She wraps her arms around me, and I place my hands on her hips, exactly where she let me earlier. The smile I see before our lips meet melts my heart a little more. I know that she appreciates me remembering. We kiss for several minutes, forgetting that there are people still around.
“You’re making a scene,” Andres says, coming up and bumping me on the shoulder.
“Don’t give a fuck,” I tell him, recapturing Ellie’s lips.
“Think of someone other than yourself for once.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” I ask, shocked that he would even say something like that to me.
“You let down everyone who cares about you. You should be thinking about your dad right now.”
“Aiden always takes care of the people he loves,” Ellie says, her eyes flashing.
“Whatever. Just tone down the PDA.”
“Fuck you, asshole.”
“Letting your woman defend you. Nice. But you’re not my type, Ellie.”
“You’re crossing a line, Andy. You can say whatever the fuck you want to me, but you don’t talk to Ellie like that. I suggest you walk away.”
“So much for being best friends, huh? I guess I’m not famous enough for that.”
“What the fuck? You think I care about my friends being famous? If I wanted fame, I’d have campaigned with my dad. I’d be telling the world he’s my dad. I’m sorry you and I grew apart, but that had nothing to do with anyone else, but us.”
“You’re right. It was ‘us.’ Plural. I was hoping we could re-connect, but you’re not making it easy.”
“Anything that’s worth it isn’t easy. But you wouldn’t know that, would you Aiden?” Dave asks, coming up to us as well.
And I thought my night couldn’t get any worse. Dave is my dad’s right hand guy. He’s also ex-military, and around my age, but I didn’t know him before they started working together. He’s never liked me, thinking I’ve never earned anything in my life. How he got that idea, I’ll never know. My dad certainly would never perpetuate it—he knows better than anyone that I refused everything I could as soon as I was able to get a job. I’ve done everything I could to prove to myself, and those I care about, that I can stand on my own.
“Who the fuck are you?” Ellie asks.
“He works for my dad.”
“I bet he wouldn’t be still working for him if your dad heard him talking to you like this.”
“Aiden wouldn’t tell. He’s too cool for that, right?”
“Maybe he wouldn’t, but I have no qualms about shutting you up. One way or another.”
“You should stick to being pretty. That’s working for you. I’d hate to mess up your pretty face.”
“I’d love to see you try.”
“You touch her, and you’ll be dead by morning. No joke.”
“Am I supposed to be scared of the Golden Boy now?”
“You should be scared of his father,” my dad says, coming up behind us. “I don’t know what the hell is going on over here, but threatening a woman is not something I will tolerate. From anyone.”
“You know I wouldn’t really hit her,” Dave says, looking nervous. He should. My dad is totally serious.
“I’d like to think I know that, but people have a way of surprising me. And not always in a good way.”
“I think Ellie and I should leave.”
“After dinner. Please, Aiden,” my dad says.
I know it will look bad if we just walk out, and I can’t do that to him. I nod. “Just keep them away from us. Ellie is off limits.”
“Agreed. Andy, Dave, let’s find our seats.”
“Did that just happen?” Ellie asks as they walk away.
“Welcome to the real D.C. You sure you still want to be with me?”
“Aiden Ford, if you seriously think some jealous assholes are gonna scare me off, you really don’t know me.”
“I was hoping you’d say something like that.”
“Let’s go eat,” she says, taking my hand once again, and leading me to the dining room. I go willingly. The sooner we eat and dance a little, the sooner we can leave. I’m already sorry we came, but my dad comes before me. Always has, and always will. Even if the assholes he surrounds himself don’t acknowledge it.
* * *
Ellie
Dinner went better than expected, mostly because we were seated with the Masons, Isa, and Vicki. Andres behaved himself, and Dave was at another table. The tension was still there, but our friends did their best to lighten things up. Dancing is about to start, and then, thankfully, we can leave. Aiden needs to get out of here.
“May I have this dance, Ellie?” Tim asks me as the music starts.
“Stealing my thunder, Dad?”
“Never. I just want to get to know my future daughter-in-law better.”
“We’re not engaged,” I remind him.
“You will be. I don’t know when, but I do know my son.”
“And now the pressure is on,” Aiden says with a groan.
“No pressure,” I tell him, as I take Tim’s hand and we head to the dance floor.
“How much longer, Ellie?” he asks once we’re dancing.
“You get the reports.”
“Yes, but it’s not enough. I need you to nail this bastard to the wall.”
“So Aiden and I can get married and live happily ever after?”
“Honestly? There’s nothing I want more than that. For my son to be truly happy for the rest of his life.”
“I know. We’re close to pushing the guy over the edge. He’s getting sloppier every time we stop him. Between Faith and I thwarting him with the bastards Aiden stops, and Isa, Jake, and the guys Aiden hired stopping him from getting to the innocent, he’s going a little crazy.”
“Be careful, Ellie. I want my son safe, and free from jail, but I also know that if anything else happens to you, he’ll be the one going over the edge. Especially if it happens because of him.”
“You could tell him the truth, or let me tell him.”
“No. He’d never accept our help. You know that.”
I do know that, and it kills me. If I could just tell him what really happened during his lost days, and everything else that goes along with it, he’d be absolved of his guilt. Or at least most of it. But, if I did that, he’d shut us all out, and take his revenge game to a whole new level. While the guy behind all of this definitely deserves it, Aiden doesn’t. I love him too much to let him sacrifice himself completely.
“May I cut in now?” Aiden asks.
“Of course. Thank you for the dance, Ellie.”
“Anytime.”
“Are you okay, El? I mean with my dad touching you?”
“Yes. I know I’m safe with your dad. He’d never hurt me.”
“I wouldn’t either.”
“I know.”
I know that more than I know anything in my life. But I also know that I’m not ready for Aiden’s touch. Not when I still associate it with what happened to me. It’s wrong, and messed up, but it is what it is, and I can’t push myself. That would be disastrous for both of us.
“You ready to get out of here?”
“Yes, please.”
We make our goodbyes and pick up his car from the valet. “You still want to come over?”
“Yeah. I do. If it’s okay?”
“Of course it’s okay.”
Once we’re inside his apartment, I start to freak out a little. What if he gets angry about what we can and can’t do? Or hurt? I’m leaning towards him being hurt, when he speaks up. “What parameters am I working with, Ms. Gallagher?”
I bite my lip, and look everywhere but at him. “I want my hands all over you. My mouth, too.”
“While that sounds like the Heaven I know from experience it will definitely be, what can I do for you?”
“Not much.”
“I’m okay with that. Just tell me.”
“You can hold my hand, my hips, and my face. And
you can…” God, how do I tell him? Ask him for what I want?
“I can what, Doll? Tell me, because I’m down for anything when it comes to you. Do you want me to Magic Mike my way out of my clothes, because you know I can dance?” he asks, rolling his hips as he raises his hands over his head.
I laugh, just like he wants me to. “No. I mean, yes, one day I would love for you to strip for me. Not tonight, though. Tonight…you can…you can use your mouth. No hands or fingers anywhere else, but your mouth will be okay. I think.”
“Fuck yes. I love using my mouth on you, so I’m not sure why you’re going so shy on me all of a sudden. And if it’s not okay, you just tell me. Immediately. Understand?” he asks, coming over to cup my face in his hands.
“You’re not upset? I know Jade was hurt when she couldn’t touch Nate.”
“Because my idiot friend didn’t offer her anything else, and she was scared to even touch his face or ask for a kiss. This is a totally different situation. And honestly, you’re offering me more than I’d hoped for.”
“Thank you.”
“No more of that. Unless it’s to thank me for your orgasms later.”
I smile, but I’m still scared inside. Really, really scared. Not that he’ll hurt me, but that I’ll freak out in the middle of everything and ruin it. I don’t want to ruin it—for either of us.
Chapter 5
Ellie
My fears fade a little as I watch Aiden kick off his shoes and start to remove his clothes. I’ve seen him naked hundreds of times now, but it never gets old. Watching the planes and dips of his lean muscles appear before me makes my mouth go dry, and my panties get wet. When he drops his pants and boxer briefs to let his long and thick cock free, I unconsciously lick my lips. I still can’t believe it’s all mine. That he’s all mine.
“Everything okay?”
“Better than okay. You know how good you look.”
He shrugs. “I work out hard, but I always love the way you look at me. Clothed or naked.”
“Norma and the other women look at you like I do.”
“No. They look at me like I’m something they want. A body they desire, nothing more. You look at me like a man you respect, but need to have at the same time.”
“I do respect you.”
“I know, and it makes all the difference to me, El. It’s everything. You’re everything.”
That right there, what he said to me—that’s what has me reaching for the zipper on my dress. I know it’s not just a line he’s feeding me. He means it, and that makes it easier for me to remove my clothes, and let him look at me. I haven’t been naked in front of anyone since I was rescued. I wouldn’t even let the doctors see all of me. I just couldn’t. But I can for Aiden, knowing he’ll be seeing more than just my body.
That doesn’t stop my hands from shaking as my dress falls to the floor, and I reach for the straps of my bra. Aiden is in front of me, covering my hands, before I have a total meltdown. “Leave it on. It’s okay.”
“You took everything off.”
“I did, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Your hands are shaking, Doll. I don’t want that. If you feel ready in a little while, take it off. Until then, I’m more than happy to see you like this. You’re sexy as hell when you’re partially covered.”
“Partially?” I ask with a laugh. This bra covers me more than any other he’s seen me in, and my panties are definitely not the boy shorts or thongs I used to live in. I’m all about full coverage these days.
“You look amazing, and sexy, and about 5,000 other words I’m too tongue tied to say right now.”
“Well, let’s untie your tongue then,” I tell him as I pull his head to mine and kiss him.
We stay like that for just a few minutes, because I’m desperate to have my mouth on the rest of him. I move my lips and tongue over his jaw, nibbling on his ear as he moans into my hair. I don’t spend long on his neck or collarbone, but I do give his beautiful pecs and abs a good amount of attention. I slide to my knees as I lick along his ribs, and then lower.
“Ellie, you don’t have to.”
“I want to. You have no idea how much I want to.”
“I’m not going to keep protesting then. Can I put my hands somewhere, though?”
“You can put them in my hair, just don’t pull too hard. Please?”
I know it’s a lot to ask, but I have to. If he pulls it hard, I know it will trigger my memories and send me spiraling into a panic attack. I feel his hands move into my fancy hairdo, and then he’s pulling out the bobby pins.
“I’ll be careful. I just want it down. I miss running my fingers through it.”
I nod, because the lump in my throat is too big to speak around. I’ve always been so tough, except where he’s concerned. His friends even call me “Brass” because they say I have a pair of brass balls hiding somewhere. Growing up in bars—no matter how loving and protective my family is—made me need to be tough. This man is the only one I’ve ever let have the power to completely destroy me. I may have been broken, but as long as he treats me like I’m cherished and loved, I’ll never be destroyed.
I know it’s not very progressive of me to let a man hold my happiness in his hands, but I believe what Faith said—that every woman sometimes needs someone to hold her up. One person, male or female, who anchors you, holds you on your course when you can’t do it yourself. Loves you so much that you can feel it like a physical thing, surrounding you and protecting your heart from destruction. Aiden is that person for me.
I let that love surround me now, as I take one long lick up his length. He massages my scalp a little harder as I continue, but doesn’t pull my hair. I reward him by taking him as deep as I can while using one hand to stroke the rest of him, and one hand to massage his balls. It’s not long before he’s yelling out a string of obscenities while coming hard in my mouth as I suck down everything he has.
“Fuck Ellie. I love your mouth.”
“My mouth loves your cock, so that works out well for us,” I tell him, getting to my feet and kissing him.
“What can I do for you? I’ll do anything.”
“Can we just lie down and kiss for a little while.”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Um, Ellie, you just sucked me into a new stratosphere. Why are you apologizing?”
“It was that good, huh?”
“With you, it’s always that good.”
“Thanks for saying that. I’m just sorry that I can’t let you do anything to me. I want you to, believe me, I really want to. I just don’t think I can yet.”
“And again, you have nothing to apologize for. I don’t want you do anything with me unless you’re 1000% sure that it’s okay for you.”
“I’d like to sleep over,” I blurt out.
“I’d like that, too. We can hold hands.”
I keep saying that I can’t love Aiden any more than I already do, and then he goes and says or does something else. Granted, he’s also said and done a bunch of stupid shit, but the good always outweighs the bad. Even when I thought he’d abandoned me, I knew deep down that there had to be an explanation. Now that I know there really was a reason that was beyond his control, it makes me want to fight harder to get to a place where I can give him everything again. And tell him everything that happened to me, which will hurt us both, but has to be done at some point. Just not tonight. Tonight is holding hands, and feeling safe enough to sleep through the night.
* * *
Aiden
Sometime in the middle of the night, Ellie moved over to my side of the bed and is curled up on my chest. It’s the same way we used to always sleep, but it’s not how we were supposed to sleep last night. My hands aren’t supposed to be where they normally are, and I’m surprised to find that they’re not. One is still holding her hand, even though it’s a little awkward with the way we’re now lying. The other is on her hip. Good hands, going where they’re allowed, and not
where they want to be. I’m still nervous about her waking up and freaking out, though. So nervous that I force myself to lie still, so she doesn’t think I did this.
“I’m awake, Hawk. You can move if you want,” she says, opening her eyes, and turning her face up to kiss me on the chin.
“I’m perfectly happy to stay this way. I was worried you’d freak out, though.”
“I’m the one who apparently crawled on top of you in the middle of the night.”
“There’ll be no complaints from me about that. Ever.”
“It feels nice to be close to you like this.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.”
“We should have more sleepovers then.”
“I’d like that.”
“For now, how about I make us some breakfast. You can take a shower, or a bath in my giant tub if you want. Then we can hang out until it gets closer to work time.”
“I don’t have clothes.”
“I have some of your stuff from when you were here before. I know it’s not what you’re wearing now, but you can throw one of my shirts over a dress or skirt if you want. You can wear a pair of my briefs if the panties make you uncomfortable.”
“You just want me in your stuff.”
“Well, yeah. But I also want you to be comfortable.” Right now, her comfort really is the most important thing in the world to me. That, and her safety.
“I know. I was just teasing. Thank you. For all of this, and for everything else.”
I close the distance between us and kiss her sweetly. “You don’t ever have to thank me for wanting to take care of you. It’s my favorite thing to do.”
“Your favorite?” she asks, with an eyebrow raised.
“That’s taking care of you too, and you know it,” I remind her, kissing her again. “Now, go take your bath.”
“How did you know I’d pick a bath?”
“Because you fell in love with my tub last time you were here. Which is why I stocked up on all of your favorite stuff from Lush.”
“You remembered Lush? And what I like?” she asks, turning to fully look at me with wide eyes.
“What kind of future husband would I be if I didn’t?”
“About that.”
“What about that?”
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