by Jill Sanders
“Yes, it was abandoned for over thirty years until an investor snatched it up and started remodeling and selling one floor at a time.
“Whoever it was did a great job,” she said, trying to hide her nerves about the thoughts that were rushing through her mind. She knew she wanted more than just conversation. Much more.
“I’m just lucky this place became available when it did,” he said, stepping out of the elevator after her.
He pulled out his keys to open his door. Then he stood back as she walked in.
CHAPTER NINE
Kristen strolled into his place, and he could see her nerves from across the room. Somehow seeing her fidget made him feel a little more confident.
“Do you want something to drink?” he asked.
She turned and glanced at him. “Something hot would be nice.”
“Coffee?” he asked as he moved toward the kitchen.
“Sounds good,” she said and then turned back to his view. “I bet this is great during the day.”
“I can see all the way down to Pikes Peak on a clear day.” He flipped on the coffeemaker and went over to get two mugs.
She made her way back and leaned on the bar, watching him. “Why do you rattle me?” She sat down on a stool.
“From what you tell me of your past, you have a reason to be rattled.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s funny. With the other men, I was more sure about pursuing a relationship.”
He arched his eyebrows. “Is that what we’re doing?”
She shrugged. “I’m not the kind that sleeps around.”
“Agreed. Neither am I.” He watched her eyebrows shoot up in question and couldn’t help chuckling. “That’s probably hard to believe, but it’s true. I’ve had my share of exes, but all of them were fairly long relationships.”
“What’s long?” She rested her elbows on the countertop.
He leaned back on the counter, crossed his arms over his chest, and thought about it. “Cindy was the shortest and that relationship lasted almost seven months.”
Her chin dropped, and then she quickly recovered.
“What about you?”
“Rod was my longest at three months.” She felt her face flush a little.
“Rod, the one that stole all of your stuff?” he asked.
She looked down at her hands.
“Okay. So it sounds like I’ve got you beat.” He smiled. “Maybe I should be the one questioning your intentions.”
She laughed. “Okay, you may have me there. I’ve had rotten luck with relationships.” She frowned a little and he turned around to pour them each a cup of coffee.
“Black?” he asked over his shoulder. She nodded.
“Actually, my luck in other areas hasn’t been all that great for a while either.” She followed him into the living area and settled into his soft leather sofa with her coffee.
“You may think I’m crazy, but the worst of it started a little over a year ago, right after I started working at R&S full time.” She took a sip and held her mug in both hands. “I had started seeing this guy that I’d gone to school with. We’d only gone out a few times as friends, but I was hoping that it would turn into something more.” She took another sip of the coffee. “I didn’t know that his sister was a Wiccan.”
“For real?” He leaned closer just a bit, wanting to hear more.
“Well, it turned out that our first official date fell on her birthday. And when her brother decided to spend the evening with me, she hunted us down at a local club and, in front of a dozen or more people, cursed me.”
He tried not to laugh. Really, he did. “Do you believe in that stuff?”
She shrugged, but her eyes turned sad. “Not really. I mean, no. But I just can’t explain how after that night, my luck has taken a turn for the worse.”
He reached over and brushed a strand of her honey-colored hair away from her face. “We make our own luck. Good or bad.”
“I’d like to believe that, but I would also like to believe that I’m not that big of a klutz.”
“My sister Ashley went through a phase in middle school. She broke her arm at the beginning of the year, then her foot six months later. It seemed that every time we turned around, she was getting into trouble.”
“And?” She moved next to him and he enjoyed the smell of her perfume.
“She grew out of it.”
She sighed as she shook her head. “I’m not some teenager who’s just going through a phase.”
“Trust me, I know you’re not.” He enjoyed watching her eyes heat when he touched her.
“I’m having a really hard time avoiding this. Avoiding you,” she whispered.
“Then don’t,” he said as he leaned forward and kissed her. He knew the kiss affected her as much as it did him when he felt the moan vibrating from her. He couldn’t stop his hands from pulling her closer. He wanted to feel her body pressed up against his. Her hands went to his hair, holding him close to her as he used his mouth to show her what he wanted.
“This is crazy, how much it affects me,” she said against his neck.
“Let it,” he mumbled. Then he ran his hands over her body as she arched to give him better access. She was so soft and he wanted to touch her everywhere. “Enjoy. I know I am.”
He loved the feel of her fingers exploring him, tugging off his jacket. He leaned back and tossed it over the sofa, then went to work on her shirt. It was a long blouse with ridiculously small buttons down the front.
She giggled and then helped him. “Amy’s choice.”
He lost his breath when she pulled it off and sat in front of him in nothing but a silky bra and her slacks.
“Beautiful,” he whispered as he reached out with a shaky hand to touch her gently.
Her eyes closed and her head fell back as she moaned.
“So soft.” He moved closer to her and dipped his head to taste her skin.
When he looked up again, her eyes locked with his as she reached over to tug off his button-up shirt. He watched her eyes heat when she pulled it off and tossed it next to his jacket.
He moaned lightly as she ran her fingers over his chest slowly.
“Impressive.” Her fingers touched every inch, and then she shocked him by running her mouth where her fingers had just been. His hands went to her hair as a moan escaped his lips.
“You’re driving me nuts here. I’m trying to be good.” He leaned back and felt a shiver run through his body.
“You had no intention of being good.” She leaned up and kissed him. “Neither did I.”
Kristen couldn’t have stopped herself from wanting Aiden if she’d tried. Not after seeing what was underneath that suit of his. How had the man gotten a body like that? Even just running her fingers over him caused her pulse to double and her fingers to shake. She wanted to see what was under the rest of his suit.
She’d struggled with coming back to his place, knowing that if he kissed her, she would lose control. But after the wonderful dinner and spending time talking to him, her doubts had left her. He was unlike any man she’d known. There was a sense of integrity in him that she’d never experienced before, and it was making her crazy for him.
The way he was running his hands and mouth over her caused her entire body to shake with want. When he tugged lightly and moved her underneath him, she wrapped herself around him as much as she could, needing to be closer.
“I told you I wasn’t going to do this,” he said against her skin.
“We both knew you were lying.” She smiled when he took her mouth again. The kiss heated her up from her core, spreading out to every inch of her body.
She felt his hard body above hers and locked her legs around his hips as he savored every inch of her exposed skin.
“Tell me to stop,” he said as his fingers bru
shed just above the elastic in her slacks.
She closed her eyes on a slight moan and knew that if she asked, he would stop. But, did she want him to?
Shaking her head, she arched for him, showing him what she wanted. His fingers dipped lower as he unclasped the hook at her waistband and slowly ran the zipper down.
She moved up to help him slide the slacks off her legs. When his fingers moved down her legs, she heard him sigh.
“This is the first thing I noticed about you.”
She glanced at him in question and watched him smile.
“Your legs.” He was touching her bare skin like it was glass and would break. His touch sent goose bumps spreading everywhere. “Sexy as sin. They seem to go on forever.” His hands ran higher until they reached her new silky panties.
When he brushed a finger over the softness, her hips jumped and she lost all thoughts except being with him.
“I want to take you into my room,” he said, leaning back a little. His eyes were roaming over every inch of her.
“Hurry,” she begged. She started to get up, but he surprised her by picking her up. She giggled nervously.
“You did say hurry.” He grinned down at her as he walked.
She ran her fingers over his neck until he set her down gently on his bed.
“I couldn’t sleep in here the other night, thinking about you lying here,” he said against her skin. “Just the smell of your sweet perfume drives me nuts.”
She slid her hands down and pulled off his slacks as she tugged him closer. He helped her undress him until he hovered above her, gloriously naked.
She realized then that she still wore her new panties and bra set. But when she reached to take them off, he shook his head.
“No, let me.” Instead of pulling them off, he teased her by rubbing his hands over the silk until she closed her eyes and moaned with delight.
He was destroying her with his slow touches and passionate kisses, and she knew he was enjoying himself completely.
“You’re so soft here.” His fingertip touched her shoulder blade. “And here.” He brushed over her sensitive skin just under the edge of the silky bra.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he used his hands and mouth to explore her slowly.
“Aiden.” She could feel herself building too fast and wanted him—no, needed him—now. “Soon, darling.” His mouth rubbed over her ribs and she felt him tug her panties off her legs. She tried not to gasp when his mouth found her heat. The feeling of him kissing her forced her shoulders off the bed as she gripped his hair and held on.
She retreated into her own private bliss as she felt every touch, every kiss, that he used to pleasure her. When she felt her body tense and saw the bright lights flash behind her eyelids, she couldn’t stop the shaking that came next, nor did she try.
“Beautiful,” he said, just over her. She kept her eyes closed and heard him tear open a condom package. “I want more.” Then she felt his hands on her hips as he settled between her thighs. “Kristen, look at me.”
She opened her eyes and smiled up at him. Her hands went into his hair as she pulled him closer. When he flexed his hips slowly, she couldn’t stop the moan or the sigh from escaping her lips as he entered her in one smooth motion.
“More,” she said as her nails dug into his hips when he just held still, deep inside her. “Faster,” she growled out and nibbled on his ear when he started to move. She wanted the speed.
He moaned when her tongue darted out and licked him behind the ear. She felt his pulse jump, and then he was moving faster.
She’d thought she could easily stay in control—that was until she felt him pounding into her. His hips slapping against hers, his mouth covering her lips, taking every moan, every sound, as he pleased her. Opening her eyes, she looked up directly into his darker ones. Something kicked inside her as he watched her cry out his name.
She lost her breath and held on to him as he took what he needed and gave her pleasure beyond anything she’d ever experienced.
When she felt him stiffen above her, she held on to him and let herself join him.
She lay there and listened to his heartbeat settle and then slow down. He was crushing her, but it felt too good to ask him to move. It had been too long since she’d felt the weight of a man over her. Too long since she’d had multiple orgasms.
“I can hear you thinking from up here,” he said against her skin. Then he leaned up on his elbows and looked down at her.
His hair was a mess from her hands and he had a sexy smile on his lips. His dark eyes looked a little dreamy and she was shocked to feel him growing inside of her again.
“I’m just running through my mind how wonderful I feel.”
“I’ll second that.” He smiled at her as his hands ran up her sides. “You do feel wonderful.” He leaned down and placed his mouth on her neck, nibbling up and down her skin.
She sighed and wrapped her legs around him again. “Mmm, more.” She giggled and then moaned as his hips started moving again.
CHAPTER TEN
“You can stay, you know.” Aiden frowned at Kristen as he watched her pull on her shirt.
She glanced over at him. “Can’t. I’ve got an early morning if I want to get those changes done in time.”
He leaned down and picked up his pants, then tossed them over his chair and reached for a pair of worn jeans instead. When he turned around, she was watching him closely. He could see the heat in her eyes and wanted nothing more than to spend the entire night making love to her. “Are you sure?” He pulled on a white T-shirt and smiled when he watched her chin drop just an inch.
She nodded her head without blinking. “Yeah.”
“It’s a shame.” He slowly started walking toward her and saw the heat turn her eyes a darker green.
He stopped right in front of her and placed his hands on her hips. She was small and he loved the softness of her.
“I can set the alarm?” He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips, waiting to pull away after he felt her breath hitch. When he did pull back, he noticed that her eyes were closed and she was swaying just a little.
“I really shouldn’t.” She sighed and leaned her head against his chest. Then he watched her eyes open and she shook her head clear. “No, I’d better go.” She blinked a few times and he could see she’d made up her mind.
“Fine, but meet me tomorrow for lunch.” He held her still, pressed up against him. Her hands were on his chest and she was looking down at her fingers.
“Okay.” She glanced up at him. “Text me where and when.”
After she left, he was too wired to sleep, so he showered and got dressed. He figured he might as well kill a few hours and catch up with some of his own work.
Something kept nagging at him in the back of his mind. He wanted more than anything to tell Kristen what he was doing at R&S. But he knew it wasn’t only the wrong time, but he’d made an agreement to keep it quiet.
It took him less than five minutes to walk to his design firm office building and key in. The place was dark except for a couple rooms. Some of his employees worked on their own schedule, so he stopped in and chatted with the few who were still working before he headed to his own office.
He stayed and tried to work until just past midnight, then headed home feeling defeated. The entire time he had tried to work, his mind had been occupied with Kristen.
He didn’t know what had caused him to ask her to stay, but he desperately wished that she had. He wasn’t looking forward to going home to an empty bed that was doused in her soft scent.
The next morning, after a rough night of sleep, his mother called and wanted to meet him for breakfast since she was downtown.
When he walked into the restaurant and saw her and Eric sitting at a table near the front, he knew instantly something was wrong.
&n
bsp; “Hi.” He sat down and looked between them. “What’s up?”
His mother looked at Eric, and he sighed. “It’s about your father, Gordon.”
He waited. The man hadn’t really been a father to him. Not like Eric had been.
“Honey, he had a stroke last night,” his mother cut in, holding back a sniffle.
“Is he . . . ?” he started to ask.
Eric shook his head. “No, he’s at the hospital in Vail. We were going to go—”
“No, don’t bother. I’ll go up and see him,” he interrupted. He couldn’t quite get a handle on what he was feeling. There were too many emotions rushing through him at the same time. One thing was clear: he didn’t think he could handle seeing his father alone. Only one person’s face came into his mind.
His mother sighed. “I know it’s been hard, not seeing him, but he’s still your father.” She glanced at Eric, who nodded in agreement. After everything that man had done to his mother, she still cried over him.
After two cups of coffee and a small bagel with blueberry cream cheese, Aiden kissed his mother on the cheek, shook Eric’s hand, and headed out. There was one place he had to stop off first.
When he walked into the R&S offices less than an hour later, he could hear Kristen’s music blasting through the entire floor. He smiled as he listened to Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll” all the way to Kristen’s desk.
He stood behind her and watched her work until the song ended.
“That’s looking good.” He watched her jump as her head spun around with a shocked look on her face and instantly felt guilty.
“Sorry.” He took her shoulders in his hands and started to rub the tension from them, then leaned on her desk. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She closed her eyes as she took a few deep breaths. “You didn’t scare me. I always jump and have a panic attack when people come up behind me.”
He chuckled and she glared up at him. Just watching her work had taken his mind off his personal issues. He knew he wanted to spend more time with her.
