by Amber Heart
I blamed the events that have happened in the last twenty-four hours for the cause of my stress. I had lost my job and my apartment before boarding the plane to the Bahamas. What’s more, reaching here I encountered Aaron. Since his arrival I have been immensely aware of the effect he has on me. My body’s reaction when he sat next to me at breakfast, the way his knees had accidentally brushed against mine, his closeness when I had fallen on him and then his outburst. It all wasn’t enough that Quinn’s jackass cousin, Logan had to get overly friendly with me. The fear of being thrown in the water was too much and provoked so many memories which I wanted to remain in the past. And now every part of my body was in knots.
I had to get my shit together. And for that I needed control of my mind and my body. I was here to attend my best friend’s wedding and after that I had to get my real life back on track. I had no time to waste on Aaron or anyone else. And I couldn’t let their thoughts rule my mind. That was the first rule of control. Yes, control. I can do it. That was something I had mastered over the years.
After an hour of exercise, followed by a long shower, I was feeling like myself. “Hey, thought you were never coming out,” Gina said as I stepped out of the shower. She must have crept in while I was in the shower “You kinda freaked out there. Are you alright?” she asked and my hands stopped momentarily whilst drying my hair. I looked at her through the mirror. “Yeah, I am fine. Just not a big fan of pools,” I smirked, trying to let the topic go.
“That Logan is really pushing himself. I think he’ll be getting another kick in the balls and this time it will be from Aaron. He looked at Logan as if he was going to eat him alive” Gina took her own change of clothes and towel as she spoke.
“What do you mean?” I couldn’t help but ask. “Oh you know, with his comment at breakfast and then that stunt with you, Aaron was quite pissed,” Gina shrugged. Aaron was pissed? “Hey whose jacket is this?” I looked around to see what she was talking about. It was Aaron’s jacket in her hands. A blush crept to my face as I remembered what had happened. “It’s Aaron’s.” “Oh shit, you actually started stripping him, didn’t you?”
“I don’t need a reminder, Gina,” I turned back but now she was laughing hard. “Damn, I wish he was the stripper. He is super hot. Had I not been so hooked up on Brad, I’d have totally gone for him,” she said and I put her and Aaron together in my mind. They’d have made a remarkable couple. Gina was a total babe. Exactly what he’d want. An alien feeling crawled along me of jealousy and possessiveness. The thought of Aaron with Gina, or any other girl didn’t settle well in my throat. Jesus, Cass! What possessiveness and what claim? He is not yours!
“Ah that Aaron’s bad,” I tried to make a joke to cover my own awkwardness. “Bet he is,” she winked at me and then headed towards the bathroom. “You know you can totally hit on him. And from what I’ve seen, you may not have to try hard. He looks like he's already taken a liking to you,” she said and then closed the door on my astonished face. He likes me? My ass! The first few minutes since we met have been nothing but disaster. He would rather knock me down than take a liking to me. I shook my head at the absurdness of Gina’s observation and laid out my dress for the rehearsal dinner. My eyes landed on the jacket that Gina was looking at earlier. I picked it up and took a closer look. I had brought it with me last night when he had left it there after the big scene. Involuntarily I brought it up to my nose and sniffed it. It smelled of spicy body wash and … of Aaron. The smell alone made my head dizzy. Boy! I had to get over it. Putting it away, I busied myself in other chores. I had to return it to him. Make sure you return all those other thoughts along with it too. The rational Cassandra Levant told me and I agreed.
*
“The music will begin and Aaron and Cass will walk through the aisle first, followed by Gina and Flynn, Sandra and Louis and then Lily and Jack. After that, Avery will enter. Following?” Jacqueline, the wedding planner asked as she demonstrated the whole timeline to us. “Let’s do it once.” She clapped her hands and signaled us to get into our positions. I stood at the end of the aisle and the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen formed a queue behind me. One person was missing - my partner.
“Where is the groom’s best man?” Jacqueline’s sharp voice echoed in the hall and everybody looked around for Aaron Maxfield. “Where is Aaron?” her voice rose again. Jacqueline wasn’t a patient lady. That much I had gathered in my short time of knowing her. I fidgeted in my place awkwardly. She began to say something again but then her voice stuck in her throat. I looked up at her, she was staring ahead. I followed her gaze and my own wind pipe dried and jaw dropped on the floor. Aaron Maxfield was making an entrance. A sigh escaped my lips at the sight of him. Dressed up in a charcoal gray sports jacket with black shirt and jeans, his hair was gelled neatly in a sleek mafia hairstyle. His face was grave and brows slightly quirked up from one end. And his eyes were as black as the night and fixed on … me. He walked with confident strides in my direction and then stopped right next to me.
His musky cologne along with his body wash and his own scent, my nostrils took in a whiff and I was tempted to close my eyes and savor it a little. No. Don’t even think of going there, Levant. I scolded myself. But, drag me to hell and back, how was I supposed to stand steadily on my feet when this mouth-watering deliciously sexy man was standing next to me? I ran my tongue to remove the dryness that had covered my lips. Compose yourself!
Jacqueline was back to barking orders. “Maid of honor and the best man, your cue is the violin,” she said. I prayed silently to make it out of here without adding any more embarrassments to my book. The violin began and Aaron presented his arm to me. I placed my hand in his crook and we both stepped ahead. My breasts brushed with his elbow and my nipples hardened instantly. A gasp escaped mine just as a curse was muttered from Aaron’s lips. I took a peek at him and he was looking down at me. Holy shit! If there was a thing called eye fucking, it just happened to me. His gaze was … hot. I was hot in all the right places. My grip tightened on his arm automatically as I tried to stay steady on my feet. We walked up and then parted at the foot of the altar. Aaron walked to stand beside Quinn and I walked on the other side.
My eyes traveled up to him and he was staring right back at me. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and a frown played on his forehead as his eyes dug into me. I blushed at the intensity of his looks. This man was disarming me. And I hated that how much he was capable of affecting me, making me lose my control, making me want things that weren’t on my radar at the given time. I tried looking away, but Aaron was like the opposite pole of a magnet that I couldn’t get away from.
“Oh no, no, no. Your seat is right next to the groom’s best man,” after the rehearsal when I began to sit next to Lily for dinner, Jacqueline was right behind me, ushering me towards the other end of the table. “Aaron, you sit on left, next to the groom and Cass you sit beside him. This has to be the order of sitting tomorrow.” God I wanted to strangle that woman. If only she knew what danger she was inviting. Given my experience, I was bound to sabotage the event with my mind that was beginning to go crazy whenever I was near Aaron.
“C.O.N.T.R.O.L” this was my mantra. Never let your emotions and desires rule you; was my golden principle of life. Aaron held out the chair for me and looked at me expectantly. “Thank you,” I muttered, taking my place and then he sat next to me. It was impossible to stay unaware of his presence. “Have you found a new phone?” it was Quinn who asked Aaron in a low voice. I flushed. “I’ll get one when I am back in Seattle,” his rough throaty voice vibrated my body. Holy peeps, his voice just ruined Johnny Cash for me. “Oh who made it possible to keep you away from work for so long? That man deserves an award,” Quinn exclaimed and I shrunk lower in my seat. Hello there, I am the one, not looking for any credit. I wondered if Aaron would tell everybody that I was the queen of clumsyville that had broken his phone.
“Cassandra, can you please pass me the shaker?” his lips came down to m
y level. His voice went through me like a wave. “Sure,” I cleared my throat with an internal shake to gain composure and straightened to reach for the salt and pepper tray. “Thank you.” His fingers brushed against mine and all my composure evaporated at his touch. I snapped my head up to see his face. He was staring back at me with his eyes narrowed and his lips parted by just a fraction. I felt bare before his eyes.
I was the first to look away. Damn him and damn his eyes. Aaron Maxfield was bad news and my body needed to understand that. I dove into my food and tried not to appear affected by the man seated beside me. Just when I was about to take a sip of my chardonnay, his hand brushed along my arm and the next I knew I had spilled my entire drink on him. “What the …” he cursed and stood up. Everyone at the table silenced. “I am so sorry. I … I don’t know what,” I began mumbling and tried to dry off his shirt using my napkin, rubbing it on his chest and then lower.
Aaron’s hand gripped my wrist and pushed it away from his body, only then I knew where I was drying him off. I flushed crimson. “I’m sorry …” before I could end my apology, he stepped back and walked away. Say that word again and I’ll show you how sorry you can be. His words came back to me. Oh shit.
I went after him. The corridors were empty. I walked straight towards the end, the door to the gallery was open. I stepped in and a cool pleasant breeze hit me. The light out was dim and there was no sign of anyone there. I was turning to leave when I saw a shadow standing by the railing. It was Aaron. My heart weighed a thousand kilograms in that moment. What was I going to say? I crept closer quietly. “Aaron?” I called in a small voice. Damn. Why was I such a walking and talking disaster? He didn’t turn. I inched further near, until I was in a zone where I could reach out to him. “Aaron, I …” my words stopped in the air as he turned to look at me. There was a ghostly expression on his face and not the one that would scare me, the one that would set me on fire. I swallowed as the air between us heated and the awareness of each other increased. I needed to fill in the silence and break the spell that was so strong.
I opened my mouth to say something but before I could even form the words, his face came closer and my lips were captured by his mouth. He was kissing me. This was wrong. Wrong on so many levels. But damn, he felt good, the best. His tongue caressed sensuously along the contours of my lips and shock radiated down my spine. His mouth was hot on mine, as if I was kissing a hearth. I want this beautiful man to take me. And then his hand gripped the nape of my neck and he pushed me against the cold grill. The contrast of hot versus cold made my knees melt in the building pleasure, and I tried to resist in his arms. His touch was too hard to resist and the lust finally took over me, subsiding all my control and resistance. I opened up to him and kissed him back. I moaned as he branded me. He tasted of chardonnay and something else, something rich and intense. Our mouths melted against each other and I clutched his jacket’s lapels tightly, bringing him closer than he was. I moaned, wanting more of him, his touch. But then he pulled away. I waited for his lips to come back to me, but they didn’t. I opened my eyes to see him staring at me. His face hard as stone, and then he left me to stand on my own, turning his back, he walked away from me.
What did I just do? Realization and humiliation hit me simultaneously and I held back to the cold rod for support. As horrified as I was at my own actions and desire, there was a small part in my heart that was disappointed. Aaron Maxfield was a known man whore, yet he left me hanging in the cold when I was all too willing to surrender. God, I was pathetic!
Chapter 4
Aaron
“By the power vested in me as the Minister of the Church of Christ, I now declare Quinn Robinson and Avery Bradford, husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” the Minister concluded Quinn and Avery’s marriage. As they both kissed, I looked past them towards the other side to see Cassandra standing with the other bridesmaids. She was wearing that beautiful, tight red dress that made me wonder if she could even breathe in it. But who was I kidding? I counted every time that dress had expanded and relaxed. And every time I looked at her, I remembered how she was in my arms last night, moaning and melting against me. I remembered all too well. Breaking away from her and then walking out of there was the most strenuous thing I've ever had to do. And the worst part? I don’t know why I did it. I wasn’t a person who’d refuse a good lay. Everyone knew I was a womanizer; it was common knowledge for crying out loud. I couldn’t figure out exactly what happened. I wanted her, there was no question about it. I wanted her so that I could get over her and finally empty my mind of her.
In the past thirty hours I’ve had nothing to do except think of her. And last night when she had spilled her drink all over me and then tried to dry me, if only she knew what she was actually doing. I was hard. Rock hard. Her touch was incredible and I wanted to savor the moment, but I couldn’t. I had to get away from her before she took control over me, but of course she had to follow me. With her in such close proximity, how could I resist her? Feeling her sensual touch on my lips left me in shock. I wanted more of her. I wanted her to be mine. I wanted all three courses this time. And that red dress wasn’t helping. It made her look like a Christmas present just waiting to be unwrapped and enjoyed. My imagination was running wild with how she’d look on my bed, naked, with her platinum blonde hair sprawled out on the pillow. Knowing full well that she’d cry my name when I’d take her to the pinnacle of pleasure.
After the official first dance of Quinn and Avery, it was the Best Man's and Maid of Honor’s turn, namely it was me and Cassandra next. I advanced towards her and extended my hand. “May I?” I asked. She stared at me as if I was asking her to exchange vows with me. A wave of emotions crossed her eyes and then they went back to brown, hard and mysterious. She was masking her real self behind the hard shell and I wanted to know the real deal. She placed her hand in mine. The contact erupted the blood in my veins like a volcano and my desire for her intensified.
I led her to the dance floor and began swaying her along to the beats of soft music. The silence hung between us like crazy, neither of us wanted to bring up the episode of last night. Her movement around me was stiff and possessed. There was no sign of that softness or desire that I had seen last night.
“Cassandra, last night…” I begin to speak and her face shot up. “What about it, Aaron?” she asked me and I saw a flicker of accusation. Her defensive tone wasn’t something I was expecting. “I thought …” I tried once more but she was quick to cut me off again. “You thought I would be all swooning over that thing we had on the terrace?” she asked incoherently and then threw her head back and laughed. “You weren’t thinking that, were you? It was just a mere kiss, Aaron. And trust me, I am not hung up on you. I have had better,” she said with a grin and then rose on her toes and pressed a peck on my cheek. “Thank you for the dance,” she left my side and walked away.
Fuck! How could she walk away from me like this? She has had better? My fucking ass! I wanted to strangle her and drag her to my bed and show her what exactly I was thinking. My mind was getting fogged up by the hurricane that Cassandra Levant was generating around me. She was inviting that primitive side of me which was better tucked away. I wasn’t sure how long I could handle being a nice man. And when I’d lose it, she would be the one suffering. Walking up to the bar, I ordered myself a brandy. I needed something hard to clear my mind of the little minx who was proving to be one challenging woman.
I gulped down the third glass of the hard liquor as my eyes stayed on Cassandra, she was on the dance floor with Louis. I watched her place her arms on his shoulders and then he bent down to whisper something in her ear which made her blush. I clutched the glass tightly in my grip as anger boiled inside me. What did he say to her? Was he flirting with her? Were they going to hook up? I wanted her to be in my bed and no one else’s. Right then, she laughed at whatever he was saying to her and my cock jumped to attention, ready for action. That was it. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I have had e
nough of it, now I was going to claim her and this time, it won’t be just her mouth.
“Do you mind if I cut in?” I asked, reaching next to them. It wasn’t actually a question because I wasn’t looking for an answer. I was claiming. Cassandra turned to look at me and her smile vanished. “Uh, we are still in the middle of the song,” she stuttered and I gave her a glare that said don’t even think of starting this now. “I am sure Louis can find another charming partner,” I said, cutting my gaze off from Cassandra to Louis who squirmed uncomfortably and then raised his hands in surrender. “She’s all yours, Maxfield.” He stepped back. Wise man.
“Why are you doing this?” Cassandra asked as I snaked my arms around her and pulled her closer, not caring if my arousal hit her stomach. She damn well knows that I was up to no good and that was all her fault. “I was trying to be nice with you, Cassandra. But you obviously like to be challenged, don’t you?” I asked her with a growl as I swirled around in a quick circle and then pulled her back to my front. She gasped. “I … I don’t know what you are talking about,” she said and I pulled her against me as I swayed her towards the end of the dance floor. Her breath hitched when I deliberately pressed my lower half to her. “Yes, you know exactly what I am talking about,” I said to her in a low husky whisper and then stepped down from the floor. Taking her hand, I walked out and towards the elevator.
“Aaron, what are you doing?” she tried to free her hand as she tried to keep up with me, her heels clinking on the marble floor. My luck, the lift was on the same floor and it was empty. I ushered her in and then pressed for my floor. “Aaron, we need…” she opened her mouth to protest but I gave her no chance to complete her sentence. Pinning her against the mirror, I claimed her lips. She said she's had better kisses than what we shared last night. I was going to make her forget every other kiss she ever had.
