by Natalie Ann
“Not here, I don’t. I was thinking of going back to my place.” He was still talking quietly. Brody and another bartender were in the building, and if he knew his brother, he might be watching the cameras in the back, which was why he’d stood off to where the camera couldn’t see him, forcing Nic to move closer to him.
Her eyes danced mischievously. “I think I’d like that.”
“Let’s go before you change your mind,” he said. “Do you want to follow me? I’m assuming you don’t want to leave your car here?”
“No way. That’s drawing too many eyes. I’ll follow you home.”
***
If Nic’s hands were shaking on the steering wheel as she followed Aiden home, she was just going to pretend she was that blind monkey again.
Maybe he only wanted to show her something in the kitchen? Nah, she’d seen what he really wanted to show her in his eyes. She’d been seeing it for a week now whenever they were together. It was something hot, something smoking, and nothing that needed to be prepared in the kitchen.
Though she was sure she’d been giving him an equal amount of glances, she’d kept just enough distance. Not that she was playing hard to get, because that wasn’t the case at all.
No, she was just being cautious. Trying to feel him out. See if his actions and his words from the week prior were in line with each other.
So far, they had been. He’d made some type of effort to reach out to her each day. If not by spending time together at his place in the morning, then him stopping to see her at whatever station she was at. He’d talk shop with her and anyone else around, but he always slipped in a secret communication somehow. Normally something as simple as bumping his leg into hers. Something he did all the time flirting with her when they were alone.
It was like a “code” to him. If it made him feel better trying to reassure her, who was she to say otherwise, because secretly she was glad he was doing it.
Was she still getting looks in the kitchen? Yeah, she was, but it seemed less and less of them.
She pulled next to him in the garage, then got out while he shut the door. She gripped her hands in front of her, trying to stop the trembling. She wasn’t about to go in his house and have sex with him, was she? Her boss?
Yeah, she was, and part of her realized it was more excitement than nerves. More arousal than fear. More anything and everything magnified than she’d felt around another guy before.
“So I’m going to go out on a limb and say we aren’t going to be cooking in the kitchen,” she said, wanting to spell it all out nice and clear. If she was going to make a fool of herself, then she’d rather do it before they got much further. Before naked body parts got involved.
“I’d hoped, but if you don’t want to, that’s fine too.”
“Really?” she asked, confused.
He frowned. “I’m not pushing or pressuring you at all. I hope you don’t think that,” he said, looking a little insulted.
“No,” she rushed out. So much for not wanting to make a fool of herself. “Just a little nervous right now. I wanted to make sure we were thinking along the same lines.”
“Considering what we were doing in here this morning, I kind of figured we were on the same page.”
Her too, which was why she readily agreed to come back with him. She was so worked up this morning after they were done kissing and groping each other in this very kitchen. It felt like she was in high school again and just trying to figure out when and where the right time would be. Seemed like now was it.
“Come on,” he said, threading their fingers together. She liked that about him. That he always wanted to hold her hand. His big warm palm and hers touching, making her feel secure. Making her feel wanted…even needed.
“Are you going to give me a tour of your house?” So far she’d only seen the kitchen, living room, his office and a half bath on the first floor.
“Not now. Maybe another time. We’re going right to my room.”
“I was kind of hoping to clean up first.” Why hadn’t she thought of that before she agreed to come here? She’d been working for eight hours in a hot kitchen, sweating through her clothes. Him too.
“We can do that together,” he said.
“Ah…” She’d rather not. That was getting a little too personal. She realized they were about to get naked together, but bathe together, that seemed a little much. More intimate than just sex to her.
“Are you going to get all shy on me?” he asked, tweaking her nose. When she felt her face heat up, he laughed. “Fine.” They’d gotten to the top of the stairs and he pulled her down the hall and into his room. She didn’t even have time to notice much of it once he turned the light on. Just pushed her into his bathroom. “You shower in here.” He opened up a closet and grabbed a towel. “I’ll shower down the hall. Meet me in my room in ten minutes. No more.” He kissed her quickly and disappeared.
Talk about a deer in the headlights. She looked around the bathroom and realized it was bigger than her bedroom. Almost twice the size of it.
Eying the large walk-in shower, she turned the water on, and it just started spraying everywhere out of three walls all meeting in the middle. Guess he really did like to get clean.
She made quick work of washing up, not bothering with her hair other than securing it tighter in a bun, then scrubbing her face and neck. She almost didn’t want to get out, not with the way the jets were massaging her body. Guess being successful had some serious perks. She could get used to this.
But she did climb out, because she had a hot man waiting for her and no amount of pleasure from a massage could trump that.
She wrapped one of his big fluffy towels around her and tucked it in to stay in place, then opened up the bathroom door to see him standing there with a towel around his own waist. “I figured it’d make you feel uncomfortable if I put shorts on.”
He was right, it would have if he was even partially dressed and she wasn’t. At least they were on a level playing field right now.
When he held his hand out, she felt the silent pull, like magnetism, and her legs just moved on their own toward him. She’d thought he’d take her hand softly, but instead he grabbed it and yanked her into his chest, causing her to laugh. “In a hurry?”
“Oh, I don’t know. We’re standing here pretty much naked and I’ve been waiting for this for what seems like a lifetime.”
“You’ve only known me a month.”
“A month, a year, a lifetime…it all feels the same when it’s something you want.”
Was she supposed to turn to jelly hearing those words? Didn’t matter, because his mouth found hers and went to work, and that was enough.
He didn’t waste any time loosening her towel and letting it drop, and since she wasn’t about to be standing there naked alone, she let his fly too.
As much as she just wanted to step back and take in the sight of him, she was afraid he’d want to do the same. And though she was in good shape, she was on the tiny side. Tiny all around. She didn’t even have the curvy hips most Italians complain about. Somewhere she felt she got gypped in the gene pool.
It didn’t seem like Aiden wanted to stop kissing, which was totally fine with her. He had some serious skill level there too. Before she knew what was happening, she was being lifted and laid on his bed, him coming down on top of her.
Okay, being small had some advantages, because his large body was covering her completely and it felt oh so nice. More than nice. It felt fabulous. And if she wasn’t so worked up, she’d want to just savor this all night.
Instead, her hands started to roam down his strong muscular back, feeling the grooves, and making her want to never have this night end. To always feel this good, always feel this worked up. The edge of something fabulous was a pretty fine thing indeed.
He moved his mouth from hers and scooted down her neck to stop on her chest. She wanted to be embarrassed that she was still pretty much wearing a training bra at this point in her
life, but the way his mouth was moving around and sucking her in, she figured he didn’t seem to mind.
“You’re so sensitive here,” he said.
“I always have been.” His mouth was all over one side of her. Sucking, licking, nibbling, nipping, and biting. His hand on the other. He was working her over good. It’d been too long since she’d been with a man. Since someone other than herself touched a part of her body.
“I like that. Passion again,” he mumbled and then moved his head down some more. Oh man, she wasn’t going to be able to last very long.
“Aiden,” she said when his mouth hovered right over the ledge of what she’d always secretly dubbed the wonder zone. “Don’t tease me too much.”
“I like to tease. I like to push it off as long as I can.”
“I’d rather you pushed something else.”
He lifted his head up sharply and looked at her, then gave her a smirk that just sent the blood racing to every part of her body, heating her up to a boiling point.
He rolled over, opened a drawer, and grabbed a condom. It gave her a minute to look at him. Darn, not only were his back and shoulders nice and toned but so were his legs, and definitely his butt. He had a really nice butt. He had to work out, even though he said he didn’t like the gym.
No time to ask or worry, because he was grabbing her hands and putting them over her head, making her feel much smaller than she already did, but she didn’t care, because he was holding her and he was going to make her feel so much better than she’d ever felt before. She knew that without a doubt. Aiden was going to send her wonder zone into outer space.
“You said to push,” he said, sliding into her slowly.
Yeah, it felt good, but damn, he was moving too slow. She lifted her hips up and embedded him in all the way. “That’s pushing.”
He let out a groan. His eyes lit up. Then he released her hands and rolled them fast, putting her on top. “Go right at it then.”
Her and her big mouth. But she acted all confident and sure of herself and now she needed to continue. She decided to just let her body take over and run the show. How bad could it be? Well, nothing about this was bad, that was for sure.
She pushed to her knees, sliding up then back down, and releasing a groan to match his. “If you do that too much, I’m going to be done before I want to be,” he said.
“How about I do it more, finish, and then you can have your way?”
Her hands were moving all over his chest, because hey, it was pretty spectacular too. “You’re killing me, Nic.”
She wouldn’t want to do that. Instead she just started to move. Started to rise up and down. Building up steam, getting ready to run him over, because that was how she felt. All hot and bothered, ready to blow, ready to scream.
“Aiden,” she said, her voice rising. Her body was just moving on its own. She wasn’t sure she’d ever moved this fast before and really didn’t care. “Touch me. Just touch me to send me over.”
He slid his hands between her legs and started to rub her softly. “Are you kidding? Harder,” she shouted at him.
She hadn’t meant to yell, but it worked, because not only was he rubbing her furiously, but his hips were slamming up into hers.
Everything they were doing, every noise they were making—it was like the tea kettle was ready to not only whistle but screech so loudly that the windows might crack.
“Jesus,” he said, panting out when she collapsed on his chest. “Who would have thought you could wear me out like that.” He looked over at the clock. “My God, I don’t even think it was five minutes.”
She burst out laughing. “Sorry about that. When I want something, I just don’t like to wait.”
He held her tight and she realized that for once, she might have gotten what she always secretly wished for but figured it could never be hers.
Kind of Cozy
“You’ve got a pep in your step today,” Mason said when Aiden walked into the conference room before the rest of them for their weekly meeting.
“I can’t wake up in a good mood? We aren’t all like Brody and need a pot of sludge before we can do more than grunt at someone.”
Mason just stared at him, then laughed. “You got laid last night.”
“Shhh,” Aiden said. “What the hell, Mason?” he whispered.
Mason only laughed. “Come on. I shared a room with you growing up. I know the signs. I still remember the first time you got a piece of ass. Came home that night with stars in your eyes like you not only reached the pearly gates, but had the only key to let everyone in.”
Aiden shook his head. There was no hiding anything from his family at times. “It’s not like that.”
“Oh, so it wasn’t that good.”
“Stop,” he said again, glancing at the door.
“Then give me some details or something. Otherwise I’m going to keep chatting about it when everyone gets here.”
Aiden forgot Mason was like that. That he actually had a warped sense of humor to rival them all. It just sucked Aiden was on the receiving end of it today. “I’m not giving you details. That’s personal. I’m not sharing. We aren’t in high school anymore.”
Mason bobbed his head a few times, pursed his lips as if he was in thought, then said, “This is different? This thing with Nic?”
“I didn’t tell you who it was with,” Aiden argued.
“Please. You didn’t need to. You forget we talked about this the other day. And though there hasn’t been any more whispering in your kitchen that I’ve heard of, I also know that Brody said you were sharing a beer with Nic in the kitchen last night.”
Aiden wanted to know how Mason knew so fast but then realized that Brody was down in the bar right now and Mason would have stopped to talk to him before he came up here.
“What else did Brody say?”
“Nothing other than you pulled her away from the camera, but from what he saw you were getting kind of cozy.”
“That’s it, nothing else?”
“What did you think he’d say? He’s engaged to his manager. Remember, you and I were fine with his and Aimee’s relationship. Why don’t you think he’d be fine if you had one with Nic?”
Because he was looking for something that wasn’t there but feared would show up. That he prided himself on never getting involved with someone in his line of work again.
But most of all because he was looking for those comparisons and judgments that he’d told Nic they all got as a group.
“Someone got lucky last night,” Brody said when he walked in the door and sat at the table next to them.
Did he have some bright beacon flashing around his neck? “Why would you say that?” Aiden asked.
“Because you didn’t just deny it. You always were slow, Aiden. Good for you,” Brody said, but then stopped when Ella walked in. At least it didn’t seem like his love life was going to be food for the family meeting.
Once Cade rushed in three minutes past the starting time, Ella began the meeting as always. He was prepared to sit back and think about last night with Nic, ignoring everything around him, until Ella said, “Aiden, did you decide on that guest judge post for the Food Network? You were supposed to respond by last Friday.”
So much for his happy fantasies. “I’m not sure yet. I asked them to give me another week to think about it. The taping isn’t for another month anyway.”
“What’s there to think about?” Cade said. “Do you know how good this will be for Fierce?”
He knew that, which was one of the reasons he didn’t say no right away. Nor could he really tell them the reason he was hesitating. “I thought of that too. But it’s a family decision. Do we really want our name out there like that? On TV?”
“Yes,” everyone said at once.
“But it’s your decision, Aiden,” Mason said. “You’re the one that has to get before the camera and talk. The one that will have everyone watching you.”
They all knew how much he hated
that internship, but it had nothing to do with being on camera. He’d never had to be on camera for anything other than a project, but wasn’t worried about it either. He was fine with all eyes on him too. He was used to it now.
The bulk of what he did for that internship had been working behind the scenes, and it was enough to make him not want to be one of those food show hosts. Not when it meant being around that many people and not knowing everything that was being done. And not having any control over it.
“He’d eat the camera up,” Cade said. “You all think I’m the cocky one, but Aiden is spades above me. Of all of us together.”
He was shocked to hear that, and it just went to show how blind he actually was. But Nic saw it and said the same thing. “I’ll be fine in front of the camera. It’s not that.”
“Then what?” Brody asked. “Are you afraid they might want you to have your own show? Ask you to come back for more? I don’t get it.”
He was arrogant enough to think that. It wasn’t just arrogance, though. He’d never told his family, but he’d been contacted a few times over the past several years from the Food Network asking him to submit pilots. He’d always refused. He was wondering if this was their way of giving him a taste of it.
“If that did happen, I’d just say no.”
“Before you even knew the details? Why?” Cade asked, looking the most shocked.
“Because my life is here,” he said.
“And detouring somewhere else for a short period of time would take this life away?” Ella asked. “It would only enhance it, Aiden. You know that. Really, I’m not sure what your reasoning is, but none of us are going to force you. I mean, if it were Mason being asked, he’d be running out the door like a clown was chasing him, but you aren’t as antisocial as him.”
“You’d be right behind me, Ella,” Mason snapped back.
Brody laughed. “Ella, you’d knock us all down on your run out of town. I don’t get the whole clown thing.”