Conflict of Interest

by Jae

  T-shirts in hand, they stood and looked at each other. Neither of them moved to the bathroom to change. "The zipper," Aiden's voice was a whisper, "is on the back. Can you...?" She turned around.

  Dawn stared at the smooth, tan skin. Her fingers rose to trace Aiden's shoulder blades, then the contours of her spine. She closed her eyes when she felt the heat radiating from Aiden's skin and inhaled deeply. Her lips touched Aiden's neck and wandered downward. The zipper was momentarily forgotten and only remembered when it hindered her path. With trembling fingers, she moved it down. The dress began to slip, and her lips followed its way down.

  "Dawn..." Aiden groaned. It was a warning, an attempt to slow her down.

  "No." Dawn was determined not to stop. "I want this. I'm sick of being a rape victim without a normal love life."

  "I know, but –"

  Dawn shook her head. "Don't try to protect me. I know your intentions are honorable, but protection is not really what I need. Let me make my own decision about whether I'm ready or not."

  Aiden turned and looked into her eyes, still holding on to the dress with one hand. "I don't want to scare you." Her voice trembled with barely suppressed emotions.

  "You seem to be more frightened than I am." Dawn stepped closer again, drawn to Aiden's heat and scent.

  Aiden smiled ruefully. Her intense gaze, which still rested on Dawn's face, felt almost like a touch. "Stop me anytime you want to, okay?"

  Dawn nodded, determined not to stop this time. She watched as Aiden let go of the dress. The strapless sheath hadn't been designed for a bra, so it revealed Aiden to her gaze as it fell.

  Aiden stood motionless, unashamed and with a confidence that was as breathtaking for Dawn as Aiden's body.

  On trembling legs, Dawn crossed the distance between them, eager to touch and taste Aiden's skin. She directed Aiden to take off her pantyhose and panties.

  "I want to see you, too." Aiden's voice was rough, and the hand that directed Dawn to turn around so she could reach the zipper was trembling.

  Dawn gripped the dresser in front of her when she felt the length of Aiden's half-naked body come to rest against her back. Heat shot through Dawn as hard nipples brushed against her upper back and Aiden's breath washed over her neck. "Aiden," she groaned, desperate to turn around, to see her and kiss her.

  But Aiden was in no hurry to give up her position. She laid her hands over Dawn's, pressing even closer and pinning Dawn against the dresser. Her lips nuzzled the sensitive spot under Dawn's ear and then trailed upward to capture her earlobe.

  "Aiden!" Dawn was trembling, no longer sure how much of it was desire and how much was rising panic. She had known that Aiden would be an intense and passionate lover, that she would unconsciously try to take over and control their lovemaking, and while it usually would be a turn on for her, right now it was beginning to overwhelm her. She needed to see Aiden now, needed to look into her eyes and focus on all the differences between her and the man who had raped her.

  Aiden immediately dropped her arms and turned her around. "We don't have to do this."

  Dawn had no intention of having this discussion again. She didn't want to talk at all. She crushed her lips to Aiden's, swallowing any further words. When she had to break away to breathe, she leaned up on her tiptoes to nibble on one of the ears she loved so much. The movement pressed Aiden's bare breasts against her and made both of them gasp.

  Aiden's low growl sent a shiver down her body. She breathed in Aiden's musky scent and pressed her lips to the hollow at the base of her throat.

  "Your dress has to go. Is that okay?" Aiden asked, moving back a little to look into Dawn's eyes.

  Dawn nodded without hesitation. She felt warm hands direct the zipper down her back. The sound of the zipper's metal teeth giving way one by one made her hold her breath in nervous anticipation. Aiden's hands followed the falling dress down her body and pushed the pantyhose down Dawn's hips.

  The cool air in the bedroom barely had time to touch her before Aiden's hot skin covered her own. Warm lips trailed down her throat and traced the lacy edge of her bra. "This too?" Aiden's husky voice, her breath on her chest, created a trail of goose bumps.

  "Please."

  With gentle fingers, Aiden undid the clasp of her bra and then touched the underside of one breast for a moment. "You're beautiful."

  Dawn sucked in a sharp breath.

  "Let's move this to the bed." Aiden began to direct her backward.

  The dress and pantyhose that pooled forgotten around her feet tightened around her ankles, trapping her for a moment. Without warning, Dawn's vision dimmed and she started to hyperventilate. Suddenly the dress morphed into Garett Ballard's hands and feet that were manacling her helpless limbs to the bed. Aiden's breath caressing her cheek became his scratching beard stubbles. Her partner's soft skin against her legs turned into the rough fabric of his pants. The smell of beer and smoke seemed to linger in the air.

  "Dawn!" She could barely hear Aiden's voice over the roaring in her ears. "Dawn, it's okay. It's only me, Aiden."

  With a choked gasp like a diver breaking through the water's surface, Dawn found her way back into the present.

  Aiden enclosed her in an embrace that was now trying to be soothing rather than arousing.

  "God damn it!" Dawn let her head drop against Aiden's shoulder.

  Aiden kissed her on the forehead. "Shhh, it's okay."

  "No, it's not okay!" She wanted to make love with Aiden. She wanted to lose herself in the passion she felt, but Garett Ballard had taken that away from her.

  "Dawn, we have all the time in the world –"

  "I don't want time," Dawn grumbled. "I want you. Don't tell me that this isn't driving you crazy, too." She could feel Aiden tremble with suppressed desire. Passion simmered in the honey-colored eyes.

  Aiden sighed. "Come to bed and just let me hold you, okay?"

  Dawn trudged across the room and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. This was not how she had planned this evening.

  "Hey." The warmth of Aiden's hand on her back reminded her that she was still mostly naked.

  Her breath quickened, and her body reacted to the touch even though her mind was not yet ready to take the last step. With a sigh, Dawn slipped under the covers. Aiden's skin touched hers, and she forgot her frustration as she started to caress her shoulders, then her collarbone and –

  "Dawn!" Aiden took hold of the hand that was just about to touch her breast. "Are you trying to kill me?"

  "No." Dawn brushed her lips against the hand that held her own. "I'm trying to love you."

  Aiden shook her head. "You're not ready to make love. My poor body just couldn't take it if we had to stop again."

  Dawn looked down at her and traced the forced half grin on Aiden's lips with her fingertips. "Just because my body refuses to be touched right now doesn't mean that I can't make love to you."

  Aiden tightened her grip on the hand that strained to touch her. "Oh, no. This is not about physical satisfaction. I want to make love with you and give you the same pleasure you give me."

  "You do. It would please me very much to make love to you," Dawn insisted. "I want to share this with you as much as I'm able to right now. You don't help me by being a martyr. Please, let me have this." She knew that Aiden had never liked giving up control to someone else and letting her partner direct their lovemaking, so she just looked into her eyes without further attempts to convince her, prepared to accept her decision whatever it might be.

  Aiden exhaled. "All right. Consider me your willing sex slave." She sprawled her arms and legs to both sides, injecting some much-needed humor into a situation that was weighted down by fears and frustrations.

  With trembling limbs, Dawn lingered over her, bracing herself with her hands on either side of Aiden.

  Aiden raised both hands to caress her face, then laid them on Dawn's hips and gently tugged her down.

  Dawn gasped when their nearly naked bodies pressed togethe
r all along their lengths, belly to belly, thigh to thigh, breast to breast. Aiden's skin burned against her own. Dawn closed her eyes for a moment, overwhelmed with sensation. When she opened them again, she looked directly into Aiden's darkened eyes. Never breaking eye contact, she began to trace the contours of Aiden's face.

  Aiden lay still as Dawn's fingertips explored arched eyebrows and well-defined cheekbones.

  Leaning down, Dawn stifled a gasp when the soft skin of Aiden's breasts brushed over her own. Heat raced up and down her body. She pressed her lips to Aiden's cheek. She watched as dark lashes fluttered when she teased them with her breath, and then she moved down to kiss the faint laugh lines around full lips.

  When she trailed kisses downward, eager to press her lips to the firm jaw line, Aiden arched forward and drew her into a deep kiss. Dawn collapsed bonelessly onto Aiden and let the heat and softness envelope her. Only when Aiden shifted under her and began to roll over did she draw back. She pressed one hand against Aiden's chest, gently pushing her back down. "Patience, patience."

  Aiden groaned but flopped back down onto her back.

  Dawn knelt over her, slowly lowering herself. She let her hair trail over Aiden's skin as she nibbled on a tempting earlobe. Feeling Aiden shiver under her sent an answering rush of goose bumps down her body. She rained soft kisses across the arch of her collarbones and down her neck. Aiden's pulse pounded under her lips.

  Her fingertips traced the necklace around Aiden's neck, and she gently kissed the good luck charm resting on her chest, the metal cool against her lips before they returned to the heat of Aiden's skin. Nuzzling the soft spot at the base of her throat, Dawn inhaled Aiden's scent deeply. "Hmm, I love the way you smell."

  A husky moan escaped Aiden's throat as Dawn grazed her teeth over her neck and sucked lightly on her skin. "God..." Aiden lifted her head to gaze down at Dawn and then let it drop back on the pillow. "You're going to drive me crazy."

  Dawn smiled. Discovering that she had this kind of power over Aiden, that she could be the cause of that much excitement and pleasure for her partner was intoxicating. It made her almost drunk with power and gave her back the sense of control Garett Ballard had taken from her.

  She kissed the slope of Aiden's breast just over her heart. The skin under her lips was salty and trembled with the thudding beat of Aiden's heart. Cradling one breast in her palm, she bent down to kiss it.

  Aiden's arms around her tightened but resisted the urge to draw her back to her breast as Dawn continued her path down Aiden's body. She caressed the defined muscles of Aiden's abdomen with her lips, stopping to tease her navel. Aiden's hips twitched restlessly as Dawn smoothed her hand down the flat belly. Her fingers stopped when they encountered the fabric of Aiden's panties. "Let me take these off," she said in a voice she almost didn't recognize as her own.

  The muscles of Aiden's thighs stretched under her as Aiden lifted her hips, allowing Dawn to push the panties down long legs.

  "Yours too?" Aiden asked hoarsely.

  Dawn nestled her body between Aiden's thighs. "Not yet," she mumbled before her mouth was back on Aiden's skin.

  Aiden gasped as she pressed closer. She was panting, clearly struggling not to take control of their lovemaking. One strong hand clutched Dawn to her; the other grasped the sheets to anchor herself as her hips surged against Dawn. "Dawn!" She moaned against Dawn's lips. Her skin was flushed and covered in a light sheen of perspiration. "This will be over in two seconds if you don't slow down."

  Dawn had wanted to take her time, had wanted to slowly explore every inch of Aiden's body, but Aiden's legs tightening around her thigh and the pressure that began to grow in her own belly urged her on. "Don't hold back," she whispered, staring into amber eyes burning with passion. "I love how you react to my touch." With trembling fingers, she caressed a trim waist, trailed over the gentle curve of Aiden's hip and down to the hollow where her abdomen met her thigh. Her fingertips danced over the soft skin on the inside of her thighs. Muscles quivered and twitched under her touch. She pressed her face against Aiden's neck and closed her eyes as she stroked across her clit with one gentle finger.

  "Dawn!" Aiden sucked in a sharp breath. Her head lolled to the side, giving Dawn's wandering lips more access to her neck.

  Warm fingers splayed across Dawn's lower back, drawing their bodies even closer. Fingernails raked over her back. Aiden's movements grew more frantic, and Dawn felt her body answer, surging against Aiden's. She moved her fingers faster. Hot breath washed over her cheek as Aiden panted against her.

  Aiden's hips rose and fell under Dawn's exploring fingers. Her eyes fluttered shut.

  "Look at me! Look at me, Aiden," Dawn urged. She needed that contact, needed Aiden to be fully present and with her until the very last second.

  Heavy-lidded eyes opened immediately. Their gazes locked, and their mouths collided in desperate passion as Dawn slid two fingers inside Aiden.

  Aiden's legs began to tremble, and with another thrust from Dawn, they stiffened. Her hips arched off the bed, and she wrapped her arm tighter around Dawn to keep her close against her body while her other hand clutched at the sheet. When Dawn's thumb brushed against her clit, Aiden broke the kiss with a gasp and threw her head back, the fine muscles in her neck tensing. Her mouth opened in a silent cry. She stopped breathing. Her body stiffened and shuddered, then collapsed back onto the pillows.

  Dawn stilled her hand and curled into Aiden's side, resting her cheek against her sweat-dampened chest to listen to the pounding of her heart. She touched her lips to Aiden's. "Thank you."

  "You're thanking me?" Aiden rasped. "It's me who –"

  Dawn interrupted her with another kiss. "No. You did this for me. You trusted me enough to make yourself vulnerable and gave me full control even though that's not what you'd normally do. So, thank you. It may not have been 'let's tear each other's clothes off and break the bed' sex, but –"

  Aiden lifted her head. "Who says it wasn't?"

  Giving her an embarrassed grin, Dawn shrugged. "I know that it wasn't what you're used to."

  "Maybe not, but that's not a bad thing. It may have been out of my comfort zone with anyone else, but I trust you enough to give up control." Aiden's arms pulled her even closer. "Do you want to...?" She raised her eyebrows, still out of breath.

  "No." Dawn brushed her thumb over Aiden's deep red, swollen lips. Making love to Aiden hadn't left her unaffected, but she didn't want to spoil this wonderful experience by trying for too much. She reached down and drew the crumpled sheet over them both.

  "Are you sure?" Aiden entwined their fingers and rested them against her still quivering belly. "I feel a little selfish –"

  "Selfish? God no, that was the most beautiful gift that I've ever gotten for Valentine's."

  Aiden nuzzled her throat. "Mmm, me too. Happy Valentine's Day, Dawn."

  "Happy Valentine's." Dawn burrowed deeper into the embrace and closed her eyes.

  * * *

  Dawn blinked and opened her eyes. It was still dark in the apartment, and for a few moments, she wasn't sure what had woken her. She searched for her glasses and discovered that she still had two hours before she had to get up. Then she shifted a little and felt soft skin brush against her thigh.

  Aiden was cuddled up behind her, one arm providing Dawn with a pillow while her other hand rested just an inch under her breasts. Their legs were entwined. By now, Dawn was familiar with Aiden's presence in her bed, but this intimate skin-on-skin contact was new and made her breath quicken.

  Her mind presented her with snapshots of Aiden, her head thrown back in ecstasy, trembling in her arms. She licked suddenly dry lips and shifted in Aiden's embrace, gasping when Aiden's thigh, entwined with her own, pressed against her.

  "Mmm?" Aiden's arms clutched her even closer as she woke. She turned on the light and blinked for a few seconds. "Dawn? You okay?" She turned Dawn around so she could see her face.

  Dawn suppressed another gasp when their bare torso
s pressed together. "Yeah," she answered shakily.

  "Sure?" Aiden cupped her cheek. "You sound a little breathless. You didn't have a nightmare, did you?"

  Dawn closed her eyes when Aiden's caressing fingers traced the rim of her sensitive ear. "No nightmare," she said. "If I sound breathless, it's entirely your fault."

  "My fault...? Oh!" Aiden grinned when she suddenly understood. Her grin dimmed and was replaced with a look of concern. "I could get up and put on a sleep-shirt if this makes you uncomfortable," she offered.

  "Or you could stay in bed and help me undress," Dawn suggested even when a voice in the back of her head whispered, What if I can't do this?

  Aiden studied her. She knew Dawn well enough to detect the mixture of desire and fear in her gray-green eyes. Her first impulse was to assure her once again that they had all the time in the world and should wait, but she understood that the right to consent, to tell her yes or no, was Dawn's alone. Only she could decide if she was ready or not. "Okay." She swallowed. "Keep talking to me. Tell me if I'm going too fast or if you want to stop."