by Sarah Bailey
I didn’t need it any longer. It only held bad memories. I wanted to make new ones. With her. Only with her.
And I would. Avery was the world. I’d do everything in my power to keep her by my side.
Now.
And always.
Chapter Thirteen
Avery
Laying here curled up against Aiden’s side on James’ sofa bed, I felt as though the world wouldn’t stop spinning out of control. I wished we were at home in Aiden’s bed. It’s where I felt completely safe. Everywhere else there were threats and people out to get me. Not that long ago I had no idea how much darkness existed in the world. Now, it’s all I saw. Lurking in every corner of every room I stepped into. Biding its time. Waiting to strike.
My hand around Aiden’s waist tightened. He’d been so good to me this evening. Making sure I had everything I could want or need. He even stopped James complaining about watching what he described as a ‘puke inducing’ romantic comedy. I needed something to take my mind off the almost rape and discovering a mystery person was after me.
“Can’t sleep, princess?” Aiden whispered.
I shook my head, knowing he’d feel it against his skin where I was resting on his shoulder. He shifted, his hand coming up and stroking my cheek as he looked down at me.
“Do you need anything?”
“No. Thinking is bad but it’s all I can seem to do.”
I lifted my hand from his waist and traced the outline of Tezcatlipoca, the lord of the night. Aiden’s tattoos still fascinated me. Such beautiful lines. Ben was so talented. I wanted a piece of his artwork on my skin. The A on my neck was only the start. I hadn’t broached the subject of another tattoo with Aiden, but I was sure he’d be on board with it.
“Isn’t Skye’s baby due soon?” I asked.
If he was surprised by me changing the subject, he didn’t show it.
“Yeah, two weeks, I think. Why do you ask?”
“I’d like to meet her and well… I want to ask Ben something.”
“We’ll go see them after the baby comes. What do you want to ask him?”
I should’ve known he’d be curious. I liked his best friend. When he’d come back to the flat with us after the tattoo session, he’d spent half the time ribbing Aiden. I loved watching them interact. It was clear as day how close they were. Brothers in arms.
I looked down at my fingers where they were still tracing the outline of his tattoo, not wanting to meet his eyes.
“I wanted to know if he could design something for me.”
“You want another tattoo?”
I nodded. His fingers fell to my neck, tracing the line of the A behind my ear.
“What did you have in mind?”
I had an idea. Not just for one. I wanted a few. Perhaps discussing them all with Aiden would take my mind off the horrors of the day.
“A pair of wings on my wrist, a flock of birds across my shoulder and something else, but that’s what I want to talk to Ben about. I want to see what he comes up with.”
He took my hand, turning it upwards so the palm was facing him. His fingers brushed over my inner wrist, stirring my senses with his gentle touch.
“Birds for your name, right? An aviary on Avery.”
I smiled. As much as I despised my parents for what they’d done, my name was something I couldn’t change. I didn’t want to. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me. The birds would represent my freedom. The freedom he’d given me.
“And wings for my angel.”
I kissed his chest. He really was my angel. He might be dark and twisted, but I loved those parts of him as much as I loved the gentle, caring man he was inside. The sides of him only I got to see. Times like this when it was just me and him without any of the other bullshit going on.
He cupped my face again, tipping it up so he could kiss me. His lips were gentle, not in any way demanding like he usually was. I sighed into it, reaching up and curling my hand around his neck, drawing him closer. It was like a switch flipped. The innocent kiss turned into something else. Aiden’s arm around me tightened, his hand falling from my waist to cup my behind, squeezing the flesh gently. His other hand moved from my face. He trailed his fingers down my sternum, sending sparks running up my back. Desire burnt in my veins.
I pulled away, suddenly struck by the fact we were in James’ flat and fucking was not an option. The heady cocktail of lust in Aiden’s grey eyes gave me heart palpitations.
“Not here,” I whispered.
His expression cleared after a moment.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… Fuck, not after what he almost did to you today.”
He shifted on his side, wrapped both arms around me and held me close, kissing the top of my head.
“That’s not… Aiden, that’s not why. It’s where we are not what he did. I’m not letting that affect anything between you and me.”
He stared at me, frowning. I saw it the moment it dawned on him. His eyes widened and his arms around me tightened.
“Shit, no, you’re right. I wish I’d taken you home now.”
I smiled and shook my head. His grey eyes glinted in the moonlight streaming in through the gap in the curtains. He leant down, his breath hot against my ear.
“I can still make you come, princess. I just won’t fuck you.”
Heat flooded my core at his words. I squirmed in his grasp. I wish he’d taken me home too. Letting him do that here felt like we’d be crossing a line. I mean, I’d had sex with James in this flat for fuck’s sake. I’d slept in the same bed as him on several occasions.
I was relatively sure James and Aiden had cleared the air in the kitchen because when they came back in, they were laughing and joking with each other like they were old friends. It still didn’t make it right.
“You can’t…”
Aiden didn’t listen to me. His fingers found their way inside my underwear. I’d discarded the jogging bottoms James gave me before getting into bed. He stroked my clit, causing me to buck against him before two fingers thrust inside me.
“So wet for me,” he whispered, his teeth grazing my earlobe. “I wish I could plunge my cock into your pussy right now. I want to hear you crying out my name as you clench around me.”
I had to be quiet because of where we were. I couldn’t help but find the whole thing incredibly dangerous and very, very wrong. Somehow that made it all the more appealing.
“Aiden,” I whimpered as he found just the right spot with his fingers and pressed down.
“Mmm, that’s right. Do you want my cock inside you instead of my fingers, princess?”
I could hardly breathe. His thumb brushed over my clit. The overload on my senses rendering it impossible for me to ask him to stop. I didn’t want him to. The dark side of me wanted Aiden to take me right here on James’ sofa. Wanted him to fuck me with brutal thrusts and treat me like I was his fuck toy. In the bedroom was the only place I wanted all of his control. Craved it. And in some fucked up way, after what happened today, having him take control was exactly what I needed.
“Please.”
“Please what?”
His fingers grew more insistent, thrusting harder. I needed him inside me.
“Please fuck me.”
“Are you sure?”
My body was pretty damn sure it didn’t care about my logical reasons for not having sex in James’ flat.
“Do you want me to beg? Please, Aiden, fuck me hard,” I whispered. “I need it. I need you.”
“I think I need you to keep begging, princess.”
I whimpered, arching into his touch. His fingers worked me and his thumb picked up a relentless pace on my clit. It wasn’t quite enough to make me come, but it had me spiralling out of control.
“I can’t take it. I need your cock. Please, please, I want you to fuck me. I don’t want to come on your fingers. They’re not enough. I want to come on your cock.
”
The fact that I sounded so ridiculously wanton for the man who commanded my entire soul made me realise how far down the rabbit hole I’d fallen with Aiden. How I’d do anything he asked me to. Even have sex in my best friend’s flat, on his sofa bed because I was so utterly enraptured by the man I loved. I’d already given up so much of myself and I was about to hand over the rest for his safe keeping.
“Please, I need it hard. Use me. My body is yours to command. Please, please, I need you.”
His fingers left my pussy, causing me to whimper from the lack of contact.
“Get on your hands and knees, princess,” he whispered.
I complied immediately. The warning bells went off in my head. If James came in, there would be no hiding what we were doing in this position.
Aiden peeled down my underwear and tugged it off. The next thing I knew, he’d stuffed it in my mouth as a makeshift gag. I could taste my own arousal on them.
“Don’t make a fucking sound, you hear me?”
I nodded as I felt the thick head of his cock pressing against my entrance. He gripped both my hips and thrust inside me. I grunted around the gag, arching into him as he pressed deep.
“That’s it,” he said, his voice low and filled with heat. “You’re a bad girl, Avery. Wanting me to fuck you on your best friend’s sofa.”
His thrusts were brutal, just like I’d asked for. And I loved every moment. The sound of his skin slapping against mine. The way he pushed my limits. Fucked me almost to the point of pain. He knew exactly how much to give me. It was never too much. He never hurt me. Aiden didn’t do pain. Only pleasure.
I moaned, unable to stop myself. It was muffled by the gag. He knew how much noise I made during sex and that’s why he’d stuffed my underwear in my mouth.
“Such a bad girl. After everything you’ve endured, you still want my cock. Still want me to use you. That’s what makes me love you more, princess. You need what I give you.”
My heart soared in my chest. We were perfect for each other. I gave him an outlet for his desire for control and he gave me freedom. This was more than just fucking. This was our own brand of making love to each other. As brutal and unforgiving as it was.
“You know what I want?”
I shook my head. Whatever it was, I’d do it.
“After I’ve made you come apart, I want you to clean your cum off my cock. Then I’m going to fuck your throat and feed you my fucking cum.”
My insides clenched at his words. I knew how much he loved my mouth. How he got off on fucking me to the point of almost gagging. I trusted him not to go too far.
His fingers found my clit, stroking it and pressing down hard. I jerked and bucked. His pace increased, causing the familiar stirrings deep in my core. It didn’t take much. I clenched around him, my body trembling and spasming out of control. I groaned, wanting desperately to cry out his name whilst I came apart completely.
His brutal thrusts slowed as I came down from my high and sagged in his hold. He ripped my underwear out of my mouth, pulling out of me and flipping me over onto my back. His grey eyes glittered as he towered above me.
“Come here and clean up your mess, then I might let you have these back.”
He dangled my underwear between his thumb and forefinger. I wasn’t sure I wanted it back given they were covered in spit and my arousal, but I couldn’t exactly not wear any given where we were.
I got up onto my knees and took him in my mouth, using my tongue to caress his cock. He let out a low growl, which rumbled through his chest. His fingers tangled in my hair, anchoring me to him.
“Look at me whilst you suck my cock.”
My eyes snapped up to his. The lust and heat in them almost made me tremble. Aiden exuded power and control. I revelled in it. I never thought I’d enjoy submission, but with Aiden, it was everything.
“That’s it, princess. Show me how thankful you are I made you come on my cock just like you asked.”
I did. I ran my tongue down his shaft, licking up my cum like he asked me to. When I took him in my mouth again, his fingers tightened in my hair, keeping me still. He fucked my mouth, thrusting his cock down my throat. I took it all, feeling him pulsate inside me. He was close. I gripped the base of his cock and squeezed. He grunted, fucking me harder. The first spurt coated my mouth, filling me with the evidence of his desire for me.
I swallowed every last drop he gave me when he pulled out. He stroked my jaw, a devious smile on his face as he handed me back my underwear.
“My dirty little princess,” he whispered as he leant down and kissed me.
I fell asleep not long after that, tucked up in Aiden’s arms. All my troubles melted away after his brutal fucking. Aiden always managed to make everything better. I shouldn’t rely on him to fuck away my pain and bad memories, but I didn’t care. Our connection wasn’t just about sex even though we couldn’t keep our hands off each other. It was two souls bound together. Two people who needed the right person to put their hearts back together. To heal from the pain and suffering.
I was that girl for Aiden and he was that man for me. And somewhere deep inside me, I knew I no longer wanted to be a Daniels. I wanted to bind myself to Aiden in name. In heart. In soul. He was it for me.
And I couldn’t fucking tell him that for fear he would bolt. The fear he would tell me he wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment to me even though I was his and he was mine. I wouldn’t put that kind of pressure on him. I knew Aiden well enough to know he needed time and space to decide these things for himself.
So I kept my mouth shut. Instead, I told him I loved him before I fell asleep and he whispered that he loved me too.
That had to be enough for me.
For now.
~~~
I was a little embarrassed the next day when James ambled in, yawning. He didn’t say anything about our nocturnal activities so I had to assume he hadn’t heard us. I stripped the sheets and stuffed them in the washing machine without being asked. I couldn’t let him do it after what Aiden and I had done last night. I dressed in yesterday’s clothes and we all sat down to a cup of tea. James and I had toast with ours, but Aiden didn’t really do carbs first thing in the morning.
“You think it’s safe to leave today?” James asked.
“We don’t really have a choice. She’ll be safer at mine,” Aiden replied.
Aiden’s building had higher security than most. He’d never let anyone get to me there.
“And I want a bath and change of clothes,” I added.
“You can have whatever you want when we get back.”
I felt less afraid in the morning light. Tristan hadn’t managed to have his way with me and those men following me and Davis didn’t get me. Those were positives. I was determined not to allow these things to get me down. Aiden kept telling me I was strong. I just had to prove it to myself. I wasn’t going to break again.
I hugged James and thanked him for letting us crash at his before we left. What he whispered in my ear made me smile all the way down the stairs.
“I was sceptical at first, but he’s good for you. I’m glad you found your way back to each other.”
I’d blushed, remembering what we’d done on his sofa. I really hoped James never found out about that because quite frankly, I don’t think he’d ever look at his sofa in the same way again.
Aiden wrapped an arm around me and kept his eyes on the street. I felt tension radiating off him in waves. Being out in the open bothered him, but he’d always keep me safe. My incredibly dangerous tattooed protector. The only person I’d ever want for the rest of my life.
“Where did you park?” I asked.
“Not far, just over in the next street.”
I nodded. Gert would always pick me up and park in the same carpark when we visited James considering I couldn’t drive.
When we reached the car, Aiden unlocked it and left me there to go pay at the machine.
I got in and settled myself in the seat, putting my bag in the footwell. I loved his Jag. The seats were plush and the interior beautiful. I was just about to lean against the door when it was ripped open. I looked up as two hands reached in and pulled me out.
It wasn’t Aiden. A man in a black suit with a bald head and an earpiece held me. Another man stood next to him.
“What the fuck?” I said.
“Miss Daniels,” said the bald-headed man. “It would be wise for you to come quietly.”
He dragged me away towards a waiting Range Rover, its engine running. I dug my heels in.
“No, let me go.”
I struggled in his grasp. The other man gripped my free arm and they both dragged me to the car. They were the same men from last night. I recognised the Range Rover.
“Get off me. What the hell is this?”
Neither of them replied. The bald man unceremoniously plonked me into the passenger seat and shoved me into the middle. He got in behind me whilst the other man walked around the car and slid into the other seat beside me. The doors slammed and the car set off.
“What the hell do you people want with me?”
I got nothing but hard stares. So I lunged at the other man, trying to get the passenger door open so I could get the hell out of this car. His arm slammed across my chest and pressed me back into my seat. I was winded momentarily. My heart raced. I was being kidnapped. And Aiden would fucking go mental when he found me not in the car.
“Seriously, what is going on?”
“You will find out soon enough,” the bald man said.
“Tell me now. I’m not fucking joking. My boyfriend will come after you.”
I no longer cared no one was supposed to know Aiden and I were together. I was done hiding our relationship in the shadows. This had officially pissed me right off.
