The Proposition

by Katie Ashley

  “No, look at me, Emma.”

  Obeying his command, she peeked up at him. Gently, he started easing himself inside. Emma gasped in pleasure, rather than pain, as he filled her. “Hmm,” she murmured when he was finally buried deep inside.

  “God, you feel amazing,” he whispered into her ear.

  “I could say the same about you,” she replied.

  He chuckled as he stayed stock still for a moment allowing her to get accustomed to his size. “Yeah, but for me, it’s more about being able to feel so much. I’ve never been inside a woman without a condom before.”

  “Really?”

  He bobbed his head. “Guess you’re taking my non-condom virginity.”

  “Oh,” she murmured.

  Slowly, he pulled out to thrust back into her. “Oh fuck, yes, that’s hot,” he groaned into her ear.

  Once he found a rhythm, Emma raised her hips to meet him. They moved in almost unison, their breaths coming in ragged pants.

  But after several minutes, Aidan surprised her by keeping up his languorous pace. It was tender and sweet—almost like the lovemaking she used to have with Travis. An emotional ache burned through her chest, and she shuddered. She didn’t like the shift of feelings she had. This was only supposed to be sex for procreation, not making love. When she gazed into Aidan’s eyes, she saw the restraint in them. Taking his face in her hands, she smiled. “You don’t have to hold back on me.”

  “It’s been a long time since you had sex, and I don’t want to hurt you,” he replied, practically gritting his teeth from the effort.

  “I’m not a virgin, so you won’t hurt me.” At his continued slow, almost methodical pace, Emma realized she was going to have to reach him on his terms to get him to stop. At the same time, she didn’t know if she had it in her to demand what she needed to. Drawing in a deep breath, she smacked his bare ass. Hard. “Aidan Fitzgerald, you better fuck me like you mean it!”

  Aidan’s head jerk back like she’d slapped him. “Christ, Em, I can’t believe you said that.”

  The usual blush tinged her cheeks, but she shook her head. “Don’t treat me like some fragile flower. I want you to enjoy this.”

  “Fine then,” he practically growled.

  She squealed when he rolled them over to where she was riding him. He lay still, buried deep inside her, waiting for her to take the reigns. Tentatively, she rocked against him until she slowly started speeding up the pace. Leaning back, she rested her palms on his thighs. She rode him hard and fast, grinding against him until she found just the right spot to send her over the edge again. “Yes! Oh God!” she cried.

  Aidan rose up into a sitting position. He took one of her swaying breasts in his mouth and sucked deeply while gripping her hips tight. He changed the rhythm to work her against him, pulling her almost off his cock and then slamming her back down on him. She felt him go deeper and deeper each time, and as much as she was enjoying the feeling, Aidan was grunting in pleasure against her chest.

  Just when Emma thought she might come again, Aidan pushed her onto her back and brought her legs straight up against his chest to where her feet rested at his shoulders. She whimpered when he rammed himself back inside her. He smirked in satisfaction down at her, and she knew she was in for it. She had told him she wanted to be fucked, so he was going to give it to her. Hard.

  As he pounded into her, his balls smacked against her ass. He groaned as the position took him deeper again. Her cries of pleasure seemed to fuel Aidan on as he thrust again and again. She felt the tension in his body and realized he was getting close. Suddenly, he spread her legs and brought them back to their original position, face to face and wrapped in each other’s arms.

  When Emma’s last orgasm tightened her walls around Aidan’s cock, he thrust one last time and then let himself go inside her. “Oh, fuck, Emma!” he cried before collapsing on top of her.

  They lay entangled together, catching their breath. “Don’t ever doubt yourself again,” Aidan murmured into her ear.

  “Really?”

  He pulled back to smile at her. “Totally.”

  “Thanks. You were pretty amazing yourself.”

  “I think I already got that fact from how vocal you were.” He pushed the hair out of her face. “You’re certainly not shy in the bedroom, are you?”

  Mortified at what she might have said or done in the heat of passion, Emma buried her face in Aidan’s neck. “Oh my God,” she murmured.

  “Yeah, you like to say that one a lot, too. Of course, I’m a bigger fan of when you scream my name,” he mused. When she continued hiding her face from him, he nudged her playfully. “Come on, Em. Don’t be embarrassed. It was sexy as hell.”

  “Really?” she squeaked.

  “Yes.”

  After exhaling a satisfied little sigh, she pulled away to smile shyly at him. “I guess I got carried away because I didn’t know it could be like that.”

  “You didn’t have sex like that with your fiancée?”

  “Yes, but I loved him.” At Aidan’s furrowed brows, she blushed. “What I mean is I thought I’d never enjoy sex unless I was in love with the person.”

  “Well, I’m glad I could prove you wrong,” he mused.

  They lay quietly for a few minutes. Emma could tell Aidan wasn’t one for post-coital cuddling, which further cemented his image as a womanizer to her. She watched as he kept staring up at the ceiling or shifting under the covers. He probably didn’t sleep with most of the women he went to bed with. He cleared his throat. “Wanna join me in the shower?”

  “Not yet. I’m supposed to wait before doing that.”

  “Why?”

  She blushed. “Are you sure you really want to hear about all this?”

  “Of course I am.”

  Emma couldn’t believe that after just sleeping with Aidan she couldn’t bring herself to say certain words in front of him or explain to him some aspects of successful conceiving.

  He nudged her with his elbow. “Come on, Em. What is it?”

  “Fine. I read that you should wait twenty or thirty minutes before using the bathroom or showering. You know, to help the sperm along and everything.”

  “That’s it? I thought by the way you were acting it was something truly embarrassing.” Aidan grinned.

  “Trust me. Talking like this to you is mortifying.”

  “Okay, whatever. So the deal with the sperm is it’s kinda like a ‘you can’t go swimming for thirty minutes after you eat’ kinda thing?”

  “I guess,” she murmured.

  “What else are you supposed to do?”

  “Aidan,” she protested.

  “Come on. You can do it. You just said sperm in front of me, and I didn’t run for the hills. I think I can handle it.”

  A giggle escaped her lips. “Well, they did say you could put a pillow under your hips. It helps tilt the cervix and uterus.”

  Aidan shook his head. “Okay, you got me. You said the intolerable word, uterus. I’m outta here.”

  She swatted him playfully as he pretended to rise out of the bed. He kissed her forehead. “Damn, you’re sexy even being embarrassed.”

  “Yeah, right.”

  “Seriously, Emma, I grew up with four sisters in a small three bedroom, two bath house. I’ve seen and heard enough female stuff to scar any guy psychologically for years. I promise there’s nothing you can possibly say that will gross me out.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, well, I’m an only child who took about a year before I could talk about my period in front of my boyfriend.”

  Aidan then took one of the extra pillows he was propping on and snaked it under the covers. He slid his hand under Emma’s bottom, hoisting her hips into the air. “All right, then, it’s time to help the boys out!”

  She laughed and squirmed against him. “I could have done that myself.”

  “I’m happy to help.” He wiggled the pillow underneath her but didn’t remove his hand. “And I’m never going to pass up the o
ffer to grab your ass!”

  “Don’t you ever stop?” Emma huffed.

  “Give me another round, and you’ll be begging me not to!”

  “We’ll have to see about that.”

  He gave her a wicked grin before flipping back the sheet. “Round Two begins in the shower in fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  Emma watched his gloriously naked form stride into the bathroom and turn on the water. A shiver of anticipation washed over her at the thoughts of sex with him again. Warmth filled her cheeks and crept down her neck at what she had said and done. But he had liked it, so that was all that mattered.

  Time seemed to tick agonizingly slow as she waited to get up. She wondered if there would be any hot water left for her. Finally, she threw back the covers and hurried into the bathroom. Steam enveloped her when she entered, and she heard Aidan humming.

  She opened the glass shower door and slipped inside. “Wow, this shower is huge,” she remarked.

  “Honeymoon suite, remember? They expect couples to be in here together for long periods of time.”

  “I suppose so,” she replied.

  He handed her some body wash. She squirted some onto her hand and started to lather it up when she felt Aidan’s hands on her waist. When he started to pull her against him, she backed away. At his puzzled expression, she smiled sweetly. “I believe you said it was about me the first time.” She reached down to grip his length. “This time it’s about you.”

  Aidan smirked. “If you say so, ma’am.”

  Her hand, slick with soap, slid up and down, working him into a rock hard state. He gave a grunt of pleasure when her other hand reached between them to cup his balls, massaging them gently. “Hmm, pretty good technique for a girl who claims she doesn’t have a lot of experience.”

  “Oh, but I’ve only got started, Mr. Fitzgerald.”

  “Christ,” Aidan murmured when she sank to her knees. She ran her hands up his thighs, washing away the soap. When he was fully rinsed, she pressed his legs further apart. With her hand gripping him, she licked a trail from his navel down to his base. The water cascaded over her back as she licked his tip. She swirled her tongue around him teasingly, causing Aidan to groan. “You’re killing me.”

  His breath hitched when she took him inside her mouth. Drawing him in and out, she kept her hand working steady as well. A faint sense of pride filled her when Aidan closed his eyes and banged his head back against the tile. His hands went to her hair, and he twisted his fingers through the long strands as she bobbed up and down on him. When she started to feel like he was coming close, Aidan gently pushed her away. “Don’t want to waste it, babe,” he replied, when she glanced up at him.

  Aidan gripped her shoulders and pulled her up off the floor. Spinning them around, he pushed her up against the tile. He grinned at her as he hitched one of her legs over his hip and pressed himself inside of her. “You got me so worked up with that performance Round Two may be a little shorter than planned.”

  “That’s okay,” she panted. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck, pressing her breasts flush against his chest. The water suctioned them together as he began to move. After several deep thrusts caused her to cry out, Aidan glanced into her eyes. “I’m not hurting you, am I?”

  “No, you’re good.”

  “Just good?” he teased.

  She grinned. “Great, wonderful, magnificent, Oh, God, Oh God!”

  He laughed. “You’re such a smartass.” He increased his pace, eliciting moans from both of them. Just when Emma was getting close, Aidan grabbed her ass and swept her other leg off the ground, impaling her on him. She gasped with pleasure as he banged her back against the shower wall. “Squeeze me tight,” he instructed. She wrapped her legs tight around him, taking him deeper when she did. “Oh God, yes,” he groaned against her collarbone.

  Aidan moved frantically against her. Her back burned from being smacked against the shower wall with his thrusts, but everything else felt too good to complain. Instead, she panted against his ear, crying out his name when the orgasm ripped through her. Just as she clenched around him, he came, pinning her hard against the wall. “Damn,” he murmured. He turned his head to grin at her. “Yep, pretty damn good, Ms. Harrison.”

  She laughed. “Thank you, Mr. Fitzgerald. Think you could let me down now? I’m going to have tile burn.”

  His eyes widened. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay.”

  When she was back on her feet, her legs felt rubbery like they might not hold her. Their position wasn’t actually on the “to do” list of conceiving, so she knew she needed to get back to bed. “I better go lie down.”

  “For the boys,” he mused with a grin.

  “Yes, for the boys.”

  After grabbing a towel, she stumbled out of the shower and wobbled into the bedroom. Drying off quickly, Emma grabbed the nightgown she had stowed in her purse and slid it over her head. A glance at the clock on the nightstand showed it was after midnight. She yawned and wondered how she was going to get up in the morning for work. Turning back the sheets, she slipped into the bed.

  Aidan stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. Self-consciously, she clutched the sheet around her. “Did I wear you out?” he asked, with a grin.

  A shy smile curved on her lips. “A little,” she replied. She couldn’t bring herself to turn away when he dropped the towel and slid on his underwear. But then her heart sank as he started to reach for his pants. “Aren’t you staying?”

  He turned back to her. “I hadn’t planned on it really. But you can. The room’s covered for the night.”

  “Oh,” she murmured, unable to hide her disappointment.

  She felt the heat of Aidan’s stare before he drew in a ragged breath. The bed sagged under his weight when he sat down. “Em, you knew what kind of man I was before we got into this. I don’t usually—”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “You sure as hell don’t sound or look fine about it.”

  “It’s just you just threw me for a loop with the lingerie and champagne. It all became less business-like and more...” She shook her head. “But I get it now. It’s always going to be just sex with you.”

  Aidan groaned and ran a hand through his wet hair. “I should have realized this would happen,” he muttered.

  “I’m fine, okay?” At his skeptical look, she sighed. “This is all a whacked out emotional roller coaster for me, and I’m sorry. I’m sure you hate women who get all demanding and emotional.”

  He grimaced. “Sometimes.”

  She gave him a sad smile. “I figured as much.”

  “Actually, it’s me I hate this time for leading you on.” With a frustrated grunt, he dropped his pants and started back to the bed. When his hand gripped the sheet, she jerked her head up in surprise. “What are you doing?”

  “What the hell does it look like I’m doing? I’m coming to bed,” he grumbled.

  “But I thought—”

  “I guess since you’re going to be the mother of my child, I can make an exception in your case.”

  A strangled cry erupted from her lips. The last thing she wanted from him was pity. The moment Aidan got into bed she edged as far away from him as possible. In a huff, she twisted around in the sheets, leaving him in the cold in more ways than one.

  “Em?” When she refused to answer him, he scooted across the mattress to her. “Why are you so pissed off? I’m staying, aren’t I?”

  Emma turned back to glare at him. “I don’t want you to stay out of obligation or pity, Aidan. I want you to stay because you wanted to.”

  “Fuck. I didn’t mean for it to come out like that. I just meant that I should stay since you were different than the others…someone special.”

  She momentarily softened her expression. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really.”

  “Okay, then.”

  “Can I have some cover now? I’m freezi
ng my ass off.”

  “Of course. I mean, we can’t have anything happening to that fabulous ass of yours now can we?”

  “That mouth of yours is trouble,” he mused, as he slid under the covers. Surprise flooded her when he spooned up against her, and she couldn’t keep the satisfied sigh from escaping her lips.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Sunlight streamed in through the open curtains, warming Emma’s face. She rolled over, shielding her eyes with her arm. For a moment, she forgot she wasn’t in the comforts of her own bed. And then the revelation hit her. She was in a king sized bed in the Honeymoon Suite at the Grand Hyatt.

  When she turned over, she found Aidan had already left, without a goodbye. A pang of sadness crisscrossed its way through her chest, but she tried reasoning with herself that it was already almost miraculous he had stayed the night. She couldn’t expect for someone like him to wake her and give her a good-bye kiss. It was way out of his realm of understanding.

  She glanced over at the clock and saw it was after seven. If she wanted to make it to work on time, she knew she needed to get going. Slipping on her dress from the night before, she lamented she hadn’t thought ahead of bringing something else to wear. At almost thirty, she had never experienced a walk of shame before, and now she would have one. After all, who in the world wore chiffon at seven in the morning?

  Thankfully, the hallway was silent as she hurried down the floral carpeting to the elevators. When she got downstairs, only the hotel staff milled around in the lobby. She tried holding her head high as she passed them. She managed to keep her dignity until she gave the valet her ticket. He eyed her attire and rumpled hair and a knowing smile etched across his face. “One minute, ma’am.”

  Emma inwardly groaned and willed herself never to forget an overnight bag again.

  ***

  She barely made it into her office before Casey stormed inside and slammed the door. “I can’t believe you haven’t called me!”

  Holding up her hand, Emma warned, “I haven’t even had coffee yet. I’d hold off on launching the Inquisition for at least thirty minutes.”

  “Hmm, someone’s testy. Didn’t you get enough sleep last night?” Casey asked, wagging her eyebrows.