by Ali Parker
And so far I loved it.
Aiden had been right. I needed some space to myself. And some time.
Waking up in the bed alone had been weird at first. But I got used to it after the first week or so, and now that I was a full three weeks in, it was starting to feel normal.
It was bizarre to not spend every waking minute walking on eggshells. Or to be consumed with the thought of trying to make everything perfect. The house, the meals, myself—all of it. Instead, I spent my time doing things that made me happy.
When I cooked, I cooked what I wanted to, and I ate every scrap, completely free of guilt. I cooked for Aiden, who raved about how skilled I was in the kitchen and made me feel cherished. I’d even had Ellie and Axel over for dinner last week and that had been one of the highlights of my time in New York City.
A night with friends.
I knew my mom and dad would be happy for me. And proud.
This is the life they wanted for me. Independence. Happiness. Self-love.
I’d shed my old identity like a second skin and was now holding my chin high, owning every curve, every stretch mark, and every blemish.
I sighed with contentment and lifted my face to the sun. I kept my eyes closed beneath my sunglasses as it warmed my cheeks. I crossed one leg over the other and bounced my foot as I heard the sliding glass door open behind me.
“What a vision,” Aiden said, as he came around to sit on the chair beside mine.
I sat up a bit straighter as he handed me a drink. It was bright red with a little umbrella sticking out of it. I flicked the umbrella and laughed. “Where on earth did you find these?”
“In one of your many drawers. I thought it was summery. And fun. And that it would make you smile.”
“I love it.”
“Cheers to the last week of summer,” Aiden said, tapping his glass to mine.
“Cheers to that,” I said, before taking a sip. It was delicious. The tropical flavors danced along my tongue. “This is so good.”
“I’m calling it the Bomb-Cheryl.”
I giggled. “Very creative. What’s in it?”
“I’m not telling.”
“Why not?” I pouted.
“Because I want to be the only man who can make it for you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Diva.”
“You know it,” Aiden said, settling into the back of his chair and using the lever to recline it to the same position as mine. He pursed his lips over the straw and sucked the concoction back. “It’s like summer in a cup.”
“Indeed it is,” I agreed.
We sat together quietly, both of us bouncing our feet to the beat of the music flowing out of the speakers Vince had mounted outside on the walls when we first moved in. They’d been put there specifically for his work party. And now I was actually able to enjoy them.
It was especially satisfying that it was my playlist playing through them. Vince had never let me play my own tunes.
“This is the life,” I said, gazing out across the blue pool.
“I couldn’t ask for a better way to spend the day. Well, I mean, it could get a little better. But beggars can’t be choosers.”
I arched an eyebrow at him. “It could be better, could it?”
He flashed me a white smile and nodded.
“I’m listening.”
Aiden sat up a little straighter. “Let’s me and you christen that pool, shall we?”
I looked at the pool out of the corner of my eye.
Aiden put a hand on my knee and inched closer. “Come on. Let’s do it. Vince will never know. And if he finds out—well, that’s even better.”
“So vindictive,” I smiled.
“Listen. My nose is finally healed and my black eye is gone. I want to celebrate having my face back. You know how many people avoided walking by me on the street when I looked like that?”
“Only the silly ones,” I said.
Aiden snorted. “Then everyone is silly.” He got to his feet and brought his drink with him. “Get up. I want to see that body of yours all wet. And I want to see those tits float.”
“Aiden—”
He offered me his hand and wiggled his fingers in a come hither motion—the same motion he used when he fucked me with his fingers.
I licked my lips, put my hand in his, and let him pull me to my feet. I sipped my drink as we walked to the edge of the pool. Aiden set his glass down on the ledge before sitting down and then sliding into the pool. “Oh, shit, it’s a bit colder than I thought.”
“It’s not heated,” I said.
“Vince is a cheap bastard.”
I laughed as I sat down on the ledge of the pool. I slipped my legs into the water and tried to play it off like I didn’t think it was cold. I knew Aiden. He’d splash me or pull me in if I let on that I thought it was chilly.
To further protect myself from being submerged in the pool against my will, I held my drink and continuously took dainty sips through the straw.
Aiden swam across the pool and then back to me, where he wrapped his arms around my calves, rested his chin on my knee, and looked up at me with big puppy dog eyes. “Are you coming in, kitten?”
“Maybe.”
“Don’t want to get your hair wet?”
“I don’t care about that,” I said, defensively.
“Uh huh. Sure you don’t. Every girl cares about that.”
I shook my head. “Not me. Besides, I have to wash it anyway. I want to put my best foot forward for tonight.”
Aiden kissed my knee. “Baby, you could show up in a paper bag with Kleenex boxes on your feet and they’d still love you.”
I smiled, trying to not let him see how nervous I was to meet all the other Lost Breed members tonight.
It was a big step to take. At least it felt that way to me.
Aiden had wanted me to meet them sooner, but I resisted. I was sorting through a lot what with the whole Vince break up and then him going to prison. I was also trying to sort out my feelings toward Aiden, which were very, very strong, and equally scary.
The thought of walking into a biker’s house to meet a ton of dudes in leather and their women, was daunting.
I’d nearly had a panic attack the first time he brought it up.
But now, a month after meeting Aiden, I was confident in meeting his family. He was special to me and if he was a part of the Lost Breed then I wanted to be a part of it too. Aiden wanted the same thing. We were on the same page.
“I know I don’t have to dress up. But I want to.”
“Yeah? What are you going to wear?”
I gave him a coy smile. “It’s a surprise.”
He grinned and ran his hands up my thighs to rest them on my hips. “I like surprises.”
I’d gone shopping the other day and bought my very first black leather jacket. It was covered in gold zippers and buckles, and it screamed ‘bad ass.’ I planned on wearing that with a little black dress, sheer black nylons, and a pair of thigh high black suede boots that had been sitting in the back of my closet for nearly a year.
This seemed like the perfect occasion to wear them.
I knew Aiden would think I was the sexiest thing in the room no matter what I wore. But I wanted him to see that I could fit in. That I could be a chick in leather just as easily as I could be the girl in a floral dress with a cute ponytail.
I was also sure he would appreciate that I wasn’t going to wear any underwear—a fun fact I planned on whispering in his ear right before we walked through the front door. Just to keep him on his toes.
It felt good to be a bit of a bad girl and to have a bit of the control.
Really good.
I finished off the last few sips of my drink and set the glass down on the ledge. Then I slid into the water and right into Aiden’s arms.
“It is cold,” I said, through clenched teeth.
He held me tighter. “Share my body warmth.”
I wrapped my arms around his shoulders as he wal
ked us out to the middle of the pool. The sun beat down on our shoulders as the cold water lapped at my skin.
Aiden turned us in a slow circle as I pushed my sunglasses up onto my head. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he said, before leaning in for a kiss.
He tasted like the Cheryl-Bomb. Cherries and rum and something else I couldn’t put a finger on.
As our kiss deepened I ran my fingers up the back of his neck, massaging the tight muscles there. He reached around and pulled at the string of my bikini around my neck. I giggled as it came undone, and then he undid the second string, and as we kissed in the pool my top came off and floated out of reach.
Then he did the same to my bottoms. He tugged the bows apart on the hips and within seconds I was naked and wrapping my legs around his waist. I pulled myself close to him and felt his hard cock through his bathing suit.
He stared down at my tits floating in the water. “I’m never gonna get tired of those.”
“I should hope not,” I said, running a finger along his jaw.
He looked up at me and fixed me with his bright green stare. “I think I’m about to say something crazy.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Yes?”
His eyes flicked back and forth between mine, and then he smiled. “I love you, Cheryl Sommers.”
My heart fluttered in my chest. “You love me?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I think I’ve loved you since the moment I saw you in your car singing to the song on the stereo. But I never thought in that moment that I’d actually—” he broke off and shook his head. “I didn’t think I’d get this lucky.”
I smiled as my eyes started to cloud over with tears. I hadn’t cried with joy since my parents were alive.
“I love you, too, Aiden Jennings. And I’m the one who got lucky. You saved me.”
He shook his head. “You never needed saving, kitten. You just needed to be reminded that you’re a force to be reckoned with. And I’ll never take you for granted.”
I ran my tongue along my upper lip. He followed it with utter fascination until it disappeared behind my lips. “That’s good,” I cooed, leaning in close and pinching his earlobe between my teeth. “Because I could really use another drink.”
Aiden threw his head back and laughed. I joined in on his laughter until he silenced me with a deep kiss. When we broke apart he kissed the tip of my nose. “Another Cheryl-Bomb coming right up.”
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The End
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About the Author
Ali Parker is a full-time contemporary and new adult romance writer with more than a hundred and twenty books behind her. She loves coffee, watching a great movie and hanging out with her hubs. By hanging out, she means making out. Hanging out is for those little creepy elves at Christmas. No tight green stockings for her.
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She’s an entrepreneur at heart and loves coming up with more ideas than any one person should be allowed to access. She lives in Texas with her hubs and three kiddos and looks forward to traveling the world in a few years. Writing under eleven pen names keeps her busy and allows her to explore all genres and types of writing.
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The Parker’s Wicked Playground
Aiden
The Lost Breed MC #8
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Copyright © 2019 by Ali & Weston Parker
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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.
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First Edition.
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