by Nina Crespo
Delanie paused in rinsing her hair and glanced over her shoulder. She smiled at him.
His heart galloped in his chest. She was so damn beautiful.
He walked behind her and the water aided the glide of his hands around her waist.
Aiden brought her flush against him and the heat of her skin warmed his.
As he kissed her neck, Delanie tilted her head, giving better access. “What did King want?”
He brushed his lips down to her shoulder. He and King hadn’t just talked about the arrangements they were making for their father. Heavy rains in northern Georgia had raised concerns about flooding. They’d discussed the possible impact on Echo Pines and had decided to use one of their Atlanta contacts to evaluate the situation. But what was the point of telling Delanie? If something had happened, wouldn’t Beth have called her? No news was good news, right? What was the use of both of them worrying about the situation? Delanie had mentioned she’d had a long day. They both needed a break from business.
“Nothing important.” Aiden turned her around to face him. He kissed her and nothing mattered but the softness of her mouth and the glide of her tongue over his.
He backed her against the tiled wall away from the showerhead, a man obsessed with lush curves and heated skin. He worshiped her breasts and belly with his mouth and swept her waist and hips with his hands.
Delanie’s breathing grew shallow as he dropped to his knees, parted her thighs, and made his claim. He lapped her pussy, craving her voice echoing in the bathroom as she said his name. He hungered for every tremor from her as he fluttered his tongue over her clit. Savored her essence as it flowed into his mouth.
“Aiden, I can’t . . . I can’t.” Her legs trembled.
He stood. “Yeah, baby you can.” Aiden cupped her ass.
Delanie grasped his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist. He lifted her up, enticing her to wrap her fist around his hard cock and put him inside her.
His senses spun as she closed around him. Aiden bore most of the burden of holding her up as they moved in the rhythm of familiar lovers. He alternated between kissing her and focusing on burying himself so deep inside that every thrust forward sent the need for release vibrating through him. The grip and release of her pussy stole air from his lungs and drowned his fierce need.
Delanie orgasmed and her cries of pleasure filled the room.
Her slick sex rapidly spasming around him made the delay of his own release a sweet torture. He wasn’t ready for their connection to end. Couldn’t bear the thought that after tomorrow, he couldn’t hold her like this, feel her like this, make love to her until his heart and soul was sated by her.
But he couldn’t hold it back any longer. He came with an intensity that rocked him, moved him in ways that he had never felt before.
Aiden held her as she lay limp against his shoulder. As he started to gently put her down, she moaned in protest.
He wasn’t ready to break the contact they shared either. “I got you.” Despite fatigue sinking into him, he held her up. As he kissed her, he shook both from the physical strain and the emotions that gripped his chest.
Delanie stared at him with passion-dazed eyes. “Aiden . . .”
He pressed his lips to hers. He’d be there for her—he didn’t quite understand how or what that meant for their future, but he’d figure it out. He’d meant what he told her when they were trapped at Echo Pines and found each other again. He wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m here, baby. I’m still right here.”
twenty-seven
THE NEXT MORNING, Delanie climbed the stairs in fuzzy blue slippers from the living room in Aiden’s town house to the second floor, carrying a cup of coffee. The sunshine fairy must have known this was her last day in town. The forecast called for an unusually sunny day that was warm enough for her to sit on the rooftop deck of Aiden’s house in jeans, a T-shirt, and a cardigan. Hopefully sun was on the horizon for the places hit by rain in the Carolinas and Georgia. As she’d scanned through her Twitter feed that morning, she’d read posts about flooding in some areas. Technically, the contracted part of her relationship with Beth ended last night, but maybe she should still call her to see if she’d checked on Echo Pines?
Aiden walked onto the landing of the stairs, wearing a crisp blue pinstripe suit, white shirt, and blue-on-blue swirl-patterned tie.
She wolf-whistled. “Hey, sexy.”
Aiden grinned as she came up to meet him.
“Should I be jealous?” She lifted her cup out of the way as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
He tucked his hands into the back pockets of her jeans and smiled. “Hardly. I’d rather spend the morning here with you.”
Aiden pressed his lips to hers and she welcomed the glide of his tongue. As he deepened the kiss, desire simmered below the surface.
A moan of need and frustration filled her. Mindful of the full coffee cup, she laid her other hand on his chest and broke from his lips. “And this is why you should leave now. If you don’t, I’ll be tempted to strap you to the bed and have my way with you.”
He laid his forehead against hers. “As much as I’d like to stay here and let you, I can’t anyway. King flew in from Baltimore. He wants to meet at the office.”
Aiden’s brow furrowed against Delanie’s forehead. She eased back to look at his face. “You’re worried about something. What?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. King sounded kind of mysterious on the phone.”
She smoothed her hand over his lapel. “Do you think it has something to do with your father or Kingman Partners?”
“Don’t know.” Aiden widened his stance, nestling her against him, and released a long breath. “He’s probably just preoccupied over acting as our father’s proxy.”
“What’s expected of him?”
“Mainly, he has to attend board meetings for TriRoyal and vote on my father’s behalf. But in order to do that, he’ll need to brush up on what’s happening with the company. Truthfully, King seemed excited about being in the mix of things at TriRoyal again. It’s probably better my father chose him instead of me. I don’t miss the headaches that come with a larger enterprise. I think King does.”
“Just remember this is all temporary. Once your father improves and can do things on his own, he’ll be back at TriRoyal, and you and King will be on track with Kingman Partners.” She wanted to provide as much optimism as possible. Still, it was almost hard not to believe that in some way their father hadn’t engineered the heart attack just to separate Aiden and King.
“I guess.” As Aiden released a breath, he slipped his hands underneath her T-shirt and absently stroked her lower back. “You know, I was thinking of Echo Pines the other day. In many ways, Granger was a lucky man. The retreat was his main responsibility. Just that and not a million other things.”
Delanie kissed him. “You’ve been through a lot with your dad getting sick. Take it one step at a time. Once the meeting is over today, you’ll have a better sense of things. Chances are, you and King are both heading in the same direction, just like you always have.”
“You’re right.” Aiden hugged her close. “I needed to hear that.” He kissed her temple.
She resisted snuggling into his chest out of fear she’d spill coffee on him. She kissed his cheek and untangled herself from his arms. “Get out of here. I have a couple of hours of work to finish . . . after I drink my coffee and enjoy the sun.”
“Thanks for rubbing that in.” Aiden slipped the coffee from her hand and took a sip. He winked. “Needed that for luck.” As he handed back the cup, he smacked a kiss on her mouth and swatted her ass. “And that too. See you around noon.”
Delanie couldn’t stop a smile. “Bye.”
She went up to the deck on the roof. Her slippers scuffed against the black-and-beige outdoor carpeting covering the space. As she settled into the patio chair in front of her computer, which she’d set on a rectangular table fixed with a closed orange umbrella, she watc
hed Aiden speed down the street in his SUV and turn right. Everything with Aiden, King, and their father will turn out fine. Aiden could tell her about it over their early dinner. She was planning on making chicken marsala for them later. What type of wine went with it? She flipped through the wine-and-food-pairing app on her phone. Chardonnay.
I’ll ask Aiden to pick it up on his way home.
Delanie texted him the selection, then sat back and sipped her coffee. Working in an outdoor office by day and eating dinner with Aiden by night—she could get used to that on a full-time basis. On occasion, though, was the most they could expect, at least for now. With her on the West Coast and him living on the East, how would they make it work without things becoming complicated? Not that they already weren’t. If she and Aiden were together long-term, how would she reconcile seeing and possibly even helping take care of his father? The man who’d betrayed her and her father all those years ago?
Unease about the future built inside of Delanie. She shook off the question that seemed to loom larger than the simplicity of just her and Aiden in a relationship and got to work.
Several e-mails, a client call, plus another cup of coffee and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast later, she settled in for a live chat on her computer with Edison.
She dialed the office using the computer program.
After the third ring, he appeared on the screen. “Hello.” A serious expression was on his face. No “Hey, boss,” no smile, no upbeat demeanor . . . that was strange. Did he and his girlfriend have a fight?
“Hey, Edison. How are things at the office?”
“Good. I think.” He fidgeted in his seat. “So . . . how are things on your end? Anything new or unexpected?”
“No. What’s going on, Edison? Did something happen with a client?”
“Possibly.” He slumped in the chair. “I wanted to sort it out before you called. I’m sure it’s a mistake.”
Was it an assignment she’d given him? Had she given him too much responsibility too soon? “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. Is it the Oregon project or the client in Phoenix?”
“No. It’s not one of the projects I’m working on.” He stared intently at her through the screen. “Something’s up with Echo Pines. Beth called. Kingman Partners is rescinding the offer.”
twenty-eight
AIDEN WALKED OFF the elevator on the fifth floor at Kingman Partners, carrying a bag with a bottle of chardonnay. He’d grabbed it from the grocery store a few blocks away during his lunch break. After meeting with King—whose flight had been delayed—and making a few necessary calls, he could head straight home to Delanie.
He tucked the bottle firmly under his arm and rechecked his texts. He’d sent her one confirming he’d picked up the wine. She hadn’t answered. Maybe he should call her? No. She was busy trying to get work done and she had to pack to leave. The sinking feeling in his gut that he’d awakened with that morning returned. He didn’t want her to go.
Aiden sent her another text asking if she needed anything else as he strolled into his office suite.
His assistant, Carol, was still out running office errands.
The two dozen ginger cookies he’d ordered from the store in Pennsylvania sat on his desk. Yes! They’d arrived in time for Delanie to have them in Seattle. Maybe he should keep half and hold them hostage. That might persuade her to come back to Virginia sooner rather than later.
Aiden put the wine in the mini fridge built into the cabinet in the corner. His place would feel damn empty without her. He’d gotten used to waking up with her in his arms, surrounded by pillows. Hell, he’d even miss having to move her curling iron, the three different lotions she used, and her makeup before he shaved. Then there was the trail she managed to leave in the kitchen that gave away what she ate or drank. The French press with used coffee grounds. A spoon with blobs of jelly on it, and the knife she’d licked clean of peanut butter in the sink.
He went to his desk and dropped into his chair. Most of all, he’d miss kissing her goodbye before he left and hello when he came home. That small detail made his day complete.
Aiden opened his top right drawer. He dug all the way in back, underneath pens, mechanical pencils, boxes of paper clips and staples, and unearthed the spare key to his town house. They still had a lot to figure out about their relationship, but Delanie needed to know that she was welcome in his life and that he wanted a place in hers. Giving her a key might get that across.
King strode in carrying a brown folder.
“Hey. I was just on my way to your office.”
“We need to discuss something.” King shut the door.
Fuck. He has that “shit just hit the fan” tone in his voice. “About what.”
King sat in the chair on the other side of the desk. “There isn’t an easy way to say this.”
“The faster you spit it out, the faster we can get on it.” Aiden leaned forward. And the faster he could get home to Delanie.
“Beth Granger got back early from her vacation. She called the attorney’s office about the contract. Someone on the admin staff told her that the offer was on hold and would possibly be rescinded.”
“Okay. It’s a miscommunication. We apologize and fix it. What’s the big deal?”
King’s mouth flattened. “It’s not a miscommunication.”
“What the hell are you talking about? Why is it on hold?”
King’s gaze didn’t waver. “Because I asked the attorney to do it.”
Disbelief made Aiden sit back in the chair. “Without running it by me?”
“I was going to tell you at our meeting.”
Delanie. Aiden snatched his cell off the desk and hit speed dial. Beth had probably called her by now. Is that why Delanie wasn’t answering his texts? Was she pissed? Her phone went to voice mail. “Delanie’s not answering,” he snarled, hitting end call.
“Maybe it’s not because of this. Something else could have come up.”
Something else could have come up? Had King really just said that? Frustration boiled over in Aiden. He pushed out the chair and bore down on King. “Are you shitting me? Kingman Partners backing out on Echo Pines, that’s what ‘came up’? This is too fucking close to what happened with Clearmount Retreat.”
King stood and held his ground. “I did what I had to do for the good of our company.”
A bitter laugh shot out of Aiden. “Now you sound like you’re reading straight out of Dad’s playbook.”
“Don’t throw that shit at me. I will not apologize for making a good management decision.”
“You still haven’t told me what that is.”
King shoved the folder into his hands. “Our contact in Atlanta e-mailed a report on Echo Pines along with some photos. The heavy rains coupled with melting snow caused a mudslide. Close to half of the cabins were taken out. As worn down as they were, they didn’t stand a chance.”
Aiden opened the folder and flipped to the photos. Even at a quick glance, it was clear that what hadn’t been taken out by the mudslide was surely damaged by water.
“Okay,” he said, running his hands over his hair. “We can figure this out. We were going to tear down the cabins anyway. Once the land dries out, we can just rebuild it as we planned.”
“A better opportunity has come up.” King dropped into the chair. “Jade Valley Resort, the property I mentioned before that’s across the border in Tennessee. They also took a hit from the storm. They experienced some damage, but it’s far less in comparison to Echo Pines. Their valuation is similar, too, and the owner is so desperate to sell that they’re offering it to us at a lower price.”
Aiden read through the lines of what King hadn’t said yet. “No. Uh-uh.” He tossed the folder on the desk and the papers inside of it spilled out. “After all we went through to close the deal on Echo Pines, we’re not backing out.”
“The owners of Jade Valley are experiencing a cash flow problem. They have a bigger issue since an administrati
ve error led to the insurance on the property not being paid. We sat down last night. They want out, and they’re willing to sell just under what we would have paid for Echo. In fact, I’m sure they’ll pay less after further negotiations. They’re coming by this afternoon to finalize the deal. We’ll save ourselves a lot of money if we sign with them instead of Beth.”
“You’ve talked to them already? So it’s all basically done?”
King pointed to the report. “It’s all there. Solid numbers that prove even with the damage Jade Valley sustained, it’s a better deal than Echo Pines. We dodged a bullet by Beth not signing the sales contract right away. That’s just business.”
“No. It’s not just business.” Anger, regret, the fact that King had most likely made the right choice for the good of the company, and the reality of what that decision meant, sank like a boulder inside of Aiden. “What you’ve done has just cost me Delanie.”
twenty-nine
THE HEADLIGHTS OF Delanie’s blue rental sedan illuminated the dark iron gate outside Eve’s Hollywood Hills mansion. She punched in a code at the access keypad. It still worked. The gates swung open, and Delanie drove around the circular driveway lined with manicured ornamental shrubs to the front of the house.
She’d been on autopilot for the last twelve hours since she’d left Richmond and flown to Los Angeles. The news of Kingman Partners pulling out of the deal had numbed her, especially when she’d called Beth. The woman had accused her of not doing her job correctly because of her personal relationship with Aiden.
The shame that had dogged Delanie all day grew more intense. Beth had also said that as her representative in the deal, she should have been the one to alert her to the fact that Kingman Partners was no longer buying the property. And she’d had nothing to say in her defense. Aiden hadn’t kept her in the loop. She’d been completely blindsided. Once again, he’d left her in the dark about an important decision that impacted her. This time, her business reputation was tarnished in the process.