by Lilly Wilde
What did he mean by that? And why was he suddenly stepping in to defend me? Not that I didn’t appreciate it, but it wasn’t something I’d expected.
“But Aiden, I was just—” Sienna started.
“I know exactly what you were doing and I’m telling you to stop.”
The silence of the room stretched to a painfully awkward length.
“I think you should apologize to her,” Aiden said. He and his mother locked eyes for several long seconds and then I finally saw the retreat in Sienna’s expression.
“Aria, maybe I did overstep. I apologize.” She reached for her glass. “So how was your time in Belize?”
This lady is a real piece of work. And I was sure I’d have a lot more of this if I tried to infiltrate the Raine meals going forward.
“It was beautiful,” I said blandly. “I wish I was still there, actually. As I’m sure you do, too.”
Sienna coughed, almost choking on her water.
I didn’t need Aiden’s protection from his shrew of a mother, and I’d be damned if I allowed her to steer this conversation any more than she already had. Since I was the focus of attention, I was going to run with it. “If you haven’t visited, you should. Maybe we can all make a family trip of it. I think we’d have a blast. There’s so much to do. The cave tubing is a ton of fun, and kayaking on those crystal clear waters is so invigorating, and then there’s diving with the sharks. I’ve gotten pretty good at swimming with sharks, Sienna, in case you were wondering. Oh, and the Belizean food—it’s amazing.”
That kept her mouth shut for a while. The others were soon discussing Allison’s ballet and it turned out all of the family would be attending. She was very excited about that, and I was happy for her. I knew how much it meant to have their support, especially since it hadn’t always been there.
Aiden and I never said a word to each other. I was sure everyone noticed our awkwardness, but I no longer gave a damn. Living here was a means to an end, and if I had to play this game to get what I wanted, then so be it.
We’d just finished the first course and the staff was clearing the table. Everyone chimed in on who’d be joining us for Thanksgiving. That’s just what I need, even more Raines.
Aiden finally released some of his annoyance and contributed to the conversation—not with me, of course, but with everyone else. Being this close to him was good and bad. It provided me with a hint of his ambrosial smell, but it also drove my thoughts to last night—and that was the bad part.
I wondered if our closeness had the same effect on him. There was one way to find out. I discreetly moved my hand under the table and grasped his thigh. He reacted slightly to my sudden gesture by glancing down at me. He made no attempt to move my hand so I reached between his thighs and cupped his manhood. He coughed and reached for his drink as he casually glanced around at the others. They were caught up in their own conversations, paying no attention to either of us.
He leaned down and whispered. “What are you doing?”
“If I have to tell you, then you must be losing your edge. I need you to fuck me. Now.”
A mixture of emotions crossed his emerald eyes as he considered my words.
“Meet me in the restroom down the hall,” I whispered, and then spoke to the whole group. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to check on Lyric.” Sienna gave me a strange look. Yes, I’m about to let your genius son fuck me in your luxury bathroom. I smirked and exited the dining room.
Walking into the bathroom, I glanced in the mirror, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I was sure Aiden didn’t like me calling the shots, but I was equally sure he couldn’t refuse me this. As if confirming my thoughts, he entered the bathroom at just that moment.
Why did he have to be so fucking hot? And I didn’t quite understand why, but the anger only made him that much more desirable. His angry fucks were brutal and extremely intense. And I couldn’t get enough. He was my drug, and I was in desperate need of a fix. He stood near the door and my eyes took a quick stroll down his body. Fuck, he’s gorgeous!
After locking the door, he stepped toward me.
My eyes were still on his when I reached into my dress pocket, pulled out a condom, and extended it to him. He looked down at the black package and abruptly lifted his gaze to mine. He squinted and then stepped back.
“What?” I asked.
“You expect me to use that? Why all of a sudden?”
“Why not? You obviously don’t want to come inside me, and I didn’t particularly enjoy your letting it spew all over me like I was a piece of trash.”
“You didn’t mind in the past.” His tone was biting.
He knew exactly what I meant. “Yeah, in the past, we were two lovers being dirty and you didn’t have an appearance of loathing on your face when you finished.”
His gaze darted back to my hand.
“We treat each other like strangers for the most part. So fuck me like a stranger.” I extended the condom again. This time he pulled it from my hand. His beautiful face was clouded with anger, but the lust was also there, and that’s what won in the end.
Unzipping his pants, his hardening shaft fell out. He was so fucking huge. I didn’t know how the hell it all fit inside me. Opening the small packet, he removed the condom and unrolled it over his length.
With the condom in place, he looked up at me, staring and waiting, only lust and silence between us. And then he stepped closer, lifting my dress and placing me on the counter.
The heat of his gaze connected with mine, and the desire building in his green irises indicated he was planning to give me more than what I’d bargained for.
Grasping my leg, he placed it over his shoulder and slid my panties to the side. He didn’t waste any time preparing my sex for his invasion, instead he shoved his dick all the way inside me with one solid thrust. My eyes bulged as I suppressed a scream.
“Did it hurt?” he asked, his expression hard and unforgiving as he rammed into me again.
I panted as I searched his eyes, seeking some semblance of the man who once loved me, but he was hidden behind the mask.
“Is this how a stranger would fuck you? On the bathroom counter, like a shameless whore?”
I released my grip on the counter and slapped him across the face, as hard as I could manage, considering my position on the counter. “Just shut up and fuck me.”
He didn’t display any response to my heated reaction. If anything, his eyes seemed to darken more—a sure sign that lust had overtaken every other emotion.
“Like this?” he asked. He plowed into me so hard that my head hit the mirror. “Do you want me to hurt that pretty pussy? Is that what you want?”
“Hell yes,” I panted. “Shit…just like that.”
He slammed his iron-hard length into me over and over, and yes, it hurt, but it was a hurt I needed. I felt him swelling inside me, indicating he was about to come, but he pulled his cock out and slapped it repeatedly on my sex. Then he reached for my neck, wrapping his large hand around my throat as he pushed back into me.
“Fuck!” I didn’t want to come. I knew this was another one of our needy, angry fucks, and those only came with one release so I wanted to make this last.
“Unzip your dress. Show me your breasts,” he ordered.
I had one hand on the edge of the counter to maintain my position as he forcefully moved in and out of me. With the other hand, I unzipped my dress to reveal my black lace bra. He reached toward my chest and released my breasts from their confinement. There was a pained look on his face as he looked at them. My breasts were larger now, and I knew how much he loved them in the past. I could only imagine what he was thinking about them now.
“Damn,” he grunted as he drove into me. Abruptly, he pulled out and caught me by the waist. He lifted me from the counter and placed me down in front of him. “Take your panties off.”
“You do it,” I countered.
Aiden grabbed the top of my thong and then there was a qui
ck rip. Turning me away from him, he pushed me forward so that I was leaning over the counter. He then lifted my leg and pushed into me. His large hands were on my buttocks, his fingers digging into me as he pounded my hungry pussy. “Shit, why can’t I stop fucking you, Aria?”
I looked in the mirror and that pained look was on his face again. He was like me—he had no control when it came to our connecting like this. He wanted to stop, but he couldn’t. I continued watching him in the mirror—his gaze fierce on my face as he delivered deep, consecutive blows into me.
Aiden’s grip on my waist loosened as he pulled out of me and removed the condom. “I’m not wearing this shit.” He tossed it on the counter and in the flash of a second, he pushed his big dick back into me. “Ah, fuck. That’s better. Your pussy is so good.” He began slamming into me harder and faster, as though he’d lost control, fucking me like a mad man.
“Please don’t stop,” I begged. “Fuck me harder,” I breathed, as I rocked into his ferocious thrusts. He was so deep, hitting the end of me with each violent lunge. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. Closing my eyes, I exploded, chanting his name over and over as I came.
Aiden smacked my ass and rammed into me once, then twice more, and grunted loudly as his need to erupt tore at him. He increased the pace of his thrusts, rapidly slamming his huge cock into me over…and over…and over. “Ah, God. Aria.” He pulled out, and the deep primitive rumblings of his chest resonated while the thick drops of semen fell onto my ass. I watched him in the mirror—the look on his face alone was enough to make me come again. He threw his head back, shuddering as he continued to spill onto me.
He groaned as the last of his come showered my skin. After his breathing calmed, he grabbed a towel from the warmer. I continued watching him as he lightly wiped it over my ass, removing his come. He looked in the mirror when he finished, and our eyes locked for a few moments. He grasped my leg and lowered it from the counter.
“Ow.”
“Are you okay?” he asked. He tossed the towel in the hamper opening on the opposite end of the sink.
“Yes, my leg hurts, but I’ll walk it off.” My pussy hurts, too, but fuck, it was worth it. I reclaimed my panties and shoved them into my pocket. Aiden grabbed the condom wrapper and tossed it into the trash. He then removed the condom from the counter and walked to the toilet room. A few seconds after hearing the flush, he was standing in front of me, watching as I pulled my dress down, placed my boobs in my bra and zipped myself back into place.
He didn’t move. He was still staring at me. “Don’t ever give me a fucking condom again.”
“Don’t ever come on me and then look at me like I’m a piece of shit when you’re done!”
We stared at each other for a moment longer—just enough for our aggravation with each other to reappear. I broke eye contact and looked down at his cock hanging from his pants. Mad as I was, I wanted more.
He pushed himself back into his slacks and zipped them.
What do you do when you’re with a man you can’t get enough of? When he’s fucked you so hard and so deep that it hurts to move but you still crave more, you need more, like you need air to breathe?
“Maybe now I can make it through the remainder of the night with your insane family.” I turned and walked out of the restroom.
He was on my heels. “Tonight, you seemed to fit right in with my insane family.”
“Whatever.”
“I’ll check on Lyric,” he said.
I didn’t reply, I just continued walking to the dining room. As the sound of family laughter floated toward me, I applied a smile and sauntered in to rejoin the Raines.
“Is Lyric all right?” Connor asked.
“Yes, he’s fine.” I slid into my seat as Dianna refilled my wine.
“Thank you, Dianna.” I needed the wine to help swallow the remainder of the meal with these fucking people. One more glass should be okay. If Lyric needed to eat before the wine passed my system, I had at least three bags of milk set aside.
“You’re welcome, Ms. Aria.” As many times as I’d insisted she call me Aria, she continued to address me formally in public.
We started the next dinner course, and while not as friendly as it could have been, it was not as unpleasant as the first part of the evening, so I suffered through it, chiming in on some of the conversation with Nicholas and Connor and also chatting with Allison.
Aiden soon entered the room with Lyric and all our focus went to him. Although I wasn’t a fan of the Raines, I was happy to see their adoration of Lyric. He went from Raine to Raine, everyone eager to hold him. And luckily he was in a good mood.
Sloan was holding Lyric now, and we were all fascinated by his interactions with her when Aiden’s phone sounded. He pulled it from his pocket and smirked. What was that about? I couldn’t help myself—I looked at my plate and then subtly cast my eyes toward his phone to catch a glimpse of the message. It was a picture of a naked woman. A naked woman named JoJo.
Chapter Nine
I’d barely survived dinner with the Raine clan last night—I certainly wouldn’t suffer through that rendition of a family gathering again any time soon. After dinner, I’d fed Lyric and retreated to my room. I was mentally drained so I’d gone to bed early, but I didn’t get much sleep. I had tossed and turned most of the night wondering what the hell was going on with Aiden and JoJo.
Despite my failed attempt at a good night’s rest, I stepped out of bed with focused determination. It was a new day, and I planned to sit down with Aiden and hopefully come to an amicable agreement about Lyric’s living arrangements. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been, but I was cautiously optimistic—Aiden’s defense of me last night made me think that his hard exterior had softened, even if only a little. So maybe, just maybe, he’d be open to my terms. I applied my good vibes aura and headed to the nursery.
As I approached Lyric’s room, voices floated into the hall so I slowed, trying to determine if it was Sienna or one of the nannies. Then someone laughed.
Wait a minute. That horrid noise sounded achingly familiar. I quickened my steps to see if I was right.
I stopped in the entrance of the nursery in total disbelief. Aiden stood by smiling as his ex-girlfriend, Nadia cuddled Lyric in her arms.
Is he fucking serious? I glanced at Nadia from head to toe. She was her normal impeccable self. No one would ever know from looking at her that there was a mess of a person idling right below that sane looking surface.
“Good morning, Aria,” Nadia said, looking up at me. “Aiden was just introducing me to his son. He’s beautiful…just like his father,” she added, and glanced from Lyric to Aiden.
Ugh! Gag me, bitch. If I had eaten breakfast, I would have lost it all right there in the doorway.
I couldn’t respond to her, nor did I have a desire to do so. I walked over to them and reached for Lyric. “It’s time for his breakfast. Give him to me.”
“I would love to feed him…if you don’t mind,” Nadia said. She looked up from Lyric and there was a pleading in her eyes that made me take pause.
Hell no. She wasn’t feeding my son. “I do mind and I don’t want you near him, let alone feeding him. Now give him to me.”
“No need to be rude, Aria. She was simply asking to—”
“Shut up, Aiden,” I said and removed Lyric from Nadia’s arms. How dare he let this witch hold my son! “I would hate to interrupt your reunion, so I’ll feed him in my bedroom.” My bedroom. Ha! What a joke.
I needed to make sure I had enough milk set aside so that I could safely drink. Last night’s wine enabled me to handle my time with the Raines much better than I would have without it, and now I wanted a replay, but not in this house. I was starting to think that alcohol would be my only escape from the Raine rabbit hole. I often wondered how I ever made the clumsy fall and, like Alice, I wondered how I would ever get out.
Entering my bedroom, I closed the door and pressed the button that opened the drapes. As I sat in the rockin
g chair near the window, I looked down at Lyric—he was such a good baby, and he was blissfully unaware of the tension that surrounded the first few weeks of his life as a Raine.
I needed to maintain a sense of calm around him, even when it was as difficult as it would always be around Nadia. Actually, I was surprised she’ stayed away this long. Thanks to their parent’s friendship, she was yet another one of Aiden’s crosses I’d have to bear. I didn’t like seeing Aiden with her, and I didn’t like the way she looked at Lyric. I couldn’t determine what I hated more—the way she fawned over Aiden or the jealousy I felt knowing Aiden had bedded her the last time we’d been apart. Would he do it again? Had he already? Was he fucking her, JoJo, and me? He wouldn’t do that, would he? Just fuck! I hate this shit!
Lyric took the bottle with very little resistance—he was obviously starved. I smiled as he looked up at me. Did he sense my unease? Did he know I was his mother?
His eyes were beautiful. He was a mini version of his gorgeous father. Although not the same shade of green as Aiden’s, the grayish green tint of Lyric’s eyes was just as captivating.
I sat with him, telling him about his Aunt Lia and Bianca, and as always, he seemed to be fully attuned. He was getting sleepy so I reluctantly took him to the nursery to find Anja putting his clothes away. I sighed as I thought of all of the things I was being forced to miss. This had to change. I had to find a way to get through to Aiden. I placed Lyric in his crib and trotted downstairs for something to eat.
I made a sandwich and grabbed an apple and made my way to the gym. After a workout I took a shower before going to check on Lyric. I hadn’t seen Aiden and guessed he was somewhere with his groupie. I didn’t want to care, but I didn’t like him spending time with Nadia. After all of the trouble she’d caused for us, he still engaged with her. Why would he do that? That was like a huge slap in my face, but given the current state of our relationship, it was just another slap atop many others.
I couldn’t get over the fact that Aiden and I were still having sex. As soon as we finished, our angry masks reappeared. This was crazy and emotionally exhausting. Something had to give before I did something foolish like taking Lyric and disappearing again. But I knew that would only make things worse, because he’d find me. He’d always find me. I should have known that running from someone like him wasn’t the answer. It would never be the answer.
