Aaron: Casanova Club #7

by Ali Parker

  And I loved it.

  I loved his eyes on me. I had all of his attention as I sat up a little higher, took the tip of him between my lips, and drew him into my mouth. He let out a shaky sound and gripped the sofa cushions on either side of him.

  I worshipped his cock. Each stroke brought another primal, masculine sound out of him, and I reveled in it, knowing I was the one making him feel such pleasure. I stroked and licked and sucked until his cock was hard and thick, and then I held him in the back of my throat, wanting him more than I wanted air.

  He took my hair and pulled me up gently, bringing me back up onto the couch beside him. He turned me onto my back and pinned me beneath him, using one hand clamped around my wrists to hold my arms above my head.

  Then he leaned down and left hot kisses against my neck. His hot breath had me squirming, and the tickle of his stubble on my cheek made me whimper.

  “Hush,” he said softly.

  But his voice only pushed me deeper off the edge into oblivion. The feeling of his strong hand over my wrists, coupled with the pressure of him above me, was delicious. He lowered his hips, and his cock pressed against my stomach as if taunting me with my desire that was just out of reach.

  Literally.

  “Please,” I whimpered, twisting my hips beneath him in a desperate attempt to free myself and regain control.

  Aaron chuckled and nipped at my lips. “Please what?”

  “Don’t tease me.”

  “But it’s so much fun.”

  “For you.” I nipped back at his lips as he lifted back.

  “I see no problem with this.”

  I giggled breathlessly. “Of course, you don’t.”

  Aaron ran his free hand over my breasts before tugging my bra down. I yelped as he squeezed my right breast and flicked his thumb over my nipple.

  Then with torturous slowness, he ran his hand down my stomach and slipped it under the waistband of my pajama pants. He pushed farther down until he eased under my panties and nudged my thighs apart with his fingers.

  I obliged, and as my breathing quickened and my pulse fluttered in my throat, he finally gave me what I wanted and touched me. Really touched me.

  I sighed with pleasure as he ran his finger over my clit and then down my aching slit.

  “You’re so wet,” he groaned, his grip on my wrists tightening.

  I liked the pressure, especially when combined with what he was doing with his hand between my legs.

  I wiggled and lifted my hips. “For you.”

  Aaron eased a finger inside me. Then another. I gasped and pressed down hard into the couch cushions as little stars of pleasure exploded behind my eyelids. He worked me over, nice and slow, building up to a rhythm that had me moaning and writhing beneath him.

  It didn’t take long for him to find the perfect motion that sent me over the edge and spiraling. I cried out with pleasure and bit down on my tongue to silence myself as I came. Aaron left a trail of kisses on my stomach while he continued fucking me, and he didn’t stop until I was a breathless mess beneath him.

  Then he leaned over to fetch a condom from the pocket of his sweatpants on the floor.

  I arched an eyebrow at him as he rolled it on. “You came prepared.”

  “Having to go get a condom is a buzzkill. I figured I’d be safe and think a few steps ahead.”

  I grinned and pulled him back down on top of me. “I like it.”

  Aaron pushed my legs apart. I hooked them around his waist and used my heels on the back of his thighs to push his hips toward me.

  I needed him immediately.

  Aaron’s cock pressed into me. I draped my arms over his neck and pulled him down for sweet kisses as he pressed deep inside me. I sighed as he filled me up, and so did he, and then we both descended into sharp breathing and desperate little moans as he worked himself in and out, deeper and deeper, until he was fucking me with everything he had.

  The couch creaked beneath us. There was nothing but me and him. Him and me. The world tipped and spun, and I clung to him as euphoria broke over me, erasing all the stress and disappointment of the day.

  It covered me with peace and pleasure, and I let Aaron carry me away.

  I cried out when I came.

  Aaron quickened his speed, rocking against me as my orgasm broke free, and he came undone seconds later, bucking wildly against me as I held on to him for dear life.

  When he slowed to a gentler rhythm, he returned to me for more kisses before slipping himself between me and the back of the couch and draping an arm over my waist.

  He kissed my shoulder, and I nestled in tightly against him so I could feel his heartbeat against my back. When he rested his chin in the groove of my shoulder, I closed my eyes and listened to his steady breathing.

  I could have stayed there with him forever.

  It would have been easy.

  But easy wasn’t in the cards for me.

  Chapter 20

  Aaron

  Piper’s eyes fluttered open, and she blinked up at me with her cheek resting on my shoulder.

  “Good morning.” I smiled, pressing my lips to her forehead.

  Her eyes fell closed again, and she nestled into my side and draped her arm over my stomach. “Morning. What time is it?”

  I glanced at the clock on my nightstand. “Only eight.”

  She nodded sleepily. “I should shower. I need coffee.”

  I rubbed her shoulder. “I’ll tell you what. You shower. I’ll start the coffee.”

  “Deal.”

  Piper had been sleeping in my room with me for the last few nights, and I had a sense that was how we were going to ride out the rest of the month. I had no desire to see her go back to sleeping in her room, and she didn’t seem all that interested in it either.

  She yawned and rolled onto her back to indulge in a full-body stretch that arched her back and pulled the covers down, flashing a view of her breasts and part of her lean stomach. Then she tore the covers off and padded to my bathroom, where I heard her turn on the shower.

  I got out of bed, threw on my sweats, and grabbed my phone from the nightstand to make a call as I wandered into the kitchen.

  The call was to Piper’s little brother.

  Phillip answered on the second ring. “Yes?”

  “Hey. It’s Aaron. Piper’s Aaron.”

  Phillip chuckled. “Piper’s Aaron, huh?”

  “I didn’t know if you’d know me or if I had to explain—”

  “Dude, relax. I’m just messing with you. Hang on a sec. Let me get somewhere private so we can talk.”

  I waited as Phillip shuffled around on the other end. Based on the humming sounds in the background and the chatter of his parents, I assumed Phillip was at the family restaurant. I heard a door close, and then Phillip’s voice filled the line again.

  “What’s up, man?”

  “I was calling to make sure things are falling into place. Did the hospital accept the check?”

  “They sure did,” Phillip said. “Well, sorta. They wouldn’t accept it from me, so I had to deposit it into my account and then write the check myself. Stupid protocol bullshit. You know how it is.”

  “But it was enough to cover the bill?”

  “Absolutely. That and an upgrade to a private room. I hope you don’t mind that I took the liberty.”

  “Not at all. Your father deserves the best.”

  Phillip was silent.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  “No,” he said hurriedly. “No, not at all. I just… never mind.”

  He’d been about to say something, but he thought better of it. I decided to leave it alone. “How is he doing, by the way? Your dad?”

  “Oh, you know. He’s putting on a brave face and pretending like this surgery doesn’t have him freaked out. But I can see right through him. He’s worried. At the end of the day, this is intense surgery, regardless of the success rate. I mean, they’re going to cut into him and pry his ribs o
pen. That’s some serious shit.”

  “And how about you and your mom?”

  “What about us?”

  “How are you?” I asked.

  “Oh. We’re good. Worried for him, but good.”

  “Has he thought any more about what he and Piper talked about?” It really wasn’t my business to ask such things, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted to know if her dad had taken any time to consider her words.

  “I don’t know, man. It’s not something I can easily bring up. He’s even more tense than he was the day you were here. Every day the surgery gets closer, he becomes more and more anxious.”

  “Understandable. He still has no idea about the money?”

  Phillip laughed. “My dad would shit bricks if he found out someone fronted his bill for him. But don’t worry. I have it worked out with the hospital. The money will appear with an ‘anonymous donor’ association. You won’t be tied to it at all. Neither will I.”

  “Good.”

  “But you do realize Piper will know it’s you right away, right?”

  I rubbed the back of my neck as I began getting everything together to brew that cup of coffee I’d promised Piper. “I know. It’s not a secret. I just figure it’ll be better for her to find out once it’s all said and done. That way, she can’t put up any defenses and try to talk me out of it.”

  “For a guy who’s barely known my sister for more than two weeks, you sure know her pretty well.”

  I smiled. “Yeah, I hope so.”

  “She’s into you, you know?”

  I paused with my finger inches from the brew button on the coffee pot. “Sorry?”

  “Piper. She’s into you. I could tell by how she was when you guys were over the other day. All smiles. Bubbly. Happy. Until all that shit went down with her and Dad, of course.”

  “Of course,” I said absently, pressing the button and waiting for it to heat up.

  “It’s a good thing, right?”

  “Right.”

  Phillip chuckled. “Listen. Thanks for having her back. Piper needs someone in her corner like you. Especially right now. This has been really hard on her, and she’s struggling big time. She’s also not used to keeping secrets from our folks. I know it’s weighing heavily on her. But I also know it’s the right call. So thanks for respecting that. She needs you right now.”

  No fucking pressure. “I’m here for her no matter what. And for the rest of you, whatever you need.”

  Phillip chuckled. “Dude, you’ve already done plenty. Don’t worry about us. We can handle our business. You just worry about Piper.”

  “I’ll have her at the hospital before the surgery starts on Friday morning. Still the same time?”

  “They say no later than ten o’clock.”

  “We’ll be there before eight.”

  “Good plan,” Phillip said. “Dad will be relieved to see her, I think. Despite what he says, I think he feels guilty over their fight.”

  He should feel guilty.

  “It will all be water under the bridge one day,” I said.

  “I hope you’re right. Listen, man. I have to go. I don’t want to get caught talking to you and have to explain this shit. I’m already having a hard enough time keeping up with the lie that Piper is in school.”

  “No worries. See you on Friday, Phillip. Call me if you need anything.”

  “See you Friday.”

  The timing was perfect. As soon as I got off the phone, the coffee stopped brewing, and seconds later, Piper came out of my bedroom wearing one of my T-shirts with her hair wrapped up in the bathroom towel. I poured her a mug of coffee, and she fixed it with milk and sugar before taking a sip.

  “Who were you on the phone with?” she asked as I went about pouring my own mug.

  Lying was not my style. Never had been. So I told as much of the truth as I could. “Your brother.”

  Piper blinked. “What? Why were you talking to Phillip?”

  “I wanted to know about your father’s surgery.”

  “Oh.”

  I leaned against the kitchen counter and watched as Piper tried to look distracted while drinking her coffee. She’d been steadfastly avoiding this conversation for three days now. But this time, I wasn’t going to back off. It was important.

  “You need to be there, Piper.”

  “He won’t want to see me.”

  “Yes, he will.”

  “No, he won’t.” She flashed an irritated glare at me.

  “Your dad doesn’t know what he wants. He’s probably confused and too afraid to ask you to be there after your fight. Sometimes with things like this, you have to be the one to take the step. To do the right thing. This is the right thing, Piper. You know that.”

  She pressed her lips together. “I’m afraid to see him in the hospital like that.”

  “Is that a good enough reason not to go?”

  She wouldn’t look at me. “No.”

  “So we go. Together. This Friday.”

  “Friday.” Her voice was sullen and weak. Piper rubbed at her eyes. “This is all happening so fast.”

  “It will mean the world to him to wake up and see your face. It means you can put aside your differences at a time like this. That’s what family is for. Forgiveness.”

  She arched an eyebrow at me. “Okay, writer boy. I get it.”

  “So you’ll go?”

  Piper sighed and cupped her coffee with both hands. “Yeah, I’ll go.”

  At some point, I was going to have to reach out to Jackson Lee to tell him everything that had happened this month. I was fairly certain I’d broken several rules by meeting Piper’s family, and there was a chance it might eliminate me from the running, but it was a risk I was willing to take. She needed the support. And if I was being honest with myself, I couldn’t let her face this alone.

  I’d rather hold her hand now when she needed me most than force her to go into this alone so I could stay in the running as one of her bachelors.

  Of course, there was a very high chance I might regret it come the end of the year.

  But this was the right thing to do, so the choice was easy.

  Chapter 21

  Piper

  Aaron put a steady hand on my anxiously bouncing knee.

  “It’s all right,” he whispered, his voice cutting through the fear and tension that had wrapped itself around me like the devil’s cloak.

  My father had been in surgery for three hours. The projected timeframe was four hours. Then they would wheel him out of surgery into recovery, and from there, he would be taken up to his private room, where he would spend the next three to four nights.

  There was still plenty of time for something to go wrong.

  Sixty minutes were a lot of minutes.

  And then there was recovery. An even bigger opportunity for things to go wrong. For injury to occur. For the worst—

  “Piper,” Aaron called to me, squeezing the knee that had started bouncing again. “Take a breath.”

  I breathed. “Sorry. I’m just nervous.”

  “I get it,” he said, releasing my knee to leave his hand on my thigh. “But he’s going to be all right. Do you believe me?”

  I searched his eyes. “Yes.”

  We sat quietly for a couple of minutes. My mother and brother sat in the chairs across from us. My mother had her cheek resting in one hand and had dozed off several times, while Phillip tried to look busy reading a magazine. He wasn’t fooling anyone. It had been almost twenty minutes since he’d last turned a page. He just wanted something to aimlessly stare at so he could avoid talking to anyone.

  “Are you sure I can’t go get you something to eat?” Aaron asked.

  I shook my head. “I can’t stomach anything. I’m too nervous.”

  “You haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.” Aaron’s voice was heavy with worry.

  “I know. As soon as my dad is in the clear, I’ll eat something. I promise.”

  “I’m holding you to that.
”

  Time passed. Slowly. Agonizingly.

  And as it passed, I watched all the other family members in the hospital suffer right along with us. I hoped and prayed for them and offered them smiles whenever we made eye contact. A young mother and her daughter in the far corner. An elderly man with a bouquet of daisies in the other. A single man pacing in front of the vending machines.

  I wondered what sort of trials their loved ones were going through just down the hall. For their sakes, I hoped none were as severe as my father’s.

  His health complications had me nervous. The doctors had warned him that he was a high-risk case. High-risk cases still had a very positive outcome, and surgery was better than no surgery, but the whole situation was still terrifying.

  If I didn’t have Aaron at my side, there was no way I would have made it through this. He was my rock. He was the one thing I could grab hold of and cling to and feel okay.

  And okay was about as good as it was going to get for now.

  Of course, the fact that he was here right now, holding my hand through this, also came with nail-biting, crippling, sweat-inducing guilt.

  For starters, a good chunk of our time together for the month of June was being interrupted by this. Not only was the surgery itself taking away from the time we could have spent in Kingston, pigging out on street food or wandering around dilly-dallying all day, but so had my conversation with my father and all the tears I’d shed since first showing up at Aaron’s place.

  Then there were his feelings to take into account.

  I’d be a fool not to be aware that he had stronger feelings for me than I had for him. And that made me feel like an absolute asshole.

  Had I met Aaron in the beginning, before some of the others, things would be different. I was sure we’d have an even stronger bond, and leaving him would have been impossible—especially if the stuff that was happening with my dad now had happened then.