“Hello, Aaron.” A smile appeared on her face, and Aaron’s grip on my hand loosened a little. She rose to her feet and as Aaron and I stopped in front of her, she started to raise her arms, but then dropped them, as if she wasn’t sure what to do.
I gave Aaron a little nudge and let go of his hand. Yvette then pulled him into a hug, tears filling her eyes. My eyes teared too as the two of them didn’t seem to be able to let go of each other.
“I’m sorry.” Yvette finally pulled away, wiping away her tears with the sleeve of her green shirt. “I’ve been imagining this moment for so long.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Aaron said, a tear sliding down his cheek. “If I’d known about you sooner... I always thought my mother was dead.”
“Your father wouldn’t have allowed it, and I’d never let you risk your life.” She turned her gaze to me. “I know you, don’t I? My memory’s a little cloudy, but you’re Octavia. Am I right?”
“Yeah.” I flashed her a smile. It was a good thing she didn’t remember most of what she’d done, or maybe she just wasn’t sure what had been real and what not. Aaron and I had agreed with Lora that it was for the best not to tell Yvette how she’d reacted the first time she’d seen her son. It would only hurt her if she knew, and even if she remembered eventually, it was better that she had plenty of good memories with Aaron first.
“You’re my son’s wife.” She wrapped her arms around me.
“Girlfriend.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Yvette said, stepping back. “Why don’t you sit down so we can talk?” She and Aaron started toward a small table with four cushioned chairs in the corner of the room, in front of a huge bookshelf. Aaron looked back at me, his eyebrows arched.
“I should leave the two of you alone,” I said. “I need to talk to Lora about something anyway.”
“Oh, you don’t have to go,” Yvette said.
“It’s okay. I’ll be back. Promise.” I gave them a small wave and headed for the door. Maybe Yvette wouldn’t mind me sitting there with them, and I knew Aaron definitely wouldn’t, but this was their time. They’d finally found their way to each other after so much time. I was sure we’d be seeing her plenty of more times, though.
***
Once Aaron emerged from his mother’s room a few hours later, he flashed me a big smile, his eyes glinting with happiness.
“Octavia?” Yvette called through the open door.
“I’ll be waiting for you in the car,” Aaron said, and I nodded, turning toward his mother.
“Thank you for lifting that curse that was hanging over my family,” she said, and it took me a moment to realize what she was talking about. “Roberto ruined our lives, and I wouldn’t have gotten to see my son at all if it wasn’t for you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just smiled. Yes, I didn’t regret killing Roberto, but being thanked for doing it still threw me off a little.
“I know you’ll take good care of my son. He loves you so much,” she said.
“Of course I will.”
“Go now. You’ve been held up here for way too long. I’ll see you two next week. My son invited me over for dinner.”
“That’s great,” I said. “I’m looking forward to it.” With a little wave to her, I strode down the hallway. Lora smiled at me as I descended the stairs and found myself in the foyer. Marco was waiting at the door, and we both headed toward the car. I got in the back seat with Aaron.
“How did it go?” I asked when Marco started the car.
“I still don’t believe this is real,” Aaron said. “I keep expecting I’ll wake up and everything will turn out to be just a dream.”
“Oh, this is real.” I lowered my head and pressed my lips against his. “Feels real, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, it does.” He grinned. “I’m glad she doesn’t hate me.”
“Why would she? She’s your mother and she was forced to give you up. Of course she loves you.”
“I know, but I...”
“No.” I raised my finger. “Leave the past where it belongs. What else did she say?”
“She wanted to know how I met you.”
I grimaced. “What did you tell her?”
“That we struck a deal to work together against my father.”
“Ah, okay.”
“I hope you don’t mind that I invited her over for dinner... if she feels well enough for it and the doctors okay it.”
“I’m glad that you did that. You need to spend as much time together as possible. I know it won’t make up for what you’ve lost, but you have a new opportunity now.”
“When I was younger, I sometimes wondered what it would be like to have a mother who loved me, but then I thought she didn’t want me or wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
I traced a circle across his hand, leaning my head on his shoulder. My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out of my pocket. “Oh, I almost forgot. It’s Michael’s birthday tomorrow. We have to go over to my family’s house for dinner.”
“Okay.” Aaron kissed the top of my head, then got his phone. “I want to show you something.”
“What is it?”
He handed the phone to me, and I saw a photo of a modern-looking building that was all steel and glass. I’d seen that somewhere, but I couldn’t remember where.
“Swipe right,” he said, and I did as he asked. A photo of a brand new kitchen with dark blue cabinets and a huge white table with chairs appeared on the screen. I swiped again, and saw a room with pale blue walls and a king size bed with dark covers.
“What is this? It’s very nice. Very, very nice.” There were a few more photos: a huge bathroom, a room that looked like a small library, a terrace with a pool...
“If you want it, it can be ours,” Aaron said.
My lips parted as I looked up at him. “You want us to move there?”
“Yeah, I’d like that. Do you know where the building is?”
“I’ve seen it, but... I don’t really remember.”
“Ferrara-Viteri border.” Aaron couldn’t suppress a smile.
“Oh, my God!” I clamped my hand over my mouth. “You took me seriously?”
“Why not? It’s a good idea. Then they wouldn’t be able to say we live in anyone’s area.”
“Are you trying to cause a new war or what?” A laugh bubbled up in my throat. “I can see it as a news headline. The Viteris and Ferraras lose their minds over an apartment and burn the city to the ground.”
“If you prefer something else, we can look for it. I don’t think our current house is a good place, and it was supposed to be only temporary anyway.”
“So it’s a penthouse, right? Won’t the other tenants mind us living there?” I wouldn’t want to get anyone in trouble because of who we were.
“Yeah, it’s at the top of the building. It has its own entrance and elevator, so we wouldn’t have to use the main door,” Aaron said. “We could buy the floor beneath it for Marco and a few others. And the security measures would have to be top-notch.”
“Hmm.” I kind of liked that idea.
“But if you prefer a house or something bigger...”
“No, this is fine. We can always move if we end up hating it. Buy it.”
“You sure?” Aaron eyed me carefully.
“Yeah.”
He tapped his phone a few times. “It’s done.”
“Great.” I rubbed my hands together. “When can we go there? I want to try out that bed.”
“In a few days. The security needs to be set up first,” Aaron said.
“Okay.” I leaned forward. “Marco, did you already agree to this?”
“Agree to what?” he asked.
“Living in that building. I thought Aaron said...” I glanced back at Aaron, who had his best poker face on. “Let me guess. He didn’t even ask you.”
“He didn’t need to,” Marco said. “I’ll go with him anywhere as long as he needs me.”
“Fine then.” I settled back into Aaron’s embrace, closing my eyes. I was looking forward to our new life.
Chapter 27
A year later
I looked at myself in the mirror once again to make sure everything was perfect before I went through the door Marco was holding open for me. He cringed when his gaze fell on my gold snake-shaped ring.
“I don’t know how you can wear that thing,” he said.
“It’s cute.” I raised my hand toward his face, a huge smile on my lips. The truth was, the ring was a gift from Aaron because he’d known the only ring I’d like would have to be unusual, and he hadn’t been wrong. What Marco wasn’t aware of was that ring had “A&O” engraved on the inside.
My golden high heels clicked as we walked down the hallway of Aaron’s and my penthouse. Buying this place had been the best decision we could’ve ever made. It was nice and spacious, and our own private garage and entrance that was entirely separate from the rest of the building were perfect because they provided us with enough privacy and security, but at the same time, we didn’t feel like we were living in a golden cage far from everyone.
“Why did Aaron send you to get me instead of coming here himself?” I asked. Since he was the co-leader of the Viteris, he usually had to spend a couple of hours away from home, and when he came back, we’d go out for dinner, a party, or something. This time was different because only Marco had come and Aaron had just told me to get ready for what I’d assumed was another evening out, but now I wasn’t so sure.
“It’s a surprise,” Marco said. “He’s waiting for you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, as if I could will him to tell me what it was, but he simply offered me a smile and stepped away so I could get in the elevator. “I hope you didn’t leave him unprotected.” When Aaron and I weren’t together, Marco usually went with him, and Todd came with me. Yeah, I’d actually stolen a guard from my family. The rest of our guards watched over the building or closely followed us, trying to make themselves as invisible as possible.
“Aaron’s going to be fine,” he said. “Corbin’s with him.”
“I wish you’d just tell me where we’re going. The anticipation’s killing me.” The elevator opened and we exited into the garage where a black SUV was waiting for me, and one of the guards surrounding it opened the door for me. Careful of my dark red high-waisted dress with a leopard print, I got in the back seat. Marco settled in the passenger seat and our driver started the engine.
I opened my black purse and dug out my phone. Tony had created a sort of a private message board for our family where we could easily leave messages and post photos. He’d made sure everything was very well encrypted and not easy to detect or hack. I was visiting my family almost every other day, but Dylan had recently gone on a two-week trip with a girl he’d met months ago, so the message board was a good way for us to communicate with him. My father preferred to get the updates from the guards he’d sent with them.
I snorted when I saw a funny selfie Tony and Sebastian had taken at a club, their faces painted with fluorescent symbols. Tony didn’t like when his message board went quiet, so he kept posting photos and videos.
When I was done checking the messages, I returned the phone to my purse. The car stopped a few moments later, and the driver quickly got out, but I opened my door and climbed out before he could get to it.
Aaron was leaning against one of the columns at the entrance of a skyscraper, which was completely enveloped in glass. He immediately straightened his back and started toward me, patting his black suit as if he wanted to iron out the invisible wrinkles. His warm blue eyes traveled up and down my body, and his lips parted slightly.
“You like my dress,” I said.
“Yes. You look absolutely breathtaking.” In one quick stride, he was right in front of me, his lips on mine. When he pulled away, his mouth was a bit red from my lipstick.
“What is this place?” I looked up at the skyscraper. We’d been to a lot of places, but never here.
“You’ll see.” He offered me his arm and I took it, then we made our way toward the entrance where two guards dressed in white were waiting for us. “I’d rented it just for us.”
“The whole building?” I gaped at him, and he nodded.
“I didn’t want anyone to bother us.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Are we celebrating something?”
“In a way, yeah.” His eyes flickered with amusement.
I tried to remember what it could be, but I didn’t remember today’s date as anything special. “Care to tell me?”
“A whole year has passed without anyone trying to kill us. I think that’s a special occasion and should be celebrated as such.”
“Really?” I couldn’t believe it had been so long. “Wow. That’s awesome.”
The guards at the door inclined their heads at us, and Aaron led me through the open door. We emerged into a large hall, but instead of going for any of the doors, we headed for the glass elevator. Marco and the guards who had been trailing after us moved in a different direction.
“Where are they going?” I asked as Aaron and I got inside.
“They’ll wait for us upstairs. We’ll be safe in here.” He pressed the button for the top floor and we slowly started to go up. “Besides, the view can be a little distracting.”
I gazed at the city that was bursting with life and colorful lights as the sun was about to set. “Nice. I assume people can’t see us from the outside?” I couldn’t see any cameras either.
“No. This elevator was made so people could admire the view, but I can get it to go faster if you don’t want to...”
I placed my finger over his lips. “No, Aaron, I love this. It’s giving me... ideas. There’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” I whispered into his ear. Capturing his lips with mine, I kissed him hard. My hand slipped into his hair, gripping tightly. He moaned against my mouth, and I pushed him down on his knees in front of me.
“Let’s see if you can make me come before we reach the top,” I said, lifting my dress up, my pussy already wet.
His eyes widened slightly as he looked up at me.
“You better hurry if you don’t want anyone to see us.” I winked at him, spreading my legs, and I was glad I wasn’t wearing underwear. Aaron grasped my thighs and lifted himself toward me, then flattened his tongue across my slit. I grasped his head, pulling him closer to me, and he dipped his tongue inside me.
A soft groan escaped my lips, and he shoved his tongue in and out, creating a delicious friction that lit a fire in my veins. One flick of his tongue over my clit, and a shudder ran up my spine.
“If you... don’t... hurry...” I said, my fingers still buried in his hair. The idea of someone catching us like this only helped to build the pressure inside me.
Aaron slid a finger inside me, then another, and I threw my head back as he sucked on my clit.
“Faster,” I said, and he obeyed. I was no longer sure if I was still able to stand or if he was the one holding me up. We were so close to reaching the top floor... So close... I cried out as he twirled his tongue in just the right place, spilling me over the edge. Jolts of pleasure shook my body, and I fought to catch my breath as Aaron’s tongue continued to lap at me.
“Get up,” I managed to say, letting go of his hair, and he rose to his feet, my juices coating his lips. There was barely time for me to lower the dress before the elevator dinged and the doors opened. Aaron ran his hand through his hair, trying to tame it again, but I knew it was futile.
Marco and the guards had neutral expressions on their faces as they waited for us to come out. When they were sure we were fine, they moved out of our way, revealing a darkened room with a table set up with candles in the middle. Rose petals were scattered all over the floor. It was beautiful.
I stepped out of the elevator, swaying slightly, and extended my hand to Aaron, who reluctantly moved forward. A wicked smile crossed my lips as I realized he was trying
to hide the bulge in his pants.
“Don’t worry,” I said, leaning in to brush my lips against his earlobe. “I’ll repay the favor. Eventually.”
His breath seemed to hitch in his chest, and then he shook his head at me. “I swear, what you’re doing to me...”
“You love it.” Instead of going toward the table, I led him toward the glass so we could admire the view some more.
“I love you,” he said when we stopped, his eyes boring into mine.
“I love you too.” I brushed my lips against his, and then I let him wrap his arm around me as we watched the sun disappear.
###
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Hers to Love Page 17
