Undeniable Attraction
Page 8
Chapter 11
Aaron wasn’t sure when it happened, but at some point during the evening, he knew he would be spending the night with Melissa. She’d been giving him a certain look, playful and flirtatious, quite unlike the way she’d looked at him before today. Even her body language was signaling to him that she was interested. The way she would throw a glance over her shoulder, brush her finger against her lips. All subtle things that others wouldn’t notice, but for him, the cues were loud and clear.
She wanted him as much as he wanted her.
That knowledge made it incredibly hard for him to get through the evening when all he wanted to do was sweep Melissa into his arms and out of the reception hall. But, of course, he would have to wait.
Somehow he’d made it through the hours of toasts and the dinner and the obligatory dances, his sole thought on when he and Melissa could ultimately get naked.
And finally, Aaron was seeing some light at the end of the tunnel. Tasha was about to throw her bouquet, then Ryan would throw the garter, and then he and Melissa could hightail it out of here.
“All single ladies to the dance floor,” the DJ announced. “It’s that time of the night!”
The single women obliged, most going willingly onto the dance floor, though some were dragged by friends.
“That’s it, ladies! Who is the next one who will get married? It’s time to find out!”
Aaron watched as Arlene had to pull Melissa onto the back edge of the dance floor.
The DJ began to play Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies,” and Tasha teased and tempted, raising the bouquet high, then lowering it a few times, causing the women to gently push each other, vying for position to catch the flowers.
Except for Melissa. She stood near the back, looking bored.
Finally, Tasha threw the bouquet. It went flying over the heads and hands of eager women and straight to Melissa. Aaron watched as her eyes widened in surprise. Then she did the only thing she could—she reflexively put her hands out and caught the bouquet, looking completely stunned that she now possessed the coveted floral arrangement.
People clapped and cheered, then Melissa forced a smile onto her face and took a bow.
“Okay, guys. You know what that means. It’s your turn. Once Ryan accomplishes the task of removing the garter!”
Someone brought a chair onto the dance floor, and the DJ played a sexy tune. Tasha made her way onto the chair. Ryan stood several feet in front of her, grinning. As the music played, he did a sexy strut toward her, gyrating his hips. And when he bent onto his haunches and slipped his hands beneath Tasha’s gown, some of the guys hooted and hollered.
“Get it, cuz!” Aaron’s brother Keith yelled.
Ryan made the removal of the garter a seductive art, smoothing his palms up Tasha’s legs and ultimately using his teeth to drag the garter down. The applause and cheers were raucous.
“Okay, where are the single guys?” the DJ asked. “Head onto the dance floor.”
Aaron made his way onto the floor with his brothers and the other unattached men in attendance.
Ryan did the same thing Tasha had, teasing the eager guys by feigning that he was about to throw the garter a few times. And when he finally tossed the blue garter into the air, almost all of the guys leaped and tried to get it.
It was just about to land into the hands of another guy, but Aaron jumped and stretched his body, much the way he would on the soccer field, and felt his fingers ensnare the silky fabric.
He emerged victorious, holding the garter high. He did a victory walk around the dance floor, the other groomsmen patting him on the back in congratulations.
“All right!” The DJ sounded excited. “Now, someone bring the chair back. Where’s the lady who caught the bouquet?” The DJ found Melissa in the crowd and pointed. “Yes, you. Come take a seat on the chair.”
Melissa’s eyes widened in alarm. Bonnie and Wilma both gave her a gentle shove in the direction of the dance floor.
“And you.” The DJ pointed at him. “You know what you’re going to do, don’t you?”
The DJ began to chuckle. And Aaron was getting a pretty good idea.
“That’s right,” the DJ went on. “You’re going to put the garter onto her leg!”
Aaron shot a glance at Melissa, who looked like a deer caught in headlights. She had not been expecting this. Neither had he—but he couldn’t deny the rush of excitement that shot through him at the prospect of smoothing his hands over Melissa’s shapely legs.
Melissa looked mortified, while Wilma and Bonnie were already cheering. And when the DJ began to play R. Kelly’s “Sex Me,” the cheering became a frenzy.
The crowd wanted a show, and Aaron was going to give them one.
He moved his body to the beat, slowly approaching Melissa. God, the way her eyes widened as he neared her...he couldn’t wait to be alone with her.
Aaron swiveled his hips slowly, in a motion meant to turn her on. Right now, he was her private dancer, the crowd be damned.
Melissa blushed, then covered her mouth. Aaron held her gaze and twirled the garter around on his finger. Then he gyrated his hips until he was lowered onto his haunches before her. He slipped his hands beneath her dress and lifted one leg. The crowd went wild.
And damn, his pulse went into overdrive. Her skin was bare and smooth, and just touching her like this was getting him aroused. He looked at her toes, painted lavender to match her dress, and he felt a zap of heat in his groin. He wanted her in nothing but these silver shoes later at his place.
Aaron met her eyes, and there was that look again. Beneath the hint of embarrassment that they were doing this in front of everyone, he saw an undeniable flash of longing.
He slipped the garter over her shoe and pulled it up to her ankle. Then he extended his hands, making them visible to everyone watching, and used his teeth to pull the garter up to her knee.
The groomsmen hooted. Someone whistled. Melissa’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.
Easing his head back, Aaron offered her a smile. Then he used his hands to pull the garter just above her knee, keeping it rated PG. He winked at her. She continued to meet his gaze, and he didn’t miss the way her sexy chest rose and fell with a heavy breath.
Aaron stood tall, raised his hands in triumph, then bowed as people applauded. Glancing in Melissa’s direction, he saw that she was still seated on the chair. He knew she was frazzled, but he was betting that it was in a good way.
He walked back over to her and offered her his hand. She accepted it, and he helped her to her feet. But he didn’t release her when once she was standing. Instead, he pulled her body against his and leaned his head to her ear.
“You’re driving me crazy. What do you say we get out of here?”
* * *
Heat rushed through Melissa’s body with Aaron’s words. Her body was practically an inferno. After that erotic garter escapade, she was barely breathing.
Aaron touching her leg, using his teeth to pull the garter up it...that was more foreplay than Melissa had had in nearly two years.
She was driving him crazy? He was making her crazy with need.
Her attraction to him was fierce. Something she could no longer deny. She’d been fighting a losing battle since she’d arrived in town.
The battle to resist him.
“You’re good at this, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Good at what?”
“Good at being so darn irresistible,” she admitted.
There. She’d said it. She couldn’t deny it any longer, and she didn’t want to. The truth was, she wanted Aaron. She wanted a taste of him again. Maybe then she could fully get him out of her system.
“You find me irresistible?” His eyes lighting up, he drew his bottom lip between his teeth, indicating to her that he knew just how enticing he was.
“Baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
The words were a promise. A promise that Melissa wanted him to fulfill.
One night with Aaron...it wasn’t something she’d ever imagined before she’d arrived in Sheridan Falls, but right now she wanted nothing more.
She would satisfy an itch that needed to be scratched, then go her merry way.
“I can only imagine,” Melissa said softly.
Aaron splayed his hands over her back and urged her against him. Then he looked into her eyes for a long moment, and it felt as though they were the only two people in the room. “You don’t have to imagine,” he said.
Melissa glanced around, wondering if prying eyes were checking out their interaction. “You really want me to leave with you?”
“Am I in some way being unclear?”
He whispered the words in her ear, and Melissa’s body shuddered. No, he wasn’t being unclear. Not at all.
But she was hesitating. Was she really contemplating spending the night with Aaron?
Heck yes, she was. One night of carnal bliss...she needed it.
“What do you say?” Aaron whispered, and Melissa’s eyelids fluttered shut.
She gripped his shoulders, needing to hold on to him before she swayed on her feet. He was having that much of an effect on her. Looking into his eyes, she said, “I don’t want the night to end.”
Aaron’s lips curled in a slow, satisfied grin. “Good. Because I don’t want it to end, either. I’m just trying to figure out the right moment to get out of here.”
He pulled her closer and edged his face lower. But he seemed to catch himself and remember that the roomful of wedding guests surrounded them. So instead of kissing her, he whispered into her ear, “I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since I first saw you again. You’ve been occupying my thoughts at night, during the day. Hell, even when you left the room, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”
Melissa’s face flamed. It was silly, but his words stoked her inner fire. The idea that he desired her to that degree was a huge turn-on.
So what would it hurt? One night with Aaron, and she could get whatever this was out of her system and head back to New Jersey and her life.
“Why don’t you get your stuff and head out of the hall as if you’re heading to the restroom? I actually brought my car here earlier, so it’s out back. I’ll meet you outside in about five minutes?”
A few minutes later, Melissa put the plan into action. She didn’t bother to say goodbye to anyone, not wanting anyone to be the wiser. Eventually they would wonder where she and Aaron were, but she was certain that no one would be concerned.
Melissa waited at the side of the building, and when Aaron rounded the corner toward the parking lot, she smiled. God help her, he was gorgeous. Every time she laid eyes on him, he took her breath away.
He returned her smile. “You wait here. I’ll go get my car.”
“Did anyone seem suspicious?”
“I left them going crazy on the dance floor. I don’t think anyone noticed me slip out.”
Maybe not yet. But they would notice soon enough. Though, honestly, she didn’t care. Even if there were witnesses from the local paper who would make their tryst front-page news tomorrow, she was going to spend the night with Aaron.
She watched Aaron walk toward the back of the parking lot, his strong and confident gait turning her on even more. She could only imagine how skilled a lover he was now.
Well, she wouldn’t have to imagine much longer, would she?
She was about to get it on with Aaron.
And she wasn’t going to regret it.
Chapter 12
A little more than ten minutes later, Aaron was pulling his Mercedes sedan into a long, semicircular driveway. Sprawling trees blocked much of the view of the front of the house, and in the darkness you couldn’t see much of it anyway. Melissa could see that the house was a dark color, likely red brick, with a large wraparound porch. It was big, with a spacious front yard, the kind of house that Melissa could imagine being filled with kids.
Aaron stopped the car and put it into Park, and Melissa inhaled a deep breath. She wanted to do this, was excited about doing it, yet her stomach flitted from nerves. It hit her full force that she was actually about to spend the night with Aaron.
There was no turning back now.
And she didn’t want to turn back. Honestly, she hadn’t wanted anything as much as she wanted this in a long time.
Aaron exited the car and hurried around to the passenger-side door. He opened it for Melissa, then offered her his hand.
She exited the car, then hugged her torso as she glanced around at the property.
Aaron placed his hands on her shoulders, then rubbed them down her arms. “Are you cold?”
“No. Just taking it all in.” She turned to face him. “I like your place. It’s serene. Not at all what I expected.”
“What did you expect?” Aaron asked.
“Honestly? I guess I figured you’d have a place bigger than your parents’, somewhere everyone can see it.”
“I’m much more into my privacy, especially these days.”
Melissa took a step toward the house, then abruptly stopped. “Wait,” she asked, turning to face him. “Did you live here with Ella?”
“No. The big house you mentioned—Ella has it. I moved here after we split.” He put a hand on the small of her back. “But I definitely do not want to talk about Ella.”
Melissa glanced over her shoulder at Aaron. “Neither do I.”
Keeping his hand on her back, Aaron guided her toward the house. It was dark, but strategically placed lights on the porch provided soft illumination.
Aaron removed his hand from her body only to unlock and open the door. Then he took her by the hand and led her into his home. He flicked on the light switch, and the foyer came into view. A mahogany-and-oak table holding a statue of a horse was to the left beside the wall. An abstract painting hung on the wall above it. The staircase was to the immediate right and curved as it went up to the second level. At the top of the staircase was a lookout to the lower level. A massive chandelier with hundreds of coin-size crystals hung from the high ceiling and looked dazzling as the light played off it.
“Your place is beautiful,” Melissa said.
Aaron drew her into his arms. “Thanks. Now can we stop talking and do what we’ve both wanted to do all day?”
He pulled her into his arms, and within a nanosecond, his lips were coming down on hers. Melissa expected fast and furious, especially with the buildup of the sexual tension between them. But instead, the kiss was soft and slow.
Heat unfurled inside her just as slowly.
Aaron’s mouth worked over hers gently as his thumb stroked her jawline. His other hand moved to the back of her neck, his fingers tenderly touching her skin. Then they went higher, into the tendrils at the nape of her neck. It didn’t take long for Melissa to realize that he was searching for the pins that held her hair up. Deepening the kiss, he maneuvered her hair free. Melissa could hear the soft pinging sounds of the hairpins falling onto the floor.
Her chignon successfully loosened, Aaron groaned and slipped both hands into her hair. He swept his tongue into her mouth and tangled it with hers. A rush of excitement shot through Melissa’s body. She crept her hands up his strong biceps and then wrapped them around his neck and held on as her head grew light from the most incredible sensations.
“This is what I’ve been thinking about all day,” Aaron murmured. “And not just all day. I’ve been thinking about this since I first saw you again.”
“You have?” Melissa asked.
“Yeah.” Staring into her eyes, he pulled his b
ottom lip between his teeth and covered one of her breasts with his palm. “I’ve been going crazy thinking about you.”
Melissa exhaled a shuddery breath. His attraction to her was like an aphrodisiac.
He kissed her again, his mouth moving hungrily over hers. And then he scooped her into his arms.
Melissa let out a little squeal, then giggled as Aaron rushed up the staircase with her. He headed straight down the dimly lit hallway and through an open door. The fact that he couldn’t wait to get her to bed was turning her on even more.
Melissa expected Aaron to quickly put her on the mattress, but instead he stood at the bed’s edge with her. He brought his mouth down on hers once more. Suckling softly, nibbling gently, he lowered her until she was standing. And then he continued to kiss her senseless. The sensations tingling through her body were heady and exciting.
He broke the kiss and whispered, “As much as I want to rip this dress off you, I know I shouldn’t. Tell me how to get it off so I don’t ruin it.”
“There’s a zipper at the back,” Melissa told him, surprised at the sound of her ragged breathing. Her body was on fire. And Aaron hadn’t even touched her in the places she craved the most.
He turned her in his arms so that her back was facing him, and he found the zipper and dragged it down. Slowly. As if his entire goal was to draw out the teasing to make her even weaker with need.
Once the zipper was down, Aaron pushed the fabric over the one shoulder and down her arm. His fingers skimming her skin were like tendrils of electrical wire touching her, zapping her with jolts of lust. She was loving every second of this.
Melissa shimmied her body, helping him to remove the dress. He guided it over her hips, and the silky fabric fell to the ground around her feet.
Melissa stepped out of the dress, then turned to face him. As he regarded her, his eyes slowly widened and filled with heat. She was standing there in her strapless bra and thong, and she’d never felt sexier.
Aaron’s exhalation of breath was audible. “Damn.”
He reached for her hand, then pulled her forward. She landed against his hard body with a little oomph.