The Proposition

by Katie Ashley

  Aidan grunted in frustration and then pushed her towards the bed. His fingers deftly unhooked the clasps on her bustier. When her breasts were freed, his mouth immediately closed over one nipple. His erection pressed against her belly, and she felt herself growing more and more aroused. His hands went to her panties, shimming them down her legs.

  He spun her around and bent her over the edge of the bed, her elbows resting on the mattress. He spread her legs further apart. His cock nudged her entrance from behind, and he asked, “Is this okay?”

  “Umm, hmm,” she murmured.

  On the first thrust, Emma cried out. Aidan leaned over her back, his voice ringing in her ear. “Don’t wake Mason up,” he warned.

  She glanced over her shoulder at him. “What happened to making me scream?” she panted.

  “Oh, I can still do that.” His hand reached around and found her throbbing clit. He stroked it as he pounded in and out of her. “Is it too much, babe?” he asked, in a hoarse voice. She knew he was still afraid of doing anything to hurt the baby.

  She shook her head. “No, it’s good. So good.” Aidan’s other hand snaked around to cup her breast, pinching the nipple between his fingers. “Yes, oh yes!” Emma cried, almost reaching her first orgasm.

  When Aidan removed his hand, she mewled in frustration. Once her high started unraveling, he brought his fingers back, deftly stroking and caressing her, building her back up again. “Yes! Oh, Aidan, oh please! Aidan!” she cried.

  “Please what?”

  “Please keep touching me! Please make me come!”

  He stroked her faster and faster until she pressed her face against the mattress, fisting the sheets in her hands, and screamed.

  Feeling himself close, Aidan gripped Emma’s hips tighter and buried his face in her neck. He came so hard but didn’t bother masking his throaty cries. When he was finished, he pulled her up and turned her around to face him. “If you keep giving me homecomings like this, I think I’ll request to travel even more.”

  “Aw, that would be nice, but then I would miss you too much during the week.”

  Aidan grinned. “Miss me or the sex?” he asked, throwing back her usual question.

  She cocked her head. “Why the sex of course!”

  He grunted and smacked her playfully on the ass. “I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. That mouth of yours is trouble.”

  She wiggled out of his embrace. “I’m going to go take a shower. Want to join me?”

  “You don’t even need to ask.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  A little after three, the sound of Mason’s cries woke Emma. She pushed against Aidan who was sprawled on top of her. “Wake up, Aidan.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Mason’s crying.”

  He groaned and rolled off of her. As Emma threw on her robe, Mason let out a high pitched squeal. “Jesus, that kid has a set of lungs on him,” Aidan said before pulling a pillow over his head.

  She hurried over to the Pack N Play. “Shh, it’s okay, sweetheart,” she murmured, picking Mason up. His wailing eased a little, but he still continued crying.

  Aidan’s voice came muffled from under the pillow. “Em, would you mind taking him and the screaming somewhere else?”

  Rage burned through Emma. How dare he treat her that way? Shifting Mason onto her shoulder, she used her free hand to smack Aidan’s naked back. Hard.

  He flung back the pillow and glared up at her. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Why are you being such an insensitive asshole?”

  “Because I’m overworked, jet-lagged, and just want to sleep,” he growled.

  Emma shook her head. “Your behavior tonight is seriously giving me something to think about.”

  Aidan rose up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. “What are you bitching about now?”

  “Is this how it’s going to be with our baby? You only thinking of your own selfish needs, resenting the baby when it comes between us and sex, and most of all, making it seem like I’m a single parent when you’re in the same room with me?”

  With a roll of his eyes, Aidan jerked off the sheet. “Fine. I’ll go fix his fucking bottle. Will that make you happy?”

  “Maybe,” she replied. Even though he stomped bare-assed out of the room, Emma grinned that her speech had affected him enough to react. Every little battle was a victory in her favor. She eased down in the glider, rubbing Mason’s back. “Hang on sweetheart. Uncle Aidan’s going to get your bottle.”

  Her words had little effect on him, and by the time Aidan came back, he was red-faced, snorting with hungry anger, and flailing his arms and legs.

  “Damn, Little Man, take a chill,” Aidan said, shoving the bottle at Emma.

  “Thank you,” she said, with a smile. “Looks like temper tantrums run in the Fitzgerald family,” she mused, as Mason latched onto the bottle.

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Aidan replied with a grin. He collapsed back onto the bed. “He obviously gets that from his father—the dickhead who knocked Megan up and ran off.”

  “What a jerk. Who could even think of leaving an angel like Mason or a sweetheart like Megan,” Emma replied. She eased the glider to and fro as Mason sucked the milk down greedily. “You were hungry, weren’t you?” she asked, as she placed him on her shoulder and burped him.

  Cradling him to her chest, she gave him his pacifier. After she began humming softly, she saw the calming effect it had on him. When she started singing softly, Mason’s eyes grew heavier and heavier. Then he was fast asleep.

  When she stood up to put him back to bed, she did a double take at the sight of Aidan propped up on one elbow, staring at her. With only the light from the hallway, she couldn’t quite tell if it was lust or love that burned in his eyes.

  “What?” she whispered, easing Mason down onto the mattress.

  “I’ve never heard you sing before.”

  “Oh that.” She ducked her head, trying to fight the embarrassment pricking her skin. She pulled the blanket over Mason.

  “You’re really good.”

  She jerked her gaze up to stare over at Aidan in surprise. “Seriously?”

  “Like an angel.” He took her hand and pulled her back into the bed. “I mean, you told me you sang and all at church and at the bar, but I had no idea you were that good.”

  “You’re just being nice.”

  “And when have I ever done that?” Aidan mused, with a sly smile.

  Emma giggled. “Okay, I guess you’re right about that one.”

  His lips grazed along her collarbone before he glanced up at her. “I’m serious, Em. Your voice is absolutely amazing.”

  “Thank you.” She pressed her lips to his. “Anytime you want me to sing you to sleep, I will.”

  “I’d like that.”

  Emma scooted closer to Aidan, burying her face in the crook of his arm. “I really hate you have to leave again.”

  “So do I,” he murmured.

  She fought with herself before asking the next question. “I know we agreed that we both wanted ‘more’, but did you ever figure out what that meant to you?”

  His fingers, which had been rubbing lazy circles over her skin, froze on her shoulder blade. “Not exactly. Did you?”

  Propping her chin on his chest, she brought her gaze to his. “I would hope it meant at the very least monogamy.”

  “Of course it would.” He creased his brows at her. “You know I haven’t been with anyone else since I propositioned you that night at O’Malley’s.”

  “I know. It’s just—”

  “You’re afraid because of my past I might not be able to stay monogamous?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  He sighed. “I can understand why you feel that way, Em. But I was serious when I told you I wanted to try for more with you. I can’t make any sweeping guarantees, but I at least want to try. I like you. I like spending time with you, even outside the bedroom.”

  E
mma knew that what Aidan was offering was huge for him. It felt like nothing to her, but after all, she wasn’t a commitment phobic womanizer. The fact he hadn’t gone on some exotic sex tour of India or hooked up with someone in the Delhi office meant he was honestly trying. She stared into his eyes. “I can accept that.”

  “And I would assume you aren’t on the look-out either, right?”

  Emma couldn’t help the contemptuous snort that escaped her lips. “Do you even have to ask? Besides, the last time I checked being pregnant didn’t put you on Maxim’s Hot 100 list.”

  He rolled his eyes. “There you go putting yourself down again about your sex appeal. You always so oblivious to the effect you have on other men.”

  “Yeah right.”

  “You didn’t even realize the night I got in from India and met you at O’Malley’s, I almost got in a bar fight with all the men who were ogling you.”

  “Seriously?” Emma asked.

  “How can I get it through your head how fucking sexy you are?”

  She pointed at her expanding bump. “This is sexy to you?”

  “I could care less if you have a belly or not, Em. You are the one who makes yourself sexy, not a body. It’s not even the way you looked in that luscious lingerie you had on earlier. It’s the way you swayed your hips and shook your ass in front of me, knowing it would drive me insane, or the way you sucked me off with total abandon.”

  Heat filled Emma’s cheeks at his words while warmth pulsed through her veins at the sincerity in which he spoke them. “So you’re still going to be rampant for me when I’m nine months pregnant, maybe thirty pounds overweight, and swollen up like a Goodyear blimp?”

  Aidan chuckled. “Yes, I will.”

  “Hmm, we’ll see about that one.”

  Just as Emma was settling down to go to sleep, Aidan asked, “So our definition of more is merely not dating anyone else?”

  “I think that’s a pretty good start. Don’t you?” Even though she wanted everything and more with Aidan, she didn’t want to scare him off. She thought it best to continue with relationship baby-steps and work her way up to the really big ones like moving in together or dare she even hope and dream, marriage.

  “I suppose so. I mean, we’re already spending all our time together. No need to work on that.”

  “I agree.”

  “So we’re good with our ‘more’?” Aidan asked.

  Even though she wanted to cry, scream, and rail that she hated their definition of more, she merely smiled. “Yeah, we’re good.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Two Months Later

  Soaking in the oversized tub, Emma eyed her swollen feet with disgust. She had thought she wouldn’t have to face the particularly unattractive side effect of pregnancy until she was much farther along. But as she moved out of her first trimester into her second, her feet had started going under daily transformations. Since she had spent most of the day on them doing back to back advertising presentations, they were worse than usual.

  Beau lounged on the tile in front of the tub, snoring slightly. With Aidan traveling out of town every other week with his Vice President status, Beau had become as much her dog as his. She picked him up from Doggy Daycare, and he helped pass the lonely nights without Aidan by sleeping by her side.

  Emma had just rewarmed the water for a longer soak when Beau raised his head up. After giving a yip, he ran to the bathroom door. “Oh, I bet Daddy’s home from New York,” she said. As Beau wiggled all over and swung his tail to and fro, Emma couldn’t help sharing his excitement.

  “Em?” Aidan’s voice bellowed from the hallway.

  “In the bathtub,” she called.

  He threw the door open and grinned broadly at her. “Hey baby!” Beau yapped at Aidan’s heels as he started over to the tub. He gave her lingering kiss before turning his attention to Beau.

  “How was your trip?” she asked, as he scratched Beau’s ears.

  Aidan groaned. “The same ol’ shit.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Which means the same ol’ shit of leaving back out of here next week, right?”

  “Unfortunately yes. I guess that’s what they pay me the big bucks for.” He eyed her bubble bath covered form. “Isn’t it a little early for that?”

  She giggled and pulled one of her legs out of the water. “I suppose it is, but I thought I would soak awhile to make my swollen pregnancy clown feet go down.”

  Kneeling down, he took her foot in one of his hands and kissed the instep. “I’ll massage them for you when you get out.”

  Emma cocked her eyebrows at him. “Uh-huh, and what do you want in return for such treatment?”

  Aidan chuckled. “Who said I wanted something in return? My Baby Mama’s feet are swollen, so I feel a responsibility to make things better.”

  She grinned. “Water’s still warm. You could join me.”

  His fingers immediately went to his shirt buttons. “You don’t have to ask me twice.”

  Emma gazed appreciatively at him while he stripped. Each time he was gone, it made her miss and crave him all the more. After stepping into the tub, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her onto his lap. He surprised her when he kissed her tenderly, rather than with his usual hungry passion. Of course, when he ran his fingers up her spine, it caused her to shiver with anticipation.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind?” Aidan asked.

  “Huh?”

  He chuckled. “You feel a little tense, that’s all.”

  “Just a stressful day at work,” she lied.

  “And what else?” he prompted.

  “Fine. There’s something I’ve been waiting to ask you.”

  “Okay. Shoot.”

  “So about this next business trip?” she asked.

  “Hmm?” he murmured, tangling his fingers through her damp hair.

  “Do you have plans for the weekend after you get back?”

  “Not that I know of. Why?”

  Emma knew it was now or never to approach him with this potential bomb. Sure two months had rolled by where they had been spending more and more time together. He kept his devotion to monogamy, even going so far as to skype and call her late nights when he was away. Most nights he was in town, she slept over or he slept at her house. But they still hadn’t quite breached the level of commitment she wanted, nor had they said the “l” word that she so craved to hear.

  “Well, it’s my family’s annual Barn Dance up in the mountains. My mom’s family that is.”

  Aidan snickered. “And what exactly is a Barn Dance?”

  “Exactly what it sounds like. My cousins’ band plays music, people dance, there’s usually homemade BBQ…and moonshine.” Emma grinned at Aidan’s wide eyes. “Mainly it’s a family reunion of sorts. I planned on going up on Saturday afternoon and coming back Sunday evening. I would really like it if you joined me. My grandparents are especially interested in meeting you.”

  Aidan smiled. “Sure.”

  “Really?” Emma squeaked, unable to hold back her shock.

  Aidan nodded. “You’ve suffered through meeting most of my family. I should repay the favor. Besides, I always love getting out of the city for the mountains. We could even take Beau with us.”

  Emma laughed. “Oh, he’ll be in doggie heaven at my grandparents. They have about thirty acres of land along with a pond.”

  “That sounds amazing for more than just Beau.”

  Emma couldn’t still the fluttering of her heart at his excitement about meeting her family. “So I can tell Grammy we’re coming?”

  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Aidan threw the last of his clothes in the suitcase and then zipped it up. He grunted in frustration when his cell went off in his pocket. Since he was already running late to pick up Emma, he didn’t need any more interruptions. Luckily, he knew it wasn’t her demanding to know where he was because it wasn’t her familiar rin
g tone. “Hello?”

  A slightly inebriated voice boomed on the other line. “Fitzy, where the hell are ya man? The entire gang is down at O’Malley’s waiting on your sorry ass!”

  It was his buddy Blake. Aidan had conveniently forgotten to tell him and the other guys from work he wouldn’t be making their usual Saturday meet-up. “Sorry dude, I’m about to head out of town with Em.”

  “You’re with Emma again?” he whined, over the roar of the boisterous crowd in the background.

  “Yeah, we’re going to visit her family up in the mountains. A Barn Dance or some shit.”

  “Fuck that, man. You spend all your time with her now. Not to mention you’ve got a kid on the way. You might as well have grown a vagina.”

  “Yeah, spending lots of sexy time with a beautiful, fiery redhead really makes me a pussy!” Aidan replied, with a chuckle.

  Blake snorted. “You have no idea the fucking quicksand you’re treading on. Sure, it seems like easy fun now, but just wait. Emma’s no fool. She’s tightening her noose, and you’re too mind fucked to see it.”

  “Don’t be saying shit like that about Emma,” Aidan snarled.

  “I’m not the only one saying it, Fitzy. The whole gang is worried about you. And don’t say we don’t know what we’re talking about. Three of us have been through divorces, remember?”

  Aidan shifted the phone to his other ear. He wasn’t enjoying the turn the conversation had taken. He didn’t like Blake’s tone or the potential truth in his words either. “Nice groups of friends I’ve got running their mouths behind my back.”

  “Yeah, well, just mark my words. If you don’t get out fast, you’ll wish you had listened to us one day.”

  “Go fuck yourself, Blake!” Aidan shouted before hanging up. He shoved his phone back in his pocket. Who the hell did Blake think he was? Emma wasn’t forcing him to do anything. No woman ever had and no woman ever would. He was with her because he was enjoying what they had. There was nothing wrong with that. He was giving just as much as he wanted to, and she wasn’t forcing his hand at anything else.