by K E Osborn
"No! Jeni, he can't talk to you like that."
"Aiden, please sit down. It's fine."
"No! It's not fine, Jeni, he—"
"Aiden, please!" I interject.
He exhales forcefully and sits down in a huff. The room is completely silent. Everyone is shocked at Alistair's harsh words.
"I'll eat in my study."
As he leaves the room, my emotions hit me like a tidal wave. I exhale, tears streaming down my face. I put my head in my hands while he rubs my back.
"I could fucking kill him," Aiden says under his breath.
"Mom, are you alright?" Brielle asks quietly.
Callie starts to dish out plates of food, trying not to let it get the better of her, although I see tears in her eyes.
"I'm fine. I'm used to his abuse. I'm sorry, Jeni, you don't deserve that."
Aiden pulls out a hanky for me to clean up my face as he holds on to me tightly.
Mike shakes his head. "Mrs. O'Connell, you shouldn't have to put up with that abuse."
"It's okay, Mike."
"No. It's not, Callie."
"Mike!" she says sternly.
Mike shakes his head but keeps quiet. Callie continues to serve up our meals.
I mainly play with mine, because I recently lost my appetite. I wonder why ...
"Is that what you've been putting up with at work?" Nana asks, watching me play with my food.
I nod. "But this was worse than anything he's ever said to me before."
Nana shakes her head. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that, Jenifer darling, and you know you're not any of those things he says, don't you?"
I swallow a lump in my throat while I fight back tears.
"And you know Aiden doesn't think any of those things, right?"
He kisses my head.
"I know."
Everyone finishes their meals in silence. I can't help but feel sorry for Callie; she shouldn't have to put up with that from her husband. I don't know why she doesn't leave him.
"Aiden, it's your birthday soon," Callie says quietly, trying to change the subject.
"I don't feel like celebrating, Mom."
She continues anyway. "We do something every year for your birthday, and it's your first with Jenifer. We should at least go out for dinner."
Aiden looks at me, and I smile at him.
"Let me know who you'd like to invite and where you want to go. I'll organize it for you."
Nana starts to collect the dishes to take out to the kitchen. I stand up to help her, so does Brielle.
"Brielle, how are you feeling, are you alright?"
"Yeah, why?"
"It can't be easy seeing your father acting that way toward your mom."
She sighs. "I'm used to it. When you live with them, you see this all the time. I don't know why she doesn't leave him to be honest."
"To tell you the truth, I was thinking the same thing."
"They don't even sleep in the same bedroom anymore. She probably doesn't leave because of me. She knows I wouldn't want to live here alone with Father. Father would probably fire me if I went to live with Mom. That's what I'm guessing anyway."
"Girls! Alistair might walk in. Be careful what you say. You don't want him having another outburst, do you?" It feels like she's telling us off.
"Sorry, Nana," we both say in unison.
"Don't be sorry, girls. I agree with you, but talk about it when he isn't within hearing distance." She gestures toward the study with her eyes.
We move into the living room, all of us that is except for Alistair, who's sulking in his study. We sit down on the sofa. The mood lifts slightly while we talk about whom he wants to invite to his birthday. He includes my mom, which surprises me, but in a good way.
"Have a think about where you want to have dinner and let me know, honey."
"Of course, Mom. I'll let you know as soon as I decide."
"With that settled, who wants coffee or tea?" Callie announces.
"Think we might head off, Mom. It's getting late, and it's been an emotional night."
"You two have a great weekend, and I'll talk to you soon. Jeni, look after yourself."
We stand and all walk to the door.
"Thank you for dinner, Mom. It was delicious as usual."
"Thank you for the company. You know I love having you both here. I'm sorry about what was said tonight." Her face contorts in a frown.
"Never mind. He is who he is. Your dinner was delicious, thanks."
"You hardly touched your food, sweetheart, but thank you anyway."
Aiden takes hold of my hand and hugs his mom using the other.
"Love you, Mom."
"I love you, my darling. Have a good night and call me soon about your birthday dinner."
Aiden leads me to the car. I shuffle in, and he follows behind me. We're on our way home, when a wave of exhaustion hits me. What an emotional day and evening. I'll have to grow a thicker skin, and not let Alistair's taunts get to me so much; otherwise, I'm going to end up a blubbering mess in a mental institution. It's not easy to absorb so much angst from one person; he really does detest me. I must not let him worry me too much; I have to be strong for Aiden. He can't lose his father because of me. I've spent my entire life without a father, and I won't let the bond Aiden has with his father be torn apart by me. I just won't. They were so close before I came along, and now there's nothing but tension between them. I know it's because of me, and I can't, no, I won't, let their relationship fail because of me.
Chapter 11
We pull up, and Mike opens the door for us. Aiden walks me to the elevator with his arm around me and swipes his card.
"I'm tired, and I have a pounding headache," I say to no one in particular.
He kisses my head. The doors open on level two, and Mike steps out.
"'Night, Mike," Aiden says.
"'Night, you two."
The doors shut, and the elevator continues to our apartment.
"What a night," I say as the door opens, and I kick off my shoes.
Suddenly he bends down and lifts me up.
"Ahh, what are you doing?" I giggle.
He carries me through our room to the en-suite and places me down on the vanity unit so I'm sitting at the same height that he stands. He holds my face and talks directly at me.
"I love you, Jeni."
"I know."
"No, really, listen to me. My father is an asshole, and he's purposely trying to break us up. He wants me to follow in his footsteps and make my life all about work, which it was until I met you. But he knows that my life is now all about you. I don't want you to ever think that what he says is true. I'll always love and protect you, no matter what he says or does. You're my priority now, and always."
"I know. It hurts that he hates me so much when I haven't done anything wrong. He was plain awful to me tonight."
"Maybe it's time to leave."
"What do you mean, leave?"
"I mean leave the family business. I can start up on my own. I wouldn't be under as much pressure all the time, and I can look after you better."
I shake my head. "No, I won't be the cause of your family rift. That would make me feel worse than I already do. I won't have you throwing everything you've ever worked for away for me. You need your father in your life."
"Please just know I'm nothing like him, and I never will be."
He moves in close to me, standing between my legs. With one swift movement, he pulls my top off over my head and moves to undo my bra. My eyes widen, and I move my hands to unbutton his shirt. A slight giggle escapes my mouth. He pulls me off the vanity unit so I'm standing in front of him. He slowly undoes the button on my pants and unzips the zipper; they cascade to the floor.
He shuffles out of his shirt, and it falls. I move my hands down to his pants and undo the button and zipper, and they fall, freeing his large erection. He skims his hand across my underwear line and swiftly pulls them down to my ankles. He squat
s below me and he runs his hands up my naked thighs. His mouth connects with my body, kissing up my legs, over my thigh, and down there.
He gently kisses the apex of my thighs, making me tingle all over. My hands move to his head, my fingers running through his hair as my breathing quickens. He continues to kiss past my hips up my stomach to my rib cage and finds his way to my breast. He maneuvers over my nipple and gently sucks on it, tantalizingly slowly. He moves his hand to cup me down there. I inhale sharply as his warm finger moves slowly around my clitoris, making me shiver with every swirl. My head falls back as I let the sensations take over. He moves his mouth from my nipple to my collarbone, kissing slowly and gently up my neck to my jaw. I exhale when he moves slightly faster on my clitoris. I moan with the anticipation of his lips on mine which is now becoming unbearable.
With his free hand, he pulls me to him. I feel his erection at my side as he finally moves his lips to mine. I kiss him forcefully, with want and need. I shiver again as he slides two fingers inside of me, making my breath catch. My hand is in his hair and my other around his waist. He kisses me with such unrelenting gusto that I almost fall backward into the vanity unit behind me. I moan through our steamy kiss while he maneuvers his fingers in and out of me. Suddenly, he steps away from me, leaving me against the vanity unit wanting more as he moves toward the shower. He opens the door and turns on the water. He looks back at me and puts his hand out for me to take. I feel slightly unsteady on my feet from the passion we have shared. I walk into the shower with him. He rotates me away from him. Without saying a word, he moves my legs apart, and I brace my hands against the wall.
He kisses my shoulder as he positions himself behind me. His hands run down my sides from my breasts to my hips. Suddenly, he's in me, taking me by surprise. He pushes me against the wall hard while the water flows over him. He moans when he thrusts into me almost painfully. I keep quiet as he pounds into me, over and over again pushing me against the wall. This feels angry, like angry sex, not our usual lovemaking. I can't help but wonder how it has turned so quickly from passion to anger. I start to tense up. Why is he doing this? Why is he so angry? Is he angry with me? I'm too busy thinking to even feel pleasure as he moans louder.
"Oh Jeni," he calls out pounding deeply, unloading into me.
I stand against the wall, feeling emotional as he rests his head on my shoulder, kissing it tenderly. I tense up, and he notices.
"You ... okay?" he questions through staggered breaths.
I nod as I try to keep myself from crying.
"Jeni, did I hurt you?" he asks, sounding worried when he pulls out of me.
I shake my head. He grabs my shoulders and spins me around. I can't look at him; I'm trying hard not to cry.
"My God, Jeni. What's wrong? You look like you're going to cry."
I can't hold it back any longer. The tears fall from my eyes. Aiden looks at me, his brows furrowed as his frown lines appear.
"Jeni, what's wrong? Tell me." He pulls my face up so I'm forced to look at him.
"What was that?" I whisper.
"What do you mean?"
"What was that? We've never done that before. It felt aggressive, Aiden."
He frowns as he inhales sharply. "I'm so sorry, baby. I don't ... I don't know what came over me. I was thinking about tonight and the baby, and I got so angry and ... Oh my god, I did hurt you, didn't I?" His eyes fill with tears.
I stop crying. The thought of him crying is unbearable.
"You didn't hurt me. I was just shocked. When we make love, all I feel from you is love, but this time, it felt like you were punishing me."
He runs his fingers through his hair and shakes his head. "I can't believe I did that to you. I never want you to feel anything but love from me, Jeni. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
I see his rising panic as he starts to rock back and forth. "I'm so sorry." Tears are streaming down his face.
Instantly I feel like he's broken. I have to be strong for him; maybe his father is getting to him more than I know. I pull him to me and hold him tight while he cries into my shoulder.
"I'm sorry, please don't leave me. I love you, Jeni."
I hear the muffled sounds of his voice against my shoulder.
I shake my head. "Aiden, I'm not going to leave you. I love you too much. Can you try not to take your anger out on me though?"
He holds onto me tightly, almost too tightly. I move my hands to his head and move him so he's looking at me. His eyes are flooded with tears. I lean in and kiss him softly. He slowly eases his grasp on me and lets me go. I move him backward so the water of the showerhead flows between us.
"Are you alright?" I ask cautiously.
He takes my hand in his, pulling me to him.
"I can't believe I was rough with you when I should've been gentle after everything you've been through. I wanted our first time after ... to be loving. Not, this ..."
"You didn't hurt me. It was a shock. That's all," I say, trying to reassure him, his head hanging low.
"I truly am sorry. I don't know what came over me. I've never done that before."
"Let's make it a one-time thing and never do it again."
I wipe a tear from his face. He grazes my hand with his lips, and I know he's back to normal.
We wash each other in the shower, and then he dries me. We make our way back to the bedroom, and we slide in under the covers. Without saying a word, I move in and rest my head on his chest. He takes my hand and wraps his other one around me holding me tightly. He doesn't let me go all night.
***
I feel him playing with my hair as I open my eyes to the bright morning.
"Morning, beautiful," he whispers then his lips graze my forehead.
I move in to cuddle into his chest then raise my head up. He kisses me softly and slowly. This is the Aiden that I love. His lips part from mine.
"I'm sorry about last night. I don't know what happened."
I exhale. "You let your anger get the better of you. It's healthy to get angry, but it's not so healthy to take it out on me."
"I know I hope you can forgive me?"
"Of course I forgive you. There's really nothing to forgive, but I'm worried about you."
He continues to play with my hair. My phone rings, making us both jump. I let go of him and reach for my phone. "Hello?"
"Hey, Jen Pen, hope I didn't wake you?" Sarah asks on the other end of the line.
"No, it's cool. We're up."
"What are you guys up to tonight?"
"I don't think we have anything planned, why?"
"Cool, do you two want to go out for dinner and a movie?"
"Dinner and a movie?" I ask, looking at Aiden for confirmation. He smiles.
"Sure, sounds great. What time?"
"If you guys want to come 'round say five-ish, then we can go together."
"Yep, no worries, I look forward to seeing you."
"Me too, I miss my Jen Pen."
"I miss you too, Sez."
I hang up the phone and look over at Aiden, who is relaxing in bed with his eyes closed. I giggle and decide to take full advantage, lunging toward him. He exhales abruptly when my entire upper body lands on his chest. He opens his eyes wide with shock.
"Hey," I say childishly.
He chuckles and takes hold of my upper arms, rolling me over so he's on top, making me squeal and laugh.
"Hey yourself," he replies, his entire body on mine.
I wrap my legs around his back. He looks at me and raises his eyebrows up and down. I gesture a kiss to him, and he responds quickly, moving his head to meet mine. He kisses me strongly, and with that, the memory of last night's Aiden is quickly forgotten when he seduces me in his usual style.
***
I lie on the bed sprawled out, completely satisfied and exhausted. Aiden lies on his side, facing me, his head propped up by his hand while he stares at me, stroking my arm with his other hand. I sigh, my stomach rumbling uncontrollably. He abruptly stand
s up, making me raise my head to look at him in curiosity.
"Stay here."
I drop my head back down to the pillow and relax. After a while, he comes back to the bedroom with a tray of fruit, cereal, orange juice, and a coffee. I sit up in bed as he places the tray on my lap.
"Thanks."
He leaves the room again. I start shoveling the food into my mouth as quickly as I can. Aiden walks back in with a bowl of cereal for himself. I shovel another spoonful toward my mouth, but being my klutzy self; I miss my mouth and hit my chin, milk and cereal spilling all down my front. Aiden laughs and wipes the milk and cereal from my body.
"Always the entertainer."
I shake my head, spooning another mouthful of cereal.
I look over at the clock and see that it's nearly two p.m. Why do the weekends go so quickly? I finish up and head to the en-suite. I turn on the hot water and step into the shower. The memory of last night comes flooding back as I relive the scene in my head. I wash the remains of the cereal and milk off my chest. I spend as little time as possible in the shower and get out almost as quickly as I got in.
I dry myself and make my way back to the bedroom, where he's sitting on the bed reading a book and eating an apple. Aiden puts his book down and looks at me intently while I get dressed. I giggle as he watches me.
"You're a perve."
"I might be a perve, but I only have eyes for you."
I shake my head and make my way to the bed, fully dressed.
"Mr. O'Connell."
"Yes, Miss Taylor?"
"You're one moronic smartass man, you know that?" I ask, grinning from ear to ear. I reach his side of the bed, feeling somewhat happier than the last few days.
He grabs me around my hips and pulls me onto the bed so I fall over his lap face first, and then he slaps me on the ass.
"Aiden," I yell out while he holds on to me. He doesn't let go, and I hear him chuckling under his breath as I fumble trying to get up. Suddenly a wave of panic hits me. Why won't he let me up? Is he trying to control me like Jason did?
"Aiden!" I scream, my voice hoarse and full of tension.
He lets me go instantly. "What's wrong?"
"Why did you hold me down like that? God, there was no need for that," I say angrily and then push his shoulder forcefully.