The Scars Between Us

by Schiller, MK

  “I don’t give a fuck what you do. It’s clear I don’t mean anything to you, either.”

  I pick up a shirt, and he snatches it from me. I pull it back, and now we’re playing tug-of-war. I hear a rip, the fabric tearing apart at the seams.

  “Stop it!” I scream, letting it go.

  He throws it on the bed. “I ripped your shirt.”

  “No shit.”

  “I’ll get you another.”

  “I don’t want another. I don’t want you.”

  He smiles, his eyes lighting up in that intense way. “Lie to yourself. Not to me. You want me just as much as I want you. I’m a stupid, sorry son of a bitch who can’t even figure it all out until he almost fucks it up.”

  “What did you figure out, Aiden?”

  “That there is nothing in this world that can make me forget you. There is no ignoring what I’m feeling. There is no letting you go. You asked me not to leave you last night. I’m asking, maybe begging, for the same thing now. Don’t leave me.”

  The shock of what he says makes me speechless for a minute. He stares at me, anguish written all over his face. He backs me against the wall and kisses me.

  If you can call what he did a kiss. The experience feels new to me. His arms encircle me, his lips against mine, rough, needy, and tender at the same time. I don’t kiss him back, but I can’t push him away, either. His fingers tangle in my hair, his body presses against me.

  When he lets me go, he’s still breathing heavy, but I’m downright panting.

  “Emma?”

  I slap him. The sound echoes in the room.

  Aiden winces.

  “I deserve that.” He bows his head as if he’s waiting for more punishment.

  I regret it. There is something in the way he looks. There is pain in his expression that runs deeper than any words he can say to me.

  I squeeze his hand. He inhales deeply. I grab hold of his shirt and pull him to me. I kiss him. I let myself do all the things I’ve fantasized about since the day I met him. I run my fingers through his thick hair and slide my tongue across his lips. He parts his mouth. He tastes of bourbon and sweet mint.

  His glittering eyes look feral. I watch as he takes his wallet from his back pocket. He takes out a golden packet before tossing the wallet onto the nightstand. He unbuttons his shirt, staring at me like he’s going to eat me. I hope he does.

  “Wait,” I say. I stand and take hold of his shirt and pull it apart. The remaining buttons scatter in every direction. Aiden’s face flickers in shock before the lust returns.

  “You have no idea how much that turned me on.”

  His pants bulge, giving me an exact idea.

  “It’s only fair I get to rip your clothes, too,” I say.

  His hands travel down my sides until he grasps my hips. His fingers tighten as he lifts me up and throws me onto the bed. “This is going to be really difficult for me.”

  “Why?”

  “I’ve been waiting for this, but I want to take my time. To make it good for you. I worry if I can. I want you too much.” He sheds the rest of his clothes. I gasp at the sight of his perfect body. The hard-packed muscles of his waist, his shoulders, his legs, and what is between them. In fact, that is the only place where Aiden is fat. “Let me fuck you like the animal I am.”

  He’s waiting for a reply, maybe my permission.

  “You should always be yourself.”

  His mouth turns up. I expect him to laugh, but he lets out a low rumble that resembles a growl. My brain does a mental gulp. He drops to his knees in front of me before grasping my legs and pulling me toward him. He hikes up the dress until it’s around my midsection. His fingers massage the drenched material of my panties. I shriek in ecstasy when he curves his fingers, his thumb circling my clit.

  “If that’s the sound you make when it’s my fingers, what the fuck are you gonna sound like with I’m deep inside of you?”

  “I don’t know, but I want to find out.”

  “Not yet. Take down your straps. I want to taste your skin.”

  I slip them from my shoulders. This dress doesn’t allow for a bra. Clearly, he’s figured that out. The cold airs hits my skin for only a second before I feel his warm breath across my nipples. They harden instantly. He swipes his tongue across each one, then he rolls them against his teeth, not gentle, but not too hard. Just the right amount. His fingers thrust inside me. I pull his hair and rake my nails down his back. The scent of his cologne is intoxicating, especially when mingled with his sweat, his own natural masculinity, and my intense arousal.

  I come, my legs shaking, my mouth biting his neck. And before I can even catch a breath, his mouth crushes against mine.

  Squirming as he slides my panties down, I clutch a fistful of bed sheets. He rolls the condom down his length. His hard erection is inside me before I even realize what he’s doing. I’m so wet I hear his cock slide into me. It stretches me. For a moment it’s painful…until it’s not. I feel full. He grips my hips, moving me at an angle. I wrap my legs around him and tighten my hold on his shoulders.

  “I won’t let you go, Emma,” he says.

  His fingers tangle in my hair until he twists it around his hand and pulls my head back. His lips run down the length of my neck. His teeth graze and nip and bite me. I moan out loud at each of the wonderful things his mouth can do.

  “Aiden.” Is it a whisper, a scream, a plea? I’m not really sure.

  I arch my back, staring at the way his arm flexes with each movement.

  “Look at me, Emma. I need to see you.”

  His hand cups my ass, and he pulls me toward him, bending his head so our foreheads touch. His body is warm and damp. Staring into his eyes, I lose myself, our breaths coming out in harsh gasps. The electricity of us builds in every part of me until it finally releases. I cling to him. He pumps once more, before moving away. I lean up on my elbows. Aiden is on his knees beside me. He throws the condom to the side. His fingers slide against his wet shaft. He rears his head back, grunting out my name over and over as he comes on my breasts.

  He falls on the bed beside me. He places his finger under my chin and turns my head toward him. We’re both still breathing hard when he brushes his lips against mine.

  “We need to do laundry tomorrow.”

  I laugh. “Yeah. I think you came on my clothes, too.”

  He cracks up. “I don’t know how you can make me laugh after that.” His eyes skim across my freshly slicked breasts. “We should clean you up now.”

  “Uh-huh,” I say. I trace my fingers over my nipple before sucking on it. It tastes salty…and sweet. I think those dark green eyes might just pop out of his head.

  “Did that just happen? And can you do it again ’cause I need to capture that in a mental picture for future masturbation fantasies.”

  “What? This?” I repeat the motion.

  Before I can answer, he pinches my arm.

  “Did you just pinch me?”

  He kisses the spot. “I was just verifying you are real.”

  “Hey, you’re supposed to pinch yourself, Aiden.” I slide my hand over across his chest and press his nipple between my index and thumb, manipulating it between my fingers.

  “That tickles.”

  “No, it doesn’t,” I say, pinching harder. He grabs my wrists.

  “You’re right, but it is making me hard again.”

  “Well, we can’t have that.”

  He squeezes my hand. “Stay here.”

  I look down at my messy self. I’m sated and wet at the same time. My breasts are hanging out and the silky material that is the red dress is like a huge belt covering my waist. I’m a mess. A happy mess, but still a mess.

  Aiden clears off the bed with a sweep of his hand. A warm washcloth presses against my skin, another between my legs.

  I thought he had stolen all my energy, but Aiden’s hooded expression makes me squirm with anticipation. His mouth hovers close to my ear. “Emma, I’m going to tak
e my time this go ’round.”

  What? We’re doing it again?

  He straddles me, his cock fully erect again my leg as he moves.

  “The zipper is on the side,” I tell him as he gropes the dress. I almost want to keep it on.

  “I know exactly where the zipper is. I figured that out the second I saw you in it. I can’t decide if this dress was made just for you or to torture me. Right now, I just want it gone.”

  He doesn’t unzip it fast. My anxiety climbs as the linking rows unclasp. He is going to see me completely naked. I’m not ashamed of my body, but it’s not as toned as Aiden’s. I don’t devote hours a day to its well being. The fact is, if you squeeze my sides, there will be fat between your fingers. If you shake me, I jiggle. I tell myself to watch him. To search his face for any signs of rejection. I can’t do it, though. I shut my eyes tight.

  His finger draws circles around my bellybutton then he follows the movement with his mouth. His lips are warm and wet. “You’re beautiful. You know that, right?”

  “Yes?”

  “Is that a question? Because there is no doubt about it. You are gorgeous, Emma Cooper.”

  “Thank you.”

  When I open my eyes, he stares at me in a way that I’ve never been stared at. I don’t know if he kisses every inch of me, but he sure as hell covers a lot of territory with his mouth and tongue.

  His strong hands spread my legs. He kisses the inside of each thigh. Aiden gets an A in foreplay. Because he doesn’t just go down on me. He makes love to me with his mouth and tongue and fingers. I feel his breaths and moans as they vibrate through me.

  “You’re delicious,” he says in a whisper that journeys through every cell of my being.

  As I come undone, he covers me with his body. He reaches over for another condom. He takes in a sharp breath, his fingers shaking as he rips open the package.

  He sinks inside of me, expelling his breath with every inch.

  His thrusts are slow, not the same frenzied, lusty fucks from before. He buries his face in my neck, kissing me softly. I flatten my feet on the bed and lift my hips to meet him.

  “Emma, no.” He leans down to kiss me. “I’m going to lose myself in you if I’m not careful. Can you let me drive us? I need to drive,” he says.

  “Okay, baby, you drive,” I whisper, relinquishing all control to him.

  He takes me on another journey to a place I’ve never been to. I think people refer to it as ecstasy. I want to visit it every chance I get.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Emma

  A heat crawls up my body, traveling through every pore. It starts between my thighs. I usually wake up groaning, but never moaning. My hips rise off the bed.

  “Oh my God.”

  His tongue flicks my clit and I almost loose it.

  “What are you doing, Aiden?” I attempt to ask, but it comes out garbled gibberish.

  “I’m eating you out, Cooper. Should I stop?”

  “No, oh God, don’t stop.”

  I blink my eyes open, adjusting to the light. But they widen at the sight of him between my legs. The phone rings, slicing through my ecstasy. I turn my head toward it. He grasps my hips, pulling me closer to him.

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “Ignore it.”

  It goes silent. Or maybe my moans drown it out. He hooks a leg over each of his shoulders. I can see and feel everything he is doing to me. The scruff on his face tickles the skin on my thighs.

  The phone rings again, invading our solitude. It’s our wake-up call. Neither of us wants to wake-up. He thrusts his tongue inside of me. My body convulses with pleasure.

  “Aiden, come here. Let me do something for you.”

  His laugh is a sexy growl. “Kitten, you think I’m not getting off on this? You are doing something for me.”

  He kisses the inside of each thigh and continues.

  The sharp rattle of the phone pierces through the sounds of my crazy climax.

  “Aiden, we have to answer it.”

  “Why?” he asks, lifting his head while his fingers needle my hips.

  “It’s almost check out time. We have to go.”

  “Answer it, then. I’m busy.” His lips brush my thighs again. Can you die from pleasure? I’m about to find out.

  “Pick up the phone, Cooper. Tell them we’ll need another night at this very fine establishment.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t make me repeat myself. I’m trying to focus on my task.” He buries his tongue inside me again.

  I almost drop the receiver, my hands are shaking so hard. He doesn’t stop. I interrupt the front desk person before they start in on their spiel. “We’d like another night. Do you have an opening?” I blurt it all out so it sounds like one word and not a complete sentence.

  The person says a few things and types some more. “We should be able to accommodate you.”

  Aiden’s tongue hits my clit.

  “Yes!”

  “Well, we’re happy you’re enjoying your stay.”

  “The best stay ever.”

  “Anything else, miss?”

  He’s almost there but not quite. I adjust Aiden’s head, guiding him to where I need him most. Then he hits the magical spot. “Yes!”

  “Excuse me? Are you all right?” the man on the phone asks.

  “Yes,” I say, more like a normal person should.

  Aiden ramps up and his tongue unravels me inch by inch. This time, I do drop the receiver because all my energy is going into this epic climax.

  Aiden catches the handset. He smiles at me, his hand ruffling though my hair before he puts the phone to his ear. “Can you have room service bring us up a couple of lean steaks with a side of whatever fresh vegetables you have?” He looks down at me and holds the phone away for a second. “You want something else, angel?”

  Did he call me angel? It’s such a sweet term of endearment, especially after the naughty things he just did to me. “No, sounds good to me.”

  He puts the phone to his ear again “Yeah, one bloody and one medium rare. But can you wait at least an hour before you put them on the grill?”

  Aiden traces my lips with his finger. I open my mouth and suck it, root to tip. His eyes widen with lust.

  His voice goes raspy, “Make it an hour and a half, and please make sure we are not disturbed before then.” He clears his throat. “Thank you, it’s already a great day. You have a good one, too.” He drops the phone.

  “Where were we?” He runs his lips up my neck.

  “We shouldn’t stay another night.” Even as I make the statement, I want to take it back.

  “Why not, angel?” He makes his way across my jawline. “We need a day to bum around.”

  I yank his hair, pulling his head up so he meets my eyes. “Have you ever bummed around a single day of your life, Aiden Sheffield?”

  “Can’t say I have, but what better time to start than today?” Aiden’s mouth crushes mine, the taste of my arousal still fresh on his lips. “Besides, we need to do laundry.”

  “Yeah, laundry.”

  “And we can lie out by the pool.” He rolls my nipple between his fingers, applying gentle but firm pressure.

  I am about to explode again. “Yeah, the pool.”

  He slides his rough calloused hands down my sides, scorching my flesh. “There’re a lot of other things I’d enjoy doing with you and to you.”

  Oh Aiden, stop selling what’s sold.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Emma

  We did all the normal stuff he said, except for the sex. I think the amount of sex we had is abnormal. Not that I’m complaining. We sit at a continental breakfast in the morning, me with a bowl of cereal and him with what looks like the annual food supply of a small country. It is all healthy, though.

  “You miss Theo.”

  “How did you know I was thinking of him?”

  “Just a hunch.”

  “This is the longest I�
��ve been away from him, but he’s in good hands. I talked to Mac this morning. He’s doing well.”

  “I’m sure he misses you, too.”

  “Yeah,” he says, sipping a green concoction that he told me is a smoothie. But it is to a smoothie what ass is to ice cream.

  “How is Faith?” I ask. I hadn’t had a chance to text Mac recently.

  “She’s doing well. She almost got adopted yesterday.”

  I sit up in my chair. “What happened?”

  “We denied their application.”

  “Really?”

  “We have a vetting process. We do an application, interview, and a reference check. The last thing we want is to take a dog from a bad situation and put them in a worse one.”

  “Why were they denied?”

  “They had two dogs already and a really small house. That’s not an automatic denial, except they planned to keep Faith outside and they don’t have an insulated dog house. Also, Mac had a bad feeling about them. Some of this is intuition, too.”

  I make little circles in my cereal. I dunk a corn puff, watching as it resurfaces through the milk. I’m happy Mac is so conscientious about adoptions, but in a twisted way I hope Faith never gets adopted. It’s selfish of me, but I love her. I want to take care of her. I want to make a home for her. Ridiculous, considering I have no home. I don’t even have a permanent address to put on an application.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, placing his hand on mine.

  “It’s crazy.”

  “Now you have to tell me.”

  “I was just thinking how much I want to adopt her.”

  “That’s not crazy. You have a bond. You saved her life.”

  I sit back in my chair. “We may have a bond, but I don’t have a place to bring her home to.”

  “Emma?”

  I pause before picking up my bowl. I don’t know what I want him to say. Although we’ve shared many beautiful moments, the truth is we just met. In any normal circumstances, we would go on a series of dates. We’d do movies and dinners and have long talks about our future. What we have is some kind of whirlwind thing going on, which is both exciting and scary. Right now, I am leaning toward the latter. The set of circumstances I find myself in would force, maybe even coerce, a commitment from him. That’s the last thing I want.