Shuttered Affections (Cornerstone #1)

by Folsom, Rene

  “Yes. I had to get his advice. He’s a lawyer and I admire his intelligence and common sense when it comes to important life decisions,” he explained, but didn’t continue.

  “Do you mind me asking these questions, Aiden?”

  “No, Angel. I love being able to share anything with you. I’m just worried you may not like what he had to say about… us,” he said with sadness in his tone.

  I sat up in bed and held my breath as I commanded, “Please, tell me.”

  An exasperated sigh came through the phone before he finally spoke and said, “Coda made his opinion very clear that I should keep it in my pants while you’re still enrolled at the school. He said he will be there for me, no matter what path I choose, but that it would be best for you and me if we kept our distance from each other.”

  “Oh,” was all I could say. I was speechless and completely heartbroken. Yet, at the same time, I was also relieved that he had such a sensible brother to keep him out of trouble. Trouble meaning… me.

  “But, Julia, that was before he met you. After last night, after seeing the two of us together, he said there’s no way in hell I could, or even should, keep my distance. However, he did tell me to tone down the PDA. He got quite graphic about that,” he explained.

  “Coda really got me, though. He seemed to understand why I’m so infatuated with you, mesmerized by you. Even he couldn’t stop talking about you last night. We stayed up until two just talking. We haven’t done that since before we left home.”

  “Really?” I asked, astonished they talked about me for so long. “He liked me?”

  “Of course he liked you. He especially liked it when you put me in my place. You showed him your sexy side and your takes-no-shit side. It had him all twisted up, too. I had to warn him several times that you are…”

  He trailed off. I would bet my left leg he was about to say he had to warn Coda that I was his.

  “You can say it, Aiden. I won’t yell at you this time. Not now. No matter what unresolved issues you and I may have. At this moment, you’re clearly here for me when I need you. And I’m so appreciative,” I conceded. I needed him to know I valued his attempts to make me feel better.

  “Hell, Julia. I don’t deserve your kindness. Yeah, I admit, I had to remind him that I saw you first…”

  I cut him off. “No, Aiden. Say it. Please?”

  “You are mine,” he all but growled. “Is that what you wanted to hear, Juliana? That I had to warn my twin brother that you belong to me?”

  I smiled. I didn’t say anything. I just smiled.

  “I can hear you smiling, Angel,” he said with an accusatory, yet endearing, tone.

  “You’ll never be able to prove it, Mr. Stone,” I said with a huge grin on my face.

  “I only wish I was there to witness the smile I bring to your face, Angel mine. Tell me, are you still touching yourself?”

  “Are you still driving?” I asked, worried he shouldn’t be driving while talking seductively to me like this.

  “No, Julia. I’m parked in my spot at school,” he assured me. “Although, I’m really glad I had the darker tint installed on these windows. I need relief just thinking about you touching yourself.”

  “Is it bad that I like having such an effect on you?” I asked with feigned innocence in my voice.

  “God, no. You have more of an effect on me than you can possibly imagine, Juliana. And I can only hope you take pleasure in knowing how head-over-heels I am for you.”

  Damn. His words made me melt.

  “Does it help for you to know that I’m now touching myself lower?” I asked, knowing it would drive him plum-crazy.

  “Aww, hell. I’m never going to calm down enough to go to class, now,” he said with slight humor in his tone.

  “Would you like me to stop, Aiden?” I asked, continuing my innocent-as-pie act. I had no intention of stopping.

  “Hell no, Angel. I want you to please yourself. Pretend I’m the one taking care of you. Think of my fingers gliding between your warm, wet pussy,” he seductively said, a hiss emanating through his teeth at the end.

  I arched my back and picked up speed with my fingers, feeling the desire build in my abdomen. I groaned at the sensation of my fingers circling my clit and the thought of him touching himself in a public parking lot.

  “Tell me what you want to do to me, Aiden. If you were here, what would you want?” I asked with a newfound confidence.

  “At the moment, I am feeling rather selfish. I would love to watch you pleasure yourself first. Watch those dainty fingers of yours get slick and wet with your juices. Watch you close your eyes and moan as your fingers play with your sweetness—although, I probably wouldn’t be able to keep from touching you for long. Just thinking of your slick fingers touching and circling your clit makes me want to lick them clean and then make you come with my tongue.”

  “Ahh… Just the mention of your tongue on me gets me excited, Aiden,” I admitted.

  “I bet you taste divine. I can’t wait to taste the sweet honey between your legs,” he said with eagerness.

  His words made a new set of flutters wreak havoc on my belly. I could feel each pulse of my finger and imagined it was his tongue taking me to the edge.

  “Oh, God, Aiden.”

  “Damn. What I wouldn’t give to watch you touch yourself. Come for me, Julia. Let me hear how wonderful your touch feels.”

  “Come. With me. Please,” I begged between pants.

  “Shit, Julia. I will. Just the sound of your pleasurable cries will push me over, baby. Come for me. I want to hear you say my name as you explode.”

  His words were my undoing and an uncontainable shudder rolled over my body. It started deep in my abdomen and radiated outward to every nerve ending in my hypersensitive skin.

  “Oh, Aiden!” I cried out as I burst in every conceivable direction and rode the fierce wave of my release.

  Just as I closed my eyes to control the sudden burst of pleasure, I heard Aiden groan and pant, “Fuck, Julia. Oh…”

  Quick, short breaths emanated through the phone and it was all the evidence I needed to know he found his release as well.

  As his ragged breathing began to slow and steady, I moaned, unable to get my mouth to work properly to form any coherent words.

  “Damn. I’m glad I had my gym towel in here, or I would be a hot mess,” he chuckled.

  “Mmm…” was all I could manage with a smile on my face.

  “Was that enough distraction for you, love? Think you can sleep now?” he asked with tenderness.

  “Mmm… yeah. I think I’m good and sated,” I admitted with a slur to my words.

  “I’m glad, Julia. I’ll try to make it over to see you as soon as I can. Just get some sleep for me, okay? I plan on working you hard later and need you to be rested,” he said, a grin obvious through his tone.

  Revealing his plans for me had my insides quicken again, but I knew I was too physically tired to go through another orgasm.

  “That sounds divine, Aiden. I can’t wait to see you,” I confessed.

  “Sweet dreams, Angel mine.”

  “Mmm… thank you, Aiden.”

  As we hung up, I let myself get taken by the sandman and praised the comfort of my pillow.

  About an hour or so later, I awoke to the sounds of the front door and voices. I tensed and then relaxed just slightly at the fact Pete was still here.

  After a few muffled words were exchanged, I heard my door creek open. The bed bowed as someone climbed in next to me. His scent filled the air around me and I could immediately tell who it was. I smiled.

  Chapter 25

  “The sensuality and roughness of his kiss left my lips swollen and tingling.”

  “Aiden,” I whispered with excitement as I turned and gripped him around the neck with my arms.

  “Whoa, Angel. It’s wonderful to see you too,” he said with a light chuckle.

  I looked at the clock, seeing it was only nine forty-five i
n the morning. Confusion washed over my face and furrowed my brow.

  “Wait. Don’t you have class?” I asked as I loosened my grip on him.

  “Only half the students showed up, and the ones who did are all ahead in their assignments, so I ended class early. And my next class is your independent study time, remember?” he reminded me and touched his nose to mine.

  It didn’t take me any time to close the gap between us. I needed to feel his soft lips. My tongue met his, boldly tasting him. Hot and wet, we devoured each other.

  He moved his lips forcefully over mine while pressing me into the mattress. Tentatively, I slid my tongue over his bottom lip.

  A low growl of approval rolled from his chest into my mouth. It made me feel good to know I affected him like this. Both of his hands tangled into my hair in an urgent caress as he consumed my mouth.

  When he finally broke away, his eyes were bright with affection. The sensuality and roughness of his kiss left my lips swollen and tingling.

  Using my right hand, I gently touched his soft lips, knowing full well he would smell my arousal from earlier on my finger. He grabbed my hand with his, holding it there.

  “Damn. That’s so hot,” he grumbled just before he pressed his lips to my finger and then licked it gently. Letting go of my hand and pulling away slightly, he just stared at me with pure hunger in his eyes.

  He pressed his hand to my cheek and gave me a few more small pecks before pulling me into his arms.

  “Talk to me, Julia.”

  “He found me…” were the only words I could mutter to start the never-ending conversation that was going to follow.

  “Juliana, who found you? What is going on? You can trust me. I would rather die than let anything happen to you. Please, let me protect you.” He had a mixture of pain and anger rolling through his muscles. Tension radiated from him as he grabbed me and tugged me into a tight embrace.

  “Okay, it’s a long story, but here is the short version… an ex of mine has found out where I live and I fear him.” I trembled as I said the words. I couldn’t believe I just told Aiden my deepest secret. True, I didn’t tell him everything, but just admitting I feared a man was enough to make me feel weak and vulnerable.

  I shivered uncontrollably as Aiden held me in his arms.

  Unable to hold the tears back any longer, I began to cry softly.

  “Shhh. Okay, Angel, okay. Shit. What did he do to you?” he asked as he held me and stroked my back.

  I just shook my head and backed away slightly. I was holding him so tight I’m sure he was probably having trouble breathing.

  Trembling, I pulled myself up into a sitting position and attempted to reign in my messy curls. I sat crisscrossed and faced Aiden, who was now propped up on his hands and shifting to face me.

  I was still wearing my small white t-shirt and panties, but I no longer felt bashful in front of him. He made me feel comfortable and safe.

  “Pete stayed on the couch last night so Sid and I wouldn’t be alone.” I was trying to blabber about something other than the main subject, only because I needed to control these waterworks.

  “Remind me to thank him.”

  I was puzzled by his statement. I was closer to Pete than any other guy I knew. Why would a new man in my life need to thank Pete for being my friend? For now, I just let it go.

  “Pete and Sid called the police. Not as an emergency situation, but more as a precaution and to report his harassment over the past week.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I saw his building anger.

  Then, as if he knew the anger was beginning to frighten me, he calmed himself.

  “Will you tell me what happened?” was all he asked.

  I looked at him with pure fear and sadness in my eyes. I didn’t want to burden this man with my problems. He deserved so much better.

  He grabbed my face with both of his hands and asked, “Are you all right?” I just nodded and tears began to fall… again.

  “Oh, Angel.” He pulled me close to his chest again and held me tight. “Shhh, it’ll be okay. I’ll take care of you. Don’t worry.”

  I pulled away.

  “Why would you make promises like that? You don’t know who this man is. You barely know me.” My voice was a shrill whisper because that is all I could manage through the tears that strained my throat.

  “I know we haven’t known each other long, Julia. But I can’t ignore how I feel about you. I feel this undeniable force to cherish you. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before and I’m not going to just let it go. This man, whoever he is, will never take away what’s mine. I will… I prom…” he stumbled, as if he had a hard time finding the correct words to express how he felt.

  I decided to put him out of his misery. I rose my head up and pecked him on his cheek, then used my fingers to tenderly shift his face so I could peck his other cheek, then his forehead, his nose, and down to his lips. A small smile spread across his face and it made me smile in return.

  “Julia, will you consider staying at my place tonight? Just as a provision? I don’t want you staying here knowing how terrified you are. You need a security alarm or something to protect you, but in the meantime, I would really like it if you would stay with me. I have a guest room where you will be comfortable. Anything you want. Please…”

  I put my fingers over his mouth to shut him up.

  “I’ll stay with you… I’ll stay with you only if my roommate has a place to stay as well. I don’t want her here by herself. He knows she is my best friend. He is…” I looked down at my hands and urged the words to come out of my mouth. “He is evil. Pure evil. He’d do anything to get to me and it scares me he’ll hurt someone I love.”

  Aiden hooked his forefinger under my chin and brought my face too meet his stare.

  “What did he do to you, Angel?”

  Chapter 26

  “You are mine, Juliana. All mine.”

  I looked around my room, suddenly feeling very exposed. Did I want to share my past with a man I barely knew?

  “I’m not sure I want to talk about it right now. My emotions have been on a never-ending tilt-a-whirl and I feel like it might make me throw up.” My words were serious. Very serious.

  “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you,” he said, and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

  “Maya Angelou’s inspirational words definitely strengthen even the most fainthearted,” I said as I sighed and internally scolded myself.

  “I promised myself I would talk to you. I guess I should keep my promise instead of chickening out. The only thing I ask is, please, no pity or shame. Don’t feel sorry for me. That is the last thing I need. Pity does nothing to make a situation better. I just need support and an occasional shoulder to cry on.”

  He nodded and allowed me to continue.

  “I was seventeen when I met Rob. I was graduating high school in a few months and looked forward to going to the community college in my hometown. He was handsome to me back then. I took pride in the fact that a good-looking, twenty-four-year-old man showed a mature interest in me. After I graduated high school, things began to change.”

  My heart was beating so fast, I had to take a breath and steady the thrumming that took over my chest cavity.

  “He suddenly became controlling, to say the least. He didn’t allow me to work or go to school. He even kept me from Sid for over six months because he didn’t want me seeing any of my friends,” I explained with a monotone, careless quality to my voice.

  “When I was able to leave his side, or when I was ‘bad’ as he would say, and I would take off without him knowing, he would leave threatening notes everywhere I went, like he was following me. I was with him for almost two years. Things were not just controlling on the outside, but also…” I tried to swallow the lump stuck in my throat at what I was about to tell this man.

  He grabbed my hand as assurance that he was there for me.

  “He would sexually control me. He woul
d force me. No matter how much I would plead for him to stop, he would just get that much more domineering. I can’t go into specific details… you may never look at me the same if I do… but one night he sodomized me so badly, I was bleeding, a lot, and feared for my life. I seriously thought it was the end for me—I was sure I was going to die that night,” I admitted, while continuing to avoid his gaze.

  “I tried to reach out to my mom, but she just called me a whore, accusing me of sleeping around, and told me I would ruin things with Rob if I didn’t get my act together. Knowing I was in bad shape, I called Sid, even though I knew Rob would probably punish me for it later. At this point, he was passed out in the bedroom. I remember sneaking into the coat closet by the front door just so I could call my friend for help. She came to get me and we were both lucky he didn’t wake up as I left out the front door wrapped up in a sheet. I left my cell phone behind so he couldn’t track me. Sid took me to the hospital where I had to have several stitches… um, down there. She refused to let me go back, not even to get my stuff.”

  As I spoke, he just sat there in stunned silence. So, I continued.

  “Sid took me to her apartment and within thirty minutes, she packed most of her clothes, toiletries, and any other necessities we needed, including a cooler of food, all into her station wagon. We left our lives behind in a matter of hours. I couldn’t believe my friend was willing to give up her entire life to save me.”

  Tears began streaming down my face again as I spoke of her heroic actions.

  “We went up to Georgia and stayed with Sid’s cousin for just under a year. Luckily, her cousin never asked us to pay a dime toward rent or bills. So, we were able to save up enough money to come here and start our new lives.”

  As I continued my story, I felt marginally better.

  “Even though I told them I didn’t want any legal trouble with Rob, the hospital thought my injuries were bad enough to report them to the police. The day after we arrived in Georgia, Sid found out through a friend that they arrested him. The cops did get in touch with me and asked if I would be willing to testify against him. I told them I never wanted to be in the same city with the man and admitted to them how terrified I was of confronting him. They said they could not do anything further without my participation… and that was that. Now that he has found me, I just can’t let him tear my life apart again. It took Sid and me so long to put our lives back together. We had to save up to get this apartment and my car. She’s been working two jobs and while I know she enjoys them, part of me feels bad for everything I’ve put her through,” I said solemnly.