Dump and Chase: Nashville Assassins: Next Generation

by Toni Aleo

  “You think it doesn’t drive me crazy?” I ask, pressing my hand to my chest.

  “It’s bullshit. I don’t want this. I don’t want all this,” she says, moving her hands over her heart, her eyes wild. “Yet, the feelings are there, and I can’t shake them.”

  I move to her, but she holds up her hand, stopping me. I reach out, taking her hand and lacing our fingers together. “You think I do? Do you think I wanted to wake up next to you? A fucking beautiful angel who is not only gorgeous but also witty, sassy, and someone I want to have smile at me? Not only all that, but my boss’s daughter? I mean, shit, Shell. I wanted a fucking one-time whore, and what I got was a fucking angel! So yeah, the situation sucks, but you don’t. You’re amazing, and while I know I need to get you out of my head, I can’t.”

  Her eyes are wild, wide as she stares up at me. “And what do we do about it?”

  “Fuck, I don’t know, because as much as I want you, I know it can’t happen. That’s what’s holding me back, Shelli. I have all these feelings, feelings I don’t even understand. Don’t you understand? I’ve never been with anyone more than once. I’ve never been in a relationship because no one has ever made me think about one until you. I don’t even know what that means or what I’m feeling. It’s fucking crazy.”

  Her eyes are filling with tears, gutting me. “So what? You’re just gonna push me away?”

  “I don’t want to, but I don’t know how to tell you what I am feeling.”

  “It’s easy. You open your mouth and tell me the truth.”

  “I feel like every time I do, I fuck up.”

  She shakes her head. “No, you come at me with some other bullshit. Instead of just telling me what you’re feeling, you jump on the defensive. Push me away. If you’d told me it freaked you out that I touched your stuff and fixed this place up, I wouldn’t have gotten so upset.”

  “It didn’t freak me out,” I say quickly. “It just felt very intimate. Like we were a couple.”

  “Because I thought we were! Or at least heading that way.”

  “I couldn’t think like that.”

  “Why? Aiden, that’s insane. I get the whole never having a girlfriend thing and not understanding what you’re feeling, but don’t push me away. Talk to me.”

  I look away, shaking my head. “It’s hard when I really don’t think this can happen.”

  “Then why the hell are we standing here talking about this?” she yells, tearing her hand from mine. “Why touch me? Look at me like I’m important—”

  “Because you fucking are important, and I can’t not touch you. I need to,” I say, snaking my arm around her waist and pulling her against me. She presses her hands into my chest. “I do want you. I want you so bad. More than a fuck, so much more.”

  Her brows are almost touching as she gazes up at me. “Aiden, you’re making no fucking sense.”

  “You deserve someone better—”

  “Oh, for the love of Pete, I know what I deserve. I am well aware, so please tell me the fucking truth.”

  I swallow hard as I gaze down into her beautiful face. “No matter how much I want you, crave you, I know your parents won’t let this happen.”

  “Why?” she asks incredulously. “Yes, my dad has the angina, but it’s all dramatics. They love you. I think they would be happy.”

  “No, Shelli.”

  “Why?”

  My grip on her waist tightens. “Because of the fucking allegations against me.”

  Her shoulders fall along with her hands as her eyes fill with compassion. “Aiden, you know that none of us believe that, right?”

  “It doesn’t matter, Shelli. They know that I was accused of basically abusing that girl—”

  “But you didn’t do it.”

  Her faith in me is surprising but refreshing. “I didn’t. But they saw the bite marks on her, they saw the handprints on her throat—”

  “And they’ve seen the ones you had, Aiden. It was rough sex gone wrong. She wanted more. She wanted to trap you. I know this, and so do my mom and dad.”

  “But that’s not what Elli said. Your mom told me I had to keep my nose clean, trust the woman I’m with—”

  “So you don’t get fucking screwed. Aiden, she wants to help you. No one believes you did those things. That girl said you peed on her. Bless, you shut the door when you go to the bathroom. Pretty sure you wouldn’t just piss on someone,” she stresses, and then she grabs my face. “Aiden, I know you didn’t do it. I get it. My parents make you nervous, but don’t let all that, the fact that you can’t deal with your feelings and your general fight-or-flight sense, ruin a good thing. We can be real good together if you give me a chance.”

  I scoff. “I don’t have to give you a chance. You gotta give me one.” I cover her hands with mine. “I fucked up. I was a dick. But I promise, I’ll never hurt you again.”

  She licks her lips as she gazes into my eyes. “I should say no.”

  “You should.”

  “But I don’t want to.”

  “I don’t want you to either, but you have reasons.”

  “I do,” she agrees, her eyes burning into mine. “But I know you. I know how you were raised. I know that you’ve never had a girlfriend, that you’ve never made time for one. I feel like you want to make time for me, you just don’t know how.”

  “I don’t, but I want to. For you.”

  “I know you do, Aiden. I also know you’ve had a rough year. It hasn’t been easy, and then I came into your life. With how amazing and hot I am, it’s easy to say I turned your world upside down.”

  I take a deep breath in and nod. “Completely.” I cup her jaw. “Seeing you with him made me crazy.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t have a clue what I’m doing here with you.”

  She shrugs. “Just do what you feel.”

  I nod. “I feel if I don’t kiss you, I might fucking die.”

  Her lips curve. “I guess a kiss wouldn’t be too bad.”

  “So you forgive my dumb ass?”

  “I do because you’re not dumb. You’re scared, and I get it. If you’ve never done this before, I can understand the fear.”

  I grab her, wrapping my arms around her tightly. “I won’t ever hurt you again, Shelli. I promise.”

  “Good, because next time, I’ll be the one jabbing a stick in your groin.”

  As our mouths meet, I know she’s not playing.

  And it turns me on beyond belief.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  SHELLI

  MY ASS IS HANGING off the couch, but there is no way I’m moving.

  Once Aiden and I started kissing, I assumed we were heading to the bedroom, but instead, he laid me down on the couch. We’re facing each other, my feet at his knees as he holds my waist with one hand and his other trails along my jaw. His lips are sinful against mine and I’m burning from within, but I like this. I like the closeness. He smells divine, and he hasn’t shaved, giving him a rugged look. His eyes are so gray, his lashes so dark, and I feel right. Good.

  “I have a question.”

  I open my eyes to meet his. “Yeah?”

  “What’s going on with that fucker, Nico?”

  I laugh softly. “That fucker, huh?”

  “I wouldn’t mind slamming my fist in his face. Again.”

  I shake my head as I trace along the bruise on his jaw. “I don’t think that would be a good idea. He kicked your ass.”

  “Shelli! What the hell? My pride.”

  “What? He did. You flew off the handle when you went to swing on him after he jabbed you in the jaw.”

  “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

  I giggle. “But hey, look, you’re with me right now.”

  His face changes instantly as he gathers me closer, touching his lips to my bottom lip. “You’re right.”

  “I am,” I say, moving my nose with his. “The thing with Nico is nothing. It was always just supposed to be fun. I never wanted a r
elationship with him. I just wanted to have sex and hang out. He’s funny and very nice, but he’s so obsessed with himself, it’s pathetic. We hardly ever talked about me. It was always him. Even when you walked away after we got into it at Brooks House, he didn’t ask what was wrong, why we were fighting. He asked why didn’t I just forget you and be with him. That he would be better for me. He never cared about what I was feeling. Only himself. I told him that, and he didn’t like it. Which is why I think he said what he did to you. Though, I haven’t talked to him.”

  Aiden’s eyes search mine, and he looks worried. “I’m self-absorbed.”

  “No, you’re not,” I say quickly. “You took care of me when I was drunk. You made sure my mom wasn’t worried. You like to talk to me about things that don’t concern you. You care about what I think.”

  “Well, yeah.”

  “You’re different.”

  He presses his nose into mine as his lips move along the side of my mouth. “He said you’re caught up on me.”

  “So?”

  He grins. “So, it’s true.”

  “Obviously, Aiden. I’m here, aren’t I?”

  His eyes soften. “I’m glad you are.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’m sorry I’m an idiot.”

  “It’s okay,” I say, kissing his nose. “You’re super hot, so I go with it.”

  His face breaks into a grin, and I smile back. “You’re really beautiful, Shelli. Really. So damn gorgeous.”

  “I like this saying what you’re thinking thing,” I inform him, and his grin grows.

  “It’s kind of freaking me out.”

  I giggle. “But doesn’t it feel good?”

  He shrugs. “Nope, it’s terrifying.”

  I laugh. “At least you’re honest.”

  “I don’t want you to think I’m dumb.”

  “I don’t,” I stress, kissing him. My eyes hold his as I cup his face. I move my thumb along the hair on his chin and whisper, “I promise.”

  “Okay,” he says, nuzzling his nose against mine and closing his eyes.

  We lie still for a moment, neither of us saying anything as my mind goes wild. I have so much to ask. Since I never beat around the bush, I jump right in. “Hey, Aiden. Can I ask you something?”

  “Yeah,” he says with his eyes still shut.

  “Did you know her?” I ask, and his finger stops at my chin.

  He pulls back a bit so our eyes can meet. “Who?”

  “That girl in New York. What was her name? Trish or something?”

  “Trisha.” He swallows hard as he nods. “I didn’t know her, know her. But I met her at a bar, we hit it off, and we went back to my place.”

  I watch him intently as I ask, “How did it go so wrong?”

  He shakes his head, disdain making his face rigid. “I don’t even know. I think I messed up asking her back over the next day. She left her number on the counter. And I thought, hell, why not? I should have known better, but I enjoyed her, and I didn’t want to find someone else to sleep with.”

  “Because going a day without sex is completely out of the question,” I say dryly, and he grins.

  “You love sex just as much as I do, thank you very much.”

  “I don’t have to have it every day.”

  He shrugs. “We’d lost in the play-offs. I was pissed and wanted to blow a load or seven.” I snort, and he grins. “It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have let her come back.”

  I slowly move my fingers into his hair. “So, what happened?”

  He inhales deeply, letting it out through his mouth. “When she got there, I think I knew something was up. She was asking questions about my friends and my family, and I remember thinking, this is weird. Especially when she knew my mom’s and dad’s names. I know it’s a simple Google search, but why would she have done it? We were just fucking. I don’t know, it was weird. We started going at it, and she wanted it harder. Harder. I swear she said it over and over again, and not in a hot way but in a demanding way. At first, I was hesitant, but then she bit me, and I didn’t think it was so bad. I sort of liked it.”

  “You did?” I ask, my brows coming in.

  “Yes, at first. But then she really started biting me, and then she choked me out. When I came to, I was in a panic. It was all so weird and off. I was drunk, of course, but then she asked me to do the same. So, I did. I hadn’t done it before, and she promised it would get me off, but it didn’t. It freaked me out even more.” He shakes his head as his eyes fall shut. “I couldn’t even do it long enough for her to pass out. I panicked and then asked her to leave. She got really mad and started throwing things at me. I had to call security to get her out of there. I thought I would never see her again, but then the cops came the next morning because she claimed I raped her and beat her up.”

  “Man, that’s insane.”

  “It was absolute hell.”

  “And wasn’t she stalking you?”

  “Yeah.” He rolls his eyes. “One of the guys on the team told me he had seen her around me a lot while I was at the rink and hanging around my place when I had parties. He thought something was fishy. I hired a PI, and he found evidence of her stalking me. He hired one of her friends to spy on her, and she brought in pictures of the girl’s apartment. There were hundreds of pictures of me and notebooks of things about me. Super-crazy shit.”

  “So crazy,” I marvel, shaking my head. I saw the pictures online; the chick was seven shades of nuts. “Are you worried she’ll come back?”

  He shakes his head. “No, not really. I dropped the charges as long as she would. I haven’t seen or heard from her in over ten months. I’m not worried the least bit about her.”

  “Why did you drop the charges? Didn’t you want her to go to jail for what she did?”

  He looks away, biting his lip. “I didn’t want to ruin her life for a mistake, even though she was ready to ruin mine. I don’t know. I felt bad for her. I just wanted the whole mess to go away.”

  I smile. “And you say you’re self-absorbed.”

  He looks away, a small shrug of his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

  “Either way, I’m glad it’s in the past.”

  “Yeah, it was a load of shit that I didn’t need,” he says, moving his hands along my hips. He stops to press his lips to mine, and my eyes drift shut. I feel awful for him, how the whole thing went down. I know he isn’t that person. Does he like sex? Sure. What man doesn’t? But Aiden isn’t the kind of man to hurt someone intentionally. He’s gentle and cares what I want. Sometimes, he doesn’t even ask what I want; he just knows and does it. I, for one, am a fan.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Not your fault.”

  “I know,” I say, and then I look down. “I’m not a stalker.”

  He laughs. “I know, Shelli.”

  “I feel like maybe that’s why you freaked out on me.”

  He shakes his head. “I actually didn’t put the two together until now.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll show myself out,” I say, starting to get up, but he doesn’t let me. He traps me in his arms, pulling me on top of him as a giggle falls off my lips. “I think I freaked about the unpacking because it did feel like something a girlfriend would do, and I didn’t want to accept that this was going that way.”

  “Have you accepted it yet?”

  He grins. “Working on it.”

  I roll my eyes. “For someone who doesn’t want me with anyone—”

  “I will legit fight anyone who tries to touch you.”

  I grin. “I didn’t know you were so jealous.”

  His grip tightens around me. “Not jealous, just protecting what I want.”

  Swoon. I purse my lips, and he presses his to mine. When he drops his head back, he looks up at me. With a little tip of my lips, I ask, “Why hadn’t you unpacked?”

  He draws his lip between his teeth. “I sometimes feel like this isn’t real. Like it’s all going to be taken from me.”

&
nbsp; “Why?”

  “It’s too good to be true. I’ve wanted to play for the Nashville Assassins my whole life, and here I am. I rushed here, got started, and I’m worried that if I unpack, I’ll lose it all.”

  “But you belong here.”

  His eyes darken. “I’m starting to realize that.”

  “Good, ’cause it’s true.”

  He kisses the side of my mouth. “I think your mom scared me with her speech, and then after what happened in New York, I think I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Add in the fact that I have a real hard time staying away from you, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before I got canned.”

  “I mean, I am irresistible, but I wouldn’t let that happen.”

  He grins, his eyes flashing with desire. “No?”

  “Nope. I’d take the fall and say you couldn’t resist me.”

  “Oh, really?” he says with a cheeky grin.

  “Yup,” I say proudly.

  “I wouldn’t let you do that.”

  “Why not?” I ask, my brows furrowing.

  “Because I take responsibility for what I do.” He moves closer, pressing our noses together. “I want to try this. I want to promise that I’ll do it well, but I don’t think I can. I’m usually pretty confident in life, but you completely terrify me.”

  I feel my face fill with color as I press my lips together. “I do?”

  “Yeah. I can’t control how you make me feel.”

  “Good. Welcome to my world. Been this way since I was eleven.”

  He shakes his head. “I can’t even imagine. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because you’re Aiden Brooks.” I laugh, shaking my head. “Coolest guy ever. You wouldn’t have time for me. Plus, what would you have said? ‘Run along, Shelli. Go play with your dolls.’?”

  When I laugh, he grins, a little bashful. “No, not at all.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Hey, I remember a time when I was checking you out. You were like sixteen or something.”

  “Yet, you wouldn’t talk to me. Or even look at me.”

  He holds my gaze. “Maybe I knew you were dangerous even then?”

  I cup his jaw. “You really do think you’re cute, don’t you?”