CHAPTER EIGHT
I woke up in an unfamiliar bed and smiled as I remembered why. My sore muscles and aching cunt were a pleasant reminder of my night.
I yawned, stretching out my muscles as I sat up in the bed.
"Arieon?" I called out, his name feeling much too natural on my lips. I was getting too comfortable and in the back of my mind, I had to keep reminding myself that the situation was temporary.
"Hey, Sleeping Beauty." Arieon came out of the bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth. He was back in sweats and though, I wasn't up for another fuck, he sure made it tempting. "I didn't think that you'd sleep so late."
I smiled. "I don't. Usually." I was an 'up with the sun' kind of girl but Arieon had fucked me into a coma. It was nearly one and I wouldn't have passed up on going back to sleep.
Arieon grinned at me as if he'd read my mind. "I ordered you breakfast." He pointed his toothbrush at a roll-away table next to the bed with covered plates on it. "It's probably cold by now, though."
I scooted across the bed to the table and uncovered a plate of pancakes. I rolled one up with my bare hand and stuffed it into my mouth. God, I was starving.
I lifted another cover and beneath it was a bowl of cereal. Arieon had thought of everything. I turned back to him to say thank you but the goofy grin on his face stopped me.
"What?" I asked around a mouth full of pancake.
"Nothing." He shook his head as he moved to the bed and placed a kiss on my forehead. "I just love this whole new side of you, Ellen Carp."
I swallowed down the last bit of pancake in my mouth. "The barbarian that can't be bothered to use a fork?" I reached for a can of whipped cream on the table and sprayed it directly into my mouth. Yep, definitely shameless this morning, Ellen.
Arieon watched me intently, reaching out to swipe one of my curls away from my face. "Shit. And I thought you were sexy before. But seeing you like this."
I dropped my eyes and even through his sweats I could see the outline of an erection.
I grinned but shook my head. "No, no, no. Arieon, I can't this morning. I'm pretty sure you broke my vagina."
Arieon tossed his head back as he let out a laugh that chilled me. "I broke it?"
I shrugged. "Well, I'm not a doctor, so I couldn't say for sure but yeah, I think you did."
Arieon laughed again and met my eyes. "I almost went to med school, you know."
I shook my head. "No, I didn't know that."
"Well," he started, reaching out to take the can of whipped cream from me. "In my almost professional opinion, I think you may just need me to kiss it and make it better."
"Arieon," I started to protest but he gripped my legs and pulled me forward. Shaking the can of whipped cream, he moved down my body and I spread myself open for him. After all, the man did almost go to medical school.
I giggled as he lightly sprayed whipped cream between my legs.
My giggles turned to moans as he kissed my thighs working his way down them until he licked between my folds, lapping up every last bit of cream he'd sprayed. Man, he was good at that. Just what the doctor prescribed.
He sucked my clit, flicking his tongue over it until I cried out, bucking my hips into the air as I gripped a handful of his hair. I was completely out of control, just how he liked me.
I came with his name on my lips and wondered if I'd ever be able to orgasm again without saying his name.
"I want to take you somewhere, tonight," Arieon said as he lifted from between my legs, leaning in to give me a soft kiss.
"Okay. To where?" I asked, still trying to collect my thoughts. Not that it mattered. I'd have gone anywhere with him in my after-orgasm haze.
Arieon pursed his lips. "It's a surprise."
*~*~*
I carefully examined myself in the mirror. Arieon had said to dress casual but unfortunately, I hadn't packed anything casual in my suitcase. It was all business all the time with me. I frowned, working to fluff up my hair. Arieon had liked the fun, carefree version of me so much, I didn't want him to think I was reverting. Suddenly, I wished I'd done more browsing on Pinterest to know how to turn a business suit into a party outfit.
A knock on the door echoed through my hotel room and I gave myself one last look in the mirror. I still looked pretty stuffy, but it would have to do.
I moved for the door and opened it onto a more casual Arieon than I'd been expecting. But even in simple jeans and a t-shirt, he still managed to glow with raw power. He blinked when he saw me, his eyes slowly taking me in. When he said nothing, I sighed.
"Shit, I'm too overdressed, aren't I?" I ran a hand self-consciously over my smart pencil skirt and fitted blouse.
Arieon shook his head and reached out for my hand. "No, you look amazing. You might draw a lot of attention, but you look perfect." He kissed my knuckles before he laced his fingers through mine and for a moment, I thought I might be feeling myself blush.
"Thanks," I said softly, letting him pull me to his side. He slipped his hand around my waist and led me forward.
I leaned into his hold, letting his strong arms snake around me like a protective curtain as we rode the elevator to the first floor.
There was a wordless energy that flowed between us and I relished in every bit of it; touching him at will, running my hands over his chest and holding onto him as he led us out of the hotel to our waiting car. Every time I touched him, his muscles seemed to respond, humming in thanks beneath my fingers.
I kissed him as he slid into the car behind me, and I learned just how much he appreciated my touches. He kissed my back with a fervor I hadn't expected, licking into my mouth with intent and purpose. He sucked and nibbled on my lips until they were sore and swollen in the most delicious fashion.
"Ellen?"
"Yeah," I answered distantly as his lips left mine.
"We're here."
I lifted to look out of the window at a large, unfamiliar park. How long had I been kissing him? I'd missed an entire car ride.
Arieon climbed out of the car and helped me out after him. I straightened on my heels and smoothed down the wrinkles in my skirt. I held out my hand to him, instinctively and he took it, leading me forward into the park. It was beautiful. Wide, open space with various people perched alongside a glowing fountain.
"It's beautiful," I said, echoing my thoughts aloud.
Arieon squeezed my hand tighter as he leaned to kiss my cheek.
I bit back a grin. I couldn't admit how much I enjoyed the casual affection between us. Not when tomorrow it would all be over. It was all a fantasy I couldn't allow myself to get sucked into.
Arieon took me through the park, stopping at a man covered in what was either paint or dirt or some odd combination of the two. He stood in front of a large canvas with half a face painted against a red background.
We watched the man for a moment as he examined his work, a pallet of paint in one hand while the other danced across the air, mapping out his vision.
"You can look at it as long as you want, it won't paint itself," Arieon called out to him.
He turned and his entire face lit up, the seriousness in his eyes replaced by joy. "Get the fuck outta here," he shouted, moving toward us. He held out his hand to Arieon and the two of them completed an intricate handshake that made me feel like I was missing something vital about their relationship.
"What are you doing here?" the man drawled. "Corporate world get sick of ya and kick you back to the homeland?"
Arieon laughed, shaking his head. "No, I'm just visiting. Thought I'd drop in and see how you were doing. Had a feeling I'd find you here."
"Man, I'm always here. It's the birthplace of beauty."
Arieon nodded.
My eyes danced between them. I didn't understand their relationship but I loved seeing it. I loved seeing how easy Arieon slipped into it. It was different. There was a sense of belonging around him that I hadn't seen before and it pushed all of my buttons.
I reached out for him, placing a hand to his back unable to quell my need to touch him. He responded immediately, moving to place his arm around me.
"Ah, I see." The man grinned as he eyed us. "I guess I would've gone corporate too if I'd known they were spitting out fancy honeys." He reached out for my hand. "Enchanté, Mademoiselle."
I giggled when he placed a light kissed to my knuckles.
"Alright." Arieon waved his hands, pushing his friend away. "Back off." He pulled me possessively into his side and I melted into him.
The man held his hands up in surrender. "So, how long you in for?"
"Just until the morning, but I'm going to visit more often."
"Yeah, you better. Bring her. I like her."
I opened my mouth to protest that he barely knew me but instead, I smiled. Enjoying the moment.
"Hey, is the lock still the same for the center?" Arieon asked.
A wicked grin spread across his friend's face. "Yeah. You going up?"
"Just going to check it out. See if anything's changed."
"Have fun."
"Come on, I want to show you something." Arieon led me deeper into the park until we came out on the other side in front of a brightly painted building that seemed to sprout up out of nowhere. He led me around to the back side.
"Keep look out."
"Look out for what?" We were in what felt like the middle of nowhere. I watched Arieon carefully as he jiggled the handle on the door before he banged his fist on to it.
The door popped open and he stepped inside and held out a hand to me.
"Are we trespassing?"
He shrugged. "Only a little. It's a student art center, where, once upon a time, I was a student."
I narrowed my eyes but took his hand. He led me through a building filled with intricate arts to a room at the end with three computers. He took a seat in front of one and took out a tiny drive from his pocket and placed it into the computer as he fidgeted with it.
He turned back to me. "It'll take a minute to load. I wonder how we should kill time while we wait." He reached out and pulled me into his lap before taking my mouth in a kiss. I wrapped my arms around him, tasting and savoring him as his lips lingered on mine.
"Who was your friend?" I asked when he finally released me.
A sweet, crooked smile played on his lips. "Max is a really old buddy. He was my roommate before I moved to New York."
He went in for another kiss and I pulled back, arching an eyebrow. "You had a roommate." I mulled it over. "You don't seem like the roommate type." And you were practically born into money.
"Yeah, well, I was. Before my mom passed, this is where I lived. How I lived. Max and I made art every day and lived off of what we could sell. It wasn't as glamorous as hotel suits, but I was happy. But then..." He trailed off and his eyes took on a sadness that shattered me. I reached up and stroked his hair. "She was all my uncle had. She was all I had. And then we had each other."
I nodded, suddenly understanding why he seemed to fit so easily into his friendship with Max. Why it seemed so different to me. He was an artist, stuck in a world where he didn't belong because he couldn't abandon the only family he had left. My heart ached for him.
I arched to press my lips to his and his hand slipped around my head, pulling me in deeper. I kissed him as if I could take his pain away.
A soft bing in the background, made his kiss soften before he popped his head up. "It's ready," he said, turning me so that I could see the computer screen.
He hit a button and two stick figures appeared on the screen.
The stick figures walked to a crudely drawn elevator and I watched our story play out in animation. Only these stick figures had a different ending. Their eyes turned to hearts and by the time the elevator reached the first floor, happily ever after danced across the screen.
I swiped at a tear that welled in my eyes. God, I was jealous of stupid stick figures. We weren't going to have that happily ever after. The closest we would ever get was Denver.
I turned to face Arieon, who gave me a weak smile, probably thinking the very same thought. I pressed my lips to his, letting my hands travel over his chest.
His arms wrapped around me, pulling me into him and I rocked my hips to feel him harden beneath me.
"Unbutton your pants," I breathed, already slipping my blouse over my head.
Arieon moved quickly for his pants before he stilled. "Wait." He reached up to cup my face, running a thumb across my cheek. "If this is going to be the last time I have you, I want it to last."
I frowned, placing my hands over his. I let out a breath. He was right. It was our last night in Denver. By morning, we'd be back to reality.
I smiled. "Who said it has to be the last time?" I wiggled my hips in his lap. "We don't leave until morning." I checked my oversized watch. "Nearly 14 hours left. I'm willing to go as long as you're willing to give." I wasn't sure if that was true, especially considering I knew just how much he could give, but I was going to try my damndest to keep up.
Arieon brought my face to his, placing a kiss on my nose. "I'd break world records with you, Ellen Carp."