Naughty or Nice

by Jennifer Hanks

“No better word for what you are right now.” He slapped me on the back of my shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, you’re not the only one who’s smitten.”

  I nodded and stopped when the girls opened the door to the restaurant. “That does make me feel better.”

  Jack laughed, and I motioned for him to go in ahead of me. We followed the girls and watched Andy run toward the play area that took up the entire side of the restaurant. He was already sliding down a slide by the time we stepped up to the counter and began ordering.

  We found a table and sat to wait for the waitress to bring our orders. I looked across the table at Taylor who had taken the seat next to Jack and was looking around like she’d never been here before. “Have you eaten here before?”

  She shook her head and met my stare. “Not since I was a kid, and they didn’t have all of this.” She gestured toward the slides and ball pit off to her left.

  Kate pointed at me. “Aaron’s actually the one who brought me here, with Andy, pretty soon after I’d moved to town and started working for you.”

  “Really?” Taylor asked, tilting her head to the side. “I heard you dated for a while, but I wasn’t sure if that was only a rumor.”

  I laughed. “I don’t think you could call it dating.”

  Kate laughed along with me and Taylor looked between us. “Why not?”

  “It was only one date,” She held up her fingers in air quotes when she said date before continuing. “And it ended that night.”

  Taylor looked at me. “Why did it end so fast?”

  “Luke showed up at her house almost immediately after she’d given me my walking papers.”

  Kate laughed. “I hope I was nicer than you’re making it sound.”

  “Not really,” I teased, and she slapped me on the arm.

  Kate looked over at Jack who was sitting quietly beside Taylor. “Sorry, Jack, this is probably more than you wanted to know.”

  “Heard all about it when it happened, darlin’.” He leaned forward, and his gaze landed on me. “I’m glad you asked her out, and she said yes. Made my boy move a little faster.”

  I laughed and saw a genuine smile gracing Taylor’s face. “Glad I could help out,” I answered sarcastically.

  “You seein’ anyone special now?”

  I shook my head in Jack’s direction, not at all surprised he was stirring the pot. My attention shifted from Jack’s smirk to Taylor who was looking over my shoulder, but I knew she was listening.

  Focusing back on Jack, I grinned. “I am seeing someone.”

  Kate chuckled beside me. I knew she suspected something was going on between Taylor and I, especially after she saw lipstick on my lip in Taylor’s office.

  “You are? Who?” she asked innocently, but I knew better.

  Taylor shifted on her seat but still wouldn’t look back at the three of us. I let my attention settle on Kate. “We’re keeping it to ourselves for now.”

  “Why?” She leaned forward and put her elbows on the table.

  He shrugged. “Because that’s what she wants.”

  She tilted her head to the side. “What do you want?”

  I didn’t even think before I responded. “I want her.”

  Kate laid her hand over her heart. “God, you are so nice. I hope she’s not taking advantage of you.”

  I smiled down at Kate but held my tongue. She had no idea how much I wanted Taylor Hawkins to take advantage of me.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Taylor

  “Time’s up, sis. Spill it.”

  I laughed at the seriousness in Renee’s voice. “Spill what?”

  “Spill whatever happened that’s making you sound so happy.”

  “I just had a nice day, that’s all.”

  She snorted. “That’s a lie. Now tell me.”

  I laughed harder and snuggled into the corner of my couch, pulling my legs up so I could rest my cup of coffee on top of my knees. “I’m getting the house.”

  She squealed. “Are you serious? How? The last time we talked, you apologized to Aaron, but that was it.”

  “He and I met yesterday to talk about the house, and I told him about us riding our bikes past it every weekend. He retracted his offer.”

  “Just like that?” she asked suspiciously.

  “He’s nice,” I defended.

  “No one’s that nice.” She snorted. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I hadn’t told Renee about our night together or yesterday when I’d somehow ended up having burgers and fries with him and Kate’s family. I’d woken this morning wondering what I was going to do with all the feelings I was having for him.

  Glancing outside, I smiled at the sun rising over the buildings across the street. Both Renee and I were early risers, and I owed her a phone call, so I took a chance I’d catch her before she started her day and got lucky. But I did owe her some explanations.

  I sighed. “Okay, I’ll tell you.”

  “Go on,” she encouraged.

  “The other night, I went to his house to apologize, and we sort of, well…”

  I trailed off, but it turned out I didn’t need to voice what had happened. “You slept with him.”

  “Yeah,” I whispered and took a small sip of my coffee.

  “And…”

  I could almost see her waving her hand in the air for me to continue, so I did. “And I left the next morning without saying good-bye.”

  “Tay,” she said, disappointment lacing her words.

  “I was afraid of the morning after talk,” I admitted. “Anyway, he came into the office later and confronted me about leaving…”

  “Did you have sex in your office?”

  “Kind of,” I said quietly.

  She squealed. “Oh my god, that’s so hot.” I found myself smiling while she giggled. “Then what happened?”

  “Okay, long story short, we talked about the Martin house, and he graciously withdrew his offer. I went to the Martin house to discuss my purchase and then came back to work. When I got there, my receptionist Kate, her son, and father-in-law were leaving for an early dinner and invited Aaron and me along.”

  “Did you go?”

  “We did.” I smiled at the memory. “It was nice, but then we got back to the office, and Aaron left for the day.”

  “You haven’t heard from him since?”

  I looked down at my mug and frowned. “No.”

  “Do you want to hear from him?” she asked cautiously.

  I exhaled loudly, but it was time to admit my feelings, if only to my sister. “Yeah, I do.”

  “I knew it,” she said loudly. “I knew you had feelings for him.”

  I laughed. “I do, but I’m having a hard time putting myself out there again. This kind of relationship could be a huge disaster, Renee.”

  “Or, and I’m stressing this part, the best thing that ever happened in your life.”

  I heard a low voice and my sister’s muffled reply of, “I’ll be right there.”

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “Umm…no one,” she answered.

  “You little liar,” I teased. “You’ve been lecturing me, but I have a feeling you’ve got something you haven’t wanted to talk about either.”

  “Ugh, I do, but I promise I will tell you everything when I can.” She said something else to whoever was in her apartment, but I couldn’t make out the words this time. “Tay, I have to go. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Sure,” I agreed. “Just be careful.”

  She giggled. “You too.”

  We hung up, and I sat very quietly on my couch, watching the sun rise while I finished my coffee. I thought about my sister and who was in her apartment, knowing full well it was a man’s voice I heard, but even knowing that and being curious, my mind kept wandering back to Aaron.

  Shaking it off, I got up and placed my cup in the sink before I headed to the bathroom. It was Saturday, and for the first ti
me in a long time, I wasn’t going into the office. I was going to shower, get dressed, and go Christmas shopping.

  I’d barely gotten out of the shower when my doorbell rang, and I frowned. Grabbing my robe, I threw it on and ran my hand through my wet hair while I hurried from the bathroom. Leaning into the door, I looked through the peephole, and my shoulders dropped when I saw who was standing on the other side.

  I pulled open the door and forced a small smile. “Hi, Mom.”

  She pushed inside in a huff, and I rubbed my hand along my forehead. I knew from the look on her face that this wasn’t a happy visit.

  They usually weren’t.

  Closing the door with a soft click, I leaned my back against it and watched my mother pace in my small living room.

  “I’m leaving your father, Taylor.” She waved her hand in the air. “I just can’t stay with him any longer.”

  I nodded, trying to remember if this was the tenth time or the hundredth time I’d heard this from her. I gave her the answer I’d been giving her recently. “I’m sorry to hear that, Mom.”

  Her phone rang, and I watched while she stopped and dug through her purse until she pulled it out and held it to her ear. Then I listened to the same argument she’d had more times than I could count with my father who had obviously called her to continue what she obviously hadn’t let him finish.

  I let my head drop back against the door and jumped when a knock sounded almost right behind where I was leaning. If that was my father, I was going to my bedroom and hiding until they both just left. Turning around, I yanked open the door and felt my eyes widen. Aaron stood on the other side, dressed in jeans and a sweater, his hands shoved into his pockets, his eyes on my mother behind me who was yelling and cursing at my father.

  I rubbed my hand over my forehead, suddenly exhausted. “It’s not a good time, Aaron.”

  His eyes dropped to mine, and he moved into the room, pushing the door closed behind him.

  Then he glanced one more time at my mom before he grabbed my hand and pulled me back the short hallway to my bedroom.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Aaron

  What the hell was going on? I could hear who I was guessing was Taylor’s mom before I even made it to the door. I closed her bedroom door and took in the sight before me. She wore a short, sexy white satin robe, and her hair was still wet from her obvious shower. I willed my cock down, trying to remind myself it had only been a day since I’d touched her.

  One day too long.

  She lifted her head, and I saw the red tint to her cheeks. She gestured toward the closed door. “That’s my mom.”

  “I guessed that.” I stepped forward, putting my body closer to hers. “What’s she doing here?”

  She sighed. “Well, she came to tell me she was leaving my dad, but then he called, and they started fighting.” She shook her head sadly. “This is the norm, to be honest, and the holidays just make it worse. Although, they don’t always bring it to my doorstep.”

  I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight against me, holding her until I felt the stiffness leave her body. I rubbed my hand along her back, unsure what to say, unsure what could possibly make a situation she’d been dealing with her entire life any better today.

  She pulled back, but I saw she still seemed embarrassed. “What are you doing here, Aaron?”

  I shoved my hands in my pockets when she put more distance between us. “I came to ask you to spend the day with me.”

  Her eyes widened. “Really? Doing what?”

  I reached out and grabbed her hand. “Just say yes.”

  We both heard her mom’s voice rise, and she looked over my shoulder. She lifted her hand and rubbed her eyelids with her fingertips. I waited patiently for her answer, already planning my argument to convince her, when she dropped her fingers and looked up at me. “Yes.”

  A grin spread slowly along my lips, and I tugged her closer to me with the hand I was still holding. “Yeah?”

  She smiled softly. “Yeah.”

  I pulled her tight against my chest and kissed her softly before I dropped her hand and motioned to the door behind me. “Okay, you get dressed, and I’ll get rid of your mom.”

  Her eyebrows hit her hairline. “Would you, really?”

  I chuckled. “I’m actually looking forward to it.”

  She giggled, and I leaned in for one more small kiss before I turned and left her room. I was barely to her kitchen when her mom spotted me and frowned. She hadn’t even seen me come in. She said a few more nasty things in the phone before she dropped it from her ear and faced me completely.

  “Who are you? Are you Taylor’s boyfriend?” she asked abruptly.

  “That’s between me and Taylor,” I said calmly. “Now, if you don’t mind”—I gestured toward the door—“it’s time for you to go.”

  She scoffed and looked over my shoulder. “Where is Taylor?”

  I took a few more steps into the small kitchen and leaned my hip against the counter. “Taylor’s getting ready. We have plans today, and she’s too nice to tell you that you’re interrupting them, but I’m not.” I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Now, I really would like for us to get to know each other, but today isn’t a good day for us, and it seems like it isn’t a good day for you either.”

  She stared at me a moment longer before glancing down at her phone. “Okay.” Her eyes flicked up to mine. “Tell Tay I’ll call her later.”

  I nodded. “I can do that.”

  She walked right up to me, and I finally saw her resemblance to her daughter. Now that she was calm, she seemed apologetic and maybe even a little embarrassed. I’d seen Taylor do the same after we argued about the Martin house, and I respected that she came to me to discuss it. I had a feeling, under different circumstances, I could learn to respect her mom as well.

  But only if she stopped laying her shit on Taylor.

  She held out her hand, and I slid my palm against hers, shaking it slowly. “I’m sorry for the way we met, but I look forward to getting to know you…?”

  She trailed off, and I smiled. “Aaron.”

  “Aaron,” she repeated quietly. “Have a nice day with my daughter today, Aaron.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Hawkins. I plan to.”

  She dropped her hand and made her way to the door, then opened it and exited without another word.

  “Thanks.”

  I heard from behind me and turned quickly to smile at Taylor who was wearing jeans and a fuzzy blue sweater. “You look beautiful.”

  She smiled and tugged on the ends of her still damp hair. “I still have to dry my hair.”

  Reaching up, I tucked a piece of her silky dark hair behind her ear. “I love your hair like this.”

  She frowned. “You do?”

  My eyebrows lifted. “You don’t?”

  She sighed. “I cut it because I thought it would make my morning’s easier, but sometimes I miss my longer hair.”

  I grinned. “I think it looks sexy.” I tucked my face against her neck and sucked on the soft skin beneath her ear before pulling back a little. “This hair with your tight-ass skirts and heels is sexy as fuck, baby.”

  Her eyes widened. “Really?”

  “You have no idea, obviously, so I’ll just have to do a better job at letting you know.” I moved back and leaned against the counter. “Now go, I’ll be waiting.”

  She smiled and turned but looked over her shoulder. “There’s coffee, if you’d like.”

  I watched her walk back the hall and thought that her mom actually did me a favor. If she hadn’t been here and Taylor hadn’t felt so frustrated, she’d have been difficult to convince to spend the day with me, especially if I told her where we were headed.

  I had no plans to do that until we got there.

  I only had to wait about twenty minutes before she came out, and if I thought she looked beautiful before, she fucking took my breath away now. Noticing the time, I knew we had to get going,
but a very big part of me wanted to throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to her room.

  Grabbing her hand, I pulled her out the door, barely giving her time to lock it behind us, hoping if I rushed her, she wouldn’t change her mind.

  She was in the front seat of my car, buckled in, and we were going down the road before she finally asked what I assumed she would’ve asked a while ago. “Where are we going?”

  Tapping my thumb against the steering wheel, I headed away from Main Street and the hustle and bustle of a Saturday. “It’s a surprise.”

  I saw out of the corner of my eye that she was fiddling with her purse that lay across her lap. Grinning, I reached over and grabbed her hand before laying our joined hands on my thigh. “Relax, you’re going to have fun. I promise.”

  I stopped at a red light and looked over to see my words had not relaxed her one bit. “Come here.”

  She turned her head to look at me. “Why?”

  “Just come here,” I repeated.

  She leaned over, and I met her halfway, pressed my lips to hers and smiled when she sighed. I wrapped my hand in her hair and kissed her deeper until I knew it was time to pull back or get completely lost in her. “Better?”

  She smiled but didn’t answer, and I knew she was beginning to overthink us now that the drama that was her mom was no longer looming.

  I glanced up and saw the light had turned, so I slowly pulled out, and once again, we drove in silence. It only took a few more minutes before we were pulling along the curb in front of an updated old farmhouse.

  She glanced at the house and then back at me. “Where are we?”

  “Jack Dimarco’s house.”

  Her eyes widened and shifted to the house and then me. “Why?”

  I grinned. “Because today is his birthday, and he requested we come to his party.”

  “Why would he ask me to come? He hardly knows me,” she asked softly.

  “He likes you,” I answered just as quietly.

  Pushing open my car door, I got out before heading around the front end and straight to her door. I opened her door and held out my hand, palm up, waiting for her to slide hers against mine. When she did, I tugged her to stand in front of me.