Loved You Once

by Claudia Burgoa

“Drunk, why would you ask that? I’m telling you there’s a naked—”

  “What’s with all the noise?” Tori comes out of her room stretching. “Oh, it’s you.”

  “There’s a man in my bed,” I tell her, wondering why she’s still asleep at noon.

  She looks at Hayes and grins. “Dude, if you don’t want him, I can bring him to my bed.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “Hello there, cutie.”

  “Victoria, I’m serious. There’s a stranger in my bed.”

  “Ma’am, are you still there?” the operator asks.

  “Yes, and as I told you, someone broke into my room, and he’s in my bed—naked.”

  “That’s Samson,” Tori says, as if I should know who the fuck Samson is. “Now, who is this?”

  “You have a man in my room?” I don’t answer her question and apologize to the operator for the call.

  “I told you two weeks ago that I was renting the room. However, I’m sure you were daydreaming. Thank fuck I didn’t get a call saying that you were in a car accident.”

  “She shouldn’t be allowed to drive,” Hayes says, and then asks, “So, who the fuck is Samson?”

  “My new roommate,” Tori informs us.

  “What happened to my stuff?”

  She points at the boxes in the corner. “I’m not kicking you out, just making sure I receive an income. This city is too damn expensive and working for you doesn’t pay that well. The couch is all yours, though.”

  “I have a guest room,” Hayes says, and in that moment, the guy, who has claimed my bed, comes out, wearing a pair of shorts.

  “What the fuck, Victoria? I just arrived two hours ago, and you are—”

  He snaps his mouth shut and looks at Hayes with bulging eyes. “Dr. Aldridge, I … did something happen?”

  “You two know each other?” I ask curiously.

  Samson looks at me and grins. “Well, you’re more beautiful in person. Samson Kirk.” He holds out his hand. I shake it, and he holds it a second too long for Mr. Alpha’s taste. He's going to realize that Hayes might be quiet and peaceful, but he can also fight like his brothers.

  “Kirk, take your paw off her right now,” Hayes orders.

  Samson releases me and moves a few steps back.

  “Again, how do you know him?” I ask, looking at them both.

  Samson looks a couple of years younger than me, late twenties or thirty, at most. He’s a couple of inches shorter than Hayes and okay looking. I can see Tori banging her roommate soon.

  “He’s one of the residents at the hospital where I worked,” Hayes informs me. “We have a lot to do, Love. Can I send someone to pick up your boxes later?”

  “What?” I ask, confused about this whole ‘let’s take your stuff’ and ‘let me mark my territory’ while I’m at it.

  “It’s obvious that you need a place to stay,” he explains, as if it’s just that simple. “As I mentioned, I have a guest room. It’s just temporary, since we’re leaving soon.”

  “Kirk, help me with the boxes,” Hayes orders.

  “These hands are made for patients,” the good doctor excuses himself.

  “Get the fucking boxes, now.” Hayes doesn’t take his bullshit. “We can move you out in a couple of trips and just take whatever you need to Baker’s. We can have the movers bring the rest with my things.”

  Tori looks at me, and I give her a don’t ask look, hoping she actually listens to me for once.

  “Who is that hunk, and why are you moving out?” Tori asks, once Hayes and Samson leave with the boxes.

  “You kicked me out of your apartment,” I remind her.

  “No, you can stay on the couch, I just … my family and I are having issues. Don’t ask.”

  I adore Tori. We’re best friends, but there are some things about her life that she never talks about, like her family and how she supports herself. I don’t pay her much, and she’s fine with that—unless she has issues with whoever gives her money. Then she tries to find different ways to make fast cash. This isn’t the first time she’s rented my room.

  “What about the hunk?” she insists.

  “Hayes Aldridge,” I answer.

  She frowns and looks at the main door. “No, that’s not Hayes. Is it?”

  “You know him?”

  “I told you my mother tried to set me up with him. She’s been trying to marry me off to one of the most eligible men in San Francisco. Guys who move in my circle. The hot billionaires who make it to the list of ‘must lick, must fuck, and I shall get his ring.’”

  “Which circles are those?”

  “Shhh,” she says and covers my ears. “That’s not information a person with a kind soul should ever hear about.”

  “I’m sure I can handle it.” I chuckle. “So, which list does he belong to?”

  She looks again toward the door and then back. “All of them. Everyone wants to lick the elusive Hayes Benjamin Aldridge. Fuck … have you seen that body? The ring … well, wouldn’t you want to have his babies?”

  Before I can ask her more about the lists or how many women have been licking or fucking his delicious body, he’s back, and I noticed they took all the boxes at once.

  “Stardust, ready to go?”

  Tori frowns and studies me. “Would you like to share anything with me?”

  “Not really,” I respond. “Let’s set up the interviews for next Monday. I want to assemble the team before I have to leave for Baker’s Creek.”

  Tori and I agree on doing a videoconference once I’m settled at Hayes’s place. There’s more to the ‘let’s talk’ phrase that she says at the end. I know she wants the dirt on why I’m hanging out with the most desirable bachelor in San Fran.

  There’s nothing elusive about him, is there?

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” he asks during the drive to his place.

  “Do you know you are on the list of most fuckable billionaires in San Francisco?”

  He glances at me and chuckles. “Is there such a thing?”

  “Who knows? Tori said it’s not something for me—that’s code for, ‘It’s a San Francisco socialite’ thing, and let’s be honest, I’m … me.”

  “I had no idea that existed,” he says.

  “How many women have you screwed this year?” I ask curiously, and not jealous at all. Okay, maybe a little.

  “None,” he answers.

  “It’s May. You want me to believe that you haven’t slept with anyone in the past five months, even when there’s a parade of women outside your home?”

  He laughs, but quickly sobers up. “I haven’t slept with anyone in a couple of years. Are you upset because you don’t believe me, or because you don’t like the idea of me sleeping with other women?”

  “Don’t…” I close my mouth.

  “So, you had no idea Kirk was sleeping in your bed?” he asks.

  “I don’t know the guy,” I assure him. “He’s not a fan of yours.”

  “No one is a fan of mine. It’s a teaching hospital, and I’m pretty strict, so … I don’t have as many friends,” he concludes as he pulls into an underground garage. His gaze connects with mine, and he gives me that heart stopping smile that has always been just for me.

  The second he turns off the engine, the air thickens. The intensity in his eyes makes me burst into flames, at least that’s how my entire body feels, like it’s burning me alive, filling me up with desire. When I glance at him, his green eyes are looking at me with lust. I’m melting just with the thoughts of what can happen, the hopes that it’ll happen. I’m hungry for him.

  Thirty-Two

  Hayes

  It’s been a long month, and we’re only halfway through it. William left. Thankfully, there were no discrepancies at Aldridge Enterprises. The auditors Pierce hired assured us that we’re in good shape. Henry’s going to spend a couple of weeks with the interim CEO. We don’t know if he’s going to stay or if we’ll hire someone new. Ultimately, Henry is the one who was groomed to run a b
usiness.

  These past two weeks interacting with Henry were necessary to convince him that the risk of moving to Baker’s Creek is worth it. He’s getting a kick out of bossing me around, and I’m letting him because, as long as he believes he’s in control, he’ll stick around. Pretending to be just another one of his minions for this period of time is easier than making him see reason.

  The offer to stay with me because I have a spare room was misleading. I want Blaire in my bed. I should’ve been more direct. I show her the place. I start with the kitchen, take her to the home office, and finally, the living room that faces the Bay Bridge.

  She’s quiet. Is she studying the apartment, daydreaming, or is there something she doesn’t like about the place?

  “Is it too soon to say that I miss the trees, the fresh air, and the sounds of nature?” Blaire asks, as she stares at the window longingly. “Don’t get me wrong. You have a beautiful view, and the place is gorgeous. However, there’s something about being close to nature that I miss. Not traveling…”

  “I’m sorry, Stardust. Will you be okay at Baker’s Creek? What are you going to do about the positions you need to fill? I can help you hire doctors.” God, I’m talking like an anxious teenager. What is wrong with me?

  She laughs softly, and while the sound shouldn’t affect me, the fantasies of all the things I can do to her so she can make more of those noises pop in my mind.

  I could make her moan, beg, scream my name. All of those hot sounds I could get out of her with just the right touch of my hands or mouth.

  If there’s one thing I know by heart, it’s what she likes when we’re making love.

  “Adapting to a different place is easy. I just miss certain things, but never the city.”

  “Yet, you live here,” I remind her.

  “Barely,” she discloses. “If I didn’t need a real address for people to believe that I head a non-profit, I wouldn’t bother to have the skeleton office.”

  “We could move the foundation to Baker’s Creek,” I suggest. “You and I can—”

  She gives me the look. The one where she wants me to stop talking about a certain subject because it’s a hard limit.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  She arches an eyebrow, tilting her head.

  “Talking about the foundation, moving to Baker’s Creek, or us?” I throw out the question because we also hate to walk on eggshells. I wouldn’t do it to her, and I won’t allow her to do it to me either. However, I don't let her answer, because the response is right there in her eyes. “You’re afraid of me.”

  “Not at all.”

  “You’re not?” I confirm.

  “No, I’m just making sure that we’re ready for this step. Once we take it, we know we’re not going back.”

  “Have I mentioned you’re strange?”

  “A few times, and yet, you love that I’m everything but ordinary.” She smirks playfully. “Have you reached out to your brothers yet?”

  “No. Why do I feel like you’re looking for an excuse to write me off?”

  “Don’t misunderstand. I want you, and it hurts so bad, as bad as it hurts not to have you,” she whispers. “I know this is going to sound ridiculous, and it won’t make sense, but I feel like unless you resolve all your personal issues, there’s still a possibility that you might walk away, too. But I’m definitely not writing you off at all.”

  I groan. “Henry said the same earlier today. It’s like the two of you have faith in me, yet you’re not ready to go all in and bet on me.

  “Your heart is what matters to me the most,” I say. “Though I’d be lying if I say that my mind isn’t filled with thoughts about devouring every inch of your delicious body. I want to torment you with neck kisses and light touches.”

  “Hayes,” she whispers my name with a raspy voice filled with lust.

  Something changes in the air. There’s a radical shift, and I feel it echoing inside me. It’s not her words, not her voice; it’s the hunger in her eyes.

  I walk to her and take her hand. If I could, I’d pick her up, take her to my bed and remind her exactly what we are. I lost the right to do that, but I have to try my best to convince her that we’re great together and that if she opens up to me again, I won’t let her down. Never again.

  So, I lean in to kiss her. My hands slide up her body, and I grab her neck.

  Soft.

  Gentle.

  My lips are like feathers caressing her precious skin. I’m not hesitant, just cautious. I want to reel her in slowly, until we can both agree that there’s a lot more than this old attraction. Convince her that this new us is stronger than before and that we are going to be together—forever. She opens her mouth and the tip of her tongue slides across the tip of mine. They touch tentatively, like two estranged lovers who remember they’re bonded. They embrace, twirl, and make love to each other.

  All I want is to kiss her forever. Become her oxygen. Beat at the rhythm of her heart.

  Fill her up and beg her to make me whole again.

  Her hands curl around my neck, and she’s as worked up as I am. I should stop because … my brain is completely frozen. I can’t think of why we have to take it slow. She’s kissing me with the same hunger I carry, and I just give in to the passion. We consume each other. She moans and groans as my hands fidget with her clothes. I can’t stop myself. The urgency in her movements tells me that she can’t either.

  Blaire’s trembling hands stroke the hard ridge in my pants. I don’t expect her to pull the zipper and release my hard as fuck length, but that’s exactly what she does. Her small palm grabs my heavy cock, and she rubs it, tugging at it. Just the way I like it. She wants me to lose control.

  Fighting my desire, I grasp the single drop of self-control I have left and stop kissing her. My heart kicks into a fast pounding tempo, as I stare at her lustful eyes. She’s lost in a trance and tapping into reason is going to bring her back. But even though I’m going to lose the moment, I have to do the right thing.

  “Stardust, if we do this, there’s no going back,” I rasp, regretting my words, but knowing it is the right thing to say.

  “Why are you being sensible?” she asks, with a rough and smoky voice. Her lips part as both hands wrap around the head of my shaft.

  The heat between us surges, once again, as she pulls me down to her, deepening the kiss, drawing me closer, and making me forget reason and the rest of the world. We’re good at this, letting everything dissolve when it’s just the two of us. Nothing matters but her. In her case, only me.

  Moving my lips toward her jaw and then her neck, I repeat, “If you’re trying to stop me, you’re doing a shitty job.”

  She laughs and looks at me with so much lust.

  “Who told you I wanted to wait?” she whispers, sucking the lobe of my ear, right before she drops to her knees. As she opens her mouth, her eyes find mine.

  Fuck. I’m not sure if this is heaven or hell, but I don’t care once her lips part and her hands bring the head of my cock to her mouth. She laps the tip, and her tongue plays with the head right before she adjusts her jaw and swallows me slowly. Her eyes are two puddles of desire. The ice in them melts as her tongue runs along the crest.

  Stroking, sweeping, sucking. Her mouth brings me to my knees every time. I groan and can’t help but move my hips forward, fucking her mouth. As I’m about to come, I realize that this isn’t what I want.

  I want her.

  Just her. I want to claim her. Just as she claimed me.

  Her mouth continues sliding up and down my shaft, taking me deep. My fingers are tangled in her long hair, gripping her. This isn’t enough. I need more. I need to be inside her.

  “Stop,” I beg her, pulling out of her mouth and lifting her from the floor. “You fucking own me—always. You don’t have to show me who has the power, but before I lose all sense of control... Please say no if you don’t want us to continue.”

  “Make love to me, Doc.”

  He
r words unleash me. I pull down her leggings, push her against the couch, and thrust myself inside her tight entrance. It sucks me in, and so I begin to fuck her softly, gently.

  “You’re mine,” I whisper the words so low that maybe she doesn’t hear me. “Please, let me back in. It hurts like hell not being with you—not being a part of you.”

  I’m burning inside. Knowing I won’t last long, I reach between her legs and begin to quickly stroke and rub her clit with my fingers as I pump inside her faster and harder. When the pressure starts building at the base of my spine, I start breaking into a million pieces. We’re both becoming brighter, shinier like stars. The same way we were created. Her walls squeeze my length. She’s begging me not to stop, to push deeper. The moment we explode, we become stardust, fusing together into one large, newer star.

  Our bodies tremble. We’re both moaning nonsense as we come down from the high. She closes her eyes, breathing deeply. Is she regretting it? Mother fucker, I knew that we should’ve stopped, but how could I when her mouth was on me?

  “Forgive me,” I beg her. “I … I was desperate for you. I missed you so fucking much.”

  Her eyes open, and she places a kiss on my chin.

  “I wanted it, too.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “We didn’t use birth control.”

  “You’re not on the pill?” I ask, calmly.

  She shakes her head. “No. As I said, it’s been years, and I really didn’t see the point of it.”

  “What do you want to do?”

  She looks at me suspiciously. “Why are you so calm?”

  “I’m not twenty-two, and I’m not scared of a seven-pound baby girl who might look like you,” I confess. “In fact, I’d love to have one of those one day—with you.”

  “Are we even ready for that?” she says, both confused and alarmed.

  “Plan B?” I suggest. “Do you want me to go to the pharmacy and get you one?”

  She looks at me, and her answer doesn’t surprise me. “I’m not sure what the future will bring, but I want to see what the odds give me.”

  “Odds?”

  “There’s only a fifty percent chance that I can get pregnant,” she answers. “If it’s meant to be.”