His Reward

by Fawn Holman

“Remember that crush I told you about?”

  “Professor Sutherby, right?”

  “For the last time, it’s not Professor Sutherby!”

  “Then who is it?” she demands. “Tell me, dammit.”

  I hesitate. My natural instinct is to hold back. If I tell her the truth, she might be weirded out and not want to be my friend anymore. But if I’m always putting up walls to protect myself, doesn’t that also push people away?

  “It’s… it’s Aiden.”

  “Oh my god.”

  “I know, I know.” I groan. “It’s messed up. And what’s worse is that we kissed.”

  That first reveal is like opening a dam. I proceed to tell her the whole story about the Not Officially A Date But Totally Was A Date that happened a week ago.

  I even go further back and tell her about the intruders which prompted the whole mess in the first place. I’ve been keeping everything bottled up, it’s such a relief to blurt it all out.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about the intruders,” Maeve chides. “That’s not info you hide from your best friend, Nat.”

  “I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “I get that, but tell me anyway.” She takes a deep breath. “Also, you and Aiden having a thing isn’t messed up. It’s predictable. He’s a sexy single cop. You’re a sexy single college girl. You live together. You’ve known each other for years. You have great chemistry. And he protected you with his bare hands in a moment of danger. How does this story end? Spoiler alert: hot sweaty sex.”

  I blush. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”

  “It’s obvious he’s interested if he kissed you first. You guys should talk about it.”

  “I’m not doing that. He’s been avoiding me, so I started avoiding him too. I’m going to forget the kiss ever happened, get over my stupid crush, and then everything will return to how it used to be between us.”

  “Don’t give up. Shoot for the moon, and if you miss you’ll land on Aiden’s dick.”

  “Maeve!”

  She cackles until her laughter fades.

  “Come to the party,” she urges. “Have some fun and take your mind off Aiden for a bit.”

  I smile. “Fine. I know you only want me there to cockblock Brian.”

  She makes a sound of disgust. “He gets so damn handsy in public when he’s boozed up.”

  Maeve and I chat for a bit longer before we end the call. I finish painting my toenails then rifle through my closet for something to wear to the party.

  I still don’t feel like going, but Maeve’s right. It’ll give me a chance to breathe outside of this stuffy tension between me and Aiden.

  A little past nine, Maeve texts that she and Brian will show up soon. I leave my bedroom and walk as quietly as possible past Aiden’s closed bedroom door.

  He’s still on his four-ten rotation, and today is the first of his three days off. He usually rests for most of the day.

  I’m on the last stair when Aiden walks through the front door holding a small flashlight. When he sees me, he comes to an abrupt stop.

  We’re both still and silent, staring at each other for several seconds. I’m the first one to speak.

  “What happened to your shirt?” I point at the four small holes dug into his light-grey t-shirt over his chest. The holes look stretched too, like they were created by hooks.

  Aiden glances down at his shirt. “The Petersons’s cat was stuck in their backyard tree so I helped get it down. Little bastard wasn’t too grateful for the rescue.”

  I smile. “Cats are assholes.”

  He nods in agreement then sweeps his gaze over me.

  “Going somewhere?”

  “A party.”

  He frowns. “You were going to leave without letting me know?”

  “I thought you were resting. I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “You never told me you were going to a party tonight.”

  I frown as well. “I wasn’t going until Maeve begged me. Besides, when would I have gotten the chance to tell you when you’ve been avoiding me?”

  “You’ve been avoiding me too.” He stuffs the flashlight in his pants pocket then folds his arms. “Today, you spent all day hiding in your room.”

  “I’m only doing what you asked, Aiden,” I retort. “I’m establishing those boundaries.”

  I start to step down when Aiden bars me from moving by standing right in front of me and planting his hands on the stair’s posts.

  We’re almost at equal height, but Aiden is still an inch taller and he’s way too close for comfort.

  “If you cared about boundaries, you would have stopped me when I kissed you,” he says.

  “If you cared about boundaries, you wouldn’t have kissed me in the first place.”

  “I wanted to do a lot more than kiss you.”

  Heat rushes to my cheeks as my eyes widen and my lips part. His confession steals my ability to form words for a few seconds until I recover.

  “And you’re ashamed about that because I’m Vanessa’s sister. So you avoid me.”

  “I’m not ashamed of how I feel about you, Natalie.” He exhales slowly. “I just don’t want to jeopardize the good relationship we currently have. I care about you a lot. I don’t want to fuck it up and lose you.”

  He makes a valid point. Preserving our friendship is why I wanted to get over my feelings for him too.

  Still, it bugs me. We’re playing it safe, denying ourselves something we both want for The Greater Good.

  “No risk, no reward.”

  The words slip out of me before I can properly analyze their meaning. It’s not a retort, just a common, mindless response to someone advising caution. But as tense silence stretches between us, our gazes locked, I realize the words sound like a challenge.

  Then my phone pings with an incoming text, the sound cutting into the moment.

  I take a deep breath to clear my head and reset my emotions.

  “That’s probably Maeve. I—I have to go.”

  Aiden doesn’t move out of my way so I can pass. His expression shifts. Determination gleams in his eyes like he’s made up his mind about something. He drops his hands from the posts and grips my waist.

  I put my hand against his chest. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking a risk,” he says as he lowers his head. “Getting my reward.”

  Ten

  “Aiden—”

  His lips on mine stoppers whatever I’m about to say. He deepens the kiss, easing his tongue past my lips into my mouth.

  My body comes alive, warmth rushing through my blood. Need stirs awake between my legs as soon as our tongues touch.

  I moan softly and wrap my arms around his neck, leaning closer. He groans into my mouth too, sliding his hands around me and holding me in a tight, possessive grip against his firm body.

  Our kiss turns hungrier. I’m trembling against Aiden and his body is taut as well. I can’t think straight. Whatever anger I felt toward Aiden rapidly vanishes.

  All I’m aware of now is the fiery arousal going through me. The desperation for Aiden to be inside me right this minute.

  This all started right here by the stairs the night the intruders broke in. That night, I’d been overwhelmed with intense lust like this. I’d wanted Aiden to kiss me like this.

  The reality is a thousand times better. A thousand times sweeter. Aiden and I hold each other tight, our sexual frustration vented in our passionate kiss.

  With a soft, low sound that rumbles through his chest, Aiden abruptly lifts me. My phone slips out of my hand and clatters noisily to the floor. Neither of us pay any attention to it. I wrap my legs around Aiden’s hips and he carries me up the stairs.

  When we’re on the landing, my phone pings again but I ignore it. Hopefully Maeve will give up and continue on to the party without me.

  Aiden takes me into his bedroom and sinks onto his bed with me. His elbows planted on either side of my head, he hovers over me, his eyes dark wi
th desire.

  “Kissing you is all I’ve thought about this week,” he says. “That’s why I’ve been avoiding you. I knew I’d instantly forget why I shouldn’t when I looked at you.”

  I smile. “Keep on forgetting, then.”

  He laughs and kisses me again, slowly, savouring the moment. I press against him, my hands clinging to his strong shoulders.

  He breaks our kiss, dragging his lips across my jaw and down my neck. My fingers sift through his curls, and I close my eyes on a low moan when he gently sucks right where my pulse is rapidly ticking.

  Aiden unbuttons my shirt, feathering kisses over my chest and the tops of my breasts. I shiver as his lips ghosts over my skin with every button he loosens.

  My breathing deepens as he slowly presses kisses between my breasts, then against my sternum, over my stomach, and just below my navel. My skin tingles wherever his breath gusts over my flesh.

  Downstairs, my phone trills with an incoming call but I continue to ignore it. I only have enough attention for Aiden. His kisses and his touch are the only thing that matters.

  He sweeps the sides of my shirt away when he’s finished unbuttoning it. I’m not wearing a bra so my upper half is revealed to his hungry gaze.

  The warmth and the slightly rough texture of his palm as he reverently glides it over my stomach makes my belly quiver. He drags his hand along my waist as he kisses his way up my body again.

  The mattress dips under our weight as he presses me into the bed with his body. He reclaims my mouth in another hungry kiss that I return with similar need.

  He’s between my legs, his hardness pressing right against my core. I squirm and rub myself against it, desperate to feel all of him. Aiden groans and ruts against me too.

  He breaks our kiss briefly to peel off his shirt and I enjoy the view. God, he’s pure muscle. I sweep my hands over his shoulders, down his thick, muscular arms and over his broad chest.

  “You’re so beautiful, Nat,” Aiden murmurs as he explores me too. His big hand cups and fondles my breasts then rove down my waist to squeeze my ass. “And so fucking soft. I can’t stop touching you.”

  He pulls me flush against him and kisses me harder. He rocks against me, mimicking what he intends to do to me once our clothes are totally off.

  He unbuttons my shorts, pushing his hand into my panties and touching me where I’ve been aching for him all this time.

  Clinging to his thick upper arms, I spread my legs wider, eager to give him more access. His fingers slowly caress me, rubbing back and forth over my folds, then parting me to find my plump sensitive nub.

  My fingers dig into his shoulders and my hips lift and gyrate to meet his touch as he rubs and circles me.

  His parted lips hover over mine as if he’s swallowing my moans. When he pushes his fingers lower, I’m so slick with need that his fingers invade me with ease.

  “Aiden…”

  My walls greedily squeeze around his digits. Aiden presses his face against my neck and lets out a soft groan. He spears my channel repeatedly with his fingers, then slides them out and up to circle nub.

  I roll my hips with his circular motion, writhing under him. My nipples are firm points begging for attention. Aiden lowers his head and captures one in his mouth.

  His tongue rolls over my nipple, his teeth scraping over it. His gentle nip makes me jerk and gasp. I arch my back, thrusting my chest forward to him like an offering he gladly takes.

  He covers my breast with his mouth and starts sucking hard. He pays similar attention to my other breast, and I moan and writhe under him as arousal burns through my body.

  My head is spinning. I’m overwhelmed by the sensations of Aiden’s ardent sucking while his fingers stroke me. My fingers twist in his hair and in the sheets. My breathing deepens and my body trembles.

  I’m gasping his name, right on the cusp of falling off the edge when he abruptly pulls his mouth and hand away. He flashes a mischievous smile as he moves down my body.

  “You jerk,” I pant out breathlessly.

  “I’ll make it up to you, sweetheart. Promise.”

  He removes my shorts and underwear then spreads my legs wide open for him. A hot blush floods my cheeks to be so bared to him for the first time. But the ravenous look on his face as he stares between my legs fills me with excitement.

  “Holy fuck...” he groans in a worshipful tone.

  He presses kisses along the insides of my thighs, creeping his way up to his goal with maddening gentleness. My body is taut with rising anticipation as he gets nearer.

  His lips press a kiss at the juncture of my thighs. He’s about to finally press his mouth exactly where I want it when the doorbell rings.

  We both freeze.

  “It’s probably Maeve!” I say in a hushed voice.

  “She’ll go away.”

  “I don’t think so. She’s really persis—”

  My words cut off into a gasp when Aiden licks me. I tilt my hips, my hand sinking into his hair and gripping the curly strands.

  The doorbell rings again but I answer the annoying sound with a moan when Aiden’s warm, slippery tongue parts me.

  His fingers felt good when he was touching me, but his tongue is amazing. He presses his hands down on my trembling thighs, holding my legs wide so he has uninterrupted access to feast on me.

  He makes a low humming sound of satisfaction as he tastes me. Then he slides a hand between my legs, pushing two fingers in deep.

  He strokes them along my channel, sucking and circling my nub with his wicked tongue. I squirm and roll my hips, grinding myself against his mouth.

  Oh my god, yes. He’s definitely making it up to me. The pleasure he’d already built up with his fingers rapidly surges again. My body tightens, my back bowing off the bed.

  Downstairs, the door opens and footsteps pad into the house.

  “Nat?” Maeve calls.

  I open my mouth to yell at her to get lost already. Instead, a loud moan rips out me as I come hard on Aiden’s mouth. I chant Aiden’s name in breathy gasps, my body shuddering from the force of my climax.

  All mental processes halt to a standstill. Every part of me is laser focused on the bliss and the warmth and Aiden’s mouth tasting me.

  As the pleasure fades into tingles, Aiden moves up my body. I taste myself on his tongue when he kisses me deeply.

  “It’s true,” he says. “You do taste like cotton candy.”

  My giggle is muffled when he kisses me again. He pulls away and quickly removes his pants and underwear.

  Completely naked, he crawls on top of me. I reach for him and he groans, his rigid flesh twitching against my palm.

  My god, he’s huge. He’s heavy and thick, and feels like warm steel wrapped in velvety skin. I’m both scared and excited to feel him inside me.

  “You’re going to break me with this thing,” I say, stroking him.

  He grins. “You sound like you’re looking forward to that.”

  I release him and pull him down on top of me. I lift my hips and slide my wet centre along his hard length. “I am,” I say against his ear. “I want you to fuck me, Aiden.”

  Aiden lets out a sexy groan as he rocks back and forth along my slit. His mouth covers mine in another hard, greedy kiss as he angles himself against my entrance.

  He pushes into me, my wetness guiding his length into me. But he’s so big, his breach steals my breath and makes my heart thud harder as I endure.

  I dig my fingers into his shoulders, my legs trembling as inch by hard inch stretches me until he’s totally buried deep inside me.

  A soft pained sound escapes me but it’s borne from the sweet satisfaction of finally having a long-held need fulfilled.

  He retreats then sinks all the way back in and we moan together. He’s shaking, his breathing hard just like mine.

  I’m overwhelmed by how fantastic he feels inside me. It’s all that I’ve fantasized about and more.

  “Baby, you feel amazing,” Aiden gro
ans.

  He raises up and pushes my left leg back. He proceeds to thrust into me with earnest. My fingers grip and twist the sheets as I revel in the sweet sensation of him moving inside me.

  He reaches down to palm my breast and pinch my nipple. His touch as he strokes into me ratchets up the pleasure.

  He leans down and kisses me, as he thrusts harder. Each drive forward at this angle ensures he’s rubbing a sensitive spot that sends a sweet jolt through my center.

  His name interspersed with gasps and moans leaves my lips. My body gradually tightens as another climax barrels toward me.

  When Aiden rolls us so I’m on top, I gladly take over riding him. His fingers dig into my hips then glide down to cup and squeeze my ass.

  He moves me faster as he rocks his hips up, pumping into me. He’s so strong that even though I’m on top, I barely have to do much work. He gives me what I need as I take it too, chasing my orgasm.

  My fingers curl into his chest as I roll my hips. I moan with abandon as my bliss throws me into a wave of shudders.

  “Oh… Aiden… Aiden…” I pant.

  Aiden groans with me. He’s shaking too, his eyes closed. He’s thickening inside me, harder than ever as he thrusts into me faster.

  For the first time, it dawns on me he’s not wearing protection. No wonder it feels so good. Every firm inch of him is inside me totally raw. I’m not on the pill, either.

  And yet I crave the feeling of him finishing inside me. I need it.

  I bend over him and press my lips close to his ear.

  “Don’t pull out,” I beg him. “Come in me, Aiden.”

  “Fuck,” he gasps, he sounds equally surprised and turned on.

  He rolls us again so he’s on top of me and proceeds to show me that all along he’s been gentle.

  He rides me into the bed, our flesh slapping together, the mattress vibrating under our weight. It’s rough and dirty. It’s like before we were making love. Now we’re fucking.

  I love the way his eyes are closed, his forehead creased as he pounds into me. I love every second of his harder, deeper thrusts. I love his tight grip on my waist as he holds me in place and uses my body.

  Most of all, I love that I’m the one who’s made him lose his usual calm composure in this moment.