I pull her legs up around my neck and back away from the steps, moving closer to the couch just in case I need it. I stand in the middle of the room, with my arms banded around her back, and her knees against my shoulders as she fucks my face while sucking and stroking me until we both can’t take any more. I come first, despite my best efforts to wait for her, and as she sucks it all down, she screams against my cock, and squeezes my neck with her thighs. Not hard enough to kill me, but enough that I have to fall back onto the couch so I don’t drop her.
She stays there on top of me for a minute as we both try and catch our breath. “Aiden, that…that was the hottest thing I have ever done in my life. I can’t even imagine anything hotter than what we just did.”
“Give me time to get my brain cells working again, and I’ll try to top it. But yeah, best ever. Nothing else is even close.”
“I went a little crazy at the end.”
“Oh yeah, you did. It was amazing. You’re amazing,” I tell her as I turn her around and pull her next to me.
“Me? You just held me upside down while we sixty-nined? I’m pretty sure you win the most amazing lover in history award.”
“Do I get a medal like Jake’s?”
“How about a trophy? We can’t be copying people, even if they are some of our best friends.”
“Please. If anyone should be copied, it’s us. And yes, I’ll happily accept a trophy.”
“I’ll order you one once I have enough strength to call Isa for the shop info.”
“I can wait. I know I earned it, and that’s what’s most important.”
“Sure it is. Like you’re not going to parade it around to the guys like Jake does with his medal.”
“Hey, Nate and Matt could earn their own awards. The fact that they haven’t yet is a little disappointing, actually. They really need to step up their game.”
“I’d love to see you tell them that.”
“I might…once they’re drunk enough for me to take them both on. Or maybe I’ll just tell them one at a time. I can hold my own with one of them.”
“You’re going to fight your friends over a stupid sex award?”
“There is nothing stupid about sex. Especially if you’re doing it right. Despite your promise of a trophy, I must not have if you think that way. We’re going to have to try that again.”
I start to pull her up, but she smacks my hands away. “I can’t. Like seriously, there is no way in hell I can do that again right now. If I promise to never use the words ‘stupid’ and ‘sex’ in the same sentence, can I take a nap? Please?”
“Okay. But it’s going to be a big trophy, right? Like Stanley Cup size?”
“Sure. Whatever you want,” she says, snuggling back into my side.
I don’t miss her eye roll, but I’ll let it go for now. She needs her sleep, and honestly, so do I. Award winning sex is not for the weak.
* * *
Ellie
I slip out of Aiden’s arms a few hours later, because I have a call to make. I go upstairs so I won’t disturb him. “Hi Ellie,” my shrink says.
“Hi. Did I wake you up?”
“No. You know I’m an early riser. Did something happen?”
“Yeah. I did some things with Aiden.”
“I’m going to assume that you mean sexual things.”
“Yes. Those.”
“Are you going to elaborate or did you just call to gloat?”
“Oh my God. You have a crush on Aiden?”
She laughs. “Who doesn’t have at least a little bit of a crush on Aiden? But I really just said that to get you to relax a little.”
“True, and thank you. So yeah, we had some oral sex.”
“Because you’re comfortable with mouths.”
“Yes. You know that…that those men never put their mouths on me.”
“I do. How are you feeling right now?”
“Happy. Satisfied. Grateful.”
“Did you take off all of your clothes?”
“No. I left my corset top on. I wasn’t ready for it all yet. I guess I should’ve let him start with my breasts, but I wanted his mouth on well…you know…. I wasn’t ready for everything, so I chose that first.”
“Did you let him touch you anywhere else?”
“Um, still on my hips and my face. We held hands again. Oh, and he touched my legs a little. And my back.”
“Nowhere else?”
“Not yet. I can’t yet.”
“That’s okay. You need to be comfortable, or it won’t be fun for either of you.”
“I know. He knows it too, I think. Aiden’s not going to do anything to make me feel uncomfortable, or push me in any way.”
“From everything you and Nate have told me about him, I wouldn’t expect anything less. Do you want to bring him in for a session with you when you’re back home?”
“I think so. Maybe after I tell him. He knows I’m in therapy, and he knows that I talk to Nate. I don’t think he likes that, but he’s not saying anything.”
“It’s normal for him to be jealous of Nate.”
“Jealous? No. He’s not jealous. It’s not like that with me and Nate.”
“There are different kinds of jealousy. He knows you’re not interested in Nate romantically, but Nate knows everything, and you haven’t even scratched the surface with Aiden.”
“You just told me not to push things.”
“I definitely don’t want that. I just want you to realize that it’s not just the sexual things that must be frustrating for Aiden. You’re not responsible for him and how he feels, but you should be aware of his feelings.”
“You’re right. I guess that’s why you’re so good at your job.”
“I’m not always right, but I try to be thoughtful.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I hang up and lean my head back against the wall. “Did your call go well,” Aiden asks from the doorway?
“I’m sorry. Did I wake you up?”
“Yeah. I was afraid you were sneaking out.”
“It’s my place.”
“It’s a Corrigan place, and even if it was yours, you might have wanted to leave.”
“I wouldn’t leave you.”
Neither one of us brings up the fact that he’s the one who runs when things get too serious, or difficult. “I followed you up, but then I heard you on the phone. Was that your doctor?”
“Yes. I wanted to tell her that we did some things.”
He nods. “Okay. Did you want to talk?”
“No. I’m good. We’re good. Right?”
“Yeah. We’re good.”
He says the words, but a little part of me doesn’t believe him. The part that remembers what my shrink said about him being jealous of Nate. She was right. I can’t control his feelings, but I also shouldn’t ignore them.
“I promise that one day, I’m going to tell you everything. It’s not that I want to keep things from you—I don’t. I just can’t tell you right now.”
“I want to help you. That’s all. It kills me not to be able to do that.”
“You are helping me. Being patient and making me feel safe and loved—that’s helping.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you get enough sleep?” he asks, climbing over me on the bed.
“Not for a repeat of earlier, but if we can lie down this time, I can probably muster up enough strength for one more round.”
“Alright. We have to work in a few hours, so I guess we can be boring and traditional this time.”
“The horror.”
“Seriously,” he says, dropping his head between my legs. Definitely not boring.
Chapter 9
Aiden
I’m whistling while I work, making sure the bar is set up the way I like it. The other guys do a great job, but Ellie taught me to be particular, and so I am. The door opens, and I see Nate and Jake walk in. T
hey stop to talk to Theo, and it makes me wonder if he’d like to come work with us at Corrigan & Co. He’s way too qualified to be a bouncer forever. I’ll have to talk to Matt. And my mom. She may just kill me for trying to steal him away, but I’ll just buy something that says how great she is. Mom’s love that shit.
“Someone’s happy,” Nate says with a knowing smirk, as he walks up to me.
“Yeah, I had a good night,” I tell him with my jaw clenched.
“Do we have a problem, Aiden?”
“I don’t know, Nate. Do we?”
“I’m just going to go sit at a table to wait for the girls while you two talk out whatever this is,” Jake says.
I watch as he leaves us, and feel like an ass. Isa, Jade, Ellie, and Vicki have been out looking at wedding dresses all day. The three of us were supposed to talk about the weeklong fishing trip we’re taking with Matt soon. I just hate that Ellie is talking about our sex life with Nate. Jade, sure, I get that. But not my best friend.
“Are you going to talk to me, or is our friendship over for some reason I don’t know about?”
“She talks to you.”
“She?” he asks, and then a light goes off in his brain. “You have got to be fucking kidding me. Again with this shit? I cannot believe that you’re still angry about Ellie and me talking.”
“When it’s about our sex life, yeah.” And the other stuff, too, but I don’t want to admit that again just yet. Even to my best friend. Especially to my best friend.
“Let’s get one thing straight. Ellie and I talk about what happened to her, and what happened to me. We have never—not even once—talked about what the two of you do together. She wouldn’t tell me, and I wouldn’t listen. That’s for her and Jade, and you and me to talk about. I know she’s feeling more comfortable with you, but that’s it.”
“Then why’d you smirk at me when you walked up to the bar?”
“Because you looked like a well satisfied man. Anyone could see that. Hell, you’ve called me out on it before.”
Shit. Yeah, I have. “I’m sorry. This is just…hard. Really hard. Trying to navigate everything with her, and then this other crap that’s going on.”
“You’re doing good with her. That I know. She looked really happy when she picked up Jade earlier.”
“Thanks for saying that.”
“I’ve always got your back. You know that. What else is going on? Are you still doing your thing at night?”
“Yeah. Not as much, but I do go out. Some weird stuff was going on for a little while, but it stopped.”
“If it hadn’t stopped, would you have told me or Matt so that we could help you?”
“I can handle things on my own.”
“There’s a reason you have best friends, Aid. It’s so we can help you. You helped me when I needed it, and I remember you asking me to be there for you one day. If that day has come, I need to know.”
“Thanks, but I got this. Like I said, it seems to be over anyway.”
“You’re not alone. Just know that, okay?”
I nod, because I do know that. I have the guys, and I have Ellie. Plus my parents and everyone else in the Society. I don’t have to go on my path alone. I know it, but I also know that I will never ask any of them for help. It’s just not the way I’m built.
“It looked like it was safe to come back,” Jake says, walking over to us.
“Yeah. Sorry about that, man. You could’ve stayed, you know.” He shrugs, and I know he’s thinking about how he was filling in for me at Corrigan, but now I’m back. Matt’s keeping him on, there’s no way he’s not. He’s part of our group, and I already feel close to him, even if we didn’t serve together. I’ve known him casually for years, because of our parents; although I always liked him, the timing never worked out for us to hang out. He’s a few years younger than the three of us, but he’s had just as much experience as we have, maybe even more. “We need to hang out. Just the two of us. Nate and Matt got you all to themselves while I was gone, so now it’s my turn.”
“Anytime. You name it, and I’m there,” he tells me with a smile.
“Cool. Now let’s talk about your bachelor party,” I say, rubbing my hands together.
“Bachelor party?” Norma asks, coming behind the bar. “Have you hired dancers yet, because my friends and I can dance for you guys.”
She slides her hand up my chest, and I grab it none too gently. “This is the very last time that I’m going to tell you not to put your hands on me. The only thing I will ever need from you is for you to do your job. Which definitely does not include touching me. I don’t hit women, but she will,” I tell her nodding towards Ellie, who has conveniently just walked in.
“I’m not scared of her.”
Nate and Jake both burst out laughing. “Honey, unless you have a death wish, you should be very scared of Ellie. I’ve seen her take down guys training to be MMA fighters without breaking a sweat,” Nate tells her.
Her eyes go wide, and she backs up as Ellie walks over to me. “Hi, Hawk. Did you miss me?”
“You know it,” I tell her, as I grab her hands and pull her to me. “Thanks for picking the dress I liked.”
“You’re welcome,” she says, giving me a kiss.
She was really cute earlier, when she was trying to figure out what to wear. Growing up with a bunch of older brothers didn’t give her much help with how to be a proper lady. Not that I’d ever want her to be that—I love her just the way she is. The Society trained her well, and Stella picks out most of her clothes, but she still gets self-conscious sometimes. This dress is black with solid material covering her from tits to thighs, and then a layer of some kind of mesh or crocheted fabric over the top, covering more. She looks trendy, and Ellie, all at the same time. I knew it was perfect the moment she put it on.
“Did you pick out a pretty, poufy bridesmaid dress?” I tease.
“Aiden, what have I ever done to make you think I would suggest my bridesmaids to wear something poufy? Pink yes, but no pouf. Besides, we were just looking. Stella would kill me if I picked something without her,” Isa says, glaring at me.
I hold up my hands in apology. “Just messing with my girl, Isa. Don’t go all bridezilla on me.”
“My girl would never turn into a bridezilla,” Jake says, nuzzling her neck.
“Nope. I’m too logical for that.”
“That giant rock on your finger doesn’t look so logical,” Tieny says as she joins our little group.
Isa wiggles her finger. “I love that it’s not traditional. A girl’s gotta be frivolous sometimes.”
“I wouldn’t want traditional, but I wouldn’t want pink, either,” Jade tells her.
“Got it. No pink,” Nate says.
“What about you, Ellie?” Tieny asks, winking at me.
“Oh. I wouldn’t want a diamond of any color. My favorite stone is blue cabochon, but I’m not sure if they make engagement rings from them.”
“I’m pretty sure they make engagements rings from any stone you want if you have the money to pay for it,” Vicki says, nudging my shoulder. “You better start looking, Aiden.”
“He doesn’t have to. I mean…um, this is really awkward now. I should get to work. See you guys later.”
Awkward? Doesn’t she realize that I will be buying her a ring? I mentioned forever, and told her I would be asking her to marry me one day, but maybe I wasn’t clear enough. At least I know what kind of ring to look for. I mentally thank Tieny for that.
* * *
Ellie
I hear a commotion at the door, and then Tim and Andres are rushed in by Theo. The door is still open long enough for me to hear the disgusting things people are saying.
“Go home, homos!”
“If I let you suck my dick, can I meet the President?”
That’s it. I’ve heard more than enough. I throw the door back open, and address them all. “You are on private property, and I have more than one gun. I suggest you take your hat
e and run along home before I accidentally shoot you before the cops get here.”
Heather comes to stand by my side, and she says she’s going to press charges on anyone who doesn’t leave. Her presence only seems to fuel the crowd, and I have to push her down as someone throws fruit at us. It smashes against the door as they start in on her.
“I can give it to you good since your obviously husband couldn’t.”
“Did you like to take it in the ass? Because I’m down for that.”
“Enough!” Aiden roars while pulling us behind him. “The next person to say one fucking thing to my mother is going to be going home in an ambulance tonight. I guarantee it.”
Theo, Nate, and Jake come outside to stand next to him, and the crowd starts to finally move away. I would, too. I just wish it hadn’t come to that. I should’ve been able to handle things without their help. Especially since Aiden thinks I’m here to protect his mom.
“I’m sorry you had to help, Aid. It’s supposed to be my job.”
“You did your job. No one hurt my mom. It’s my job to protect the women I love.”
“You do realize how sexist that sounds, right?”
“Let me rephrase. It’s my job to take care of everyone in my life. Tonight, it just happened to be the women I love. I would’ve done the same for my dad and Andres.”
“Nice to know you have my back,” Andres says to him.
“Of course I do. You’re my friend.”
“Would I still be your friend if you were dating someone our age?”
“What?”
“Well, I mean, you have to be nice to your dad about me because you’re apparently robbing the cradle, too, right? I just learned that Ellie here is ten years younger than you.”
“Andres,” Tim says sharply.
“It’s an honest question,” he says with a shrug.
“You can honestly fuck off,” I tell him, leading Aiden away.
“My dad loves him, and he was once my best friend. I have to remind myself of that more and more every day. No matter what I say or do, he just won’t let up on the insults and stupid comments. I just don’t understand,” he says once we’re alone in a corner.
“He obviously has some issues. You’ve done what you could. I’ve heard you try and make amends,” I tell him, rubbing his back.
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