Complicated (Aiden & Olivia Book 2)

by Stephanie Julian

  That manages to tear her attention away from the albums. She’d been flipping through the metal section and stops on a Slipknot album, lifting her hand to trace the letters on the cover.

  “Maybe we have a few things in common. But I’m not the one blackmailing a woman into having sex.”

  “But you will do whatever it takes to help your family.”

  I hear her release her breath on a sigh and she turns away from the wall to look me in the eyes, hands on her slim hips. “Of course.”

  “Even if they don’t deserve it?”

  I can’t stop myself from goading her but she doesn’t take the bait. Hell, she doesn’t even raise an eyebrow.

  “Family is everything.”

  “Even if they don’t deserve your loyalty?”

  “I wouldn’t be here if they didn’t.”

  “So you say.” I let that hang there for a moment before I walk over to stand beside her, pulling the album she’d been looking at out of the stacks. “Is that the only reason you’re here?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I see her lips part and I’m ready for her to blast me. I want her to. I fucking love verbally sparring with her. I don’t get to do it often because no one talks back to Aiden Knight, CEO of Squire Incorporated.

  I’m not arrogant enough to think I know everything and I’m always open to new ideas. But no one can be allowed to get the upper hand. I’m the caretaker of an empire. I can’t look weak because there’s always someone out there looking to take advantage.

  But here, tonight, I’m willing to give Olivia some leeway. Not because I feel any guilt about this situation but because I enjoy having her go at me.

  Her lips close and she’s silent for a few more seconds. “Of course. What other reason would I have?”

  I let that go for the moment as I walk over to the turntable and set All Hope Is Gone to play. Then I press the button to allow the music to filter through the house. I don’t crank it, like I normally would with Slipknot, but set it at a low, angry hum.

  “Would you like to see the rest of the house?”

  I walk to her and she has to look up to meet my eyes. Now, her expression shows the first sign of anger.

  “This isn’t a social call. I’m only here to pay your price for that file.”

  Damn, she’s hot when she’s angry. “As I said before, you’re free to leave.”

  She rolls her eyes and lust surges through my blood, heating every part of my body.

  “So where do you want me tonight?” She looks over her shoulder. “On the couch? Probably not. Leather stains. Or maybe you just want me to bend over the back of it?”

  I admire the hell out of her spine. She’s not afraid of me. Or, if she is, she’s determined not to show it.

  I wonder if she’s figured out who I am yet. I’m sure she’s tried. But the fact that she hasn’t thrown the information in my face makes me fairly certain she hasn’t.

  “I want you on a bed tonight.”

  Her jaw clenches and she swallows hard. “Then let’s get this over with.”

  No, that’s not how tonight is going to work. I don’t want this to be over fast. I want all night. And I’ll do whatever it takes to get it.

  Turning my back on her, I head for the door. “I’m getting a drink. What would you like?”

  I don’t look behind but I know she’ll follow. Yes, I hold the cards but I’m not wrong about the fact that she wants me.

  I head for the library and I’m pouring whiskey into a second glass when she joins me.

  “Better make mine a double.” Her voice holds a deliberate drawl. “I have a feeling I’m going to need it.”

  I squash my smile before I turn to hand her the glass. A single. “You should pace yourself tonight.”

  She lifts a brow, takes the glass and downs half the liquid in one gulp.

  I sip at mine, watching her watch me as I swallow, her gaze locking on my throat then slipping down to my chest before sliding past me to the desk.

  Swallowing hard, she turns away and walks to the door.

  “If we’re not going to have sex here, I’d rather be somewhere else.”

  “Would you like to see the rest of the house? Although you probably know your way around as well as I do.”

  She looks over her shoulder at me and her gaze burns hot for several seconds before heading toward the stairs.

  “So we’re going to your bedroom?”

  “No, not my bedroom.”

  Her face wrinkles in a frown for several seconds before she realizes what I’m not saying. A little of her haughtiness falls away.

  I hold up the whiskey. “I’ll bring the bottle.”

  Her back straightens and that nose lifts into the air again. “Aren’t you afraid the alcohol will affect your…performance?” Her gaze drops to my crotch for a long second before coming back up to stare into my eyes with raised brows.

  I don’t bother to hide my smile and her shock is evident, which just makes my amusement grow.

  “No, I’m not. You speak and I get hard. You roll your eyes at me and I get hard. Hell, you breathe and I get hard. A few ounces or a whole bottle of alcohol isn’t going to change that.”

  She blinks, her lips part, and I can tell she’s scrambling for a comeback. She doesn’t have one by the time I walk past her and down the hall.

  I wave a hand at the open doorway across the hall. “Dining room. Never use it.” I continue down the wide hall and push on the swinging door at the end. “Kitchen. Barely use it.”

  I know she’s following. I can sense her presence directly behind me.

  I head back to the foyer, to the stairs, and head up. She stops at the bottom but I continue. I know she’ll follow eventually. If she doesn’t… I’ll go back, throw her over my shoulder, and carry her.

  The stairway is curved, so as I get to the top, I can see that she’s taken the first steps. Her expression is a mix of confusion and anger. And lust. I’m not mistaking that. She wants me too. She just doesn’t want to admit it.

  I wait for her at the top, my own lust building with every step she takes. Watching her walk is an exercise in restraint. Each sinuous movement makes me want to run my hands all over her body.

  Which I plan to do tonight. All night.

  I know she expects me to fuck her and allow her to leave. Maybe she thinks it’ll take an hour, maybe two.

  I don’t plan to let her leave until tomorrow morning. And even then, I’m not sure it’ll be enough time.

  She looks up at that moment and I’m pretty sure she can read my every thought. A flush stains her pale skin but she doesn’t look away. And when she reaches the top step, she looks at me with a challenge in her eyes.

  One I’m more than ready to meet.

  When I don’t move right away, her brows rise and she lets her gaze travel around the landing, finally landing on the plush carpet beneath our feet.

  “Do you want me to drop to my knees and suck you off here?”

  The image of her doing just that practically steals my breath, and I have to bite my tongue not to take her up on the offer. Unless…

  “Is that what you want?”

  She doesn’t answer right away, and it takes her several seconds to draw her gaze from the floor up my body to stare into my eyes.

  “Maybe I just want to get this over with.”

  But there’s no power behind her denial, and her gaze shifts away to stare at the wall before slipping back down to the floor.

  As if she’s still contemplating my question.

  Before I can do anything I’ll regret later, I take a step back. The movement startles her into looking up again, and now she does nothing to hide the desire in her eyes.

  “Are you sure that’s what you want? To get this over with? Do you make a habit of lying to yourself?”

  She swallows hard but doesn’t drop my gaze. “Maybe I’m not the only one lying to myself.”

  Chapter Seven

  Olivia

  He’
s not wrong.

  I have been lying to myself, but not about what he thinks.

  I’ve admitted to myself that I want him. Getting that file for my dad is not the only reason I’m here.

  I freely admit, if only to myself, that Aiden fascinates me. He’s a puzzle, a challenge, and I love a good challenge. It’s why I live the life I do. If I’d wanted an easy life, I’d have gone to college and been a teacher or a librarian.

  And I’d be bored out of my skull.

  Yes, there’s a part of me that acknowledges I’m not normal. Normal people don’t become extraordinary thieves. Normal people don’t allow strange men to blackmail them into having sex with them.

  But I’m pretty sure a normal person wouldn’t have sparked Aiden’s desire.

  Whatever else is going on behind the scenes, he can’t deny that he wants me. It’s in the heat burning in his eyes and the bulge behind his zipper.

  “And what do you think I’m lying to myself about?”

  His question makes me want to smile, and I allow the corners of my mouth to turn up slightly as his gaze narrows.

  I walked through his front door tonight determined to get answers but also because I want him to take me again. And again.

  Of course, Aiden doesn’t know this, but if I didn’t want to be here, I would’nt be. Now that we have some idea what we’re up against, my dad is already working on a way around Vincenzo. I don’t have to fuck Aiden for the information, despite what he’d said. There are always other ways.

  “Maybe about your reasons for demanding I come back tonight.”

  He’s good. His expression shows no response. “And what do you think those are?”

  My brows arch. “Do you really need me to spell it out for you? I thought you were a smart man, Aiden.”

  He shrugs, looking completely at ease. “I’m curious to hear your thoughts. Indulge me.”

  “I thought that’s what you want me to do in your bed. I didn’t know I was expected to do it out of bed, as well.”

  “I guess when you’re here, I expect you to do exactly what I want.”

  He’s definitely a man used to getting what he wants, to having people at his beck and call. That kind of attitude doesn’t only come from having money. It comes from having power. And Aiden commands a lot of power.

  Despite spending every waking second of the past day and a half trying to discover who he is, I am no closer to having that answer. Tonight, I’ll get it, no matter what I need to do.

  But first, I’ll have him. Because if I hold out and push him too far, I might not get laid.

  And I spent all last night dreaming about just that.

  “Maybe you’re just a little obsessed with me.”

  I don’t really expect to get a rise out of him so I’m not surprised when his only response is to continue to stare at me.

  With a smirk and a shrug, I walk past him and head for the stairs to the third floor.

  To the room with that massive bed and the ropes.

  I barely make it to the first step when he wraps his hands around my upper arm, bringing me to a stop. He doesn’t exert any pressure. He doesn’t have to.

  “If I’m obsessed with you, you have so much more to worry about.” He leans forward until his lips are right above my ear. “Because I have the means and the will to keep you exactly where I want you.”

  I realize he wants to frighten me, at least enough to control me. But he doesn’t know me well enough if he thinks those words are going to be a deterrent.

  Like I said before, he is right about me lying to myself. I don’t want this to be over soon, no matter what I tell my family or myself.

  Letting my gaze sweep up to his, I raise my eyebrows. “Then you don’t know me as well as you think.”

  His fingers clench around my bicep but I don’t feel threatened. I’m thrilled that I’m getting a response. This man likes to be in total control but he’s not when he’s around me. I can work with that.

  “I’m a fast learner.”

  He’s bent down to whisper in my ear and the rush of his breath against my skin sends electricity arcing through my body, straight to my clit.

  I’d spent most of today thinking about tonight so I’d been in a constant state of arousal. About what he’d do to me, what he’d allow me to do to him. I hadn’t had much control Tuesday night, but tonight, I plan to take all that I can.

  I am going to make him give up at least some of his rigid control and I will make him like it.

  He wants me. I know that as fact. And I’m going to give him what he wants. But I’m going to make sure I get what I want as well.

  “Are we going to make it to the bedroom or are we going to do it here on the stairs?”

  He pulls back just enough to stare into my eyes then deliberately lets his gaze slide to the stairs. “I think I’d rather tie you to the bed.”

  The image he plants in my head takes my breath away. Me, spread-eagle on the bed, ropes around my hands and ankles, tethered to the four posts.

  My sex clenches and my lungs contract on a short, sharp gasp.

  “You like the sound of that, don’t you?” His low voice rubs against my skin.

  My cheeks flush with heat but I look him in the eyes. “Why do you sound surprised? Do you think women aren’t allowed to enjoy being bound? Maybe the question you should ask is why do you like it?”

  “I know exactly why I like it.” His voice drops an octave and I have a little trouble hearing him. “Seeing you at my mercy makes me hard.”

  It’s fucked up, I know, to feel this way about the man who has the power to destroy my father, my family. And maybe I’m totally delusional and he’s going to screw me and I don’t mean in the physical sense. But my gut’s telling me something and I’ve learned to listen to it.

  “Then I guess we should continue up to your playroom.”

  Finally, I see the first hint that I’ve shoved him just a little off balance. It’s there in the tiny crinkles at the corners of his eyes but gone in the next second.

  I know I didn’t imagine it and now I have hope that I can do it again.

  Leaning back, he waves a hand in front of me. “After you.”

  Game on.

  I climb the stairs at my own pace, knowing he’s watching me. Maybe he’s watching my ass, so I sway a little more. I don’t usually try to call attention to myself. It’s not good for someone who does what I do to be noticeable. Right now, though, I want his eyes on me.

  I deliberately dressed down tonight. My jeans are worn but fit like a glove. And my t-shirt is tight, cut slim, and the vee in front shows just enough cleavage to be sexy.

  Since I know where I’m going, I don’t have to wait for him to lead.

  The door to the room is open and a dim light shines from somewhere inside. Everything looks different in the light, not as ominous. Or maybe it’s just that everything tonight seems so much different than Tuesday.

  I don’t hesitate when I get to the room. I walk inside and head straight for the bed. It looks perfectly made, like it hasn’t been disturbed in days, maybe weeks.

  I look around but there really isn’t anything personal to see. No family photos, no little trinkets. No sex toys.

  Turning, I see Aiden leaning against the doorjamb, watching me.

  “How often do you use this room?”

  He doesn’t answer right away, as if he’s considering what to say. I don’t really expect an answer but I am curious.

  “Not as often as I used to.”

  Damn, he actually answered. “Why is that?”

  “Are you stalling?”

  Not really, although maybe I am trying to pry information from him. Any information.

  “Are you in that much of a hurry to get me into bed? Or do you just want to fuck me and send me on my way? This is your game, after all. You set the rules. If you want me to shut up, I guess you can just tell me to.”

  He crosses his arms over his chest, his expression lightening until he a
lmost looks like he might smile. “Would you listen if I did?”

  “Do you want me to?”

  “What I want you to do is get naked and lie on the bed.”

  I haven’t spent much time with Aiden but I know that tone of voice. He’s getting impatient. Good. An impatient man is more likely to reveal secrets.

  But that’s probably wishful thinking on my part, especially with this man.

  “Do you want me to take off my clothes or are you going to do it for me?”

  A muscle in his jaw starts to tic and I find it sexy as all hell. Up until now, I’ve been able to keep my libido under control, for the most part.

  It’s starting to get away from me. My mind conjures up images of Aiden naked. The man truly is stunning and I’m not immune.

  I’m going to enjoy the hell out of the sex but I do have ulterior motives, which I’m sure he realizes.

  I need information. I need to know who he is and I need to know what his connection is to my father.

  And if that requires me to get naked and have him tie me to the bed… I suck in air because I’m having a hell of a time breathing right now.

  “Come here.”

  He straightens away from the jamb but doesn’t move closer, arms still crossed over that broad chest. My gaze snags on his hair, those messy waves hanging over his shoulders and down his back, and my fingers curl with the urge to sink into it.

  I take my time responding, even though my body wants to do whatever he says. I can’t give in to temptation. I need to keep as much control as I can.

  I raise my brows. “I thought you wanted me on the bed?”

  His gaze remains steady. “First I want you to come here.”

  God, his voice. It makes my thighs quiver.

  I close the distance between us with deliberate steps then stand in front of him with my hands in my pockets. I have to tilt my head back because the damn man is tall. But I’m not about to show any weakness and I meet his gaze head-on.

  I expect him to tell me to strip and I brace myself to tell him no. But he remains silent, staring into my eyes for several seconds before his gaze slides down my body.

  My blood heats, making me feel as if I’m being consumed from the inside out. My lungs need more and more air and I have to part my lips to get enough.