Touched By Him (The Untouched Series Book 3)

by Lilly Wilde

  Refreshed from my shower, I stepped into the nursery and was shocked to find Nadia alone with Lyric. I couldn’t believe she’d be in here again after I’d just told her to stay away. What the fuck is her problem?

  “I thought I’d made it clear that I don’t want you holding my child,” I said, walking into the nursery. “And where’s Aiden?”

  “He’s not just your child, Aria, and Aiden doesn’t seem to have a problem with my holding Lyric. Besides, from what I’ve gathered, you aren’t allowed to do much more than feed him yourself, so you’re hardly the person to tell me I can’t hold Aiden’s son.”

  “Nadia! How could you say something like that?” Allison, having stepped into the nursery behind me, headed directly to Nadia and reached for Lyric.

  “Because she’s fucking crazy!” I exclaimed, frustrated that I seemed to be the only one who could see that. “Nadia, you’re not allowed to touch him again, ever. Allison, please take him out. I need to speak with Nadia in private.”

  “Aria, I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she replied, looking from me to Nadia.

  “Please, Allison. Everything will be fine. I don’t want Lyric around this negative energy. He’s already surrounded by more than he should be,” I said.

  “I’ll take him for a walk,” Allison said, still sounding unsure.

  “This should have everything you need to keep him warm.” I passed her Lyric’s bag, and she placed it on her shoulder. She took a few steps and then looked back at Nadia and me one more time before slowly walking from the room.

  I closed the door behind her and my jaw tightened as I turned to face Nadia, reining in as much upset as I could manage. “Whatever you think you are to this family, or to Aiden, let me make it clear…you are nothing to Lyric. I don’t want you near him and if you ever touch him again, the authorities will be involved, and I don’t give a damn what Aiden says about it.”

  “Oh, Aria. Don’t be so melodramatic. I’m sure you know I’m very close to this family. I have been for several years, and I’m quite sure you know that, also. Aiden will be very interested to know you don’t respect his views in regard to his child. You don’t deserve that baby, and you never deserved Aiden. I’m glad he finally realized that. Too bad you had to bring a child into the world who will have to deal with this.”

  “You mean a child that he wants, unlike the one you tried to force on him.”

  “You bitch!” she yelled and lunged for me.

  I shoved her back before her hand made contact, and she landed on the floor. I jumped on top of her and started punching. She slapped her hands toward me, attempting to block my angry blows. I delivered one hit after another, and she threw up her forearms in defense as I grabbed a handful of her hair and slapped my right palm down on her face. She managed to push me off of her and straddled me, but I pulled her down and rolled her onto her back.

  “Not this shit again!” Aiden’s voice came from behind me. He grabbed my waist and pulled me off of Nadia.

  Struggling to shake loose of his hold, I reached toward Nadia, I wanted to beat her to a pulp.

  “Aria, stop it.” His grip tightened and he stepped back farther from Nadia. “Are you okay?” he asked, turning me to face him.

  “Is she okay? Did you not see her attacking me? I’m the one who warrants your concern,” Nadia spurted.

  Aiden was still holding me as I turned to face her. “Whatever you got was long overdue and not nearly enough, you wretched bitch!”

  Aiden looked at the crib and then down at me. “Where’s Lyric? Is he with the nanny?”

  “No,” I replied, breathing harshly. Allison took him for a walk.”

  Nadia picked herself up from the floor and glared at me. “Do you have any idea of how she taunted me about our child, Aiden? How could you tell her about something so private?”

  “Me? How could I tell her? Did you conveniently forget that you, Nadia, you taunted Aria with that information yourself? Did you expect me to lie to the woman I love?”

  Huh? Did I just hear him correctly? Did he still love me?

  “You love her? You still love her? After all she’s done to you? I don’t understand you anymore, Aiden. She’s changed you. She’s taken, taken, taken! And you seem to give her whatever she wants—whereas me, you took the most precious thing from me. You took my baby. And now she gets to have the child that should have been ours—yours and mine.”

  If I didn’t know it before, her delusional outburst just confirmed it. Nadia was a nut job! “I can’t do this. I can’t take this anymore, Aiden. I’m calling an attorney. You can’t force me to live like this with my son. This entire situation is fucked.”

  “Aria…”

  He reached for me but I pushed him away. “Don’t Aiden. Just don’t. How could you want this for Lyric? For me?”

  “Of course, let’s make it all about you, Aria,” Nadia said.

  I spun around, still shocked at the audacity of this crazy woman. “Shut the fuck up, bitch, because I have so much more to give you.” I turned back toward Aiden. “And I’m warning you. If I see her anywhere near my son again, I’m calling the police.”

  Storming out of the nursery, I went in search of Lyric and Allison. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, there was Sienna. Her eyes widened, alarmed by my appearance. Well, guess what lady? I’m alarmed by it, too. This is what you and your crazy-ass family have done to me.

  I’d become used to the pursed lips she seemed to always wear when I was around, so I was caught off guard to see her slack-jawed. “Aria! What happened?” she asked.

  “Ask your son,” I replied bitterly, storming past her.

  I stepped outside the door and inhaled. I would not let them break me. If losing my parents didn’t do it, these miserable people wouldn’t do it either. Thinking Allison had taken Lyric to Aiden’s pond, I headed off in the direction of the conservatory.

  My heart hurt. I clutched my chest, wanting to cry as I approached Allison and Lyric. Allison, who was sitting beside his stroller, facing the pond, turned upon hearing my approach, and her face was instantly clouded with worry.

  “Oh, Aria. What happened after I left?” she asked.

  My eyes watered and a single drop made its way down my cheek. I angrily wiped the tear away. “I don’t know where to start.”

  “From the looks of it, more than words were exchanged.”

  “Yes,” I said.

  We stared at the pond in silence. I could see that Allison was at a loss for words, and so was I. This has spun so far out of control that I didn’t know if a way out was even possible. Closing my eyes, I exhaled, trying to shake off the horrid emotions that were surging through me. When I finally calmed, I reached for my little guy.

  “Hello, my precious boy. Are you enjoying time with Auntie Allison?” I made a stream of silly noises and he awarded me with a wide grin. He really was the best part of me—and his father.

  I glanced at Allison. “I think I have some decisions to make.”

  “What do you mean?”

  I shook my head, mentally replaying what had just happened in my son’s room. “This can’t continue. I won’t allow it to.”

  She motioned for me to sit beside her. “Things seem to be getting worse. So exactly what happened?” she asked wearily.

  I looked at her as if she had two heads. “Isn’t it obvious? Look at me. Nadia and I had a fight. Aiden walked in and pulled me off of her.”

  Allison’s eyes bulged. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes. And although I hate I lost control like that, it felt good. I hate her.”

  We were quiet for several long minutes. “Where is she now?” Allison finally asked.

  “I left her in the nursery with Aiden. I’m sure he’s licking her wounds.”

  Allison stood and looked in the direction of the house. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “Because he’s coming this way.”

 
Somehow I managed not to groan. “I don’t need this right now, Allison.”

  “I think you two need to talk. I can take Lyric.”

  “No, I want him with me. Don’t leave,” I said.

  “Aiden will not want me here, Aria.”

  “But I do, Allison. Don’t go.”

  My apprehension grew with each step Aiden took toward us. He glanced briefly from his sister to me, his face revealing nothing. When he looked at Lyric, though, his inscrutable expression shifted into a smile. “Hey, look at him smile at me. He knows me. You know your dad, don’t you little guy?”

  I looked down at Lyric, and he did appear to be smiling at Aiden.

  “May I?” he asked, as he reached for him.

  “Of course.” I stood and passed him to his father.

  He lifted the baby above his head, and Lyric’s mouth was wide open. His slobber was going to drizzle all over Aiden, I just knew it. I watched and waited and sure enough, there it was. Aiden lowered him just in time. “Hey, you don’t want to spit on your dad, do you?” he asked grinning at the baby.

  Allison passed a cloth to Aiden, and he wiped Lyric’s mouth.

  “You’re getting to be such a big boy. Pretty soon you’ll be crawling, won’t you, Lyric?” he asked, as he lightly bounced him. He was the happiest baby I’d ever seen. I couldn’t help but smile. Seeing the two of them together like that did my heart good.

  In one short measure, Aiden’s focus shifted from Lyric to me, his gaze holding me in place. “Allison, any chance I can speak with Aria alone?” he asked, still looking at me.

  That was a first. He usually ordered people around when it came to me. Allison looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded that it was okay.

  “I can take Lyric,” she offered.

  “No. I want him here with us,” Aiden replied, his attention still on me.

  That was probably best—I knew he wouldn’t cause uproar in front of the baby.

  “Okay. If you need me, I’ll be in the gym,” Allison said, and headed back toward the main house.

  “Are you okay, Aria?” Aiden asked, dropping the mask and allowing me to see the concern in his eyes.” If she did anything to hurt you—”

  “I’m fine, Aiden. She got the worst end of it. And she deserved far more and you know it.”

  “I don’t disagree.”

  What? He is actually in agreement with me? I was so taken aback that I didn’t quite know how to respond. “Is she still here?”

  “Yes, but—”

  I shook my head. I don’t know why I expected anything different. “Then we have nothing to talk about, Aiden. I’m going to take a shower, and as soon as Nadia leaves, I’m going out for some time to myself.”

  “Where are you going?” he asked. “To that damned bar?”

  “Don’t worry about my comings and goings. Take care of Lyric.” I leaned over to give Lyric a kiss and walked past Aiden. I was getting out of the crazy house, but this time I would not be taking any tattletales along with me.

  * * * * *

  “Hello.”

  I immediately recognized the deep sexy voice, but the sensual allure was somewhat shocking, considering his tone had been laced with acid as of late.

  “Hello.” I turned and gazed into Aiden’s thickly lashed emerald eyes. Would wonders never cease? Not only had I been blessed with the insane decadence of his velvet voice but his eyes were devouring me with as much pleasure as his seductive timbre had induced.

  He studied my face. “You look like a woman with a lot on her mind,” he said.

  “That’s because I am,” I said warily.

  “As luck would have it, I’m a very good listener.”

  I spun around and faced the bar, not even knowing what to do with that. I didn’t trust this mood. “Thanks for the offer but I think I'll pass.”

  “Maybe I can sweeten the deal. What are you drinking?”

  “Agave Ginger Rita,” I replied. What was this all about?

  “Excuse me. Can I get another drink for the lady?” he asked the bartender. “And a scotch…neat with a water back.”

  Is he planning to ply me with liquor and then fuck me again? I sat back in the bar stool and then turned to face him.

  “I’m sorry. I seem to have lost my manners. I’m Aiden Raine. And you are?”

  “Bored with this conversation,” I replied.

  He chuckled. “So are you really not going to tell me your name?”

  “What do you want it to be?” I asked.

  He searched my eyes as if assessing my acceptance of his little game. “You’re very beautiful, so I would imagine your name is just as beautiful. But I’m not very good at guessing, so why don’t you tell me, sweetheart.”

  “Do you make a habit of calling strange women sweetheart?”

  “Only if they are as irresistible as you,” he purred.

  “So you find me irresistible?”

  “Definitely. Now…are you going to tell me your name?”

  “Here you are, ma’am.” The bartender removed my empty glass, replacing it with a fresh drink. “And for you, sir,” he said, sliding Aiden’s drink towards him.

  I grabbed my drink and took a sip as I eyed Aiden. There was a ghost of a smile playing about his gorgeous mouth.

  “Aria. My name is Aria Cason.”

  “Beautiful. Just as I thought.” He focused on my eyes, casting his hypnotic gaze, but I quickly looked away. I couldn’t let him pull me in to anything beyond sex.

  He took a sip of alcohol, his eyes still on mine. “Do you know what your name means?” he asked.

  “Of course I know what it means. It’s my name.”

  “Touché. So the very beautiful Aria has a lot on her mind. What’s troubling you?” He took another drink.

  What was he doing here? Had he followed me? And, damn, did he ever not look hot? He was wearing jeans and a black shirt. The top three buttons were undone, offering a glimpse of the light dusting of hair on his chiseled chest. He was standing closer than was necessary so I overloaded on his intense scent, taking in a deep breath that nearly caused me to fall from the bar stool.

  Regaining my composure, I went back to pretend mode. “Apparently you can’t take a hint, so I’ll tell you. But I warn you, it’s not nice.”

  “Okay. Shoot,” he said.

  After taking a sip of my drink, I placed it back on the bar and started my story. “It’s about this guy. A guy that I had very strong feelings for—you could even say I loved him.”

  “Lucky guy.”

  “Yeah, and unlucky girl,” I said, pointing at myself.

  He flinched.

  That was strange. He almost appeared sorrowful. Lately our emotional exchanges were consumed with either indignation or desire. This new dynamic was throwing me off. Is that why he’d blurted out he loved me earlier?

  “I would imagine that any woman as gorgeous as you would have only the very best of luck with any man. Clearly, this guy is an idiot.”

  Was that his attempt to extend an olive branch? Had he forgiven me? Could I forgive him? “From what I can tell, most men are.”

  His brow lifted at my comeback, and he smiled.

  “But I made a huge mistake in judgment,” I continued, “so I can’t place the blame entirely on him.”

  Aiden searched my face, as though he were seeing me for the first time. Or perhaps it was that, for the first time in an extremely long while, he was looking at me without anger clouding his view. And I found myself gazing at him with less animosity than I had in weeks. As his smile faded, his eyes softened. My mind wasn’t playing tricks on me; I really didn’t see the rage. I didn’t see the Aiden that once worshipped me, either, but I did see a glimmer of something different peeking from behind his amazing green irises.

  “Did I say something wrong?” I asked.

  “No. Not at all. I’m just wondering how any man could be foolish enough to give you anything but happiness.” It was as if he were thinking aloud.


  “Maybe he’ll have the good sense to realize that before I move on. Time waits for no man.”

  His vivid green gaze searched my face. “I may be going out on a limb here, but I think he’s already realized it.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” I said.

  “What would it take to make you sure?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe if he fucked me without contempt behind every thrust,” I said, and took a long sip of my drink.

  “Oh, so you’re still fucking this guy?”

  “Every chance I get.” I shook my head in disbelief. “He has a skill that one doesn’t easily forget.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Most definitely.”

  “Can you elaborate a little on the special skill this guy supposedly has?”

  “Are you sure you want to hear it?”

  He grinned and leaned against the bar. “Yes. I just may have a counter offer for you.”

  “Hmmm. A counter offer.”

  “Yep.”

  “Okay. He has the most seductively beautiful eyes—like none I’ve ever seen—and he has this way of looking at me like I’m the only woman in the world. When he does that, my skin feels like it’s on fire, and other parts of my body have these intense, sensual responses that I can’t suppress, no matter how hard I try.”

  “All of that? Just by looking at you?”

  “I know, right?”

  “What else?” he prompted, stepping closer to me and turning my barstool so that I was facing him.

  I moaned aloud before I could stop myself. I wanted to bury my face in his chest and just breathe him in. “Well, his smell. It’s like inhaling an exotic, illegal substance. It takes over my senses and then my legs seem to just automatically open for him.”

  “So he has nice eyes and cologne. If that’s all it takes to fuck you, then why don’t you give me the chance? I have both.”

  He placed his hand on my thighs and spread them apart.