Chapter ten
My head is plastered to the desk, and I slap my hands down in frustration. How does this happen? I know how it happens. Someone got sloppy.
“It’s okay, we’ll find another way,” Harper says, sighing. She’s as pissed as I am, she just knows how to control it better. We just received news the lab contaminated a piece of evidence we gathered last week. A very important piece of evidence: the one drop of blood that could have given us a lead on the case, but it’s worthless now because someone screwed up.
I pull my head up and stare at Harper. “This day sucks.” She nods in agreement. “I started my day with Aiden pushing the wedding topic again.” I roll my eyes. I’ve been so damn busy with work and we’ve only just started to get into a routine with Lexi and school that I haven’t even had time to think about it. I suck at being a fiancée.
“Well…” she starts.
I put my hand up, stopping her. “Don’t,” I say, narrowing my eyes. “I don’t need to hear it from you, too. I know I need to start planning it.”
“Just hire a wedding planner.”
I let her suggestion roll around in my head. Why the hell didn’t I think of this? “That is a great idea. Know any?”
Her lips twist as she thinks. “Hmm. No, but I think when Alyssa got married a few months ago, she used someone. You should ask her if she liked the woman.” I grab a sticky note and jot down Alyssa’s name and stick it on the bottom of my computer screen, pressing my finger across the sticky part so it’ll stay.
“I’ll call her later. Now, we have to figure out how to fix this problem.” I pick up a folder sitting to the side and slam it down in front of me. “It’s going to be a long day,” I say as I open it and start reading the contents.
By five o’clock my head hurts from looking through all the pictures and evidence. The sound of a male clearing his throat gets my attention, and Harper and I look up. Aiden leans against the doorway of my office with his hands in his pockets. He’s wearing a black suit and green tie that makes his eyes look even more vibrant. Hello, gorgeous! He’s a sight for these sore eyes.
My lips slowly form a smile. There’s something about him being in a suit and tie that makes my insides heat up. Memories of using those ties race through my mind. He flashes a knowing smile as he watches me cross my legs. I look away, feeling the heat in my cheeks, and start cleaning up the paperwork on my desk. Aiden chuckles. Harper stands up and stretches.
“I’ve been sitting in that seat too long,” she says. “I guess we’re done for the night?”
“Yes.” I sigh. “We’ll go back to the sight on Monday and see if there is anything we missed.” She nods and heads to the door.
“Nice suit, Aiden. Court?” He scoots over so she has enough room to pass.
“Nah. I just like to see the look in Addison’s eyes when I wear a tie.” He glances at me and winks.
Harper walks off, laughing. “I don’t even want to know,” she yells from down the hall.
“I heard you had a shitty day.” I angle my head to the side and look up at him. “Since you decided not to answer my calls today, I had to call other people,” he elaborates, leaning over and putting his hands on my desk, getting close to my face. “I thought you were trying to avoid me because I brought up our wedding this morning.”
“No,” I sigh. He presses a soft kiss on my lips and stands up straight.
“Let me take you to dinner.”
“I’m really tired, Aiden. I just want to go home.” I close the case file we were working on and clean up my desk.
“That wasn’t a question.” He puts his hand on top of the folder, stopping me. I jerk my head in the direction of his demanding tone. “You need to eat, and I’m going to take you to get something. Sydney and Damon are taking Lexi out tonight.” Bossy much? Our eyes lock and the intensity in his eyes tell me I’m not going to win this battle.
“Let’s go,” I grumble. He stands up tall again and crosses his arms, satisfied with himself.
I’m only going because I’m hungry.
“You’re going because you love me.” Crap. I smirk when I realize I didn’t just say that in my head.
“I do love you, Agent Roberts, but you’re being a demanding ass right now,” I say with a fake smile, walking past him. I hear a low rumbling chuckle behind me. I wait for him to leave my office so I can shut and lock my door. The smell of spice, woods, and masculinity waft in the air as he moves past me. I take in a deep breath, inhaling his smell and shudder. He’s intoxicating and hard to resist. Even when I’ve had a horrible day.
I huff in irritation. My body seems to have a mind of its own. I take quick strides to the elevator but hear his footsteps behind me. I watch our reflection in the closed elevator doors and look down at my jeans and flats, cursing under my breath. I can’t go out looking like this.
“I look like shit.” My hair was in a sleek ponytail this morning, but now pieces are hanging out everywhere from me pulling on my hair all day. I yank off my hair tie and comb through my hair with my fingers before pulling it back. I shrug to myself. It’ll have to do.
“You look beautiful, Addison,” he says, leaning down a little. “I have a surprise for you.”
My shoulders drop and I blow out my cheeks, a little irritated he can’t see that I’m not in the mood for surprises.
He leans down again, this time he’s so close I can feel the warmth of his breath. “I think I need to find a dark corner and fuck you until you’re happy.” I sharply inhale from his hushed, raspy voice. The elevator doors open and thankfully the car is empty. His suggestion catches me off guard so my cheeks are flushed and I’m speechless. He reaches in front of me and hits the first-floor button. As the doors close, I wonder how serious he is. “Is that what you need, Addison?” he murmurs, turning toward me. His eyes darken and lock on to mine. The elevator feels like its walls are closing in. There’s emotion behind his gaze that I can’t read. The intensity forces me to suck in a breath.
My mouth opens to say “maybe,” but the ding from the elevator tears me out of the hold he has on me. He grabs my hand, leading me out of the building. We walk in silence toward my apartment. I can tell from his determined stride that we’re not heading to dinner.
I hear the door slam shut and lock and whip around at the sound. Aiden grabs me, spinning me around and slams me into the wall. My breath catches. He grabs my hands and holds them above my head as he runs his lips along my jawline, nipping and sucking. I try to release one hand so I can feel him. Touch him.
“Don’t move your hands,” he demands and tightens his hold. My eyes flash up to his, surprised by the dominating heat in his voice. His thigh rubs against my center, causing me to moan, and my hips move of their own accord. He removes one of his hands, but still holding both of mine with his other. Using his free hand, he grabs my breast. Hard. He curses under his breath and then slams his mouth against mine. My feelings are at war right now. I’m pissed off because he’s being aggressive, yet my body is yearning for the roughness. My head says back the fuck off, my body says harder. Why is he mad? I’m the one who had the shitty day.
I keep my mouth closed in protest, so he bites my lip. When I gasp, he slips his tongue into my mouth. It’s possessive and demanding. My willpower to fight fades as I give in. My body takes over, surrendering to the desire. I rock against him and heat streaks up my body. He releases my hands but glares at me with a warning, commanding me to keep my hands there. It’s too bad I’m not always compliant.
I run my hands through his hair, fisting it. “Never fucking listen,” he growls, yanking my shirt over my head. When he has my shirt almost all the way off, with my hands up high, he stops. The wicked gleam in his eyes says he’s got me. “You move your hands out of this shirt, I’m going to fucking handcuff you next.” He twists the center of my shirt in his fists, tightening the hold. My hands move closer together, and he holds them against the wall. His other hand yanks down my bra, releasing each swollen breast. He flicks his tongue over my hardened nipple and my body shudders. My back arches off the wall, willing him to take it all in. Thank God he listens. He devours them mercilessly. The ache between my legs intensifies as he continues his lavish assault. His hand moves down to undo my jeans. When he has them past my thighs, I wiggle out of them and kick them off to the side, thankful I didn’t wear my skinny jeans today.
He runs a finger along the lace of my panties and at the center. A deep growl from the back of his throat slips out. “You’re so fucking wet,” he rasps. When he moves my panties to the side, he slips two fingers inside me. I buck my hips against his fingers that rapidly move in and out. The heel of his palm presses against my clit, and I scream out. My orgasm rips through me almost instantly.
Before I can form a coherent thought, Aiden pulls me to the couch, spins me around, and pushes me down over the side arm. My ass is facing upward and the cold air blows on my wet, throbbing sex. He unsnaps my bra and takes off my soaked panties. I hear him pulling down his pants. When I look back, he’s already naked. The fire in his eyes is like an inferno now. Raging. His jaw clenches as he looks at me. I flinch in surprise when I feel his finger graze my wetness. His other hand grabs my ass.
“Do you know how fucking bad I want to make this ass red right now?” he growls.
Excuse me? My eyes snap to his, confused. I open my mouth to ask him what the hell he’s talking about, but he sticks a finger inside me again and my eyes close involuntarily as he moves it around in circles. It’s clear he’s running the show. He removes it and grabs my hips, immediately slamming his cock into me, burying himself inside me completely. I cry out and he stills for a moment. When I glance back, his nostrils flair and his chest heaves as he tries to regain his control.
“Don’t ever ignore me again,” he warns. Realization dawns on me, and I understand why he’s so upset. He doesn’t give me time to respond. To apologize. He slams into me again, setting a punishing pace. Instead, I give him what he needs.
“Harder,” I moan out, pushing my ass against his groin, keeping rhythm with him. Our bodies smack together. I grasp the couch, letting go of everything clouding my head right now, and submit to the man inside of me.
The position he’s in hits that perfect spot, and the ache starts to build inside me again. He leans over, his hard chest against my back, and wraps his arm around me, grabbing my breast and squeezing. I arch my back again as pleasure explodes through my body, and I pulsate, squeezing him tight. His body tightens and his hold on my hips becomes painful as his pelvis pounds into my ass. My whimpers turn to loud moans. A deep, guttural groan grinds out my name and his body convulses against me. I try to hold us both up with my arms, but they give out and we fold over the arm of the couch. I can feel the rise and fall of his chest. He digs his head into the back of my neck, his breaths hot and heavy. Both his arms wrap around me, and he lifts me to a standing position.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. I can use the excuse that I had a horrible day, but I did ignore him because I was afraid he’d bring up the wedding again. He pulls out of me and walks into the kitchen, wets a hand towel, and returns. He gently wipes between my legs, avoiding eye contact. The awkward silence makes me feel horrible. He throws the towel and it lands in the kitchen sink. The side of his mouth twitches. I smirk, knowing he’s probably given himself ten points for making it. When he looks down at me, he grins.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he says, kissing the tip of my nose, and then leads me to the bedroom. He sits on the bed and pulls me onto his lap. “Addison, I can’t have you—” He pauses and looks down for a second. “A text would have been nice if you were too busy to take my call.”
“I know.”
“All day long I thought you were pissed at me. For bringing up our wedding. Then I was furious at you and then at myself for thinking that maybe you didn’t want to get married.”
“Aiden, that’s not it at all. I do want to marry you.” I cup his jaw, running my hand back into his thick hair. I pull my leg over his hips so I’m straddling him. “Even when you’re brooding and take it out on me while you’re fucking me.” I bring my lips to his and kiss him softly.
“I’m not sorry,” he murmurs against my lips.
“You shouldn’t be.” His hands move up my thighs to my back, and he pulls me tight against his chest, deepening our kiss. Our tongues intertwine, sparking the fire that hadn’t been put all the way out. My body trembles, feeling his arousal at my entrance. He lifts me and slides right in.
This time there’s no angst. No demands. No submitting. It’s only love. Our hearts are stripped bare, exposing two people who aren’t perfect but are perfect for each other.
***
I watch him slip his arms into his white shirt. The bottom is wrinkled from tucking it in. When he pulls his tie around his neck, he looks up at me. “Can we go eat now?”
A smile tugs at my lips. The rough day I had no longer hangs in my thoughts. It’s been replaced. I nod, slipping a blue shift dress over my head. I’ll be damned if I go out looking like I did before. I sit down on the bench at the end of my bed to put my wedges on, and Aiden walks up to me. He runs his hand through my hair, and I let out a soft mewl. His hand gently moves to my chin and raises it so I’m looking at him.
“I don’t like thinking you’re mad at me.” So I’ve learned.
“I didn’t purposely ignore your calls,” I answer apologetically.
“Which I didn’t find out until four.” I’m surprised he waited that long.
“I’m sorry.” I stand up and teeter-totter on one foot since I only have one shoe on. He wraps his arms around my waist, steadying me. I grin. “Thanks.”
He wags his eyebrows and cocks a crooked smile. “I’ll always be here to catch you, sweetheart.” I laugh at his comment, as corny as it might be, I know it’s heartfelt and true.
“Well, thank you for taking me to a happy place.”
“Any time,” he says. His hands move to my ass, and I can feel my dress creeping up my legs. “Like right now if you wanted.”
I slap his hand. “No. I’m starving.”
“So am I,” he says with a wicked smile. He shoves his hand under my dress and squeezes my ass, pulling me into his hardness.
“You’re always hungry. We just had sex twice.” I push him away and sit back down to put on my other shoe.
“Well, since you’re down there.” I look up at him and roll my eyes. “Really? That’s original,” I joke.
He chuckles and shrugs a shoulder. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
A half hour later we walk out of my building, and I feel much better about how I look. Especially next to Mr. GQ himself. We decide to walk instead of grabbing a cab; it’s a gorgeous fall evening. The leaves are changing to vibrant oranges and reds. The cool air is a reprieve from the clammy, hot summer nights.
After going back and forth about where to eat, we finally agree on Chinese. When we sit down, I clasp my hands together on the table and look at Aiden. “So, was that my surprise?”
“Oh, Ms. Mason. I need you to clarify that.” He lifts a brow and a playful smile appears on his lips. “Because I’d hate to assume what you are referring to.” Smartass. He only wants to hear me say sex. I return the smug smile and lean forward on my elbows.
My voice is hushed as I stare into his mischievous green eyes. “Where you fucked my pussy until I was happy,” I purr. A groan comes from the back of his throat as he sits back in his chair and adjusts himself.
“No, that was not your surprise.” He takes a large gulp of water and crunches some ice in his mouth. A little heated, babe? I chuckle to myself. He clears his throat. “Do we have any plans on Sunday?”
I look up and think about it. My eyes dart to his. “Um, yes. And you better not have made any plans during the football game because I’m not going to be anywhere except in front of the TV watching it,” I declare. It’s Cowboys versus Giants. The game that divides us as a family. As much as I love Ryker, I can’t cross over. I am a diehard fan. He grins, reaching into his pocket to pull out a white envelope. He places it on the table and pushes it toward me. I pick up the envelope and open it slowly. Inside are five tickets to the game.
“How about watching it at the game?”
A squeal escapes my lips. I jump up and sit in his lap. “This is an awesome surprise!” I wiggle in his lap unintentionally.
His hands grip my legs to stop me. “I’m still not recovered from your dirty mouth, woman, so stop.”
I laugh and give him a quick kiss before hopping off and sitting back on my chair. I pull the tickets out and look at them again. My eyes widen in surprise. “How in the world did you get these tickets?” I ask, holding them up in the air. First row. Fifty-yard line. Right behind the team. The wrong team, but I’m not complaining.
“Mack. He owns the whole first row in that section. He gives me tickets a couple times a season.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal. Must be nice. “He knows you’re a big Cowboys fan, so he called me yesterday asking me if I wanted some tickets.”
“You’ve known since yesterday and didn’t tell me.”
“I was going to this morning, but …” He trails off and arches a brow in accusation. I bite my lip. Yep. I’m a horrible fiancée.
“I decided to hire a wedding planner,” I say, hoping it’ll ease his mind that I’m thinking about it and ease my guilt. His smile grows, causing his dimples to deepen with satisfaction in his eyes.
“Can we set a date?” he asks with bated breath.
“April 29,” I respond with certainty. My response surprises him. He tilts his head, and I can tell he’s trying to associate that date with something of importance. It’s not. I had already looked at dates in April a week ago, I just hadn’t picked one. April is one of my favorite months because of the weather and all the beautiful flowers. As long as it doesn’t rain, which is why I decided on the end of April.
“I’m not debating the date, but is there a reason?” I smile at being able to read him so well.
“No, I just love April.”
He claps his hands once and grins. “That’s enough for me. April 29 you will be officially mine forever.” I shake my head. Silly man. I’m already yours, forever.