Devastated (Aiden & Olivia Book 3)

by Stephanie Julian

  Of course, if he’s going to let it all hang out, I’m not going to look away. Because, holy crap, the man makes me weak in the knees. And, Jesus, I wish I were kidding.

  “Don’t you want to know who I am?”

  “Maybe I already know who you are.”

  I meet his gaze head on, unblinking. He stares at me like he thinks he can read my mind. Not happening, but he does have very nice eyes.

  After a few seconds, he takes a breath and releases it on a sigh. “Because a man in my position is only worth as much as the information he holds.”

  A frown creases my brow. “What the fuck kind of answer is that?”

  “The only kind you’re getting right now.”

  He looks so damn arrogant, my fingers curl into a fist in an attempt not to smack him. “How can you be such an asshole?”

  My dad’s life is on the line and he’s playing games. Which I knew when I came here tonight. So why the hell am I so mad now?

  Because you still want him and you still don’t have any answers.

  He moves so fast, I don’t realize I’m beneath him until he’s staring down at me, my chest pinned beneath his.

  I can barely breathe again but it’s not because he’s lying on me.

  “Have you stopped to ask yourself what possible reason I could have for wanting your father to pay for his crimes?” Aiden glares at me although the rest of his expression is perfectly bland. “You’re not stupid, Olivia. You, maybe more than your brothers and sister, know what your father’s capable of, don’t you?”

  My eyes widen at the hardness in his voice, a sharp edge I haven’t heard from him before. And that’s before I register the fact that he knows I have brothers and a sister.

  My mouth opens to say something, anything, but he beats me to it.

  “Maybe you need to ask yourself if your father’s worthy of your loyalty.”

  There’s a furious tone in Aiden’s voice and, for the first time, I actually wonder if my dad’s told me everything he knows about what’s going on.

  In the next second, Aiden is on his feet by the side of the bed. “I’ll leave another payment by the front door. I’ll see you Saturday night. We’re going out. Wear something decent.”

  He grabs the file from the bench then walks out the door, leaving me to stare after him with my mouth hanging open.

  My first instinct is to rip into him, verbally hand him his ass then tell him to go fuck himself and this deal.

  Anger pulses through my veins, spreading through my body until I vibrate. I’m not hurt. I can’t be hurt by him. Our affair is strictly business.

  And yet…

  No. I shake my head. There is no “and yet.”

  Sliding out of bed, I realize I’m going to have to walk down two flights of stairs naked.

  It shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. I’m not ashamed of my body in any way. And if Aiden is watching… Well, let him see what he’s not having for the rest of the night.

  I make my way down the stairs, taking my own damn time, knowing he’s watching from somewhere.

  I don’t expect him to be sitting in the library where I left my clothes.

  He has a glass in his hand but it’s empty now. I’ve noticed he likes good whiskey, which isn’t a bad thing. Right now, I want to fill a glass and throw that good whiskey in his face.

  Damn it, I can’t let him get to me like this.

  I look for my clothes and realize he’s piled them on the desk. Below a single sheet of paper.

  My anger is becoming a full-blown fury and it’s probably better for his safety if I get the hell out of here before he does something that will make me want to cut off his balls.

  Without looking at him, I walk to the desk, set the paper aside, and pull on my panties.

  “Want a drink before you go?”

  It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him to take a flying fuck, but I bite back the words and grab my bra.

  “Blind loyalty will bite you in the ass.”

  I turn on him before I know I’m going to do it. “What the fuck do you know about my family? You don’t know shit about my family. And okay, you want me to ask, I’m going to ask. Who the fuck are you? What gives you the right to play with my family’s lives like you’re goddamn God? And why the fuck do you want to fuck me anyway?”

  I realize after the words are out that I’m still standing in front of him mostly naked. I hadn’t gotten my bra on before I turned on him. And right now, I don’t fucking care.

  “You know what? I’m sick and tired of waiting for you to give me answers in snide comments and cryptic questions. Either tell me what the hell I’m doing here, or I’ll find another way to help my dad figure this out.”

  He doesn’t even blink but his gaze burns and his mouth flattens into a straight line, those sensuous lips hard.

  “Are you sure you want the answers?”

  I roll my eyes. “Yeah, I am. Go ahead. Tell me whatever it is you think my dad’s done that’s so fucking awful, you want him dead for it.”

  “I never said I want him dead.”

  “Semantics.” I slash my hand in front of me and watch his gaze dip for a brief second to my breasts. Which just pisses me off even more. “Your actions will lead to his death so in my mind, you’re just as responsible if anything happens to him as the man who’s threatened to kill him.”

  When he doesn’t answer right away, I sneer and huff and turn away to continue to dress. I’ve got my bra on and am reaching for my shirt when I hear him rise from the chair and walk over to me, stopping only inches away.

  I try to ignore him but it’s impossible because my body reacts whenever he’s anywhere in the vicinity. I want him even though I know I shouldn’t. And the fact that he wants me shouldn’t make me happy.

  Fury and confusion are a combustible mix. And I’m already primed to blow.

  Just because I don’t reach it often doesn’t mean I don’t have a breaking point. It just means that when I get to it, I can’t stop it.

  Grabbing the switchblade out of my jeans pocket, I turn and take him down with a move my parkour instructor had taught me when I started getting those looks from the guys in my group. I’m strong but I’m not strong enough to overpower a man with at least fifty pounds of muscle on me. But Jim taught me other ways to take down a man twice my size.

  Aiden is flat on his back before he knows what’s happening, staring up at me with the first sign of surprise I’ve seen him show. Followed by a heat I’m familiar with.

  The bastard doesn’t even have enough sense to be concerned by the small knife I hold at his jugular. It would take a considerable amount of effort for me to pierce his skin with it, and just thinking about it makes me queasy. But Jim also taught me that appearance can be more effective than action.

  “Are you really going to stab me?”

  I press the blade even closer. “I’m pissed off enough that you don’t want me to answer that question right now.”

  Something in my voice makes him still, his gaze glued to mine. And then the damn man smiles. Not enough to make me want to actually stab him, but enough to make that heat coursing through me pour into my lower body. With my knees on either side of his body and my free hand braced on his chest, my sex is only inches away from his groin.

  I have the almost overwhelming urge to grind down on him, rub my pussy against his cock and make him hard. If he isn’t already.

  Damn him.

  “I guess you could just take the file and run, leave me bleeding on the floor. Cut my jugular and an ambulance couldn’t get here fast enough to save me.” He lifts his chin, baring more of his throat. “Go ahead. You know you want to.”

  The problem is, I don’t want to. And he knows it.

  Bastard.

  “Maybe I’ll just take the file now and be done with it.”

  He doesn’t look concerned. “You could try but other than that one piece of paper, the rest is in the safe now. You have to know I’ve changed the combin
ation, which means you’d have to crack it again. And as much as I enjoyed watching you the first time, you can’t crack the safe and keep the knife on me.”

  Since he’s right, I don’t move. I’m still pissed off but the heat of his body is seeping through my bare skin. My underwear are paper-thin and only an inch or so above his belly button. My nipples have tightened and now ache.

  “What the fuck do you want?”

  My question comes out much more bitter than I anticipated but his expression doesn’t change.

  “Right now, I want you to ride me right here on the floor.”

  I can barely swallow. His voice holds a growl that makes my thighs clench and my panties get wet. I want to lower my hips and grind my pussy against his cock to get some relief.

  Jesus, this night is fucked up.

  “Maybe I’ll just get myself off and leave you high and dry.”

  His harsh laugh sends shards of need into my gut. “Go ahead, Olivia. I dare you.”

  Even though I know I’m playing right into his hands, I ease the knife back an inch. Jesus, what’s one more bad decision in a long line of them?

  “Tell me your name, your full name, and maybe I’ll let you come, too.”

  He appears to think it over for several seconds but I can tell he’s just as turned on as I am. Dark color flushes his cheeks and I have a second to think maybe he’s actually going to be the sane one tonight and tell me to get the hell off him.

  Then he glances down at his jeans. “Aiden Knight. Right front pocket.”

  I have a second to wonder if he’s given me his real name before I think, Jesus, does he have a condom in every pocket? Right now, I hope he does.

  “Take it out. Slowly.”

  I sit back, my ass settling against his lower abdomen. He has to reach around me to dig into his pocket, his hand brushing against my thigh as he does. I can’t help my shiver but I try to minimize the effect. He does it again as he sets the condom on the floor beside us then pointedly glances at the knife in my hand.

  I hesitate, more for effect than anything, then reach behind me and lodge the blade in the floor. It’s far enough away that he’d have to sit up to reach it but not far enough that I can’t easily get to it.

  Even though I know I don’t need it and he won’t go for it. We’re both focused on other things right now. Like, how fast I can make him lose his control.

  I didn’t think I could be turned on any more than I was earlier. Now I know he and I have only scratched the surface of this thing between us. Chemistry, hormones, whatever the hell you want to call it.

  It’s absolutely insane. We know barely anything about each other but I want him more than any man I’ve ever met.

  Holding his gaze, I let my hands roam over his chest. That perfectly muscled, amazingly mouthwatering chest. My fingers tweak his nipples, already tight and pointed. Just like mine. I wonder if they’re as sensitive.

  Leaning forward, I put my mouth over one, sucking on the tip before grazing my teeth over it. I hear him suck in air through his gritted teeth as his hands sink into my hair. He holds it back, out of my face, probably so he can see what I’m doing. His abs tighten as he lifts his head. I feel the motion beneath my pussy and moisture floods my channel, seeping into my already sopping-wet panties.

  His rough groan echoes through the room and pings against something deep inside me. I move to his neglected nipple for several long moments before licking my way down his belly.

  He’s not hairy but he doesn’t manscape and I blow on the hair around his belly button before dipping my tongue into the indent. His abs tighten and become highly defined as he reacts to my seduction.

  This is my time and I’m not giving it up easily. He seems to understand that. With my hair wrapped around his fists, he holds steady and doesn’t pull, although I can sense that he wants to.

  I know what he wants and what I want. Luckily, it’s the same.

  Scooting back until I’m over his thighs, I unzip his jeans. No need to do away with the button. It was undone. As if he’d known what was coming.

  He couldn’t have. I certainly hadn’t. I’d been on my way out the door, pissed off and frustrated.

  Now…

  Shaking the thought out of my head, I work his jeans over his hips, just far enough to release his cock. He’s hard and hot and I put my mouth over the head and suck him deep.

  His tortured groan makes me want to hear it again. And again. I love the way his cock throbs in my mouth, as if he can barely control himself. As if I have the control.

  Keeping one hand on his abdomen, as if I could actually hold him in place, I curl the other around his hip as I drive my mouth up and down his shaft.

  I’m not gentle and I’m not patient. My teeth graze the shaft as I sink down, my tongue swirling around the head when I pull back up.

  The heat of his body makes me feel woozy, almost drunk.

  What started as a power play has quickly become something else. I find myself listening for his groans, wanting more of them. I want his hands to pull at my hair, want his hips to thrust as he tries to get deeper.

  He’s thick and my lips stretch around him, burning a little, but I don’t let up. And I definitely don’t release him. I want him right on the edge so that when I finally take him inside my pussy, I make him come in seconds.

  Because I know as soon as that thick cock lodges inside my channel, I’m going to come.

  Yes, I’m that turned on. Every second I have him in my mouth, under my control, pushes me one step closer to the edge. Every second he’s not stretching me wide, I’m that much closer to coming.

  “Olivia. Fuck.”

  I don’t know whether he’s begging me for what he wants or if he’s just swearing. I don’t care.

  Tearing my mouth away from his cock, I scramble to reposition myself. I don’t bother to take off my panties. It would cost me precious seconds I don’t want to waste. I’m so close to coming, my pussy is already convulsing.

  When I impale myself on his cock, we both cry out. My hands brace on his ribs and I lift my hips, ready to ride him hard. But his hands clasp me around the waist and slam me down, grinding me against his groin.

  My clit rubs against the base of his cock, shock and pure sensation shooting up my spine, making me arch.

  And then I am riding him, my head dropping back and my hair teasing my back as I shimmy and roll against him. I work myself on his cock, every movement shoving me closer to a peak I’m dying for.

  I manage to force my eyes open, so I can watch him. His eyes are closed, his expression set in harsh lines as his hips slam against mine in a brutal rhythm.

  We both know it can’t last but I struggle to hold myself back. My bones feel like jelly, my lungs hurt, and my heart pounds against my ribs.

  I can’t hold out much longer. The next time I push down to meet him, I break, my entire body convulsing in an orgasm so raw and powerful, I’m not sure I don’t black out for a second.

  But I know he’s right there with me when he groans out my name.

  I can barely breathe, my heart racing so hard I’m afraid it’ll never stop.

  I can’t stay upright and find myself coming down to lie against his chest. His arms immediately curl around my body, holding me close.

  Turning my head to the side, I see the small square foil wrapper.

  I never put the condom on him.

  Oh fuck.

  Chapter Three

  Aiden

  My brain’s so damn foggy, I know I’m not thinking straight.

  I also know there’s something important I’m missing.

  With Olivia panting against my chest, it’s hard to get my brain kick-started. When she put her mouth on me, I swear my neural network short-circuited.

  Combined with the knife she’d held at my throat and the blow job, I guess I could be forgiven for the momentary lapse—

  Condom.

  Holy shit.

  My eyes fly open and I turn my head to l
ook. There it is. Unopened.

  “Olivia—”

  “I’m clean. Healthy.” She pauses. “And I’m on the pill.”

  For some reason, that last statement doesn’t make me as happy as it should. I’m going to ignore that for now.

  “I’m clean as well. I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.”

  I’m not used to saying those words to anyone, but they’re appropriate here. The bigger issue, the fact that I got so lost in her that I forgot something I never forget, is more problematic.

  “That won’t happen again.”

  “Damn right it won’t.”

  I barely hear her as she disengages and slides to the side, away from me. My arms tighten but I force myself to release her.

  “Is there a bathroom?”

  I point down the hall. “Second door on the right.”

  She rolls to her feet with such grace, she should be a dancer instead of a thief and I’m pissed off in a heartbeat.

  Her fucking father has a lot to answer for.

  Snagging her clothes, she stalks out of the room and I sit up, using my t-shirt to clean myself, then pull up my underwear and jeans. Settling into a chair, I wait for her to return but after several minutes, I’m ready to go knock on the door.

  She emerges a second later, looking like she doesn’t have a care in the world. Which makes my jaw clench.

  She walks by me to pick up the paper from the desk, looks it over then turns to meet my gaze.

  “Who the hell are you? And I want a goddamn straight answer to my question.” She tosses the paper on the table like it means nothing to her. “Now. Or I walk and I don’t come back.”

  “What makes you think I care if you come back?”

  Her lips flatten into a straight line. “Are you always this much of a dick?”

  She has to know the answer to that question is yes. I’m not ashamed by it. The attitude has served me well to this point of my life. “My name is Aiden Knight.”

  She shows no sign of recognition, not that I expected her to. Picking up the paper, she heads for the door.

  I shouldn’t say another goddamn word but I can’t help myself. “I’m not sure I’m finished with you tonight.”

  She doesn’t stop. “Well, I’m finished with you for tonight.”