by JC Harroway
“Because you asked so nicely, I’m inclined to share.” He nudged his bedroom door open and kicked it shut behind him. “I’m going to lay you down on my bed and spend some time enjoying your body. First with my hands. Then with my mouth. And finally with my cock.”
This time her laugh bounced through the entire room. “Greedy.”
“Mmm, well, I’m feeling generous, so if there’s something you’d like to add in along the way, I think we can make it happen.”
She looped her arms around his neck and grinned up at him. “Did I say greedy? I meant so, so generous.” Her lightly mocking words didn’t detract from the happiness lurking in her eyes.
Happiness he’d helped put there.
This isn’t forever. This is just a reprieve in the midst of a storm.
He didn’t care. He’d take it.
Aaron laid her on the bed and nudged her back until he could kneel between her thighs. The picture she painted, from her wild blue hair to her smirking lips to her rocking body... It just flat out did it for him. She just flat out did it for him. He traced the rose tattoo just inside her hipbone. “Why this?”
“A reminder.” She didn’t say more, but she didn’t have to. He understood. Roses were gorgeous flowers, but their thorns were legendary. Kind of like Becka.
He pulled off her pants and underwear and tossed them aside, leaving her gloriously naked before him. “Where did you learn to play poker?” He cupped her pussy, spearing two fingers into her. “You’re good.”
“Bitter you lost?” She arched her back and dug her heels into the bed, trying to drive his fingers deeper, but he used his free hand to pin her hips into place. Becka fisted the sheets above her head and cursed. “I learned to play free-roll poker in high school. It’s how I made extra money after I graduated.”
He could see it. All she’d have to do was smile and giggle a little and men would be falling over themselves to “teach” her how to play. Then she’d clean up and walk away while they were still wondering what the hell had happened. “Tricky.”
“Tactical. Thought you’d approve.”
He twisted his wrist and teased her clit with his thumb. “I do. I’m going to demand a rematch, though.”
Becka writhed in his grip. She grabbed his wrists and met his gaze. “Stop teasing me and let me come, Aaron. I’ve been aching for it ever since I had your cock in my mouth.” She smiled slowly, as if she knew exactly where his thoughts had gone—to seeing himself disappear between those bright lips. She affected a pleading look. “Please.”
“Since you asked so nicely.” He moved, dragging her around until he leaned against the headboard and Becka was sprawled between his legs, her head at his feet. Aaron lifted her hips so he could play with her at his leisure. The blow job had barely taken the edge off for him, and the entire night stretched out before them. A promise of as much pleasure as she could handle and more. He parted her and traced her opening with a single finger, not penetrating her. Teasing.
“Aaron.”
“That’s right, minx. You keep saying my name like that and I might consider giving you my cock again before the end of the night.”
CHAPTER TEN
BECKA’S ENTIRE EXISTENCE narrowed down to Aaron’s fingers between her thighs. He teased her, doling out pleasure in waves and then drawing her back from the edge at the last possible second. She held out for longer than she could have thought possible, but then the words came. “Please, Aaron, please let me come. I need you, just please, please, please.”
“There it is.” He growled and withdrew his hands.
She barely had the space of a breath to whimper in protest when he wedged his hands beneath her ass and lifted her to his mouth. This time, he didn’t mess around. After a thorough kiss that curled her toes so hard they cramped, he sucked her clit into his mouth and worked her ruthlessly. She dug her nails into her palms as she came, his name on her lips in a cry that seemed to shake the walls.
At least, it shook the walls surrounding her heart.
Aaron didn’t give her a chance to recover. He set her back on the bed and then he was inside her, stretching her, filling her. The slow slide of his cock and the delicious friction it caused brought her back to herself heartbeat by heartbeat, and she became aware of his murmuring in her ear. “Beautiful minx. You’re so fucking perfect and it makes me so damn crazy I can’t think past my need for you.” He kissed her shoulder, her neck, her jaw and then claimed her mouth.
His need called hers to the fore, and she locked her ankles at the small of his back and laced her fingers through his hair, rising up to meet him even as she met his tongue stroke for stroke. I can’t think past my need for you, either. It scares the shit out of me, and I don’t know what to do with that. He ate the words before she had a chance to give them voice, which was just as well.
She wished she could blame the sex or orgasms for the way her inner compass had failed her so spectacularly, but neither of them were the problem.
It was all Becka.
Aaron hooked a hand beneath one of her thighs and hitched it higher, allowing him deeper. The contact tore a cry from her lips, and the building pleasure reached a crescendo she couldn’t have fought off if she tried. She clung to him as his strokes became less measured and he followed her over the edge, kissing her as if his next breath lay in her lungs.
Afterward, they lay tangled together, their jagged breathing a perfect match. Becka raised a shaking hand and pushed her hair back. “If that’s the consolation prize, I might consider losing at poker more often.”
“Mmm.” He kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear. “Stay with me tonight, minx. Let me hold you.”
She should say no. Having sex was one thing, but literally sleeping together crossed even more lines. She’d fought so hard to put boundaries in place, and Aaron insisted on trampling over every one he found. This was no different. If they were going to have sex, they should at least sleep in different rooms to keep things from getting messy.
But lethargy stole through her body and she couldn’t quite keep her eyes open. “Just tonight.”
“Sure.” He answered a little too quickly, but she didn’t have the energy to call him on it. Aaron shifted away, and a few seconds later, he pulled the blanket up and over them both. He tucked her against the front of his body, and she tensed in response.
Becka didn’t cuddle. It muddied those boundaries she’d clung to so hard up to this point. But with his warmth soaking into her body and his slow exhales dancing across the back of her neck, she couldn’t force herself to move. As sleep teased her, Aaron pressed his hand to her stomach just below her belly button.
Right where the baby currently grew.
His touch was different there, almost reverent as he explored the slight curve of her stomach that hadn’t been there three months ago. He didn’t say anything to break the silence, and she couldn’t speak past the burning in her throat. This isn’t real. It might feel real, but we aren’t a couple expecting our first baby. We’re strangers who banged once and now are trying to figure out what the hell we’re doing.
You can’t afford to forget that.
It was only for tonight. Tomorrow, she could go back to keeping precious distance between them and ensure Aaron knew that he needed to stop blurring the lines when it came to her and the baby.
Tonight...
Tonight, she just wanted to pretend for a little while. To sink into the feeling of him holding her, to luxuriate in what was probably the best date of her life. After they’d gotten past the uncomfortable topics and relaxed into being with each other, she’d had fun with Aaron. And she hadn’t had to worry about making a clean getaway because what they had together was already so damn complicated.
Becka closed her eyes and let herself relax. Aaron responded by cuddling her a little closer, and she fell asleep to the even sounds of his breat
h, feeling safer than she ever had before.
* * *
Aaron woke early and put together a light breakfast for Becka while he contemplated his next step. Last night had been good—better than good—but he wanted to take steps forward. To claim ground Becka had previously held back from him. Since both pregnancy and her family seemed to be off-limits, that meant he had to find a different way to connect. He flipped the pancakes, still thinking hard.
“You’re spoiling me.”
He didn’t jump, but it was a near thing. He turned and held out his arm, and Becka slipped under it and nestled against him. She must have noticed his surprise, because she sighed. “Last night was really nice and I’m still riding the nice vibes, so let’s not think about it too hard, okay?”
Considering he’d been doing exactly the opposite just now, he didn’t like his chances. “You’re just drunk on power after your poker win.”
“And you think you’re a comedian.” She leaned forward and eyed the pancakes. “I shouldn’t have these before my class. They’ll sit heavy on my stomach.”
“Wrap them up in tinfoil and add the peanut butter later. It will be cold, but still a nice protein boost after class.”
Now she really was looking at him strangely. “Thanks.” She stepped away from him and snagged an apple off the counter.
Aaron could actually feel her retreating, and it made him crazy. “What do you do for fun?”
“Drink.” She made a face. “Okay, that sounds bad. But happy hours are one of my favorite things. Most bars Allie and I used to hang out in have trivia or bingo or some kind of game while they pour half-priced drinks. The people-watching is superb, and we’ve already established that I have a competitive streak.”
That, they definitely had. “Would it bother you to go for trivia night if you can’t drink?”
She seemed to consider that as she took a bite of apple. “I don’t know. No? I mean, we’d have to pick a place with good food, but that’s easy enough to manage in this city.”
We.
The fact she casually looped him into the prospective plans warmed him through. It was just a word, two simple letters that Aaron used every single damn day. But from Becka’s lips, it took on a new meaning, a different mentality, making them a unit. She might not be willing to admit as much, but her thinking she was on this road alone had obviously shifted in the last week.
I’m making progress. Slowly, but surely.
He kept his body language as casual as his tone. “You free tonight?”
“Tonight?” She took another bite and chewed slowly. “I could make tonight work.”
“Why don’t you bring an extra set of clothes and shower at the gym? I can pick you up at...five?”
“Sure...” She grabbed her phone off the counter and backed away. “That sounds nice. Let’s do that. ’Bye.”
Aaron watched her run from him, but there was none of the frustration he’d grown accustomed to when it came to dealing with Becka. They’d taken a big step last night, whether she wanted to admit it or not. If she needed to retreat a little in response, he’d allow it.
But she wouldn’t get far if she tried to bolt for real.
He shook his head and used a spatula to move the pancakes from the pan to a square of tinfoil he’d laid out when he started cooking. A few seconds to cool, and then he carefully rolled them up and grabbed the mini jar of peanut butter he’d picked up yesterday. The jar and the tinfoil wraps went into the lunch bag he’d found in the back of his pantry. He could hear Becka getting dressed in her room, so he poured her a cup of coffee into a thermos. Ten to one, she was about to rush out of the penthouse without worrying about her coffee or her lunch, and he didn’t need her going without because he’d spooked her.
He stepped into the hallway and caught her midsneak. Her blue eyes went wide. “I’m going to work now.”
“I see that.” He passed over the bag and the thermos, and her jaw dropped when she took them. Aaron used a single finger to close her mouth and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “I’ll pick you up at five.”
“At five,” she parroted.
He stepped back so she had a clear escape path. Becka blinked at him one last time and nearly sprinted to the front door. It slammed behind her, and Aaron chuckled. That went well. The woman obviously had been taking care of herself for a very long time. From what he knew of both her and Lucy—and what she had and hadn’t said—he suspected Becka went without to ensure her big sister didn’t feel any unnecessary guilt about their parents being shitty. He respected the hell out of that, even if he wanted to go back in time and wrap her younger self up and protect her from the ugliness she’d lived through.
He couldn’t fix her past. He wouldn’t even know where to start.
But if he was careful, Aaron could maneuver around her thorns to take care of her in the future.
He cleaned up the kitchen, changed and headed out for work. Becka had him entirely too distracted, but work with his new client went over well enough. The client wanted an audit of their existing computer systems and a comprehensive risk-assessment report. It was a simpler job than he normally handled. Cameron much preferred the clients who wanted cybersecurity set up from the ground up, but this particular job was a referral and not one they could subcontract.
Even though it was something he could put together in his sleep, that didn’t mean he could get away without giving it all of his attention. They were paying him for the best, and that was what he needed to provide.
Cameron stood in the lobby, a scowl on his face, as Aaron walked through the door. He stopped short. “What’s wrong?”
“Kim Jones walked.” Cameron glared at the phone as if it was the sole responsible party. “I told her that cutting corners would undermine the integrity of our work and if she wanted a cheap option, she should have gone with one of our half-assed competitors.” He glared harder. “She said that’s exactly what she planned to do.”
“Fuck,” Aaron breathed. “I had her in the bag. Why the hell would you tell her that? We’d already agreed on the package she wanted. Our job is to give it to her—not rip her a new one because we think it’s the wrong choice. That’s not your call to make, Cameron.”
He strode past the lobby and into his office, Cameron hot on his heels. The man’s agitation rolled off him in waves. “I told you I can’t do this shit, Aaron. They ask me a question and I’m not going to pussyfoot around with the answer. Honesty is supposed to be an asset.”
He held on to his patience through sheer force of will. “Yes, but your brand of honesty has also driven off every single person we’ve hired to help manage the workload. I don’t have a problem being the client-facing part of the company, but I can’t do both. So, if we can’t find suitable admin support, we either need to hire another tech expert or we need someone who can work under me to consult with the clients. I don’t care which way we go on things, but something has to give.”
“We haven’t found someone qualified to fill either of those roles.” Cameron frowned. “I can’t even find someone qualified to man the damn front desk, and that’s a simple enough job.”
“You don’t think anyone is qualified.” Finding someone to work with them who could handle the job—and Cameron’s surliness—was an impossible task.
“I have exacting standards.”
“More like...” He caught a strange expression on Cameron’s face. “What?”
“What the hell is this?” Cameron stalked over and snatched the top baby book off the pile Aaron had placed on the far side of his desk when the box showed up. He flipped through it, the book looking tiny in his massive hands. “You planning on procreating?”
He hadn’t planned on sharing the information like this—or at all until strictly necessary. Aaron rubbed a hand over his face. “A girl I was, ah, seeing. She’s pregnant.”
“It�
�s yours?”
He gritted his teeth. “It’s mine.” Becka said it was, and he had no reason to doubt her. Going down that path lay madness and ensured that any relationship blossoming between them would be dead and gone.
“Huh.” Cameron set the book down. “Congrats, then, I guess. Or condolences?” He narrowed his eyes. “Which way do we fall on this?”
“I don’t know yet.” It was nothing more than the truth. The baby was unplanned and even with the surprise and shock wearing off, he had mixed feelings. He’d never planned on having a child with someone he wasn’t married to. The whole concept was old-fashioned and he should just set it aside, but it bothered him. Things with Becka weren’t buttoned up—and showed no signs of being buttoned up any time in the foreseeable future. They were making progress, but it was slow going. “We’re keeping it, and that’s enough for now.”
“Guess so.” Cameron scrubbed a hand over his shaved head. “Look, I’m sorry about Kim Jones. I didn’t know that offering my opinion would make her freak the fuck out like that. And then she was yelling and I was yelling and...” He shrugged. “I said we’ll hire someone and we will. I’ll set up another round of interviews this week.”
He opened his mouth, but there was no point of going round and round with this shit. He’d known who Cameron was when he went into business with the man. Aaron had made his peace with being client-facing, but he hadn’t expected it to chafe quite so much. If they could get a good third in here, it would smooth over a lot of their random little issues. It just had to be someone Cameron wouldn’t scare off inside of a week.
But his partner had said he’d handle it, and so he had to let it go. “Appreciate it.”
“Now, get to work. Sounds like you have more mouths to feed in the near future.” He grinned. “Any chance it’s twins?”
“Oh, fuck right off, Cameron.” He shook his head and sat behind his desk. There was plenty of work to be done, and he had to get it finished in time to pick Becka up after work. No matter what bullshit arose during the day, he wasn’t going to let anything endanger another date with her.