He extended his hand. “Aidan Fitzgerald.”
“Oh, I know who you are,” Heather replied, letting her hand linger on his a little longer than it should have. “You have quite a reputation here.”
Aidan’s eyebrows arched. “Do I?”
She nodded. “Both in and out of the boardroom.”
For the first time in his whole life, Aidan was completely inept at how to handle a woman’s advances. Normally, he would have taken the initiative from the moment she stayed back to be alone with him, but now he was at a total loss for words.
She tilted her head to the right and grinned coyly. “You know I’m new here in Atlanta, so I don’t know a lot of people. Would you like to have a drink with me?”
Aidan’s heartbeat accelerated as the weight of Heather’s question crashed over him. His mind and heart battled against each other, sending his blood pumping harder and harder through his veins until it pounded like a brass band in his ears. He had been down this road many, many times before. He knew exactly what Heather was insinuating, and it wasn’t just a harmless drink after work.
He could almost taste the need radiating off her. If he made the move, she probably wouldn’t object to him fucking her right on the boardroom table. The very thought of pushing up her skirt, tearing off her panties, and devouring her sent heat stirring below his waist.
And then the image of Emma lounging on her grandparent’s dock, her hand tenderly stroking the belly that carried his child flashed before his eyes. She loved him, and deep down, he loved her. He shouldn’t take Heather’s offer—no, he couldn’t take her offer.
But then the suffocating weight of a relationship and impending fatherhood once again bore down on him. He had never asked for any of it. All he’d wanted was to finally get Emma into bed and then move on like he always did. He clenched his teeth. Damn, Emma, for making him want more with her…for making him love her.
No, he would not drown himself in his feelings for Emma. He would get out now while he still could.
“There’s O’Malley’s across the street,” he croaked.
“That sounds wonderful,” Heather replied, her voice a throaty purr.
When he attempted to walk around the side of the desk, Aidan found himself rooted to the floor. His brain screamed at his feet and legs to pick themselves up, but they refused. It was as if they owed some strange allegiance to his heart and to Emma. At Heather’s puzzled expression, he forced a smile to his face. “Sorry, sitting in meetings like that always makes me a little stiff.”
“In some places, that isn’t a problem,” she replied with a giggle.
He laughed at her innuendo as his legs and feet finally worked. He grabbed his briefcase and started out the boardroom door with her.
Even though Heather chatted non-stop the entire elevator ride down, Aidan didn’t hear her. He bobbed his head at certain points and occasionally smiled, and that seemed to be enough to pacify her. All he could do was focus on what he was trying to accomplish. He had to purge Emma from his system, and if it took fucking Heather to do it, then he was going to do it.
He held the door open for her as they swept into O’Malley’s and cringed at the sight of Jenny behind the hostess booth. At the sight of him, her eyes lit up. Her face started to break into a wide grin, but then she noticed Heather. Her expression immediately darkened, and anger flashed in her usually cool blue eyes.
Aidan cleared his throat. “We need a booth, Jenny.”
She shook her head furiously, causing her blonde ponytail to swish back in forth. “I’m sorry, but we seem to be full tonight.”
Staring past her, Aidan eyed the half-empty bar and turned his pointed gaze back on her. “Looks to me like you’ve got plenty of room.”
“No, I’m sorry we don’t. I guess you and your friend will have to go somewhere else.”
Heather clicked toward Jenny in her high-end heels that Aidan wagered probably cost more than Jenny made in a week. He held his breath as Heather surmised Jenny. Then her plump red lips curved into a catlike smile. “Looks like someone is a little jealous that we’re here together, Aidan. What’s the matter, honey? Are you one of Aidan’s spurned lovers or former one-night stands?” Heather ran her acrylic nails up his back, causing him to shudder. “I’m glad to see you live up to your bad boy reputation. I’m pretty much guaranteed an interesting evening now.”
Jenny sputtered something under her breath that Aidan didn’t catch. Heather cast one last superior glance at Jenny before saying, “I’ll wait for you outside. I’m sure you’ve got a well-stocked liquor cabinet at your house. No need to waste our time here.”
At Heather’s departure, Jenny’s eyebrows shot up so high they disappeared into her hairline. “Where is Emma? Better yet, what the hell are you doing with her?”
Aidan narrowed his eyes. “Frankly, it’s none of your damn business.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but when one of my friends is about to fuck up his life royally, I make it my business,” Jenny countered.
A growl erupted deep in his throat. “I don’t need this bullshit from you.”
Sadness washed over Jenny’s expression. “I’m begging you, Aidan. Don’t do this. I’ve never seen you as happy as you’ve been since you’ve been coming in here with Emma. She’s so good for you, don’t you see that?” When he started to walk away, she grabbed his arm. “Before you go home with that skank for a night of mindless, meaningless sex, think long and hard about what you have with Emma, and don’t break her heart…or yours.”
Aidan stared into Jenny’s pleading eyes before slinging her arm away. Without another word, he stormed through the door and out to Heather’s side.
After Heather followed him home, Aidan got out of the car. He had barely closed the door when Heather launched herself at him, pinning him to the car. His mind instantly flashed back to his first kiss with Emma in the dingy parking deck. An ache rolled through his chest.
Grabbing Heather to him, he tried to make himself forget. Her tongue swept into his mouth as her fingers went to his hair. Her lips were harsh, and the physical contact lacked the tenderness he had with Emma. He shook his head, trying to rid his mind of any thoughts of her.
At his reaction, Heather broke their kiss, tugging his bottom lip between her teeth. “Take me inside and fuck me until I scream.”
He chuckled at her directness. “I think I can do that.”
It had been so long since he had been with a demanding female. Aidan could barely get up the front walk with Heather running her hands over him and rubbing her hips against his. “I have nosy neighbors, you know,” he said when her hand caressed his buttocks.
“Ooh, an audience, huh? That’s kinky.”
He gazed down at her. “You’re a naughty girl, aren’t you?”
She giggled. “Oh yeah.”
When they got inside, Aidan kicked the front door closed behind him. Heather wrapped her arms around his neck, grinding her pelvis against his groin. Normally, he would have been at half-mast already, but there was nothing stirring below his waist. “Show me your tits,” he said in a voice he couldn’t believe was his own. He tried ignoring the churning of his stomach.
With an obliging smile, Heather ripped her shirt over her head and Aidan’s hands immediately went to her breasts. After kneading them through her bra, Heather’s double-D implants didn’t turn him on or feel the same way in his hands that Emma’s natural breasts did. He pinched his eyes shut. Quit fucking thinking about Emma!
Grabbing Heather by the waist, he dragged them over to the couch. He plopped down and jerked her to straddle his lap. He brought his mouth to hers, desperate to feel anything for Heather and not Emma. After unbuttoning his shirt, Heather raked her nails down his chest. Rocking against him, she moaned against his lips. She was close to getting off just from writhing against him, and he felt nothing.
No, that wasn’t entirely true. Everything he had ever felt for Emma pulsed through him. Her laugh, her shy smile, her giggle—th
ey flooded his mind. She might as well have been in the room with them; he could feel her all around him. His nose stung with the smell of her perfume while his body ached for the feel of her delicate curves beneath him.
When he dared himself to look at Heather again, he finally felt something. Revulsion. How in the hell had he gotten to this point? What could have possibly possessed him to think bringing Heather home was a good idea? Fighting the rising bile in his throat, he started to push Heather off his lap.
At the same moment, her hand went to his crotch. When she found his lack of arousal, she jerked her lips off of his. “Um, what’s going on?”
Raking a shaky hand through his hair, he sighed. “I can’t do this.”
She cocked her head at him. “Do you have some impotence problem or something?”
“I wish.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
It means you have to leave right now. It means I’m making the biggest mistake of my life. I love Emma, and I cannot do this to her. He shook his head. “I’m really sorry, Heather.”
“Aw, don’t get embarrassed, babe. We can work this out.” She gave him a seductive smile. “I can work this out.”
34
Halfway to Aidan’s office, Emma thought of Beau stuck at doggy daycare. “Shit!” She whipped across two lanes to the symphony of honking horns. Her mind had been so occupied with her new baby, she had forgotten all about her old one.
She screeched into a parking space and hurried out of the car. The moment Beau saw her through the fence, his entire body started wiggling all over, bringing a grin to Emma’s face. “Hiya boy, did you think I’d forgotten you?”
He gave an appreciative bark and ran over to the entrance door to wait for her. Sandy, the owner, greeted Emma with a smile. “I was just beginning to think Beau might end up spending the night with us.”
“No, I’m so sorry. I had my ultrasound this afternoon, and it got delayed.”
“And what are we having?” Sandy asked.
“A boy.”
“Oh that’s wonderful.” She opened the door and clipped on Beau’s leash. “Did you hear that? You’re going to have a little brother.”
Beau ignored her and headed straight for Emma. He nudged her belly with his wet nose as if saying hello to the baby. Sandy’s eyes widened. “That is so sweet!”
Emma laughed. “He’s just started doing that in the last few days, right after I felt the baby move for the first time actually.” Emma shook her head. “It’s like he’s finally sensing something is different, that it’s not just fat inside this belly!”
Sandy chuckled. “He probably didn’t notice anything because you’re barely showing!”
“Aw, I appreciate that. I feel like I’m ballooning up.”
Beau jerked on his leash. “All right, boy, we’ll go home and see Daddy.” His ears perked up at the mention of Aidan. “Night, Sandy.”
“Night!” she replied, waving.
Emma wrestled Beau to the car and got him inside. “There’s no way I’m taking you to Daddy’s office. I guess I better drop you off at home before I go see him.”
Beau whined at the prospect as they pulled out of the parking lot. Since Aidan’s house was closer than hers, it made sense to take him there.
At the sight of Aidan’s car in the driveway, Emma’s heart shuddered to a stop. The fact that a silver Audi sat next to it caused her lungs to constrict. She fought to breathe. Thoughts flashed through her mind like a lightning storm. He said his meeting was running late. He’s supposed to still be at work. He’s at home.
With shaky hands, she killed the engine and opened the car door. Beau lunged out, but Emma didn’t even bother holding his leash. Instead she focused on trying to put one foot in front of the other up the sidewalk.
Using the key he’d given her, she pushed open the front door. The living room was bathed in darkness except for the muted lights from the chandelier. Aidan lounged on the couch while a leggy brunette straddled his lap. He was still fully clothed except his shirt was unbuttoned and untucked. The woman, on the other hand, had stripped off her shirt, and her short skirt had ridden up her thighs. Aidan’s hands were on her forearms as if he was about to push her off of him.
For a few agonizing seconds, Emma could only stare in disbelief. Blinking, she tried waking herself up from the nightmare in front of her, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t. It was all too real. The man she loved and the father of her child had stood her up on one of the most important days of her life to screw another woman. A strangled cry erupted from her lips.
At the noise behind them, Aidan startled. When he saw Emma standing there, his eyes widened in horror and he sucked in a breath. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.
Tears pricked and stung her eyes, but Emma gave a maniacal laugh. “What am I doing here? I think the better question is what the hell are you doing?”
The sound of another voice caused the brunette to whirl around. Her gaze trailed from Emma’s face down to her swollen belly. A hiss erupted from her lips before she shook her head. “I don’t fucking believe this.” She turned her head and then her wrath on Aidan. “No wonder you couldn’t get it up. The guilt of cheating on your pregnant wife must’ve really been eating at you.”
“She’s not my wife…yet,” Aidan replied, his voice hushed.
The brunette sent a stinging slap across Aidan’s cheek, and Emma had to bite her lip to not thank her for doing it. At that moment, she would have loved to have done far worse physical harm to him. “I don’t care what she is. You’re a fucking bastard!” She jerked herself off Aidan’s lap and snatched up her shirt. After throwing it over her head, she grabbed her heels and stalked toward Emma. The fury in her face melted a little. “I’m really sorry. I heard at work he was a player, and I wanted to play. I had no idea…” her voice trailed off as she glanced at Emma’s stomach.
“Thank you,” Emma whispered as the woman walked on by. She jumped at the slamming of the front door. On wobbly legs, she took a few steps forward, closing the gap between her and Aidan. He rose up on the couch, fumbling with the buttons on his shirt.
When she stood there, just staring, he exhaled a ragged breath. “Say something.”
Emma raised her eyebrows at him. “And what would you like me to say?”
“I don’t know…just anything to keep you from looking at me like that.”
“Well, frankly, I think your female friend said it best. You’re a fucking bastard.”
“I agree.”
“And that’s all you have to say for yourself? Not that you’re sorry you valued the importance of today so little you skipped out on the ultrasound to cheat on me?”
Aidan shook his head. “I didn’t sleep with her.”
She threw her hands up in exasperation. “You were going to before I interrupted you!”
“I swear to you I was not going to screw her. I had just told her I couldn’t, and that she should leave. Jesus, you heard it for yourself—I couldn’t get it up!”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better about the fact that you had some skank riding you when I walked in here?”
“Look, I admit I fucked up, but I am sorry.”
“Oh, I guess you’re also sorry you lied to me when you said you would change. God, I was so stupid to believe you would treat me any differently than Amy or the other women. I should have realized this is who you are and what you do.”
“Emma, please, I am sorry.”
“Really? Do you honestly feel that, or are those just some words you think will make things right between us?” Her voice choked off with the sobs rising in her throat. “Are you really and truly sorry you broke my heart?”
Aidan winced. “You have no idea what I’ve been going through lately. I’m never going to be all you need me to be, Emma, and the pressure from trying just broke me.”
She didn’t bother wiping away the tears streaming down her cheeks. “So what you’re saying is tr
ying to have a relationship with me drove you into the arms of another woman?”
His expression became anguished. “No, that’s not what I mean.” He shook his head wildly. “I’m fucking up what I need to say and do, and you’re making this harder on me. I feel bad enough for what I’ve done.”
“Harder on you?” she questioned, her voice raising an octave. “How could this possibly be hard on you? I’m the one who opened myself up to all this pain despite my better judgment.” She ground the tears out of her eyes with her fist.
He took a step toward her, but she backed away from him. “Don’t you dare touch me after your hands have been all over that whore!”
“Emma, please don’t do this. I told you I was sorry. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.”
Without even thinking, Emma blurted, “Tell me you love me.”
He stared at her, unblinking and unmoving. “What?”
“You’ve been emotionally shut off from me since the day I told you I loved you, so if you really mean it when you say you’re sorry and you really don’t want me to go, then say the words. Tell me you love me.”
At his hesitation, stabbing pain crisscrossed through her chest. The silence echoed through her as loud as a freight train. She shook her head. “That’s what I thought,” she murmured.
Her hands went to the purse at her side and she fumbled for the DVD of the sonogram. Using all the hurt and anger welling inside her, she chucked it at him. It smacked hard against his chest, causing Aidan to wince. “Not that you’re even interested, but that’s a video of your son. I can only hope and pray he grows up to be nothing like his father!”
Sobbing, she turned and fled from the room. Beau followed her out the door, howling and crying right along with her. As she fumbled with her keys, Aidan called several times for her to come back, but she refused. Then he started calling for Beau.
“Go back, boy,” Emma instructed, pointing a shaky finger to Aidan. She flung open the car door, but he still wouldn’t leave her side.
“Dammit, Beau, I said come!” Aidan shouted, stepping off the porch. He stalked over to them and tried dragging Beau back by the collar, but Beau jerked away. His nose nuzzled Emma’s belly and he whined.
Love in the Dark Page 111
