Exposed Affections

by Rene Folsom

  He smiled in return and reached over to grab my hand, interlacing his fingers with mine.

  After we got to the house and quickly toasted some bread, we took our sad excuse for a dinner to Coda’s room. The toast was just enough to make my belly stop trying to eat my insides, but not too much that I was threatened to bring it all back up.

  After kicking my heels toward the closet, I peeled my work shirt off, earning a gasp from behind me. Coda sprang to his feet from the bed.

  “What the hell, Julia!” Coda exclaimed as he reached out to touch the bruises on my arms. “Who hurt you? There’s no way I did—”

  I stopped him with my fingers over his lips. “No, you definitely did not do this.”

  “Then who the fuck did? There’s no way in hell Aiden would have done this.”

  I shook my head to calmly let Coda know it wasn’t Aiden.

  “I’ll tell you the whole story, Coda. I just need you to promise not to interject and jump down my throat like Aiden did. He wouldn’t even let me speak… and if you do that to me now, I swear, I’ll walk.”

  Coda stilled, a stunned look clear as glass across his face. He finally found his words and said, “I’ll listen.”

  Still in my bra, shorts, and stockings, I made my way to the other side of the bed, plopped down, and began to tell him everything. About Vic, the fact Mr. Matthews seemed to know I was with Aiden, and Aiden’s asshole reaction.

  “Are you done?” Coda asked, no anger in his voice. I nodded.

  “Okay, first, I have a question… are you all right?” he asked as he lightly touched at the bruises with the backs of his knuckles.

  “Yeah. Other than being shocked about everything that happened, I’m fine. I was never even involved with Vic. I don’t know why he thinks I owe him something. We’ve maybe seen each other three times, at most. We’ve never talked on the phone. He walked me to class one day. I just don’t get it. And how did Mr. Matthews know anything? I was completely speechless when he demanded to escort me to Aiden’s office. He said he doesn’t care to know anything… didn’t need or want me to explain or defend myself. Then when he saw Aiden, it was like they were old chums and he told Aiden to take good are of me.”

  “Wait, is this Charles Matthews? Big guy with a beard?” Coda asked.

  “Yeah. He said he knew you two from high school, but I was leery as to whether that was true or not,” I explained.

  “Yep. We went to high school with him. Nice guy. I vaguely remember Aiden telling me he ran into one of our high school classmates at school, but he didn’t tell me he was a teacher. How he knew about you two is beyond me, but I bet that’s why I felt the feeling of betrayal yesterday. Aiden must think you told Chuck. Although, why he would be so stupid as to assume you would do that, is also beyond my understanding.”

  “That’s probably what upsets me the most. Aiden just jumped all over me. He yelled at me, Coda! He asked if I was okay while Mr. Matthews was still standing there, but once he left, Aiden couldn’t care less whether I was hurt or not. He didn’t even ask who it was that Matthews had to pry off me,” I pondered.

  “Shit, Julia. Aiden can be such an ass sometimes. Come here,” he said as he held his arms open for me.

  I went to him willingly and savored the feel of Coda wrapped around me, warming me, protecting me.

  Footsteps sounded down the hall, inching closer with each pounding step. I tensed in Coda’s arms.

  “Don’t be afraid of him, Julia. Even though he’s been a total asshat, you know darn well he would never do anything to hurt you,” Coda defended.

  “I’m not afraid of him… I’m pissed. Every cruel word that comes out of his mouth hurts, Coda. Each blow is like a stab to my heart. I know he and I have only known each other for five minutes, but I honestly thought he knew me better than that. I feel like a fool for thinking so…”

  I cut my words off just as the footsteps stopped in front of the doorway. I felt like I was being hidden away from a big bad monster. Only, this monster was no monster at all. It was Aiden—a man that managed to break through my barriers and enter my broken world. A man I allowed myself to love… or at least I thought I loved. It was all so confusing and exhausting.

  “Come with me for a minute. I have something I can put on those bruises to hopefully help them fade quicker,” Coda said as he scooted off the bed and offered me his hand.

  After leading me into the bathroom and applying the arnica gel to my biceps, Coda gently unclasped my bra and pushed the straps from my shoulders. Facing the mirror, my bra fell, baring my breasts and causing a light moan to escape Coda’s mouth.

  Standing behind me, Coda placed a light kiss on my shoulder, brushing his lips ever so gently against my skin, making shivers roll down my spine.

  “So fucking beautiful,” he whispered. “And those stockings are really driving me wild. Will you keep them on while I make love to you, Julia?”

  Stunned that he still wanted to make love to me, I met his gaze in the mirror and saw smoldering, gray eyes staring back at me.

  Just as a thrill of excitement tickled through my body, so did uncertainty. As Coda trailed his fingers down my spine and slowly unzipped my shorts along the backside, I became lost in a sea of lust and doubt. Such contradiction was bound to split me in two.

  Coda looped his thumbs through the thin, silky sides of my panties and slowly let them fall to the floor along with my shorts. I stood in front of the mirror, naked, except for the sheer black stockings.

  Would I be able to make love to Coda and not think about Aiden? Could I truly enjoy myself knowing Aiden was only a few feet away and possibly hated me?

  “What’s the matter, Julia?” Coda asked, bringing me out of my nightmarish thoughts.

  I just shook my head and looked away from his powerful scrutiny. Coda circled my body and wedged himself between the counter and my naked form. Leaning his ass against the countertop, he grabbed my waist and brought me flush against his hard, muscular frame.

  Grabbing my chin, just like Aiden always did, he brought my eyes to meet his.

  “Talk to me.”

  “You want honesty, right? Even if it may hurt your feelings?” I asked tentatively.

  “That’s all I ask,” he cautiously responded.

  I bit my lip, fearful I would lose them both. Again, he mimicked Aiden’s moves, just like a twin would, and used his thumb to gently pry my teeth from my lip.

  “Okay, I know this may sound ridiculous, but I’m worried,” I said as I contemplated what to say or how to say what I was thinking. “I don’t want to lose you both, yet I don’t want to come between two brothers either. Will Aiden be upset if you and I make love without him? And will I truly be able to enjoy myself knowing he hates me?”

  “Ah, shit, Julia. He doesn’t hate you. He may be treating you like crap all because of a misunderstanding, which makes him a total ass. But, trust me, he doesn’t hate you. The man is head over heels for you.”

  “I’m sorry I’m bringing the mood down. I just can’t stand knowing I’ve upset him. His words echo in my head like a million bells are ringing in my ears,” I explained.

  “I know and I’m sorry. As to your first question, I actually do think he would be upset if we have sex without him. Although, he will likely be upset with me, not you,” Coda said in an attempt to comfort me.

  “That doesn’t help, Coda. I don’t want him to be upset with you. I would rather him hate me than to ever come between the bond you two have.”

  “We don’t deserve you, Julia,” Coda said with sadness and awe in his eyes. “Come on. We’re putting an end to this stupid charade right now. I don’t care if you two have midterms tomorrow.”

  Coda grabbed my wrist and yanked me out of the bathroom toward his bedroom door.

  Chapter 17

  “Now I have two fuckers to kill.”

  “Coda, no! I’m not dressed,” I scolded as I attempted to pull away from his hold on me. “Going over there naked is definitely n
ot a good idea, Coda. Stop!”

  “Shh. Hush now. You’ll be fine,” he commanded. “Wait. Put these on,” he directed as he grabbed my heels and knelt before me to help slide them on my feet.

  “But…”

  Just as I was determined to protest, he opened his bedroom door and peeked his head out, looking both ways like he planned to cross a busy street.

  “Coast is clear,” he whispered, while tugging me along behind him.

  “Why can’t we just go through the joined bathroom, Coda?” I whispered, while tugging harder on his hand.

  “Because he has it locked. Don’t worry and follow me.”

  I quickly scurried with him toward Aiden’s door, huddling close to Coda in any attempt to hide my bareness. How would it look to Tanya if she came out and saw me butt-ass naked in nothing but sheer black stockings that come to mid-thigh and kitten heels, while clinging to Aiden’s brother?

  I was half expecting Aiden’s main door to be locked as well, mainly because if I were him, I would have all my doors locked. Thankfully, it was open.

  Coda all too slowly pushed the door open and guided me by the small of my back into the pitch-dark room. The soft, muted glow from the moon was the only light and was barely bright enough for me to tell Aiden wasn’t in bed.

  As we walked in a little further, my hands wringing nervously in front of me, I finally saw him. He sat at the edge of the large, plush chair with his elbows on his knees, one hand tensely pulling through his hair while the other swirled a small glass of liquid. I couldn’t see what color it was, but by the smell, I knew it was a nice, smooth brandy. Aiden was wearing the same thing as Coda—nothing but a pair of sexy, worn jeans.

  “We need to talk,” Coda said sternly, breaking the silence in the room.

  Aiden quickly looked up as if he hadn’t noticed we entered. His eyes were so vibrant, like they could glow in the dark, with just a hint of the moonlight making them gleam.

  “I can’t talk to her like that,” he said sharply as he looked back down at his glass. I knew it was a bad idea to come in here, especially with me being totally naked and vulnerable. I wanted to crawl under the bed and hide.

  As I began to turn, Coda stopped me and said, “Tough shit, Aiden. Get over yourself.”

  As Aiden looked back up in my direction, I noticed his eyes were glazed over… almost as if he had been crying.

  Not caring anymore about the cruel words he had branded me with over the past two days, I confidently walked over to him with a dire compulsion to comfort whatever ache he suffered from. It may not have been rational, but my need to nurture this man far exceeded anything cogent.

  Gently placing my hands on his knees, I knelt in front of him and touched his face. I didn’t say anything for a long while. I just stared at this enigmatic man and attempted to be strong for him.

  Finally, I found my voice and I whispered, “Why?”

  “Why what?” His voice cracked as a silent tear trickled down his cheek and pooled at the tip of my thumb.

  “Why do you have tears for me?”

  “You really have no idea how much you mean to me, do you?” he said with a tremble in his voice and the smell of brandy rolling from his breath.

  “How could I? Here I am, thinking you hate me because I’m… broken,” I murmured as I continued to cradle his face in my hands. “The way you’ve been speaking to me makes me wonder why you even bothered to put up with my baggage for this long.”

  He shut his eyes tight, causing a few more drops to leak down his cheeks. “I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. I just… I don’t know what to do.”

  “May I make a suggestion?” I asked timidly.

  He just nodded as he opened his eyes and solidly looked at me.

  “Listen to me?” I said. Even though it wasn’t a question, I still phrased it as one, unsure if he would actually accept. “Listen to me and stop talking down to me like I’m filth. I’ve put up with it once and I’ll be damned if I allow someone to treat me that way again.”

  Aiden nodded again before shifting back in his chair, forcing me to let go of the hold I had on his face. I quickly sat up on my knees a little more, shifting so I was in between his legs.

  “Please, Angel. I don’t want you to hurt your knees. Come up here and I’ll listen,” he said as he grabbed one of my arms to help me up. I winced and hissed an intake of breath at the pain.

  Man, they were deep bruises.

  Just as quick as I showed any sign of pain, Coda was immediately behind me, placing his hands under my arms to help me up. I could have gotten up on my own. Just because my arms were bruised didn’t mean I was an invalid.

  “What’s the matter?” Aiden asked as he looked back and forth between Coda and me.

  “Just let her talk, Aiden,” Coda said as he held my hand out in Aiden’s direction. Aiden accepted my hand, and then guided me to sit on his lap.

  I willingly sank onto his right thigh and brought my knees up, curling them over his other thigh. I lowered my head onto his shoulder and reveled in his heady scent. If I didn’t start talking soon, I was never going to get the chance to voice my side of the story.

  “I didn’t tell Matthews anything. I swear I didn’t. I was in complete shock when he ordered me to come with him to your office. He said he knew you from high school, but I was even hesitant to believe that, worried he was trying to dig up some information about us. I was also very terrified and I did need you so badly. Vic… the guy I had that date set up with on Wednesday of last week. He approached me while I was walking to the art building, alone. No one was around and I had no idea what the hell to do when he grabbed me, angry with me, and yelled at me that I used him,” I said, pausing to take a breath.

  “Matthews suddenly appeared and I don’t know what would have happened if he hadn’t stumbled across us. When he suggested that I go to your office so as not to be alone, I panicked again. I didn’t know what to say or do because HE was the one to suggest it, not me.”

  Aiden wrapped his arms around me and squeezed tight, causing me to let out a slight whimper at the feel of his arms coming in contact with my biceps.

  Fuck, they hurt.

  “Damn it, Julia. Did he hurt you?” Aiden asked.

  I just nodded.

  “Bruises. Really severe bruises where he grabbed her arms,” Coda chimed in. I looked over to see he was sitting across from us on the coffee table.

  Aiden loosened his grip immediately and shifted himself so he could look down at me.

  “Coda, could you do me a favor and turn the light on?” Aiden asked.

  Within moments, a light near Aiden’s desk was brought to life and made me grimace at the onslaught of illumination.

  “Shit,” Aiden exclaimed as he sat up further, causing me to bring my feet back to the floor and sit up with him. “These were caused by him squeezing your arms? Now I have two fuckers to kill.”

  “See, that’s another thing. I don’t want you to lash out at anyone. I know you want to defend me, but they’re not worth it. They’re not worth a valuable person like yourself being locked up because you had to protect a weakling like me. I don’t even know why you would want to bother…”

  “You’re not weak,” he said, cutting me off as I rambled. “And you’re worth it, Julia. These creeps don’t deserve to lay a finger on an angelic creature like you.”

  “Aiden?”

  “Yes, love.”

  “Why did you react so badly? I know it must have looked bad, but I was beside myself when you refused to listen to me or allow me to defend myself. What happened?” I asked, curious to know if there was another factor to this whole mess.

  “I got an email from the school administrators that I have to meet with them regarding allegations of sexual involvement with a student. The thing is, I was expecting them to want to meet with me, but the fact that they put the allegations in an email… well, it makes me wonder how valid it really is. I was in the middle of reading the email when you call
ed sounding upset. I had no right to speak to you the way I did. I’m sorry. I was vulnerable and stupid and…”

  I placed my fingers on his mouth to shut him up long enough to close the gap and allow my lips to land on his. I didn’t kiss him for long, just a light, tender kiss that lasted mere seconds.

  “I’ll go with you to the meeting, bro. You know I will,” Coda spoke next to us, causing us to look in his direction.

  “Well, if they hadn’t put the allegations directly in the email, I would say coming with me would look suspicious. But since they put them clear as day in the message, then I guess I have no choice but to bring my lawyer and my twin brother, who also happens to be the person my student is dating.”

  “When is it?” Coda asked.

  “Thursday afternoon. I imagine they’re waiting until the midterms are complete for me,” Aiden replied.

  “Julia’s hearing is Thursday morning, so that is do-able. Although, you both are eating up my entire day,” Coda joked.

  “I’m sorry I’m such a pain in the ass to you both,” I sincerely added as I wrapped my arm around Aiden’s neck.

  He kissed my cheek and said, “You’re anything but a pain, Julia. But I can’t say the same for these guys you seem to attract. I understand every man in the world wanting you, but why they think they can treat something so beautiful with such contempt…”

  “Not to be a bitch, Aiden. But you haven’t been quite the reasonable male the past two days either. Not that you would ever lay a hand on me, I know that much. I just never fathomed you would jump to conclusions like you did. Coda has asked me to be open and honest with both of you, and I intend to do just that. I would never go behind your back and deceive you,” I explained as I looked up at his handsome face.

  “The reason I brought Julia to your room tonight, Aiden, is because I know this whole thing was a misunderstanding. Communication needed to happen. Her confidence was so beat down because of all this, she wasn’t even comfortable looking at herself in the mirror,” Coda added.