CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The air packed a punch. I felt instantly revived.
There was something eminently healing about a sea breeze. Its energy flowed through my veins. Walking by my side, Aidan remained quiet as he held me tight. It was comfortable silence. I read somewhere that the test of true love was that a couple could remain silent and still feel loved. We had that. His body, pressed gently against mine, felt so warm and reassuring that my spirit had been suddenly restored.
As we strolled along the cobbled path back to the estate, in the distance, we saw Rocket sitting placidly on the lawn with Roland.
The faithful creature hobbled over to us, his tail wagging, his big brown eyes filled with love and gratitude. My heart melted at the sight of him. Aidan lavished him with pats and hugs. That was despite Rocket’s wound being bandaged and the vet’s instruction to avoid excitement.
It was a hero’s welcome, nevertheless. Rocket had been rewarded with a nice big juicy bone. The handsome mutt looked up at us with his big brown eyes, thanking us for saving his life.
“You’re the hero, buddy. If it weren’t for you, God knows what might have happened,” said Aidan, letting Rocket show his slobbering affection by licking his face and hands.
Tears rolled down my cheeks. What a pretty sight they made, man and dog reciprocating joy at seeing one another.
Aidan looked up at me. “Our boy’s home, and life’s good again.”
Before leaving Rocket to devour his bone, Aidan instructed Roland to keep an eye on the canine and to not allow him to climb the stairs until his wound had healed.
*****
After dinner, Aidan and I settled on the sofa and watched something mindless on TV. Despite our having laid to rest the disquiet that had taken hostage of our fairy-tale existence, there was still one prickly subject that needed seeing to.
“Aidan, tell me about the body that washed up.”
He took a deep breath. “He’s been identified as a hit man. The police have no doubt that he was the one driving the car.”
“Are they sure? I mean, how can they tell he was the driver?”
“It was a rental car. And the ID they found on him was the same as the one registered with the rental company.”
“I suppose that confirms it, then.” I paused to contemplate. “Why didn’t he seek help?”
“Good question. I imagine he crawled out and might have stumbled down the rocks into the sea. Anything like that is plausible.”
I grimaced.
“Baby, don’t put yourself through this. Let me deal with it. I don’t want to fill that pretty head of yours with ugly images.”
“I need to know, Aidan. It’s haunting me, to be honest. I feel like I killed him. I did, really—didn’t I?”
Aidan faced me squarely. “Far from it, Clarissa. It was either you or him. His record is soaked in blood. You did society a favor.”
“You make me sound like a vigilante.”
“Clarissa, in this game of survival, the best outcome is the one where the good guy or girl comes out on top. And you, baby, were amazing. Words cannot explain how much I admire you, princess. Not only do you have the type of breathtaking beauty that improves every time I look at you, but you’ve got presence of mind. In the Forces, they trained that into us. But not many had that, really. Where most would’ve freaked out, you, baby, kicked ass. And thank God, because if anything had happened to you…”
My body warmed, and I fell into Aidan’s reassuring hold. Vanity pushed away all my misgivings. I loved hearing that every time he looked at me, I grew more beautiful. Funny thing about that…every time I viewed Aidan’s handsome face and scrumptious body, the same thing happened to me. I could never tire of gazing at him.
“Then who could have hired him? We now know it wasn’t Bryce. Could it have been John Howard?”
Aidan shook his head. “I don’t think it was. Brutes like him get off on pain in their victims’ eyes and cries for mercy.”
I shivered.
“Sorry, baby. Am I being too gory?”
“No, you’re not. I’m not a child, you know.” My tone was prickly.
“You’re right. I keep forgetting how strong you are, Clarissa. Your big, beautiful eyes and sensitivity make me want to protect you from the ugliness of the world. I know this sounds a little uncouth. But at times I feel like a father to you.”
“Mm… that reminds me of something I read once,” I said.
“What was that?”
“That in an ideal relationship, the man should be like a father, brother and son, and the woman, a mother, sister and daughter.”
Aidan considered this for a moment. “That makes sense, a protector, a friend, and someone who needs you.”
“I think that sounds healthy. Don’t you?” I asked.
He nodded slowly. A little twinkle in his eyes flickered playfully. “Does that mean I’m being incestuous?” His hand slid up my thigh and travelled under my skirt all the delicious way up. “Oh, baby, you’re not wearing panties.”
I giggled. I thought it was high time we played. I told myself that all the drama that had consumed our beautiful existence needed to be buried by a good session of heavy lovemaking. Therefore, I made sure I removed my panties before Aidan joined me.
“Mm… your pretty little pussy has been neglected. And it’s oh so delectable.”
His finger caressed my bud with a perfect, soft touch, then ramping up the heat, two fingers entered, making my fiery nerve endings send electrifying tingles through me. He undid the buttons of my blouse and found my breasts hungering for his tongue and lips.
I unzipped his jeans and freed him. His thick, heavy cock pulsed frantically in my hand, as Aidan’s lips took to my nipples with the avidity of one starved.
He ripped off my clothes. “Open your legs, princess. Let me look at that pretty pink pussy before I ravish it.”
Mm… what was a girl to do? I opened wide while gazing into his lust-filled eyes.
He held his heavy cock and positioned it. As the slick, thick head entered, I moaned through the intense stretch of it filling me with that indescribable pleasurable ache that made my heart bang fiercely against my chest. He pushed his pelvis against mine, every delicious inch buried deeply into me, and a loud, agonized growl left his parted lips.