Chapter Nine
“Poppy seed lemon or lavender-infused truffle?”
What the hell? Where were the normal flavors? Chocolate? Vanilla? Aaron could even get on board with double-chocolate with enough persuasion. Jill had brought samples home from the local bakery her mother had called last week. Seven different cake samples sat on her counter, and Aaron looked at each of them. None of them screamed wedding cake. Not that he’d been to many weddings, but he didn’t envision his own involving the words “lemon,” or “orange zest.” It was the exact reason he didn’t put himself in serious relationships in the first place. This shit was complicated, and honestly, he didn’t care about a fucking cake flavor. It was fake, so why did it matter? Pick a flavor, eat it, be done with it, divorce in two months. The end.
The last week had been a circus. Jill’s mom had insisted that they have a proper wedding and managed to get a church, an officiant, and centerpieces lined up in under forty-eight hours. My daughter will not be getting married in a courthouse was the phrase that played on repeat until Jill finally caved.
“What the hell is this stuff?” He pointed his fork at one of the abominations in front of him. “This bakery never heard of just plain chocolate?”
“Sorry,” Jill whispered. “You know my mother. She has to have the best of everything.”
“Yes.” But Aaron couldn’t help but laugh. Of course, Jill’s mom had found out. The woman was a bloodhound. Give her a scrap and she’d have the whole thing figured out in less than a day. Although, most people could connect the dots with a marriage license application.
“I promise I’ll make it up to you.” She gave him a pleading smile that made his dick twitch. Her teeth raked across her lip as she slid her hand up his leg.
“Is that so?” He scooted closer to her at the counter. Emily was over at her grandmother’s for the next few hours, and Aaron wasn’t going to waste any more time talking about cake flavors. “How about we start right now?”
“I think that’s a good idea.” Her fingers worked over his cock, and Aaron bit back a groan as she wrapped her fingers around him. “If you play your cards right, you might get your cake flavor for the reception.”
He folded his hand over hers, stilling her motions. “Shouldn’t we tell them that this is fake? Wouldn’t it make it a lot easier two months down the road?”
“Do you want to be the person to tell Deborah Michaels that you are fake-marrying her daughter?”
That’d be “Fuck No” for a thousand, Alex. “Nope.”
“The ship has sailed, my friend. The only saving grace is that she’s been oddly supportive.”
That was what bugged Aaron to begin with. Her mother was so desperate to marry Jill off, it didn’t seem to matter to who. That was something Jill needed to work out with her mother, but it just wasn’t right. She deserved a good man. One that could be there for her, not one blazing out of town to start a new job once he got everything settled in Charleston. Sam had told him to take his time, but he’d have to leave soon if he wanted to keep the job. And he did want the job. It was made for him.
“I think that means we’re in need of extra chocolate.” He arched a suggestive brow. He might not be able to be around for her long-term, but he sure as hell was going to make her remember who could take her to the brink of insanity. He was a selfish bastard.
He wound his way around the kitchen island and opened the cupboard next to the stove. He’d been over here so often the last few weeks, he knew his way around her kitchen. That alone should be sending alarms blaring in his head. But the pull of her, the way he sometimes couldn’t even think in coherent sentences when she was around, well, that was enough to push those other feelings aside. He reached for the chocolate syrup on the shelf and turned around. If he was going to be stuck picking this stuff out like it was a real wedding, he might as well enjoy the perks of his bride-to-be.
Jill looked at him curiously. “Making me chocolate milk?”
“I’m having my own chocolate sundae. Take off your top.”
…
The piece of cake Jill had been chewing dropped out of her mouth and onto the countertop.
“Why?” Did she just hear Aaron correctly? The ache spreading between her legs said yes.
“Don’t want to get anything on it.”
He stared at her as she unbuttoned her blouse button by button, with her heart about to beat out of her chest. Her nipples puckered underneath the thin fabric of her bra, and Aaron’s eyes dilated as he watched her unabashedly. She’d never been one to flaunt what she had—it made her feel silly and self-conscious—but the way Aaron looked at her made her want to put it all on display. Those looks made her feel sexy, something that hadn’t crossed her mind in a very long time.
He strode over to her in quick, confident strides, the bottle still in his hands.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting my chocolate fix.” And with that, he popped open the bottle and drizzled a thin line of syrup along the swells of her breasts. He gave her one of his dimpled grins and bent to her chest. His tongue swept across her skin, lighting a fire wherever he touched.
“Jill, this may just be a fake engagement and marriage, but I sure as hell don’t think there’s anything fake about the way you make me feel when I’m around you.” She groaned as his tongue swirled around her nipple, and almost fell off of the barstool. “You taste so fucking good. I can’t keep my mouth off you.”
“I think that’s the chocolate syrup.”
“You’d taste just as sweet without the Hershey’s.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.” Her eyes rolled to the back of her head when his tongue flicked across her hardened peak again. “You’re seriously too good for me. I can’t believe you’re putting up with this scheme now that my mother is involved.”
“I think you mean that makes me insane.” His tongue continued its hot pursuit, traveling south.
“It’s a real possibility. We might need to send you to therapy after this. It is my mother we’re talking about, after all.” Hell, he might need a fund set up for his funeral after both their parents murdered them.
“At least I’ll know someone coming into a lot of money who can pay for that sort of thing,” he teased, taking her nipple between his teeth while rolling the other one between his fingers.
“What can I do to make this up to you?” He was being thrown into this crazy situation, and her guilty conscience would do anything to make this right.
“Get on the counter.”
She did as he said. When he used that authoritative tone, she’d do just about anything he told her to do.
“What now?”
He unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them off along with her panties, until her bare ass dug into the counter. A shiver consumed her. Whether it was because she was mostly naked or just the anticipation of whatever he was going to do to her, she didn’t know.
“Spread your legs.” He looked down at her, a smirk on his face. Oh, he really had changed from the boy she once knew. This person in front of her was all man. One she’d gladly be on her knees for. One that, she realized, was still the same sweet guy, who was great with her daughter, and yet discombobulated every thought bouncing around in her head.
Dammit. Those words shouldn’t turn her on so much. But the prickle of heat ignited between her thighs told a different story. She ached for him. Every part of him.
She liked not having to think about a million different things at one time. Just Aaron at this moment, looking down at her with hooded eyes that melted her insides. She realized then that she’d do anything for this man. She trusted him—something that she hadn’t done in, well, ever. That ship had long since sailed when Jake came in like a wrecking ball. And not the Miley Cyrus kind, but the kind that left damage no one but she could feel. Those pieces had been swept away, bit by bit, every moment she spent with Aaron.
She did as he said and spread her legs, completely open to him. “Look at you.” He traced a finger down the inside of her thigh, and her nipples tightened in response.
“How is me being naked making up for my psychotic mom?”
“My mood is rapidly improving by the second.”
“I like the way you look at me.” She liked to see Aaron get a little wild in his eyes. It called to her in the most basic, primal way.
He pulled away suddenly and propped her back up onto the bar stool. “Can’t take it any longer. Need to have you.”
“Mmm. I like when you start talking caveman to me.”
“Me need you.”
She giggled but obeyed, digging her heels into the rungs on the chair and sliding her legs open to expose herself to Aaron. He gave an appreciative growl and grabbed the chocolate syrup again.
He turned the bottle over and drizzled the chocolate over her stomach, down, down, down until there was a direct path to the space between her thighs. She shuddered as the cool liquid hit her sensitive skin.
He looked at her and gave her a smile that made everything clench.
Jill’s eyes rolled to the back of her head as his tongue swept across her belly button and curved down. When his tongue circled around her clit, she fisted his hair in her hands and pulled him closer.
“Patience, princess. I’ll give you exactly what you need. Let me take my time.”
She knocked her head back against the counter as he resumed his slow pace, his tongue flicking and swirling, fingers massaging the insides of her thighs.
Would she ever get enough of this man?
No.
And she was okay with that.
“Jill?”
She opened her eyes, staring down at him kneeling before her. “Yeah?”
“You’re absolutely perfect.”
And with that, his tongue was on her again, relentless, so intense, she couldn’t even think straight or process his words.
She bucked against his mouth as the flat of his tongue elicited a wave of orgasms that came one after another.
By the time he pulled out a condom and sheathed himself, she could barely sit upright. She looked into those deep blue eyes as he entered her, and she knew everything was going to be okay. Things would work out. For once she had someone she could count on, and even if it was only going to be for a couple of months, she’d take it. It was worth the heartbreak when he’d inevitably need to leave.
“Mama, for the last time, I do not need to come in the church on a Cleopatra chair.” Jill pressed her palm to her temple and took a deep breath as she talked to her mother on the phone. This was getting out of hand. “Remember—small ceremony. Just you, Aaron’s parents, and that’s it.”
“What about Emily?”
“I told you, she is going to stay with Kate—Aaron and I are taking it slow. We want to make sure Emily is ready for all of this before Aaron moves in.”
Lies, lies, lies. She had a mountain of them. In fact, it’d take her a whole week with a pickax and climbing gear to get to the top. “It didn’t help that an accelerated timeline was required by Grammy.” Another lie, but she’d use any excuse to protect her kid, even if she earned herself a first-class ticket to hell for this.
Get married. Get the money. Get out. The plan was simple. Her growing feelings about her name next to Aaron’s on a marriage certificate complicated things a bit.
“What about flowers? You’ll need proper flowers. Will you come with me tomorrow?”
The doorbell rang, and Jill mumbled a quick “Yeah, sure, fine,” to appease her mother and quickly got off the phone.
Really, her mind was spinning with how fast everything was happening. Less than a week away from her birthday—the next few days were going to be one hell of a ride.
She swallowed back nerves as she walked toward the door. She’d invited Aaron over to hang out with her and Emily, just the three of them. Just a friend, that’s what she told Emily.
As she opened the door, a flicker of relief settled in her tense muscles when Aaron smiled down at her. “Hey.” Then he frowned. “You look stressed.” Damn him for always being so in tune to her. She was going to miss this because she doubted she’d ever be able to find someone else who just got her without having to say a word.
“My mother.” She waved her hand, dismissing it. “Are you ready to hang out with us?”
Aaron’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes.” He gave a reassuring smile, but she knew him well enough to see that his nerves were frayed under that cool facade. This was the first time he’d come over while Emily was there. To spend time with her daughter.
Emily came bounding down the hallway moments later and skidded to a halt inches from Aaron. “Aaron! You have to come play ponies with me.”
Before Aaron had time to respond, Emily grabbed his hand and dragged him to the living room where she had a sea of My Little Ponies on the floor. The corners of Jill’s lips edged into a smile. Maybe it wasn’t her daughter that she had to worry about after all.
Jill followed them into the living room, and Aaron and Emily were already seated on the ground.
“Who are these?” Aaron asked.
Emily began to list all of them and then went on to show Aaron her Shopkins collection. He was getting the seven-year-old royal treatment tonight.
She sat down next to Aaron, and they shared a quick smile. The niggling image of a life where she didn’t have to do the whole parenting thing solo edged in the peripheries of her mind. To have someone to share all the memories with. To have a man in Emily’s life that would be a good influence, unlike Jake.
She tried to shake off the thought, because, come on, she wasn’t delusional. In two months, life would be the same, just with a fatter bank account. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? What if she could find someone and have the real deal. Could she do that to Emily?
Then again, wouldn’t it make Emily really happy to have someone in her life, too?
Aaron ended up staying until Emily went to bed that evening. He’d even had the honor of reading Pete the Cat, only if she and Aaron promised not to tell Uncle Gage they’d read it without him.
After putting Emily to bed, they sat down on the couch.
Aaron put his arm around her, and sitting there staring into the abyss with him after Emily’s bedtime routine felt so normal. “She’s an awesome kid. You’ve done a really great job with her.” His thumb brushed against her bare skin, and her eyes fluttered shut. Such a simple move, the stroke of a thumb, but able to elicit so many feelings. Ones Jill had thought she’d locked away for good.
“Thanks. She seems to really like you.”
“What’s not to like?” he mused.
She pushed at his chest and nearly sprained a finger. Damn, those pecs could be lethal weapons. Hell, his whole body was. “You’re so modest.” But it was true. There wasn’t anything to dislike about Aaron. In fact, she more than liked him.
Three little words popped into the back of her mind, and she bit back the sudden sting of tears. She’d never cared for someone this much, and it scared the living shit out of her.