“Are you kidding me? You didn’t even knock!”
Aidan didn’t respond immediately, letting his eyes do the talking instead. He studied each curve and plane of my body—particularly my legs—and I had to remind myself to keep breathing. It was ridiculous how easy it was for him to turn me into that high school girl who was head over heels for him, even more so with the way he looked.
He sported a black Armani suit and Italian leather shoes that were perfectly polished. The only accessory he wore was an expensive watch, which completed his alpha appearance. I pressed my thighs together to soothe the throb in my mound and tried to stop my wayward thoughts.
“That dress...,” he said, his voice unusually husky. His blazing eyes finally met mine, causing a flood of intense emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. “It looks good on you.”
I shifted on my feet, noticing the increasing bulge in his pants. My cheeks displayed two red blotches of shame that I hoped to hide, but as soon as I turned my back to him, he came right behind me and put his hand on my hips, freezing me in place.
“Aidan,” I breathed out and closed my eyes, painfully aware of his warm breath that caressed my earlobe. He was close—too close—and I couldn’t even move.
“You’re more beautiful than ever,” his whisper created tingles on my skin. “I thought I’d gotten over you, baby. But you proved me wrong.”
I snapped my eyes open and looked at him over my shoulder. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He’d already stepped away, not even looking at me as he fixed his tie. “Don’t make Elle and me wait any longer for you. Hurry up,” he said, ignoring my question, and left my room.
* * *
The place where Aidan had taken us oozed money and extravagance, catering to the type of people who enjoyed excessive comforts while throwing judgmental looks here and there. They wore designer clothes that I would never dare wear—not that I wanted to—and just seemed too fake. I relied on wine to help me get over the awkwardness of this place and the tension that grew stronger between Aidan and me.
“So, Cat? What are your plans? Looking for a new job?” Elle asked me from across the table.
I felt Aidan’s proximity, and I asked myself for the umpteenth time why he’d had to sit right next to me. I’d lost my appetite right that moment, shifting under his non-stop attention. Did he really have to be so close?
“That’s the plan. Yeah. I tried going solo, but that’s not what I want.”
“Why not?” Aidan asked and took a sip of his whiskey.
I glanced at him and found his gaze already on me. I bit my lip, hoping I didn’t show just how fazed I was. “Why not? I’m a concept artist, so going solo in this field is not so lucrative.”
“But do you want to be on your own? Permanently?”
His face was serious as he studied me and I thought carefully about the question. It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought about it before. I’d taken into consideration all my possibilities and restrictions and concluded that I wouldn’t want to put myself in another field. I liked creating illustrations that could be used in other people’s projects. It was something that suited me best.
“Not really. Somehow I take pride in knowing I contributed to something that is bigger than anything I could make on my own.”
“Have you found anything yet?” Elle asked me.
“I have a few scheduled interviews next week. Hopefully, everything will go well.”
“I’m not worried about you. You’re a great artist and everyone will see that.”
I smiled, glad to have her support. “You think?”
“Yes. You’ve always been so passionate about drawing—always working so hard to improve it, that there is no way they’ll reject you.”
I erupted in giggles. “Now you just sound like my mother.”
“Hey, I just speak the truth!”
“Why did you decide to come back?” Aidan made this sudden question so quietly that I needed a moment to register it.
“Why?”
“Yes. Of all places, why did you come back to L.A.?”
His question left me dumbfounded, and I actually had to think carefully before I gave him the answer. I missed Elle and my city, but I wasn’t so homesick that I had to fly over several states and come back.
“I don’t know,” I mumbled and took a big gulp of wine, blushing.
Elle began a story about two of her workers who were caught together in the conference room’s closet, but I tuned her out when I felt Aidan’s hand on my knee. I glanced at him sideways and saw him smirk as he looked at Elle, occasionally nodding to whatever she’d been saying.
I jerked my leg, hoping this would be a good enough clue for him to remove his hand, but it didn’t have the desired effect. He slid his hand up my thigh and under my dress, and I recoiled, completely taken aback. I glanced at Elle to see if she noticed me acting weird, but she was typing something on her phone, oblivious to what Aidan was doing to me. I whipped my gaze back at him and almost choked on my spit when I met his dark eyes—they were so dark that they looked black.
He leaned toward me and whispered into my ear, “You came back because of me, didn’t you?”
I clasped my hand across my mouth so I wouldn’t let a startled gasp out. His fingers were so close to my panties now, and I couldn’t comprehend how fast everything was happening. All of a sudden, he was touching me so intimately, making me forget all reason.
“Are you okay?” Elle asked me, finally aware of the change in me.
“Yeah. Sure. Um, I need to go to the restroom. I’ll be right back.”
Without even looking at Aidan, I stood up and strode to the nearest restroom. I went to the sink and grasped the edge of the counter, observing myself in the mirror. My face was beet red and my eyes were glassy, showing my inner turmoil. I pressed my hand against my heart to slow it down, but it didn’t work, and I found myself clutching the counter too hard.
I was too lost in my thoughts when the door opened and Aidan got inside, locking the door behind him.
“What are you doing?”
He was already next to me, invading my space. I backed myself against the counter, which he used to get even closer and cage me in with his arms.
“Aidan, I said—”
He slammed his lips down on mine, cutting off my sentence. I brought my hands against his rock-hard chest and tried to push him away, bewildered that he was actually kissing me, but he didn’t move even an inch. He snaked his arm around my waist and forced his way into my mouth, thrusting his tongue deep inside.
I moaned and stopped resisting, drowning in a sudden pleasure that overtook me. He ground against me, drawing my attention to his rigid dick that was now pressing against all the right places, and my body grew hot.
His hand grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head, allowing him full access to my neck. His lips traced my jaw and neck, reaching my collarbone, and I actually wanted more. I wrapped my hands around his neck and pressed him against my sensitive skin, silently begging him to keep kissing me.
With a groan, he grabbed my hips, bringing me on the top of the counter. “I wanted this so badly,” he muttered against my neck as he stepped in between my legs and placed them around his waist. “You smell delicious.”
I lost any sense of decency as I returned his fervent kiss, pulling him in closer to me. I didn’t care that we were kissing like this in here—of all places. I didn’t care about the inner voice that was nagging at me, telling me sober up. I let myself feel and unleash the long-hidden passion that was just begging to be released.
“Aidan.” I arched my back when he cupped my breasts over my dress, making my nipples harden instantly.
“What I like the most about this dress is that you aren’t wearing any bra,” he said and lowered his mouth down my neck, stopping right above the hem of my dress. His gaze locked with mine, something indescribable passing through his eyes. “You have no idea how you make me feel, do you?”
Just as his mouth connected with my nipple over the thin material of my dress, someone tried entering, giving several harsh knocks when they found out that the restroom was locked.
“Fuck,” Aidan growled and straightened himself up, breathing too fast. His lustful eyes slid over my swollen lips and puckered nipples, moving even lower, where I needed his touch the most, but he didn’t touch me at all.
The knocks interrupted our silence again, but both Aidan and I remained still until that person decided to give up and use another restroom.
My brain finally functioning, I pushed him away from me and got off the countertop. “What was this all about?” I hissed at him, too angry with myself for actually letting him do this.
He’d broken my heart ten years ago, and now I was practically throwing myself at him at the first hint of desire from him. I was better than this.
“You came here because of me,” he repeated the same words he’d used earlier, but this time he sounded so sure of it. His stare was challenging me to deny it.
“What are you talking about, Aidan? Don’t be so arrogant. This has nothing to do with you. And I’ve moved on a long time ago—”
His lips were now inches away from me as he closed the distance between us once more and leaned into my face, his eyes devouring me. “You’ve never moved on, Catherine. Just like me. I’ve never moved on, and now that I finally have you back, I won’t waste my chance again.”
He let these words hang in the air and walked out of the restroom, making a mess out of my mind and life once more.
3
I looked at myself in the mirror, cursing Aidan for contributing to my horrible “zombie” look. I had huge purple bags under my eyes, and I could swear I had more wrinkles around my eyes than usual. I was barely able to have a few hours of uninterrupted sleep thanks to Aidan’s words in that restroom last night.
I rewound that moment, again and again, thinking about the way he looked at me when he admitted that he hadn’t moved on. I knew I wasn’t supposed to care about anything he said, but emotions went against all reason since I first laid eyes on him after those long years apart. Wasn’t he the one who refused me and broke my heart in pieces? Wasn’t he the one who said we were never meant to be together?
So how dare he speak those words? I was the one hurt, not him.
“You look like you’re ready to kill someone,” Elle told me when I entered the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee in her hand.
I glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that it was almost noon. Wasn’t she supposed to be working by now?
“Are you volunteering to be my victim?” I winked at her and opened the fridge.
I was starving, and usually when I was nervous, food was the only thing that managed to calm me down. Elle had always wondered how I managed to stay in shape since I was always eating something.
“What are you doing here anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Usually, I spend Monday mornings working at home. As soon as I drink this coffee, I’m off to my office. How about you? Getting a late start as always?” She looked at my pyjamas pointedly.
I shrugged my shoulders as I debated on whether I would make a simple sandwich or actually cook something. I wasn’t good with cooking, but I grew tired of sandwiches I ate for every meal lately. I’d been too busy with moving to actually make something else than that.
“You know me. I don’t like getting up early.”
“You’re lazy.”
“And you’re preaching.” I stuck my tongue at her, deciding to cook.
By the time I prepared all the ingredients I needed, Elle was out and on her way to work. She’d offered to help me, but I’d told her I was old enough to make my own meals.
Now, twenty minutes into cooking, I regretted not accepting her help. I’d left the pan with rice and vegetables on the stove and went to change into something casual, but then I smelled smoke, and I realized something was burning.
“Shit!”
I bolted out of my room in only a shirt and panties and almost ran into Aidan, who was on his way to the stove that was barely visible from fumes surrounding it.
“What the fuck did you do?” his harsh voice rendered me speechless.
His reaction was quicker than mine since he’d already put the kitchen gloves on and moved the pan to the sink, while all I was able to do was stand and watch him. I stared dumbfounded at the steam that rose from the pan when he brought it under the strong current of water, wondering how I could have messed up such a simple thing. Then my eyes fell on his strong ass beneath his designer business suit, and something flickered in me—something I’d tried to suppress to no avail.
He was so composed and organized, ruling over every situation, and it was beyond sexy.
“Why are you just standing there?” He glanced at me over his shoulder. “Turn off the stove.”
Oh right. Silly me. “Right.”
I did what he’d told me and opened the window to clear the air. Now that Aidan had the situation under control, I felt like an idiot, and struggled to find my words. I wanted to thank him, but I didn’t want him to get all smug about this, which, if his face was anything to go by, he was.
“Thank you for helping me,” I muttered when he left the pan on the counter and faced me.
It seemed like he registered now what I was wearing since he did a double take. My whole body warmed instantly as his eyes scanned me, leaving no inch unobserved. I wasn’t wearing a bra, and my panties were so small that I was afraid they didn’t actually hide anything. I felt naked, but I couldn’t let him see me flustered. I couldn’t let him win.
He cleared his throat and adjusted his tie, ignoring what I’d said. “Are you nuts? How did you manage to make such a mess out of one simple task?” His dismissive tone was preventing me from keeping my anger at bay, and my mind swarmed with the nastiest words I could tell him.
I crossed my arms over my chest, which pushed my breasts upward. His eyes went straight to them, growing darker with lust, and it was making me hot. Hating my reaction, I ordered my brain to take over and stop this madness, but my desire was stronger despite his gruffness.
“I know that I screwed up, but you don’t have to be so rude about it.”
“I’m just speaking the truth. Why are you cooking when you obviously can’t manage it?”
“This can happen to anyone, Aidan. You don’t have to be so hard on a person.”
He straightened up and hooded his eyes, flashing me his panties-dropping smirk. “Oh, there’s something hard, alright. Do you want to check it out, sweetheart?” he asked suggestively, and just like that, my eyes went to his crotch.
Oh, my God. He was huge. I didn’t even notice him approach me until he was right in front of me, and I went backward, hoping to evade him. Fat chance. He backed me against the table and grabbed my hips, leaning into my face, and I couldn’t breathe anymore. Desire overwhelmed me, making reason disappear, leaving a place for hunger only.
“Don’t you know what happens when you walk around almost naked? Are you doing this on purpose?”
“How was I supposed to know you would be here? Stop speaking nonsense. Besides, I was about to put some clothes on when this happened.”
“Then maybe it’s a good thing this happened after all since I got to see you like this.” He winked at me and slid his hands down my waist, dangerously close to my butt.
No. I wanted this so much, but I couldn’t let him... I pushed against his chest, trying to move him away from me, but he didn’t budge. In fact, he erased any distance between us when he pressed his body flush against mine, his erection poking my stomach.
“Aidan, stop this,” I let out weakly when his lips found their way to my neck. He sucked and nibbled on my skin, making me lose my mind completely. Before I could even process what was going on, he dropped me on top of the table and stood between my legs, leaving countless tiny kisses across my neck. “Aidan... Oh, my God. What are you doing?”
“What I was supposed to do a long time ago.”
His lips crashed into mine, and a sweet sensation ran through my veins, making me forget about all my doubts and just surrender to the feeling. I moaned, which allowed him to thrust his tongue deep into my mouth, causing my pussy to throb with sudden pleasure. His hands roamed all over my back and waist, reaching my breasts and cupping them both.
“Aidan...”
His lips traced my jaw and neck before they went even lower and connected with my breast, sending my heart into overdrive.
“Aidan! Ah...”
He was kissing my nipple over my shirt, which had turned into a hard pebble that begged for his attention. I grasped his head and pressed against him, but then the front door opened.
“Cat? Cat, have you seen my folder with documents?” Elle said from somewhere out of the kitchen.
Aidan and I separated from each other like we’d been burned, both of us putting some distance between us before Elle saw us in a compromising position. I took a deep breath, wishing my cheeks weren’t so red and cursed Aidan internally for looking ever so unfazed.
“Cat?” Elle halted on the doorway, glancing between Aidan and me. She noticed the clothes I was wearing—or rather the lack of them—and raised her eyebrows. “What are you guys doing?”
Aidan was already on his way out. “Nothing. I was just helping Catherine with the mess she made.”
“Riiight. And I guess walking around almost naked is what’s considered normal these days?” she asked me.
“Don’t imagine things that aren’t there. I’d burned my breakfast and he helped me. That’s all.”
“Okay.” She called after Aidan who went out of the kitchen. “What are you doing here?” she asked him.
“I forgot something too and had to come back,” I heard him say before the front door slammed shut and he was gone.
Deciding to definitely make a sandwich now—not that I had any appetite left after the intense kissing session with Aidan—I went to the fridge, aware of Elle’s inquisitive stare.
Always You: A Billionaire Second Chance Romance Page 2