Deceived

by King, Thayer

  Aidan emitted a rough laugh. “No one would call me beautiful.”

  “I would. You’re all hard angles, but you’re impossible to ignore, impossible to forget.” She hooked her hands in his pants and tugged until his erection popped free. She didn’t stop tugging until she had them off his feet. Running her hands back up his muscular legs and thighs, she created enough space for her to sit in between. Aidan put a pillow beneath his head and watched her with avid interest.

  Janelle smiled. She kissed, sucked, and licked her way up one hard thigh and then down the other. Returning to the apex of his thighs, she took his cock in hand. It twitched and hardened further. Leaning over, she gave him a liberal lick, swirling her tongue around the head of his dick as though he were the tastiest of candies. Aidan’s answering groan made her cunt pulse in anticipation.

  She bathed his entire length before once again concentrating on the tip. She dipped her tongue in the slit before trying to take more of him. Hollowing out her cheeks, she accepted more of him into her mouth and bobbed her head up and down.

  “Oh, God, suck it. Suck it, baby.” Aidan held the back of her head in place and fucked up into her mouth. She twisted her head to the side and cupped his balls. He shivered. “Shit, that feels s-s-so good.” She could feel his balls getting tighter and knew he was close. Aidan’s words confirmed her suspicions. “Stop, please. I can’t hold out much longer.”

  She sucked harder and was rewarded when her husband bucked beneath her. His dick swelled, and she suckled the tip, swallowing everything he had to give as he moaned long and low. The sounds he made had her pussy flowing. It would take very little for her to find her own pleasure.

  Aidan was panting and relaxed as she moved back up his body with the intention of snuggling. “Take your panties off,” he ordered. Her eyes locked with his. Passion still burned bright in his gold irises. She maneuvered the silken panties off her bottom and down her legs. Hands to the backs of her thighs, he nudged her until she was in position with her pussy over his face. “Give it to me,” he growled, urging her down. She braced herself with one palm on the headboard and held her negligee in the other. Tentative, she lowered herself to his mouth. His tongue was the first thing she felt. Parting her moist folds, he flicked her clit, circled it, and gave it a slight suck. “More,” she heard muffled beneath her. He gripped her hips and pulled her down. His tongue entered her in one hard thrust. She threw her head back and gasped his name. Her thigh muscles trembled as she rode his face. Aidan purposely kept her on edge, never giving enough for her to find completion. Whenever she was close, he would back off and gentle his movements.

  “Aidan, please,” she panted.

  His mouth left her altogether. He pulled her down even as he moved to a sitting position so that they were once again face-to-face. “Take off that gown so I can see your beautiful tits.” With trembling fingers, she flung it over her head. “Now ride my cock.” He surged up, impaling her with one thrust. She cried out as her orgasm whipped through her body and caused her pussy to seize his thick intruder. Aidan fucked her through her climax, plunging through her seizing muscles. He held her hips and forced her to take thrust after thrust. Before the first orgasm faded, she was quickly being fucked into another one. She gripped his shoulders and tried to match his fast pace. He watched her breasts bounce up and down from their lusty exertions. “God, you’re so beautiful.” She could only moan in reply. His gaze slid to where they were joined. “So fucking beautiful,” he groaned before sliding a thumb over her clit and sending her spiraling into another orgasm. She screamed this time. Her body clamped down over his so tightly that he could barely push in or out. Janelle felt on the verge of passing out from too much pleasure. And still he fucked her.

  She cupped his face and kissed him. “Aidan, come with me,” she said against his lips. With a groan, he thrust his deepest and let go. Janelle wrapped him in her arms as he shuddered with his climax.

  Chapter Twelve

  Friday at the store was hectic. The wedding announcement hit the paper with a picture of her and Aidan. Since it was mentioned that she designed her gown, she was besieged with phone calls and customers dropping by wanting to know if she could design gowns for their weddings. The pickup in business was welcome, if tiring.

  She was glad that she’d packed for the weekend before work. Once she got home, all she had to do was put her bag in the trunk of Aidan’s car before they left for the beach house. On the drive, they alternated listening to her music and his. When they arrived, it was dark. Aidan parked the car in the garage. He left the key in the ignition and the music continued to play. Turning to her, he said, “They played this earlier.”

  She nodded, unfastening her seatbelt and then reaching for her purse in the backseat. “It’s popular right now.”

  “It reminds me of the way I feel about you.”

  Janelle paused, her eyes filling with tears as she listened to the lyrics of “Locked out of Heaven” by Bruno Mars for the first time. “Then it’s my new favorite,” she whispered before pulling him to her for a kiss. In that moment, she knew that she loved her husband, and whether he knew it or not, he was in love with her too. They’d yet to exchange the words, but she sensed that it would not be long before they did.

  They enjoyed a relaxed weekend. It rained much of the time so they stayed inside and played games and watched movies curled up on the couch. Sometimes they talked while other times they simply watched the waves in companionable silence. During one of the breaks in the rain, they went out onto the beach and built sandcastles.

  And, of course, they made love. Janelle felt like they had come full circle back to where it began. Only this time, she was fully cognizant of the fact that she was with Aidan and she couldn’t have been happier.

  * * * *

  Janelle was all nerves as she made her third attempt at attaching the back piece of her earring. Her palms were sweating and shaky. Her mother-in-law was hosting a fancy fundraiser to raise money for autism research. It would be the first event she would attend as Aidan’s wife and she didn’t want to embarrass him or his mother.

  Aidan strode into the bedroom. He was already dressed in a tux. Janelle paused to stare at him. The man was positively mesmerizing. He gave her a sexy grin. “Stop looking at me like that or we’re going to be late.” He set a rectangular velvet box on the dresser in front of her.

  “What’s this?”

  “A small gift for you.”

  She opened the box and gasped at the sight of the sparkling diamond necklace. “It’s beautiful.” She lifted the delicate platinum chain. The diamond pendant was a circular stone that matched her engagement ring. “Thank you, Aidan. I love it.” She hugged him.

  “Here, let me help you put it on.” He undid the clasp, lifted her long hair, and fastened it around her neck.

  The pendant rested above her collarbone and twinkled in the light. Her gown was black chiffon that draped over her expanding belly and fell gracefully to her ankles. Thankfully, the sleeves were short. The more weight she gained, the less she seemed to be able to endure heat.

  “Perfect,” Aidan murmured. He placed a hand low on her tummy and leaned over to kiss the pendant.

  She was about six months along, but her pregnancy wasn’t noticeable unless she wore close-fitting clothing. The baby chose that moment to shift. Their eyes locked, and they shared a smile.

  “We should start picking names.”

  “Nice try,” she said before giving him a quick kiss. At the last ultrasound, the doctor had been able to determine the sex, but she’d decided she wanted to be surprised. Aidan kept coming up with reasons as to why they should be informed before the birth. The last had been that it would help her pick out clothes for the baby and decorate the nursery. The nursery was done in all white with splashes of fresh green and sunshine yellow. Other than a few white one pieces, she’d decided to wait until after the birth to purchase the majority of the clothing. She reasoned that the baby would always be
wrapped in blankets anyway.

  Aidan grumbled. “All right. Let’s go.”

  Ann’s fundraiser was being held in the conference center of Aidan’s hotel. In addition to the free use of the venue, Aidan had pledged to donate a hefty sum to the cause. Janelle was happy to see that Ann, John, Dionne, and Timothy were there when they arrived. The latter two were becoming quite a couple. They seemed inseparable. Timothy was constantly stopping by the shop, and Dionne was spending most of her nights over at his place. While she would have preferred hanging out with her best friend, Aidan had his responsibilities. He made his rounds among the guests, introducing her to friends and acquaintances.

  After an hour, she was tired of smiling at poor jokes and her bladder needed relief. She chose the handicap stall so that she would have room to maneuver. The other stalls were positively claustrophobia-inducing. She heard someone come in as she flushed. The door opened again as she was wrangling to get her pantyhose back in the proper position.

  “What are they calling those shrimp appetizers?” asked a woman with a high, nasal whine.

  “I don’t know, but they’re delicious.”

  “Mm. Know what else is delicious? Aidan Clark. Wow, that man is yummy.”

  Janelle paused in the nylon fight as they started dishing about her husband. She peeped through the gap at the door of the stall and saw two women, one blonde and one brunette, standing in front of the mirrors freshening up their makeup. “I know. Those intense eyes, those broad shoulders, and those large hands.” She gave an exaggerated moan. “I would love to feel them all over my body.”

  “You know what they say about large hands,” the brunette woman replied, and her friend giggled.

  “Jillian, you are so bad.” She sighed as she pressed powder to her nose and cheeks. “Shame he got snagged.”

  “Hmph. More like trapped. I went out with him once. She is so not his type. Everybody knows he only married her because she managed to get pregnant. God, how she can show her face here and even pretend to be accepted into his world—” Janelle felt each word like a dart piercing her skin. She bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears. She knew it was the hormones. Ordinarily, she would have marched out of the stall and set that bitch in her proper place. But at the moment, her throat was constricted and tears flowed down her cheeks. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing her pain.

  A stall door opened and banged shut. “Jillian, Amber, I’m so glad you could make it.” The new voice sounded familiar. Janelle shifted and she could see her mother-in-law’s shimmery pink gown. Ann joined them at the sinks. Washing her hands, she met the gaze of the brunette in the mirror. “Jillian, I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon. But rest assured, we appreciated your considerable donation.”

  “What? There must be some mistake. I don’t have to leave.”

  “Yes, you do. Your dress is all wet.” Filling her hands with water, she splashed Jillian, dousing the other woman’s low-cut red dress from her neck to her waist. The other woman shrieked and backed up. Jillian’s high-pitched voice echoed off the walls.

  “What do you think you’re doing? Have you gone senile? Why would you do that?”

  Ann turned off the water and dried her hands in the provided paper towels piled on the countertop. “Jillian, Aidan invited you to dinner that once because I pleaded with him to ask you out. Do not presume to know anything about my family. He and Janelle are very happy and if I hear you spreading your ugly rumors about my son or my daughter-in-law again, you will be very sorry.” She tossed the rumpled paper in the trash. “Now,” she said on an inhalation of breath, “consider yourself uninvited. Amber, you are welcome to stay, provided of course that you are not of the same mind as your friend here.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Baker, but I’m her ride.”

  Ann nodded and watched them leave. “You can come out now, dear.”

  Janelle sighed and dried her tears. Smoothing her skirt, she exited her hiding place. “You knew it was me?”

  Ann smiled. “Of course. I recognized those lovely shoes.”

  She glanced down at her black sugar suede Kate Spade pumps. “Oh.” She stepped up to the mirror to view the damage to her mascara. She washed her hands. “Thank you for standing up for me.”

  “You’re family,” Ann said simply.

  Janelle found herself fighting another bout of tears. Family wasn’t something she had a lot of these days. She and her sister had never been close and when their parents passed away, they’d drifted further apart. It meant a lot to her that Ann had accepted her despite the circumstances behind her marriage.

  Ann handed her a tissue with a laugh. “Hormones? I cried every night when I was pregnant with Aidan.”

  She wiped her face, cleaning up the black smudges beneath her eyes, and then searched her purse for mascara. She applied a light coat to her lashes. “I don’t cry every night. Just most nights,” she admitted with a smile. Once she’d fixed her face, they exited the bathroom together and ran smack into Aidan.

  “You were gone for a long time,” he said. “I was beginning to worry.” He took her hand and kissed her temple. “Are you tired?” Aidan had taken to spoiling her. He drew her bubble baths at night and massaged her feet. Once the baby was born, he intended to take maternity leave as well. She had never felt so loved.

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? We could go home and rest.”

  Ann replied before she could. “Aidan, don’t smother the girl. You’ll have plenty of nights cooped up at home once the baby comes. Let her enjoy her evening out.”

  They returned to the other guests, this time sticking by Dionne and Timothy. Janelle knew that it was because Aidan still wasn’t convinced that she wasn’t tired. Janelle didn’t complain; she appreciated the respite from entertaining strangers.

  She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned. “Mrs. Wilson,” she gasped with some surprise. “You’re looking lovely,” she said, and meant it. Mrs. Wilson looked more relaxed than she’d ever seen her. Previously, there had always been a tension around her eyes and mouth.

  Mrs. Wilson smiled. “Thank you. May I have a private word with you?”

  “Of course.” She turned to Aidan. “I’m going to step away for a few minutes.” Nodding, Aidan allowed his arm to fall away from her waist. She followed Mrs. Wilson to a secluded corner.

  “Janelle, I just wanted to thank you for not pressing charges against Jerome. When he told me everything he did…” She stopped to shudder. The large white hat she wore shook precariously on her head. She reached out to take Janelle’s hands. “I’m sorry I added to your trauma by coming to your store that day.”

  Janelle couldn’t have been more surprised. “He told you the truth about…about…?”

  Mrs. Wilson nodded. “I was so ashamed of him. He told me when he was on the verge of going to jail. Your husband had contacted him and he was so furious that he spit out the entire sordid tale. He wanted to keep pressing matters. He was planning on going to the newspaper to claim that Aidan raped you and then unjustly fired him. I couldn’t let him do it. It took some doing, but I persuaded him to drop the wrongful termination suit and to begin seeing a therapist.”

  She finally understood why she hadn’t heard from Jerome since that day. He loved and respected his mother. If anyone could make him see reason, it was her. “I should be thanking you. How is he?”

  “He’s fine. I’m getting him some help. I feel partly responsible for his treatment of you. When he was a boy, I gave him whatever he wanted because his father was never around. And then his father passed away… He was always such a good boy, never got in trouble, eager to please. I never would have guessed he would do anything like this.”

  “Of course you wouldn’t. And this isn’t your fault.”

  “I didn’t prepare him to ever be disappointed in life. He can’t handle anyone giving him ‘no’ for an answer.” She gave Janelle’s hand a squeeze and her eyes dropped to her belly. “Anyway, I’m
glad to see that things worked out for you. You have a husband who loves you and a baby on the way. You were so good to my Jerome. Hopefully, one day, he’ll manage to find a woman half as good as you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Well, I’d better not hold you any longer. Your husband keeps glancing over this way every few seconds.”

  She turned and met Aidan’s gaze. He arched a brow. She smiled back at him. “Yes, he’s been simply amazing.”

  “You’re happy with him?”

  “Very.”

  “That makes me feel so much better.”

  Janelle hugged her good-bye and went back to her husband’s side. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

  * * * *

  “Why didn’t you tell me that Jerome was suing you?”

  Aidan’s hand rested on her belly. They’d just made love and he’d expected her to fall asleep like she usually did. He moved a lock of hair off her neck and kissed her. “I didn’t want you to worry. It was nothing. He had no chance of winning. And then he dropped the lawsuit and I didn’t see the point in dragging him up again.”

  She rolled over to face him. “His mother said that she was getting him help so we shouldn’t hear from him again.”

  “That’s good,” he said, but he didn’t really care about Jerome so long as the man stayed away from Janelle.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved closer. Trailing her toes up his leg, she said, “I want to tell you something.”

  He shivered as she wrapped her leg over his hip. His body immediately responded. He rubbed his arousal against her mound. “What’s that?” he asked, struggling to concentrate on her words.

  “You love me.”

  Aidan grinned. “Yeah, I do.”

  A smile stretched her sensual lips. “Then why haven’t you told me so.”

  “I didn’t think you were ready to hear it.” He stroked her back. “I’ve loved you for some time. Almost since the day I married you.”