One Night

by Ramona Gray

  She sighed loudly. “I was going to break it off the minute we returned home but instead I invited him to my birthday party and he met my family. And you liked him.”

  “We did,” Lina said. “He seems perfect for you and, frankly, it’s kind of obvious he’s in love with you.”

  “He’s not – “

  “He is,” Lina interrupted. “Maybe you can’t see it or maybe you don’t want to see it but the guy’s in love with you. And you’re in love with him.”

  “I’ve known him for a month, Lina,” Kate said. “People don’t fall in love in a month.”

  “Who says they don’t?” Lina said. “I love Aiden and he loves me and we haven’t known each other that long.”

  “You’ve worked for him for three years,” Kate protested.

  “Yeah, but I knew nothing about him other than that he was an arrogant jackass. In the entire three years, we didn’t have a singe personal conversation. He called me Ms. Jones for God’s sake. I didn’t think he even knew my first name.”

  Kate grinned a little and Lina snickered softly. “It’s true. Turns out he did know my first name and his bad behaviour was a cover because the man was so hot for me he could barely think straight.”

  She paused before laughing again. “Well, most of his bad behaviour anyway. Like I said, Aiden’s not known for being a ‘nice’ guy. But the point is – I still fell in love with him partly because after we started sleeping together I started to see a different side of him and partly because of the multiple orgasms and spankings.”

  “Jesus, Lina,” Kate said before bursting into laughter.

  “Turns out I’m kinky as hell,” Lina said cheerfully. “But the point is, we’re in love but we’re still getting to know each others likes and dislikes and weird little habits – I swear Aiden brushes his teeth like six times a day – and that’s okay. In fact, I think it makes it a little easier for us to accept each other’s idiosyncrasies because we’re already in love. Who says it can’t be the same for you and Edward?”

  “Because he’s still in love with his dead wife.”

  “What?” Lina stared at her in shock.

  “Edward was married to a woman named Tabitha. She died two years ago of a brain tumour and he’s still not over his loss. He might be starting to have some feelings for me but it isn’t love. He still loves her and misses her.”

  “Well, shit,” Lina said. “That complicates things.”

  “Yeah,” Kate replied. “You’re right, you know. I am in love with him – at least I think I am – and I’m an idiot for it.”

  “You’re not,” Lina said. “And are you absolutely certain that he isn’t ready to move on? Have you talked to him about it? He looks at you like he’s ready to move on, is all I’m saying.”

  “I haven’t talked to him about it,” Kate admitted. “I want to but any time he talks about her, the look on his face – it’s easy to see how much he loves her still – and it makes me jealous as hell. I’m a horrible person.”

  “I think that’s a normal reaction,” Lina said thoughtfully.

  Kate buried her face in her hands and Lina rubbed her back soothingly. “Katie, honey, you need to tell him how you feel. I know you believe he doesn’t feel the same way but I think you’re wrong. Take a chance, honey. You can’t keep going the way you are – hiding your love for someone is a rotten way to live.”

  “I’m afraid,” Kate whispered. “What if he doesn’t feel the same way as I do?”

  Lina took her cold hands and squeezed them. “There’s only one way to find out, Katie.”

  * * *

  “Katie!” Olivia hugged her tightly. “Did you like your surprise?”

  “I did,” Kate said. “Very sneaky of you.”

  “I know, right? I’m excellent at keeping secrets,” Olivia said before hugging Lina. “Hi, sweetie. You look great.”

  “You do too, Olivia,” Lina said.

  “Where are your parents and your new man?” Olivia asked.

  “Outside with Jon,” Kate replied. “Dad’s already talking to him about fishing.”

  Olivia laughed and Lina grinned at her. “Aiden’s surprisingly outdoorsy so he and dad are getting along like a house on fire. They’re already planning a fishing trip in the spring and I think dad’s trying to convince Jon to go with them.”

  “It won’t take much convincing,” Olivia replied.

  “What can I do to help?” Kate asked.

  “You can take this glass of wine and go outside and relax, greet the party-goers as they arrive. Lina will help me, won’t you?” Olivia said.

  “Yes, go on, Kate,” Lina said. “Enjoy your party.”

  “Olivia, I – I invited Edward, I hope that’s okay,” Kate said.

  “Of course it is,” Olivia replied before studying her carefully. “Are there some new developments I should know about?”

  Kate glanced at Lina. “I’m not sure yet.”

  Olivia squeezed her arm lightly before handing her a glass of wine. “We’ll talk later about it, okay?”

  Kate nodded and, leaving Lina in the kitchen with Olivia, headed outside.

  * * *

  “Happy Birthday, Kate.”

  She turned, shivers running down her spine at his familiar voice, and smiled at the bouquet of flowers Edward was holding.

  “Thank you, Edward. Those are lovely.” She took them from him and inhaled their fragrant scent as Edward smiled at Josh and Lina.

  “Um, you remember Josh,” Kate said briefly.

  “I do. Nice to see you again, Josh.” Edward held out his hand and Josh shook it firmly. “I need to apologize for my behaviour the last time we met.”

  “No need,” Josh said.

  Olivia appeared and took Josh’s arm, “Josh, come with me. There’s someone I want you to meet. Her name’s Sheila and you’re going to like her, I guarantee it.”

  She pulled Josh away with a small wink at Kate and Edward smiled at Lina. “Hi, Lina. How are you?”

  “Good, thanks,” Lina said. “What’s up with Olivia and her matchmaking?”

  Kate laughed. “She thinks Josh and Sheila will be the perfect couple.”

  “They do look super cute together,” Edward said solemnly. Lina burst out laughing as Aiden wandered over to them.

  “I should put these in water,” Kate said. “I’ll be right back.”

  She was filling the vase she found in the kitchen cupboard with water when Edward’s warm arm slid around her waist. He kissed the back of her neck and she shivered delicately as she placed the vase on the counter. He turned her and cupped her face, kissing her slowly and deliberately as the chatter of the party guests drifted through the open window.

  “Edward,” she whispered when he cupped her breast. “We can’t do this here.”

  “I’ve missed you,” he muttered.

  “It’s been less than a day,” she said.

  He just shrugged and kissed her forehead. “How was your day with your family?”

  “It was good.” She tried to squirm out of his embrace as she glanced at the window and he tightened his hold on her. “Uh, how was your day?”

  “Fine. I sat around the apartment, did a bit of work, thought about you. Will you have your place to yourself tonight?”

  She shook her head. “No. My parents are leaving today but Lina and Aiden don’t fly out until tomorrow morning.”

  He gave her a disappointed look. “I was hoping we could spend the night together.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Don’t be. It’s good that you get to spend time with your sister. I’m just being selfish,” he replied.

  He bent his head and kissed her again, stroking the seam of her mouth with his tongue. “Open up, Katie-did,” he whispered.

  “We can’t,” she said. “Edward, our coworkers are right outside.”

  He sighed loudly and stepped away from her just as Arthur and his wife wandered into the kitchen. Kate turned quickly, hoping like hell A
rthur hadn’t caught a glimpse of her red cheeks and swollen mouth.

  “Edward! How was New York?” Arthur said as Sylvia joined Kate at the counter.

  “It was good. Very busy,” Edward said.

  Kate, her hands shaking, tried to cut the string around the flower stems. If Arthur and Sylvia had come in a moment sooner…

  Her hands trembled harder and, without speaking, Sylvia took the knife from her and cut the string.

  “Thank you,” Kate said.

  “You’re welcome, Kate. Are you enjoying your party?” Sylvia asked.

  “Yes. Thanks for coming.”

  Sylvia leaned against the counter as Kate stuck the flowers into the vase. Behind them, Arthur was chatting about some work that was due on Monday, and Kate gave Sylvia a nervous look when the older woman stared silently at her.

  “Well, I should probably get back to the party,” she said quickly as she picked up the vase of flowers.

  “Here, I’ll carry those for you,” Edward said before plucking the vase from her hands.

  “Thanks,” Kate mumbled. Without looking at Arthur, she hurried from the kitchen, Edward following silently behind her.

  Arthur frowned at his wife. “Is it just me or is there some tension between the two of them?”

  “Not just you, my darling,” Sylvia said.

  Arthur sighed loudly as Sylvia grabbed a few more wine glasses from the counter. “I hope they can work it out. The last thing I need is Edward to be fighting with his PA. He’s really proving his worth at the office and Kate’s an excellent PA. If they’re fighting and butting heads, it’ll spread tension through the rest of the office.”

  Sylvia was giving him a rather amused grin and he said, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  She kissed his cheek affectionately. “Nothing, my darling. I just don’t think you need to worry about Edward and Kate fighting.”

  “You don’t think so?” Arthur said with obvious relief.

  Sylvia laughed and kissed his cheek again. “I really don’t. But you may have to look at hiring more admin in the near future.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She shook her head before looping her arm around his. “Never mind, darling.”

  * * *

  “Well, that was a fun party,” Lina announced as she sat down at Kate’s kitchen table.

  “It was,” Kate replied. She added water to the teakettle and set it on the stove before turning the burner on. “Who wants tea?”

  “I’ll take a cup,” Lina said. “Aiden, do you want a beer?”

  “I can get it,” he said to Kate before opening the fridge and bending down.

  Lina stared appreciatively at his jean-clad ass before winking at Kate. “Did you have fun, Katie?”

  “Yes. Thanks for coming to the party, honey. I know the flight must have cost you an arm and a leg.”

  “You’re worth it,” Lina said with a small grin. “So now what?”

  Kate shrugged. “I’m going to have a cup of tea and go to bed.”

  “It’s not even eight-thirty,” Lina said.

  “I know, but – “

  The doorbell rang and she glanced down the hallway. “Who could that be?”

  “No idea,” Lina said innocently as Aiden grinned and joined her at the table.

  Kate gave her a suspicious look before heading to the front door. She opened it and stared in surprise at Edward standing on the porch.

  “Edward? Wh-what are you doing here?”

  His smile faltered. “Lina – “

  “I invited him,” Lina said as she popped up behind Kate. She grinned at Edward. “Come in, Edward.”

  He stepped into the hallway and Lina took his jacket. “I wanted to play Trivial Pursuit and we needed a fourth player for partners. When we were leaving the party, I asked Edward to join us.”

  She smiled at Edward. “I hope you’re prepared to have your ass kicked at Trivial Pursuit. I’m really good at it. Head on into the kitchen, Aiden’s in there having a beer, and we’ll grab the board game.”

  When Edward was gone, Kate grabbed Lina’s arm. “What are you doing?”

  “Playing Trivial Pursuit?” Lina said.

  “Lina, you shouldn’t have invited Edward over.”

  “Why not? You like him, he likes you and no one overheard me asking him to come over. Relax, Katie. I know you want to be around him and you should have seen the look on his face when I asked him to drop by. He was like a kid in a candy store, for fuck’s sake. Think of this as an opportunity to get to know him outside of the bedroom – isn’t that what you want?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “No buts,” Lina said firmly. “Grab that board game and let’s see if we can make those hot studs of ours beg for mercy when we destroy them at Trivial Pursuit.”

  * * *

  “How can you not know that Kim Kardashian had a sex tape?” Lina stared in disbelief at Aiden.

  “I don’t even know who that is,” Aiden said.

  “This is why we’re kicking your ass at Trivial Pursuit,” Lina replied.

  Aiden laughed. “You didn’t mention it was Trivial Pursuit Celebrity Edition.”

  “Didn’t I?” Lina said innocently. “I’m sure I did.”

  “Edward?” Aiden raised his eyebrows at him. “Did she say it was the celebrity edition?”

  “She did not,” Edward replied solemnly. “Nor did she mention that she and her sister were trash-talkers.”

  Kate downed her glass of wine. “We learned the art of trash-talking during board games from our mother. Besides, it’s not our fault you don’t keep up with celebrity gossip.”

  “I don’t have time,” Edward said. “I’m too busy doing important lawyer-y things.”

  “Lawyer-y things?” Lina snickered. “Is that an official term?”

  “Yes?” Edward said and Lina laughed again before stroking Aiden’s hair affectionately.

  “Ready for bed, handsome?”

  He nodded and Lina kissed Kate on the forehead. “Good night, honey. I’ll text you when we’re home.”

  “I can drive you to the airport,” Kate said.

  “No need. Aiden arranged for a car to pick us up at seven. Don’t bother getting up, okay?”

  “Of course I’ll get up,” Kate said. “I’ll make us coffee and we can have one last visit before you leave.”

  There was silence at the table and Kate said, “What?”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way,” Lina said,

  “But you’re really not a morning person,” Edward finished.

  They looked at each other and grinned as Kate scowled at them. “Morning people are the worst.”

  “We really are,” Lina agreed cheerfully before standing and grabbing Aiden’s hand. “Come on, you. Time for bed.”

  They left the kitchen and Kate added the wine glasses and the mugs to the dishwasher as Edward put away the board game. When they were finished, she smiled tentatively at him. “Thanks for stopping by, Edward. This was fun.”

  He put his arms around her and drew her forward. “It was fun.”

  He pressed a kiss against her mouth and she moaned quietly and parted her lips. He kissed her hungrily, his hands cupping her ass and pulling her up against him as she sucked on his tongue.

  “Please don’t ask me to leave, Katie,” he muttered against her mouth. “I want to stay with you.”

  Her heart pounding madly, she cupped his face and smiled at him. “I want you to stay too.”

  He returned her smile happily and followed her to her bedroom. She closed the door and he was on her in an instant, kissing her greedily as he cupped both her breasts. They undressed each other slowly and when they were naked and lying in her bed, he started a slow exploration of her entire body with his mouth and his hands. He took his time, discovering all the hidden spots that made her squirm with need when he caressed them, and she was moaning softly and begging for him to take her by the time he was finished.

&nbs
p; She parted her legs, smiling at the way his gaze was drawn to her pussy, and made another soft moan of need. “Please, Edward.”

  “I want you so much, Katie,” he whispered.

  “I want you too. Don’t make me wait,” she replied.

  He knelt between her legs, burying himself deep inside of her warm body and, as he began a slow and gentle rhythm that filled her entire body with a deep, pulsating pleasure, she buried her face against his neck and mouthed the words ‘I love you’.

  Chapter 16

  “I told you to stay in bed,” Lina whispered as Kate staggered down the hall early the next morning.

  “I wanted to say goodbye,” Kate mumbled. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes as Aiden brought the suitcase out from the bedroom.

  “Aiden, it was really nice to meet you,” she said.

  “Likewise,” Aiden replied before smiling at Lina. “I’m going to take this out to the car.”

  “Thanks, honey. Give me five minutes, okay?” Lina said.

  She waited until he left before grinning at Kate. “I see Edward’s car is still in the driveway.”

  “He didn’t want to leave,” Kate said. “And I didn’t want him to either.”

  “Talk to him, honey,” Lina said. “The guy wants a relationship with you – I know he does.”

  Kate nodded. “After last night, I think so too. I’ll talk to him today.”

  “Good.” Lina kissed her cheek with a loud smacking noise. “Text me later and tell me how it went, okay?”

  “I will. Bye, Lina, I love you.”

  “I love you too, Katie.”

  Kate stood on the front porch, waving at Lina as the car pulled away, before moving quietly to the bedroom. Edward was still sound asleep in her bed and she hesitated before stripping off her robe and climbing naked into the bed beside him.

  He blinked sleepily at her before tucking his large body around hers and nuzzling her neck.

  “Okay?” He muttered.

  She kissed his chest before resting her head on it and closing her eyes. “Yes. Go back to sleep.”

  “Kay,” he mumbled. “Love you, Katie.”

  She froze against him, her eyelids flying open as her heart pounded in her chest. She lifted her head, staring wide-eyed at him, but he was already asleep again, his chest moving in slow, rhythmic inhales and exhales. She returned her head to his chest, wide awake and trembling with excitement and happiness.