

  I straightened up and held the bottle out as he stepped into the kitchen. He had changed into a pair of jeans after his shower and he held his tee shirt on his left hand about to pull it on. He stopped when he saw me. At first he had a smile on his face to greet me, but I saw it fall as he recognized the item that I held in my hand.

  "Is there something you want to tell me about?" I asked, trying to keep my tone even but sensing the accusatory edge in my voice as I spoke.

  His eyebrows pulled together as his face grew dark.

  "Where did you get that!" he demanded.

/>   "Aiden, is there something going on that I should know about?" I said while holding the bottle out in front of him like a teacher who had confiscated a note.

  "What the hell, Blair!" he exclaimed. "Were you going through my things?"

  "It was right there,” I insisted, pointing to the top of the garbage can. "It was right on top. I just saw it there."

  He turned around and stormed out of the kitchen pulling his shirt on roughly. I followed him to the living room trying to get a gauge on his reaction. Clearly he was upset.

  "Aiden,” I said, softening my tone. "I'm not accusing you of anything. I just want to know what is going on. I'm just worried. That's all."

  I approached him as he had his back to me and tried to put my hands on his back, trying to regain some of the intimacy we had just shared a few moments ago. He flinched as I touched him and he crossed the living room to his shoes.

  "I think I should take you home,” he said without looking at me.

  "Aiden,” I said. "Talk to me, please."

  "There's nothing to talk about!" he exploded. I took a step back at his reaction. "Get your things. I'm taking you home."

  I stood for another moment, helpless and utterly at a loss as to what to do next.

  "Aiden," I said. "I'm confused. Help me understand. If you want an actual relationship, then we should be able to talk about these things. We have to be able to communicate, even about the unpleasant stuff..."

  The look in his eyes as he turned to me took my breath away. He stood and walked towards me across the living room, staring me down with his fingers flexing at his side.

  "Now you want a relationship?" he demanded, not at all the way I had imagined this conversation would go. Before I could reply he continued his voice rising in volume with each word. "What about professionalism! What about your career! Or how about, you know... basic privacy!"

  "I wasn't trying to invade your privacy!" I said before he could get any further.

  "Could have fooled me!" he shouted.

  "I'm telling you I saw it lying on top of the garbage can when I threw away the banana peel!"

  "So you've helped yourself to my food too! Anything else you'd like to go through? How about the cabinets in my bathroom! Or did you do that already!"

  "Aiden, calm down!" I said. "I was waiting for you to get out of the shower to tell you my decision! I just saw it there, Aiden. I should have left it there, but I didn't! Now that I have found out, I just want to know what is going on with you!"

  "What makes you think anything is going on! How do you know it is even mine?" he asked.

  "Who else would it belong to?" I said. I felt as if his reaction was a little bit over the top. This didn’t seem like that big of a deal, unless there was something else going on that I didn’t know about. "Aiden! I just want to know what's going on! Besides, if you’re on some kind of medication maybe this is something the law firm should know about!"

  As soon as the words were out of my mouth I knew I had made a mistake. I hadn’t meant for it to sound like a threat. I flung my hand over my mouth, as if to push the words back in, as if to take back the moment.

  The silence hung between us like a chasm.

  He looked at me, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment. I could see the vein in his forehead pulse as redness crept into his cheeks. We stood this way, frozen in the moment, eyes locked each other waiting for the other to give.

  I finally dropped my eyes to the floor. I shuffled my bare feet, suddenly aware that I only wore his shirt. It covered me like a dress hanging halfway to my knees, but I felt very naked and vulnerable.

  Here we were.

  After weeks of pushing him away, I had finally decided I wanted to be with him, and I had messed things up before they even had a chance to get started. On the other hand I felt as if the man before me was one I had never met before. Sure we had had arguments over the course of our friendship, but nothing like this. I didn’t know what to do.

  "Aiden," I stammered. "I didn't mean..."

  "I know what you meant," he said.

  He walked over to the pile of clothes and picked up my dress and bikini. He walked over to me and extending his arm glaring at me the whole time. I slowly took my clothes out of his hands and started down the hallway towards the bathroom to change.

  I looked down at the crumpled garments in my hands. Hang on, I thought. This is not how this is supposed to go. I slipped into the bathroom and quickly changed back into my clothes. When I returned to the living room, he stood by the door with his car keys in his hands waiting for me.

  "Aiden," I began. "Believe what you want, but I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I would never threaten you."

  He stood there, feet slightly apart, arms crossed, glaring at me.

  "I didn't mean it the way it sounded, I swear. I just... I wouldn't, Aiden. You know that. For a moment I actually kind of forgot that there was a competition going on between us,"

  He cast his eyes down and I moved forward trying to put my arms around his shoulders. He shrugged me off and stepped away, avoiding my eyes. He spoke in a quiet tone, and sounded almost defeated.

  "Do whatever you feel you have to do,” he said. "If it ruins me and that is how you win, you will have to live with that."

  I took a breath to begin to speak, but Aiden turned to look at me. The emotion in his eyes, while undefinable, struck me silent.

  "But at least you'll have your job, so at that point, what does it matter?" Without another word, he stepped out the door and stalked to his car.

  I had no other choice but to pick up the rest of my things and follow him out. I felt helpless as I climbed into the passenger side. I wanted to take back everything that had happened in the last ten minutes. The day had been so perfect, and I chided myself for bringing it up.

  My worry for him was sincere. I just wished there was some way that I could convince him of that.

  The ride home felt about as awkward as I would have expected. He didn’t speak until we pulled into my parking lot. I turned to him one last time, pleading with my eyes, unable to think of the right thing to say. But as I opened the door to get out I felt his hand on my wrist, pulling me back in with a gentle grasp.

  "Blair wait,” he said. I sat back down and closed the car door, waiting to hear what he had to say. He took a deep breath and rubbed his hands over his face before he began. "Blair, I'm sorry I reacted that way. Of course I know that you would never threaten me like that. I know that. I just.... I guess I was a little bit ashamed that you had seen them. I don't want you to think that of me. Just, don't tell anyone about it okay? It would end my career."

  "Of course I won't, Aiden,” I said. I still felt hurt at his accusation, but I wanted to find a way to tell him that I would never cross that line.

  "I want you to know..." He took another breath before he continued, "I started taking them years ago, when I first started law school. I mean, I have been able to go through times when I haven't used them at all, but sometimes when things get hectic, I just need something to help me focus, to concentrate a little better. Going up for this job, seeing you... I mean there's been a lot going on, you have to admit. But then..."

  "Then what?" I said when he paused, pressing him to continue.

  "Well, the point is that I'm not using them to alter my state of mind or to get messed up or anything like that. I've never been able to not function normally. It just helps me focus. That's all. But then lately, I discovered that I didn't even need them anymore, even with the stress of the case. I flushed what I had and threw the bottle away."

  "Oh Aiden,” I whispered. I knew it had taken a lot for him to tell me all of that.

  "But I know that... I can't. I mean, I don't think it's safe to just stop cold turkey."

  "I think you've been abusing them, Aiden,” I said. I wanted to say so much more, but I remained hesitant, at least for now.

  "I haven't been,” he said, turning to face me at last, looking into my eyes for the fir
st time since I had confronted him with the bottle back in the kitchen.

  I wanted to remain patient, but his refusal to admit his problem began to raise my ire once more.

  "Aiden, how have you been getting them?" I asked.

  "One of my old roommates is a doctor. He writes the prescriptions for me."

  "So you don't have ADHD and you aren't taking them to be treated for anything medical. That means you could be addicted. You're going to need help to get completely away from them,” I softened my voice. "Aiden, you should have told me. I want to be able to help you with this."

  "Yeah." He dropped his eyes looking a bit defeated once more. "Yeah, you're right. Can we get through this case first?"

  "Of course,” I said.

  "And you won't say anything about it to the lawyers? Or anyone else?"

  "No Aiden. I promise, I won't."

  "Again, I'm sorry I blew up at you,” he said. "I never should have acted that way. It's just... It's you. I was fucking afraid. That's all."

  "I get it,” I said with a small smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

  "Okay,” he said.

  He leaned forward to kiss me, but I turned my head at the last second. His attempt at affection landed on the edge of my cheek. Without another word I exited the car and trotted up the stairs to my apartment without looking back.

  Chapter Ten

  The following Monday in court went just as well as our first, if not better. Aiden and I worked well together, feeding off of the other's energy. Once we got into the proceedings, I barely thought about our argument.

  As the case progressed, it became more apparent to me that the prosecution hadn’t put much energy into building much of a case, outside of the fact that Darius Shaw was standing over the body when the police arrived. They didn’t take into account the thoroughness of our evidence and how we had put it together. They didn’t realize that we had more information that we had become privy to through the thorough collection of evidence done by the detectives on the case.