“That’s my housekeeper, Norma.”
I started laughing as relief filled my entire body at once. “Seriously?”
I felt him nod as he held me tighter. He smelled of cologne, soap, and fire as I buried my head deeper into his embrace.
“But I should tell you something.”
Of course. Nothing was ever simple with him.
“She’s Nina’s mother. That’s how I met Nina, and I’m guessing that’s why Norma felt she needed to interrupt us.”
I let out a sigh and had the urge to break into hysterical laughter but resisted.
“You do know what that means, right?” I asked.
“Time to get a new housekeeper?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Anything for you,” he breathed into my hair.
“Promise?” I asked, tipping my head up.
“Promise,” he whispered, running his fingers through my hair.
The sound of an engine starting outside, followed by a car driving away made me giggle nervously.
“We’re alone?” I asked, locking my eyes on his.
“Seems that way.”
I pushed away gently and let my fingers softly travel down his shirt; the feel of the soft fabric against my fingertips as I watched his reaction made me almost insane. Reaching the hem, I pulled it over his head and dropped the shirt on the concrete floor. Aaron smiled as he watched my eyes wander along the beautiful lines of his body. His olive skin glistened in the soft light of the garage, and I knew what I needed to do. What I needed to feel.
He raised his hands, cupping my face, and I backed away.
“I’m in charge. This time. It’s all me,” I whispered, removing his hands from my face and holding them in mine as I slammed him against the wall. His breathing caught as I pressed my body against his, holding his hands at arm’s length. The warmth of his skin soaked through my shirt, creating an almost frenzied state within me. I slowly began kissing his throat, feeling the coarseness of his whiskers against my lips as I scattered my kisses down to his chest.
Tasting the saltiness of his skin, I lowered my mouth along his abdomen, making his body shudder in anticipation. Running my tongue lightly along his flesh created a tingling sensation throughout my body as I took control of this man who had never let go before.
I gradually moved my hands away from his but still kept his body pinned to the wall.
“You’re dangerous,” he murmured, his breathing ragged as I teased him with my tongue.
“Without a doubt. But so are you,” I whispered, bringing my mouth back to his. The taste of his lips, a mixture of alcohol and sweetness, was addicting. My mind imagined his tongue circling along my body, the metal of the stud creating an ecstasy I hadn’t yet shared with him.
His fingers wrapped through my hair as he gently pulled my head away. My hands rested on his jeans as my mind toyed with the idea of unfastening them. I traced my fingers along the waistband, feeling the dips and peaks of his contours as I pictured him on top of me.
He kissed my neck softly as his hands unwrapped from my hair. A moan escaped my lips, and that was when he scooped me into his arms, kissing the length of my exposed skin. He elbowed the button behind him, and the garage doors opened up exposing the night sky.
“Not out here,” he whispered, carrying me into his home.
I nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck as I heard the click of the front door. He pushed open the door and carried me up the stairs. My stomach tightened with every step closer to the bedroom as I realized my fantasy was about to become my reality.
He laid me gently on his bed. The only light trickling in from the hall bounced off his beautiful torso. The definition of his chest and abdomen were like a work of art, and I motioned to let me touch him.
A smirk spread across his face as he towered over me. “Now it’s my turn.”
He placed his arms on each side of my body as I squirmed to be in contact with him. But he wouldn’t allow it as he anchored my hands above my head with one of his. I felt a slight tickle as his other hand slowly began to lift my t-shirt up my abdomen. His fingers stopping every so often to trace along my skin, sending shivers up my body. I felt his hot breath against my belly as his tongue ran along my curves, leaving me begging for more.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, hovering above me now as he pulled my shirt over my head. His eyes held a deep hunger and my body responded quickly. My hands finally free, I moved my fingers across his chest feeling the hardness of his muscles that were etched just underneath his skin.
“So are you,” I murmured.
“Do you know how many nights I dreamed about being with you, like this?” he asked as his fingers traced the contours of my body, sending a wave of heat and yearning through me.
Not as many as me!
His touch was driving me absolutely insane and my body was aching for his. He placed soft kisses from my collarbone down to my chest, circling each breast before continuing slowly down to my belly. His fingers unbuttoned my jeans and he pulled them off in one swift motion.
I began to wriggle as he stared down at me in only my bra and panties.
“I need you,” I whispered, feeling the burning sensation run through my body the longer his eyes held mine. “I’ve been dreaming about this moment for months.”
He licked his lips and smiled and that’s all it took. I sat up and pulled him down on top of me. The weight of his body falling onto mine was crushing as my body called to his. I kissed him, gently sucking on his lower lip as his fingers traveled down my sides.
I slid my hands between our bodies and unbuttoned his jeans. “I want to see all of you.”
He smiled and stood up from the bed, and I followed. He was absolutely gorgeous, and I couldn’t wait to see the rest.
“I’m all yours,” he said gruffly, his eyes burning with desire.
His words melted me in place as I ran my fingers up his chest. He worked the clasp of my bra undone, and it slid to the floor. The feeling of his bare chest against mine made me almost burst with anticipation. His fingers slowly slipped between my lace thong and my skin as he slowly slid them down my legs. He pressed his left leg in between my legs, and I flushed with a mix of embarrassment and excitement as the roughness of the jeans pressed against me.
“You feel so good,” he whispered, gliding his fingers slowly up my thigh.
“Touch me,” I moaned.
“Where?”
“Everywhere.”
He brushed his hands over my belly, and my tummy clenched as his fingers went lower. His breath hitched as his eyes focused on me, and I couldn’t help but reach out and tug his jeans down, leaving him completely bare. I wanted him to use my body however he needed.
I looked up into his eyes and felt the desire running between us. It had always been there. He put his hands around my hips and slowly knelt down in front of me.
Please do!
I felt his lips slowly nipping along my bikini line, his fingers softly circling along my back as his mouth began to open and close around me in a fluid, controlled motion. The chill of his tongue ring shot through me as his tongue continued to swirl in a meticulous manner. My hands fell to his shoulders, and my body shuddered with every flick and movement he made.
“Aaron,” I moaned.
His mouth circled up my belly as he slowly stood back up, leaving a trail of warmth along my body.
“Make love to me, Aaron,” I whispered.
He moved me slowly to the bed where I felt him slide me up the mattress. I heard the rattle of the drawer as he rustled around and sheathed himself.
Slowly placing kisses along my breasts I felt as he pushed into me, and my world filled with complete ecstasy. The intensity we shared as our bodies came together, tangled in each other’s arms, left me with a tingling, buzzing mess of emotions as I dreamed about the possibilities of what tomorrow would bring.
I was a nervous wreck. My blissful night had been blown to pieces when I
arrived at my door this morning. Half delirious from my Aaron escapade, I nearly tripped over a vase that contained a dozen dead roses. I placed a call to Aaron who quickly came over and stayed with me while I grabbed as much of my stuff as possible. Until things got figured out, I had no intention of staying alone at the condo. And to top it off, today was my parents’ anniversary party.
My mom and dad had absolutely no idea what my brothers and I were up to, and it was my brothers who were charged with getting my parents to the reception hall. Now I looked around the mostly empty space and started to mildly panic. There was a lot of decorating to do and a short amount of time. Aaron hadn’t left my side since the night at his house, and I loved every minute of it.
“Where do you want me to put the arrangements, babe?” he asked, carrying in the first of twelve large floral arrangements. He seemed distracted, but I couldn’t really put my finger on it and didn’t want to get caught up in my delirious suspicions on such a special night.
“On the tables I haven’t set up,” I said flatly.
He put the arrangement that was filled with roses, hydrangeas and lilies onto the floor and glanced over at me, looking absolutely adorable. “Where are the tables at? I can get them set up.”
“They’re behind that door over there,” I said, pointing to the far corner of the room. “I think they’re just folded in half. They’re the circular ones, not the rectangle ones.”
Aaron took off on a mission, and I ran the other way toward the kitchen. Carla found out about my parents’ party and not only recommended her favorite caterer but insisted on that as an anniversary present. I didn’t feel comfortable with such a huge gift, but Aaron told me I had no choice. That was how Carla worked. The way the day was going, however, I was thrilled that I had the extra help. I smelled the delicious garlic and lemon scents drifting from the commercial kitchen and peered into the space, watching everyone slicing, dicing, and stirring.
“I’ve got the food tables set up. Are these the tablecloths I should put on them?”
The head caterer looked over and nodded. “We’ll take care of that, Brandy.”
“That’s okay. I need to keep myself busy,” I said, grabbing the pile of linens.
“The silver ones are for the banquet tables and the black ones are for the guest tables.”
“Gotcha.” By the time I got back into the space, Aaron was already wheeling out the last of the round tables and was unfolding it and popping it into place.
“You’re beyond amazing,” I said, handing him the black pile of tablecloths.
“I’m trying,” he said, grinning.
I glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that we only had about forty-five minutes before the guests would start arriving and another fifteen minutes before my parents would arrive.
I quickly placed the tablecloths on the banquet tables and grabbed the bag of rose petals that was leaning against the wall. I opened them up and began spreading them along the tables and turned to see Aaron running the tablecloths out on each dinner table.
He was dressed in one of my favorite suits, and I couldn’t stop imagining what it would be like to strip it off him later tonight. How horrible was that? I was preparing for my parents’ anniversary party, daydreaming about getting it on with my boyfriend. I completely blamed Aaron.
My phone buzzed, and it was Mason letting me know that everything was going as planned. I quickly texted back that things were looking good here too, and we should be set for the first guests to arrive.
I wandered over to Aaron who was now placing the arrangements in the middle of each table and sliding his hand over each tablecloth smoothing the wrinkles off of it.
“Signs of the military?” I asked.
He started laughing and nodded. “Guess so.”
A few of the servers began wheeling out the china and silverware and waved.
“It looks great,” one of the servers said. “We’ve got it handled from here. Go grab a drink from the bartender and relax.”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Aaron said, sliding his arm around my waist.
“Yeah. It does.”
We walked over to where the bartender was placing the selection of beer and wine along the bar.
“Nice selection,” Aaron said.
“Carla helped in that department as well. I still can’t believe she did all of this. My parents would die if they knew someone did that for them that wasn’t related.”
“Carla did it for me because of you,” he said softly. “She knows how much you mean to me and…” his voice trailed off, as he slid his hand into mine. I felt the blush color my cheeks as the bartender continued to set out glasses, acting as if he wasn’t overhearing our conversation.
The bartender turned around, sensing our conversation had come to an end. “What can I grab for you two?”
“I’ll take a Jack and Coke. And she’ll take a Royal Washington Apple.”
“Are you trying to get me drunk before the party even starts?” I asked, teasing.
“Actually just before I tell you what we found about the messages you’ve been receiving.”
“Seriously?” I asked. “You’ve got to tell me tonight?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately, what we found out needs to be taken care of immediately. Jason worked his magic. No matter how much the guy says he’s not into tech stuff, he sure knows his shit.” Aaron grabbed both of our drinks, and we found a couple of comfortable looking seats along the far wall.
I took a seat and sipped my drink, feeling the sting as it touched my lips.
“It’s definitely that Jeff guy from your class,” he began.
“Are you sure?” I asked. “That’s so weird.”
“We’re positive. Once we figured out who it was, Jason was able to tap into his wireless and connect into his systems. He’s been stalking you for quite a while.”
“Isn’t that illegal?” I asked, staring at Aaron.
“Yeah, stalking is quite illegal.”
“No. I mean tapping into his system.”
“We have ways around it. Besides, there’s enough evidence that was collected to be able to turn over to the police just from the texts he sent you.”
“Why?”
“The Jeff guy’s nuts. Jason’s got a few buddies at the police station he’s talking to before he gets here tonight, but you are in definite need of a restraining order and security.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I wish I were.” Aaron pulled out his iPhone and tapped on a link. “Check this out.”
I looked down at the screen and watched a video game reenactment that looked all too familiar. It was the inside of my apartment.
My marrow chilled as I continued to watch. A haunting overture played in the background, as I followed the intruder through my apartment, first looking into Gabby’s bedroom, going through her things, and then leaning over her while she slept. My heart was pounding so hard and I could barely focus. Granted these were cartoonish images of us, but the point was clear. My palms moistened as I continued to watch where the gamer went next. Into my bedroom. I watched as the items on my dresser were moved and then placed back in their proper places before he spun around to look over at me sleeping in my bed, with the exact replica of my comforter and pillows carefully placed around me.
“He’s been inside our house…” I felt numb as my body filled with terror.
“I wanted to wait until after the party, but I figured I couldn’t do that. Not if we needed to be on alert with this large group of people just milling around.”
I took another sip of my drink and looked back at Aaron.
“He might have stolen some items from my bedroom.”
“What do you mean?” his voice sharp.
“This sounds absolutely bizarre and—”
“What?”
“A while back I noticed some of my underwear went away.” I blushed at the thought, at the ridiculousness of what I was saying.
“You’re just telling me this now?”
“I figured they got lost with laundry or who knows. It’s like the case of the missing socks. I can’t go more than a month with perfect matches. There’s always a mate missing—always. This is so mortifying.” I sighed.
“It’s worse than that. It’s downright dangerous,” he muttered, texting Jason the latest revelation.
“And there was some jewelry…”
“Seriously?”
I nodded.
“You need to be more vigilant, babe. Is there anything else?”
I shook my head. His eyes said everything and more as he looked at me.
“You’re not staying at your place any longer. And neither is Gabby.”
“Does she know?”
Aaron nodded. “Yeah, Jason just showed her on the way to the police station.”
“There’s got to be a connection to him that I just can’t remember,” I muttered, wondering what in the world introduced him into my life.
“Probably. We’ll see what Jason says when he gets here tonight.”
I nodded, my heart pounding as I slammed the rest of my drink and nervously awaited for the first of many guests to arrive.
The music was pounding and my parents were having the time of their lives. Seeing that kind of love gave me hope. Watching them hold each other as they swayed to the music and the possibilities for decades more together helped to take my mind off of everything that was starting to fall into place about the madman.
Gabby looked pretty petrified, but it was hard for her to hide her emotions. She was as transparent as cellophane as Jason danced with her in the crowd.
I hadn’t told anyone about what we had found out, not even my brothers. It could wait until tomorrow, and in the meantime, Aaron was handling everything anyway. There was no reason to spoil my parents’ special night.
I turned to face Aaron who had been watching the crowd the entire evening, looking for anything suspicious. I knew both Jason and Aaron were armed and the thought terrified me… not so much that they were armed, but that I was somehow in a position where the people around me felt they needed to protect me.
Beyond Doubt (Beyond Love Series #2) Page 15