Stained Hearts (Links in the Chain Book 3)

by Parker Williams

  He ran a hand over one wall, and I could see the sheen of tears in his eyes.

  “She busted her hump trying to provide for me. She went to work at that awful place for the insurance. She insists that wasn’t the reason, and that she liked working with Galen, but I’m not stupid. With all the trips to the doctor, I knew there was a price to pay, and even though I was a kid, I understood that she’d decided she was going to be the one who paid it.”

  The tears spilled over, glistening on his cheeks. He stared hard at one spot, then tapped it with his index finger.

  “Right here? I hung her picture so I could look at it every night. It reminded me of what she was doing for me and helped me to not be a dick when things got bad for me. It didn’t always work, but she still loved me.” He turned to me and opened his arms wide. I stepped over to him, and he wrapped them around my stomach.

  “Is it stupid that the only good memories I have of growing up are here? That so many times I wanted to call Livvy Mom and tell her how much I love her. She was my whole world growing up, and now you are.”

  Galen sighed. “That’s beautiful.” When I scowled at him, he blushed and pointed to the door. “I’ll wait in the other room.”

  As soon as he left, Aiden sagged against me. “I feel like I’m running out on her.”

  I reached out and lifted his chin so he had to look me in the eyes. “Hey, no, none of that. She wants you happy, and that’s what I want too. If you’d rather stay here, that’s fine. We’ll still spend the weekends together, and maybe we can take a vacation somewhere.” The words sounded sure and strong, but inside I was trembling with fear that he’d decide to stay with Olivia.

  “What? No! I want to live with you. I’ll just miss her.”

  “It’s not like we’re on the other side of the planet. She’s a phone call away, right?”

  He nodded.

  “Then you can call her to go out to coffee or lunch. You’re not going to lose her, and I think you know that.”

  He took in a deep breath. “Yeah, you’re right. Change is hard, though, you know?”

  That was something he didn’t need to tell me. “I agree, but sometimes it’s important and helps us become stronger.”

  “You wanna know what I’m going to like best about living with you?”

  I nipped at his neck. “What’s that?”

  “It’ll be like living with a Hallmark card.” He cackled. “Or maybe Confucius. All wise and knowing.”

  I grinned at him. “And you want to know what I’m going to like best about living with you?” The tendon on his neck looked particularly inviting, so I bent over and sucked it into my mouth.

  “Wh-what?”

  “I won’t have to wait hours to see you.” I sucked harder, making him moan. I slid my hand down and groped his dick, then moved around and cupped his ass. “And you’ll be there when I need some of these.”

  He exhaled sharply. “Now? Is now good? I can lean over the desk.”

  “So Galen or Robert can walk in and find me balls-deep in your ass?”

  “Yeah, sure. Okay.”

  “How about if Olivia comes home early? Do you want her to see you getting fucked?”

  “If it’s going to get me laid, she can stand on the corner and sell tickets for all I care.”

  He reached down and tugged at my zipper. I couldn’t believe he was actually willing to go through with it. I had to admit, I wanted to do him right there and then. I was certain the desk could hold both of us. The idea that someone could see us made the whole thing hotter. I didn’t even realize I had an exhibitionist streak until I met Aiden.

  “Hurry up!”

  He reached a hand inside my pants, and as much as I hated having to do so, I grabbed his wrist and pulled it out, then zipped back up.

  “Stop that!”

  He looked up and fluttered his eyelashes. “Shy?”

  The devil. Definitely.

  “You know what? I don’t mind if people want to watch us fuck, but I won’t do it in front of family. You want to go to a club and get kinky up on the stage, fine, but not in your sister’s home.”

  If I thought that would bring him to his senses, I was wrong.

  “There are clubs like that?”

  “A few, mostly in Chicago, but there are a couple in Milwaukee where you can get it on after hours.”

  “And you’d take me there?”

  That was like a splash of cold water in my face. “What? No.”

  He frowned. “Ashamed of me?”

  This was a challenge, I knew it, and I wasn’t about to back down. Aiden was fishing, trying to get me to tell him my intentions. I didn’t honestly believe he wanted to do that. He might have a streak of kink in him, but no way did he want to be shared. At least I hoped not.

  I gripped his arm and tugged him to me. “No one sees you naked. Ever. If we’re going to have a relationship, then it’s strictly the two of us in it. If you’re looking for something else, you need to tell me, because we won’t be on the same page. I don’t share, Aiden. Not ever. My heart and my cock can only belong to one person. I want that person to be you, but—”

  His eyes went wide, and he grabbed my face and pulled me down into a kiss. “Thank you.” He ran a hand over my chest. “I don’t want anyone else, and you know as well as I do, no one is going to want to see me having sex with anyone.”

  “Why? Because of your legs? That’s stupid. In clubs like those, no one would bat an eye.”

  “Have you been there before?”

  I laughed. “Hell no. Brian would have cut my nuts off if I even suggested something like that.” I leaned down and kissed Aiden. “I’m not built like that. I’m my parents’ son. Me and one other person, that’s all it takes to make me happy. I do have friends in the lifestyle who’ve been there, and they tell me stories.”

  He cooed and put his head on my chest. “Thank you. I think I needed to hear that.” Then he reached down and ran a hand over the bulge in my jeans. “But we can try new things at home, right? I mean, there’s some stuff I read about that sounded interesting and I would like to see if I enjoy them.”

  Sweet, kind, loving, and sexually adventurous. What’s not to love about this man?

  Then why can’t you say the words?

  Oh, fuck off.

  Chapter Sixteen

  HAVING AIDEN with me constantly opened up new avenues of emotions for me. I would wake up early in the morning, make a pot of coffee, then go back into the bedroom and sit in my chair so I could watch him until he opened his eyes. There was something about him waking up that I couldn’t explain. The sleepy smile he gave when he saw me sitting in the chair across from the bed started the day in the best of ways.

  “How long have you been sitting there this time?”

  “Just a few minutes. Does it bother you?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. You might not believe this, but seeing you makes waking up worthwhile.”

  I peered out the window. The leaves had started falling, and a scent of frost was in the air. Halloween was only two weeks away, and it would be the first time in years that the house was decorated. Aiden wanted pumpkins and ghosts and ghoulies—but not witches, which he said was stereotypical and offensive to his friend Elise, who was a practicing Wiccan.

  Olivia had warned me that Halloween was Aiden’s second-favorite holiday, behind Christmas. I asked if that was because of the limitless candy bowl, and she chuckled and said I was learning. I’d gone out and bought double the amount I thought we’d give away, just so he’d have something to snack on.

  “What are you going as for Halloween?”

  He blinked twice. “Nothing. I was going to stay here and hand out candy.”

  “You mean, eat candy.”

  “Tomato, tomahto.” He stuck out his tongue. “Why would I need to go as anything?”

  “You have the house done up like The Nightmare Before Christmas, so why would you wear plain clothes?” I went to him and lay down beside him. “
Think big. You said you were planning on being in the chair to hand things out, right? So let’s look up costumes that will work for someone using a mobility device.”

  His eyes sparkled. “Really?”

  “Sure. And I’ll get something for me, so the two of us can sit out on the porch together and hand out whatever you don’t eat.”

  “Well, there was something I saw that I thought would be perfect for me.”

  “All right, tell me.”

  He grinned. “It makes me look like a prisoner in an electric chair. We could get me a prisoner outfit, and I could sit there with an aluminum foil helmet on, hooked up to look like electrodes.”

  “That’s brilliant!”

  He snickered. “Glad you think so. I wanted to do it last year, but Livvy said it was morbid.”

  “Nah, morbid would be if we got you made up to look like the whole after-electrocution thing. It’s going to be hard to top that.”

  “You could go as the warden. Big bushy mustache, dark sunglasses, and the sexy cop uniform. Then when people come, you can pretend to throw a switch and I could yell and writhe.”

  I shook my head. “So you’re saying you’re trying to traumatize the kids.”

  “No!” He rolled his eyes. “I’m trying to see if they’re worthy of the candy.”

  “You want them to run away so you can have more.”

  He busted out laughing. “See? Now you’re getting it!” He calmed down and put a hand on my side. “You’re really okay with this?”

  “Hell yes!” I reached out and put my hand atop his. “It makes you happy, so I want that for you.”

  “You know, I still haven’t finished your window.”

  “Yeah, I’m aware.” It didn’t matter. I’d rather have Aiden than the window anyway. “It’s fine.”

  “Uh-uh. It’s a sucky thing to do.”

  I shifted a little closer. “But you’re keeping up with your other orders, right? That’s fine. The window can wait until you’ve got time.”

  He sat up a little. “How about if I give it to you for Christmas?”

  “That works. What do you want me to give you?”

  His cheeks flushed. “I’d like for you to take me to Chicago. I’d love to see one of these clubs you know about.” Before I could object, he leaned in and kissed me. “I promise to keep my clothes on the whole time. I just… I wanna see, you know?”

  “Is there something you’re trying to tell me?”

  He heaved a sigh. “I don’t know. Sometimes I feel as though I’m missing out on something. It’s like it’s right below the surface. Think of it as an itch I can’t scratch. I’m not sure what it is, but I want to find out.”

  Very few people I knew were total vanilla. Almost everyone liked a little bit of sprinkles added to their life. Aiden was no different, despite what he seemed to think.

  “Do you think I’m a freak?”

  “What? Hell no.” I pulled him close. “I’ve got a friend, probably the most straitlaced person you’re ever going to want to meet. He works in an office from nine to five, Monday through Friday. He goes out to eat once during the workweek, orders the same thing every time. There are no variations in his life. Until Friday night.”

  He leaned closer. “What does he do on Friday?”

  I was glad I had his attention, because this lesson was important. “He gets home at six, strips out of his business suit, then showers. Once he’s finished, he shaves his body before he dresses in his most gorgeous evening gown, complete with opera gloves. He spends the whole weekend as a woman who likes to go out and be wild and free. The restaurant he dines at? He’ll go there and order something different. He’ll go out dancing. It gives him the chance to let loose, away from the confines of his structured world. Now tell me, do you think he’s a freak?”

  “What? No!”

  “It helps him get through the grind, because he knows that as soon as Friday night hits, he’s no longer Calvin, he’s Callie, who likes to be the life of the party. It’s forty-eight hours of freedom for him before he has to be back at work on Monday.”

  “But how does he stand it? The whole week must kill him, not being who he is.”

  “You’re missing the point. He’s Calvin, the one who loves his job and has responsibilities, and she’s Callie, who is a free spirit. Each of them fills a need for the other. Just like Calvin, there doesn’t have to be one Aiden. Who you are is up to you. If you think going to the club will help you find out who you are, then we’ll go. At least as long as you remember to keep your clothes on.”

  His smile was radiant. “I swear. No clothes will leave my body.” He gave me a saucy wink. “That is, unless you take them off me.”

  As tempting as that thought was, I got up and grabbed my car keys. Aiden and I had some shopping to do, plus I had a friend to ask for a favor.

  I was going to make this a Halloween Aiden would never forget.

  OLIVIA TUCKED the blanket around Aiden’s legs. She reached up and brushed some hair from his forehead, then smiled at him. “Are you comfortable?”

  “Yes, mother.” He rolled his eyes. “How many times are you going to ask me that? I’m fine. Stop fussing.”

  She stepped back and scowled at him. “I get dressed up to take part in your prison fantasy, and you’re going to be a jerk? Nice to see I was missed.”

  His annoyance bled out almost instantly. “Oh, Livvy….” He held out his arms. “Come give me a hug.”

  She swooped in and wrapped her arms around him. “The house is quiet without you there.”

  “Funny, mine is a lot noisier.”

  They both looked at me, Olivia trying to bite back a laugh and Aiden with a sneer.

  “You never mind my noises in the bedroom.”

  All right, I admit, I didn’t. “Aiden….”

  “Oh, what? You don’t want Olivia to hear how you make me scream your name? Should I give her a demonstration?”

  He opened his mouth, but I slapped a hand over it before he could utter a word.

  “You are the rudest little shit. I swear.” Behind my hand, the muffled sounds of laughter emanated. “Fine, you win. You’re the perfect housemate, roommate, and lover all rolled into one sexy-as-fuck package.” I pulled my hand away. “How’s that?”

  He gave a cheeky grin, and I knew I was in trouble. His mouth opened, and what came out made me want to crawl into a hole. “Fuck, Tom! Right there! Harder!”

  My cheeks didn’t just heat—they practically erupted into flames.

  When he saw my reaction, he burst out laughing, and Olivia followed suit.

  I pouted spectacularly, if I did say so myself. “Thanks, Aiden. Thanks a fuck of a lot.”

  “Aw, come here.” He reached for my face and pulled me down for a kiss. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, he’s not. Oh, believe me, he’s going to do it again, and next time it’ll be around your parents’ dinner table.”

  This time I snorted. “Trust me. They’ve heard worse. Hell, my mother says worse. After she saw When Harry Met Sally, we went out to dinner. It was the whole family. We were sitting around the table, and she nudged my dad and nodded toward a table full of blue-haired women. Even from where we were sitting, we could hear them complaining about everything. The service, the people who were sitting around them, and then their gazes land on us. Now we weren’t perfect kids, but Robert and I knew how to behave in a restaurant. One of the women says loud enough for everyone to hear, ‘The state of the world today, where they let those kind of people in here.’ Dad’s eyebrows arched, and he turned to Mom, who grinned and gave him a nod. All of a sudden, he sank beneath the table—not an easy feat for someone his size—and a few moments later, Mom threw her head back and moaned loud. Well, the women were incensed and called for the waitress, the manager, demanding the police be called, the whole nine yards, when Dad came back out from under the table, spoon in hand, and apologized, saying he dropped it and needed to get it. Mom looked the women square in the eye and said, �
��How you like us now, you hateful bitches?’”

  Aiden and Olivia were both laughing so hard, they had tears rolling down their eyes. They clung to each other, gasping for breath, and I sat there enjoying it.

  “You don’t fuck with our family. We’re good people, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find people as close as we are. Mom and Dad will suffer the slings and arrows in silence, but the second you bring us into it, well, that’s where their tolerance ends.”

  “I love your parents.” Olivia sighed. “Your mom called last week and asked me to go window-shopping with her. We stopped in at the diner for lunch, and after we sat down, we talked about the things we’d seen. She told me she really liked the suit I mentioned would be good for work, but I told her there was no way I could pay that much. She hummed and nodded. After we ate, we got in the car, and instead of heading home, she went back to the store. She told me she was buying me that suit, then proceeded to drag me kicking and screaming into the store. I protested, she ignored. Long story short, I have a new suit.”

  I reached over and patted her hand. “I told you both. You’re our family. Mom would sooner cut off her own arm than let one of her kids go without. Back in the lean years, after she found out we had to decide between eating and paying bills, she filled the freezer with ready-to-heat meals every week.”

  The doorbell rang, and Aiden’s gaze snapped to the clock. “Oh, we’re late!”

  He unlocked the wheels on his chair, stopped to look in the mirror to ensure his costume was good, then grabbed the bowl of candy before pulling the door open. Two young kids, a boy and girl, stood there dressed in a ballerina outfit and cowboy gear. The coolest thing was that each was wearing what would normally be considered the other gender’s role.

  “Look at you! You’re adorable!” He reached into the bowl and took out a handful for each of them. “You tell your parents that your costumes are awesome.”