Chapter Twenty-Three
Aiden
I had decided that starting the night off with a traditional-style date wouldn’t do, so I held my breath and as I drove Lexa to the local Tipsy Paint. Allison had always talked about it, and she’d done several paintings from the place. The woman on the phone explained it as an art class with a BYOB policy.
Lexa’s eyes widened as I stopped outside the place. I hoped she hadn’t been there before and we could experience this one thing together, but it had been around for a while now, so the chances of that were low.
“Tipsy Paint? Bre is going to be mad at us both. She’d been trying to get me here for months, but every time we plan it, they’ve been booked on my night off.”
“Well, my sister used to love coming here, and I thought it beat those sword fighters I mentioned before.”
She shook her head and gave me a disappointed glare. “Couldn’t book any swordfighters, huh?”
“No. I’m sorry that didn’t work out. I know how much it meant to you.” I shut off the car and went around to open her door, which she was already doing. So, I took her hand, and she stood, meeting my eyes with a wide grin.
We went inside, where the instructor had a table set up with two easels and a blank canvas. We began our lesson by cracking open a bottle of wine and choosing our painting.
“Oh, I want to do this one.” Lexa pointed at a beautiful painting that looked like it could have been inspired by Olde House itself. “It looks like your trees.”
“If you wish.” I passed the news on to our instructor, who had us prep our canvas with an outline, and then after that, we sat painting until we were done.
Lexa had a knack for painting, but I wasn’t doing so well. The tree in my painting looked a bit pink for my tastes, and the branches were a tad more like a willow’s than a live oak’s.
I focused as best as I could while trying to put the finishing details on my canvas. Lexa caught my attention as she giggled. I turned to find her deeply amused, and I dropped my brush and frowned. “Are you laughing at my painting?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m laughing at you. You stick your tongue out when you concentrate. It’s very cute.” I hadn’t been called cute since I was a little boy, and I looked away as I mumbled an “oh man” under my breath.
“It’s endearing. I like that you are so into it.” She finished her painting and then signed her name, but I still sat there sticking out my tongue.
It was nice that she’d play with me. I didn’t have to worry about her ever taking things too seriously, and the date was actually fun and different. I finally finished my painting and poured us a glass as we waited on them to dry a little. “So did you enjoy the date? Did I do a good job?”
“Yeah, you have a real talent.” She glanced at my painting and turned her head to the side.
“I meant a good job on coming up with something creative.” I knew she hadn’t mean creative in the sense of the arts, but I’d covered both bases.
“Yeah, I’m having fun.”
“Well, as soon as those little beauties finish drying, we’ll go grab a bite to eat. I still have something I need to talk to you about. But-”
I nodded my head toward the instructor, who was cleaning up our mess. Lexa smiled, letting me know she got the message.
“Yeah, about that. I have something I need to talk to you about, as well.” Her face fell, but I wanted things to go over well, so I brushed it off.
“Let’s talk about it later. Let’s go eat. I’m starved, and your stomach has made funny noises all night. You’re lucky I found it so charming.” I gave her a little nudge and helped her to her feet.
The paintings were not quite dry, so we put them in the backseat of my truck and let them ride where they were safe. We headed out for a nice dinner, and then to my surprise, Lexa accepted my invitation to go back to my house.
I couldn’t wait to be with her, and I still had to ask her if she’d be interested in more. I wanted many other changes to show her I could be someone she’d want to keep around.
I took her inside totally prepared to talk when she tried to beat me to the punch. “I think we should talk, Aiden.” She took a seat on the couch, where I lowered myself beside her. She fidgeted with the small silver band she wore, and I wondered if it were something special.
Jealousy reared its ugly head. Had someone bought that for her? Recently? I suddenly wondered how many others she had flocking around waiting to have her. Not if I can help it.
“Let me go first.” I cleared my throat and sat back on the sofa and angled myself toward her. I stroked her hand and met her eyes. “I’ve wanted to explain something to you all night and ask you a question, too.” She kept her eyes on me as if I were a ticking time bomb about to detonate.
“Yeah?” Her chest rose and fell, and she seemed a bit shaken, but I knew she had to sense the urgency in my voice.
“When my family died, I got really bad off. I stopped talking to anyone and basically shut down. I didn’t even go the gym-”
“Or a barber.” She held up her finger to interject.
“Or a barber, very funny, but yeah. My point is, I haven’t been able to open up to anyone, and not just about my family or any of those issues, but I mean, it was hard to be myself. I stopped eating right, exercising, started drinking, and lots of other things you don’t need to know about.
“But the point I’m making is, I haven’t felt like myself or been right for some time until you came along. I can talk to you. You make me want to get up and do things and face the world. Head on if I have to.” She cringed a bit and then looked away, which gave me a sinking feeling in my gut. “I really like you, Lexa, and I hope you feel the same.”
“I do.” She leaned in and kissed me as if to show me how much she wanted to prove it. And then, before I could get another answer from her, she deepened the kiss and inched closer.
I had expected that she’d be willing, but her eagerness was a bit surprising and refreshing. Even so, I pulled away. I wanted to talk about us without falling into sex and forgetting to communicate. “I’m glad you want more. I feel like we need to talk about that.”
She nodded, but took off her top. The bright blue silk slithered down her leg and to the floor where it looked like a puddle, and I couldn’t keep my eyes from checking out her ample breasts, swelling up over each cup until she reached back and popped her bra clasp.
“I think we’re great together, Lexa.”
She got a pained look on her face, but then seemed to fight it off as she cupped the back of my head and pulled me back for a deeper kiss, which ended with her straddling my lap and pulling her straps off her shoulders. The blue bra slipped off as easy as the blouse had and ended up landing on top of it.
“We are amazing together, Aiden. I don’t want it to end, either. I hope you always remember that and this moment and know how much you mean to me. No matter what.” Her mouth closed on mine again. Something about her seemed so desperate, as if she was trying to hold onto me. As if I was going anywhere. Not a chance.
“I’m not going anywhere, and I won’t forget it. Ever.” I ground myself against her core, and she slipped up her skirt showing me her panties, which matched the teal blue bra and blouse at my feet.
I gripped her hip and tugged her closer, trailing my hand down to cup her ass. My fingers trailed along the elastic of her panties until I found my way inside them. I loved her in her panties, and I decided right then I was going to fuck her around them.
She reached for my cock, placing her slender hands inside my zipper and stroking me through my boxer briefs.
“You want it?” I whispered the words into her ear. She shuddered, her skin prickling with goosebumps as she ground her warm, wet channel against my hand.
“Yes.” Her answer was but a breath in my ear, and I nudged her up, still working her core as she took off my shirt. I stood and slipped my hand free so I could tug down my pants until I was standing there naked.
“God, Lexa. You are the perfect woman for me.” I couldn’t help but think of how much she’d pulled me out of my head and made me feel alive again.
“Promise me you’ll always remember that.” There she was, talking as if she wasn’t going to be around much longer.
“I will, but you’re not going anywhere, Lexa. I’m not letting you get away from me. I want you, and I have always had a way of having exactly what I want and taking it the way I’m going to take you.” Her eyes were so focused on mine that I never saw her blink as she nodded.
“Please.” Her eyes softened, and I decided that her stress was just her longing, and I was more than willing to make the rest of the world go away for her until there was nothing but the two of us left in it.
“You’re a good girl already, Lexa, taking care of me how you do.” I eased back on the bed, pulling her on top of me. She lay close, stretched out above me and resting her weight on me. She was as light as a feather, and it made me want to pick her up and put her right on my cock. It seemed as though she was listening, too.
A second later, she rose up and straddled my hips, sandwiching my cock between her already soaked lips. She rocked up and down, spreading her nectar all over my shaft and making me want to come before I’d even gotten inside her. And, she liked the teasing, too. She leaned in and dragged her tongue against my tight nipples, biting and tugging as if they couldn’t possibly be as sensitive as her own.
The sensation went right to my cock, causing it to twitch against her, and she let out a little giggle. “I felt that. I want to feel it inside me.” She reached down and closed her hand around my cock to pump it a few times. It felt amazing, especially when she added a bit more pressure and cupped my balls.
I hissed through my teeth and urged her ass up enough to stand my cock against her entrance. Then I gripped her waist and tugged her down, slicing through her sex with my throbbing length.
I would make sure she never wanted to leave me. That night, she’d become mine.