Because I Love You

by Amy Brent

  Minutes later, Nola ended her call. Halle and Sadie were left to discuss the details alone.

  “Well, at least one of us will have fun this season,” snapped Sadie. “Why is it that you get to have a relationship while I have to focus on being professional?”

  “At least you get to do whatever you want. Mother will have me dating some loser I don’t even like just to get good ratings.”

  “It won’t be the first time you dated a loser. I’m sure Zep Stewart wouldn’t mind being a part of the show.” Sadie cut me a glare. “You’ll have to make sure you keep a clear schedule, Ella. We’ll need you to be on call for our appointments. Things are about to get hectic while we do promos. You’ve been getting off easy lately.”

  This was getting off easy? I wanted to roll my eyes, but I knew better. Instead, I nodded and went back to looking through my new planner that Nola had left on my dresser that very morning.

  My phone rang, and I thought it might be Nola ready to relay a few of the promo dates and appointments to me, but one glance at the tiny screen revealed Aiden’s smile. He’d taken the selfie and added it to my contacts, a sleepy-eyed image of him with a smoldering, lazy grin from the morning we woke up at the beach house.

  I tried to step away, but Halle shook her head. “Don’t run off.” My back tensed and I walked to the couch and sat on the end with my back turned to them trying to take what privacy I could.

  “Good morning, Mr. Prince.” I kept my voice soft and glanced over my shoulder to see that I had both of the twin’s attention. Sadie was hovering like a hawk, while Halle sat on the back of the chair beside me perched like a vulture.

  “Oh, so official, Ms. Ford. I’d complain, but that kind of turns me on.” My cheeks reddened at his words, and I remembered all too well how sexy he was while turned on.

  “I’m at work and with my employers as we speak.” I was trying to hint that it wasn’t a good time, but at the same time, I wondered what he wanted.

  “I won’t keep you, but I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch. I can come pick you up if you want?” The thought of having an intimate lunch with Aiden was enough to make me warm all over, but then Halle cleared her throat. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed she was still there, eyeballing me like I was wasting her precious time.

  “Lunch sounds wonderful. What time would—

  Halle stepped around into my line of sight and folded her arms. “We need you at lunchtime. We’re going to be talking about our schedules.”

  “Lunch is not going to work today because the twins need me. They’ve been accepted for another season.”

  “Then we’ll have dinner.”

  “Dinner,” Halle stood shaking her head. “Dinner might not be a good idea either. Halle’s shaking her head.”

  “Today is a bad day,” Sadie said stepping up beside her sister.

  Aiden made a noise through the phone that made me worry how long his patience would hold out. “Then call me later when they set you free. I have a feeling anything we plan is going to be a bad time with those two.”

  Halle leaned in close. “Have Aiden tell Zep I said hello.”

  “Did you hear that?”

  “Yeah, I’ll pass that right along. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled. The two of them are supposed to be dating.” The tone of his voice told me he wasn’t too impressed with his best friend’s choice of relationships.

  “Well, that should be great for ratings,” I mumbled, and he laughed letting me know he caught what I’d said.

  “Yeah, that would be right up his alley.” He let out a long breath and then I heard his car start. I didn’t ask where he was going because I didn’t want him to think I needed to know his every move. “Call me. We’ll get together as soon as you’re free.”

  “Sounds good.” I was glad that he was being understanding about my situation. Coming with such heavy baggage as the Blue Twins wasn’t something that most people would put up with considering their reputations.

  I hung up the phone and lifted my head to meet Halle’s eyes. “He said he’d pass along your message.” I stood and closed my hands together in front of me and tried to look as relaxed as possible. I didn’t want the two to think that they’d rattled me, but I had something to say. “I understand that you don’t like the fact that Aiden and I are seeing each other, but trying to monopolize my personal time isn’t going to ruin what we have.”

  Sadie smirked and stepped in front of me. “We’re not going to ruin what you have. You’ll do that all on your own. You see, we really did have a threesome with Zep Stewart, and there’s something he let us in on long before that happened. He and Aiden love to share their women.”

  “Yes, Zep did admit that’s their thing when their relationships get a little stale. So, it’s only a matter of time before Aiden starts to get bored and decides to let Zep teach you a few new tricks.”

  They were hoping to get a reaction from me, but I wasn’t going to let them rattle my feathers. “We should get ready for that lunch date.” I turned and picked up my bag and shoved my phone and the new planner into the outer pocket.

  “We’re only trying to save the heartache, Ella.” Halle lifted her shoulders and raised her hands in a what do you do fashion. “Aiden Prince isn’t the type who settles for one woman relationships. He’s had hundreds of women and never a steady relationship. Why should it be any different with you? He’s a known playboy, a creature of habit. You’ll see.”

  “I’ll just go ready for that lunch date. I’m starved.” I stepped out, leaving in the direction of my room. When I got there, I took out the phone and called Nola about lunch plans. She had only wanted to meet the girls for lunch to take them shopping, and just like that, I was excused. I decided not to say a word to the girls and hoped I could slip out before they called Nola themselves.

  Once I was out of the house, I texted Aiden and told him to meet me down the road from the house.

  Chapter 22

  Aiden

  I hadn’t ever had to sneak around while in a relationship before and trying to keep from shoving my sexual habits in my mother’s face by rushing out a few one-night stands didn’t count.

  I took the long road up the Blue’s mansion and stopped just outside the gates where Ella stood shifting on her feet and looking over her shoulder.

  I pulled up beside her and let down the window. “Hey, sexy lady. Do you need a ride?”

  Her face tinged red, and as she smiled, her whole face lit up. “Yes, and let’s hurry. I sneaked out of the house, and I want to leave before they realize I’m gone.” She opened the passenger door and slid into the seat beside me.

  “All of this sneaking is kind of a turn on. I didn’t realize I was dating a bad girl. I like it.” I leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the lips and then stepped on the gas. My tires squealed, and she laughed, looking back at the house as we sped away.

  “You’re not very good at sneaking away. Remind me never to rob a bank with you.” She ran her hand through her hair and dropped her bag to the floorboard. “Where are we going?”

  “I guess I should feed you, but after that, I could take you back to my place if you want. We can hang out there or go do something. I’m not picky. I just want to spend some time with you.” I kept my hand on the gear shift, and she placed hers on top of it.

  “Yes, and we should enjoy it while we can. Once they find out I ditched them, they are going to be so pissed off that they make my life miserable.” She seemed like it was really bothering her, and I hated that they had that effect on her.

  “Don’t they already do that.” It seemed that was all they did. Like they lived for it.

  “They do their best.” She let loose a long breath, and her smile faltered a bit.

  “They treat you like shit. You’re family, not some employee.” I shook my head and switched lanes as I approached my exit.

  “They don’t know that though.”

  “Yeah, I forget that. Did you say that your father doesn�
�t know?” I couldn’t remember if he didn’t know or if he didn’t know that she knew or both.

  “He knows that I’m his, but he doesn’t know that I found out. I’m not sure that the Twins would treat me any better if they knew I was their sister. They’d be just as terrible and spoiled and have even more reason to see me as a threat.”

  “You don’t think they’ll want to share their daddy?”

  She cringed. “Don’t say that. I could never call him daddy.” She made a face like it was the most awful thing in the world.

  “Don’t tell me you were one of his fans, that you ever had naughty thoughts about the rock god, Scott Blue.”

  “Gross, no. He’s old enough to be my—well that’s because he is my father. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.” She sank back in her seat a little and turned her head my way. “Could we just go to your place? I’m not really that hungry.”

  “Yes, we can. And if you do get hungry, I’ll have the chef whip us something up. You’ll like Louis’s cooking.” I turned her hand and stroked her wrist with my thumb. “Don’t let those twins get you down. Let it all out of your mind for the day. You could use a break.”

  She smiled and closed her eyes as if she hadn’t had a decent rest in days. I’d noticed how she slept like a log at the beach cabin and I didn’t think it was just because I’d wore her out, she’d been stressed and working hard, not to mention dealing with those bitches every command which couldn’t be too easy in itself. I wanted her to relax with me, to make herself at home with me.

  We got to my house a few minutes later, and she leaned into me as I led her to my house at the back of the estate.

  “I thought you stayed in the big house.” She glanced over at the main house as I led her up the walk to my door.

  “No, I have a room there, but me and Zep live here in the guest house. It’s much more appropriate for us, and we can come and go and have guests without disturbing Patricia. Not to mention, I hate seeing my mother with other men.”

  “She’s seeing someone already?” My father’s death was sudden but not as sudden as my mother had returned to dating.

  “Yeah, she didn’t even let him get cold in the ground. But I have a feeling she was seeing other men while he was alive. I mean, I don’t like to think it, but I’m not stupid. She didn’t have any problems finding men, so I think she’d been on the scene for a while.”

  “That’s terrible. I think exclusive relationships are nice.” She met my eyes, and there was a question in her glance.

  “Are you asking me how I feel about being exclusive?”

  “I wasn’t asking, but knowing the answer would be nice.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I should just shut up, really. I’m letting those stupid twins get to me.”

  “How so?” I could only wonder what kind of things they were telling her.

  “Well, they said that you and Zep like to share your women and that when you get bored with me, then you’ll pass me over to Zep.”

  Anger built up in my blood and sent it through my veins a warp speed just thinking about her being with Zep. “That’s not true.” I felt my jaw pop as I clenched. “Do you think I could do something like that?” Her face paled, and she shook her head.

  “No, Aiden. Not at all.”

  “When you’re with me, you’re with me. And I don’t have any desire for anyone else. As for Zep, he hardly needs my cast offs. He’s got his hands full enough as it is and I wouldn’t even tell him private things about me and you, much less share you with him.” She frowned, her mouth turning down and eyes filled with what looked like tears.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. It’s those damned girls. They’re not happy unless they are creating drama. I wish Zep would leave Halle alone, but for some reason, he actually likes her.”

  “Are you guys talking about me?” Zep strolled into the room eating a handful of grapes and almonds.

  The thought of him with Ella had me scowling. “Yeah, Ella’s going to hang out with us here today. Don’t tell Halle she’s here.”

  “I don’t tell Halle anything, but if she asks I’ll lie.” I knew he’d have no trouble lying to her because he didn’t really care about her.

  I pulled Ella close, and her stomach growled so loud that even Zep heard it. Her face turned red, and she giggled as Zep nudged me. “Feed the girl, Aiden, damn.” He shook his head and stepped over to the bar. “Don’t let him get cheap on you. Have him take you to a nice restaurant. He can afford it.”

  She knew well enough I could, but I didn’t like Zep making insinuations about my wealth.

  “Let’s grab something to eat. We can still go out if you want.” I had some good news to tell her, but now all I cared about was getting her fed and comfortable.

  “Could you call out for something? I’d like to stay in.” I pulled her close. “Anything you want. I’ll call to the kitchen and have then bring us something.” I turned to Zep who was gathering his keys and wallet. “Are you going to be around?”

  “No, I’m off to the docks. I’ll call you later. You two have fun. Ella, it was good to see you again.” Zep gave her a nod and turned to head for the door.

  “Good to see you too,” Ella called after him just in time for him to give her a wink and pull the door to.

  I sat on the couch with my phone. When she joined me, I pulled her into my lap and kissed her cheek. “Is there anything particular you want. My personal menus have some pretty basic food: chicken alfredo, burger and fries, French bread pizzas. You name it. I can have it here within the hour.”

  “Impressive.” Her smile warmed me all over, and she nestled her face against my neck and kissed me there as I dialed up the kitchen and placed our order.

  As promised, our food arrived, and we sat out on the patio looking at the pool until we finished.

  In the quiet after dinner, while staring out at the butterflies who were fluttering over the hibiscus, I took her hand. “I have a little surprise for you.”

  “Yeah? I hope it’s good. It’s going to be hard to top the bread.” She’d eaten nearly the whole loaf alone, and I had to admit that it was one of my favorites too.

  “Oh yeah. I think you’ll think so, and I’ll be sure and pass along your compliments to the chef.” We share a little laugh, and I stroked her hand. “I talked to Delaney Graham last night, and he’s willing to let you come down to his studio and spend some time if you want. He said he could show you a trick or two and maybe if he likes your work, he can get you in with some buyers.” Her eyes lit, and she bounced in her seat.

  “Really! That’s amazing! Thank you!”

  I had expected a much different reaction. “He didn’t seem to understand why you haven’t been in touch already.”

  Her face lit with confusion. “Why would I? According to Nola none of my mother’s contacts had room for me, and the buyers lacked interest.”

  Of course, she had. Nola Blue was up to something. And I was going to find out what. “Are you excited?”

  She leaned in close and kissed me, flattening her palm against my cheek. “Yes, thank you.”

  “No need to thank me.” I patted her hand and kissed her, pulling her closer until she moved from her chair to my lap.

  “If you don’t want to hear it, then perhaps you won’t mind if I show you show much I appreciate you thinking of me.” Her hand slipped down between us, stroking my length which was already stiff in my pants. “Are you okay with that?”

  “Mm, more than okay.” I lifted her up so fast she let out a little squeal, and then she burst out giggling as I put her over my shoulder and carried her into my house.

  Chapter 23

  Ella

  All of the blood had rushed to my head, and I couldn’t stop giggling as Aiden carried me into the house. He stopped next to the bed, and I could see us in the reflection from the mirror of his dresser. His hand raised and I felt a sharp smack of his hand against my ass. I’d wore jeans, and there was nothing quite li
ke getting a spanking through denim to warm one’s backside.

  “Ah!” I found myself on my back before I could kick or scream, but doing so would only be playing. I didn’t mind the spanking or being tossed down on the bed, and I especially didn’t mind when he wasted no time slipping off my shoes and tossing them to the floor.

  His eyes stayed focused on mine, burning with intensity as he worked the buttons on my jeans and slipped them down over my hips, down to my knees and finally puddling around my bare feet. I kicked them off as he went for the hem of my shirt, which was a surprise. I’d expected him to slip my panties down, but his hands pushed my silky blouse up over my head, and I leaned up enough to accommodate.