by S. Massery
“If you don’t want me to fuck you right now, we should stop,” he mutters, barely leaning away.
I open my eyes and stare into his. The implication is clear.
“I’m trying to be the good guy.” He grunts.
I hesitate.
He sighs, dropping his forehead to my chest. I accept his body weight on top of me. It’s grounding, and I wrap my legs around his hips again. Dangerous, given how easily he could disregard my non-verbal no.
“I need a cold shower.” He lifts off of me.
I pull my t-shirt back into place and watch him go.
The water turns on, and I press my fingers to my lips. There’s a part of me that must still be in shock, because it takes too long for me to register what just happened. And what I wanted to happen.
I step into the bathroom and peel off my shirt, dropping it behind me. Aiden makes a small noise when I step into the shower with him and drop to my knees.
“Gemma.”
His cock bobs in front of me. The water is lukewarm, and he blocks the spray with his body. It mists over his shoulder, and droplets cling to my hair, my eyelashes. I open my mouth, licking his shaft, and look up.
He groans and braces his arm on the wall. I use my hand to help, guiding him into my mouth. It’s all an experiment, but I’m beginning to love the little noises he makes when I do certain things. And he’s letting me keep the control.
I take him deeper and swirl my tongue. He thrusts into my mouth, his hips jerking. I open my mouth wider, relaxing into the movement. Tears prick the backs of my eyes. I cup his balls, and he lets out a guttural groan.
“Fuck, Gemma.” His fingers knot in my hair, holding me as he takes over. “I’m going to come.”
I suck hard, and he shouts. His hot seed fills my mouth, and I swallow around him. I don’t know what it is about him, but I’m impossibly turned on. He pulls away, and his gaze sweeps down me. My pussy clenches in response.
He hauls me up and slams his lips to mine, backing me against the wall. He nips my lips, my tongue. I give it back to him, my teeth scraping his lower lip, then step back. I wish we could stay like this, but…
There’s a line I’m not willing to cross.
Not yet.
So I shift toward the door and let myself out.
Alone in the closet, I let out a ragged sigh. I sweep my damp hair back and braid it. It falls straight down the center of my back. The closet is a mess, but I make quick work ripping off tags from new items—brought in yesterday by Sam and left on top of the dresser in here—and hanging them in a corner gives me an ounce of satisfaction.
I dress quietly, a better bra and panties, another dress. This one is short-sleeved, navy blue, and hugs my curves. It felt sexier when I tried it on at the mall, and it got Cat’s seal of approval.
Thinking of her, I wince. We ended things badly yesterday, and after what happened in the pool… I can’t afford to make more enemies. Not when I’m living in the hornet’s nest.
Aiden steps into the closet in nothing more than a towel. I eye his abs, then the scratches on his neck and cheek. I did that to him.
He winks at me and drops the towel, and my face burns. Call me crazy, but it’s a different vibe seeing him naked not sexually. More intimate? Either way, I can’t deny my flaming hot cheeks. I scoot past him, out the door, and his laugh follows me into the bathroom.
We make breakfast in silence and sit on the couch. We’re closer than we might’ve been even yesterday. I don’t know what’s shifted between us, except the realization that Aiden will do anything to keep me alive.
Maybe not safe, but… not dead, either.
If anything, I should be strong in my resolve that the DeSantises need to be stopped. And on some level, I still agree with that. They’ve had it out for my family for years.
The hate runs deep.
But he’s saved my life more than once. That’s what’s confusing me. What was once black and white—West vs. DeSantis, good vs. evil—is now murky gray.
“Eat,” he prods. “You’re staring like you’ve never seen toast before.”
I scoff. If there’s one thing I don’t have a problem doing, it’s eating. Sure, chocolate chip banana pancakes sound better than toast, but I’m not about to be picky. In no time, we’re both done, left only to finish our coffees.
It’s quiet in here.
When I was alone, I tried not to dwell in the silence. I kept the television on low to be a steady hum of noise. I didn’t want to go insane.
But now I glance at Aiden and think I might be there, anyway. What else would explain not one, but multiple orgasms at his hands… and tongue? Or how desperately I wanted his dick in my mouth just moments ago?
The front door opens.
Aiden bolts to his feet, withdrawing a gun before I can even blink. When he registers who it is, he lowers it and grunts.
I crane around him, then wish I hadn’t.
Jameson strides in like he owns the place, casting a look around in disdain. “Care to explain?”
Aiden hauls me up by my arm. “Wait for me upstairs.”
“No, I think she stays.” Jameson’s brow lowers. “I’m sure she’s caught up in the mess.”
Aiden keeps me behind him. I don’t mind—his father terrifies me. Not just how he acts, which, yes, is intimidating. It’s more how he sees me. In his eyes, I’m disposable. Just another sacrifice in his war.
We edge out into open space, the stairs to the bedroom behind us.
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out my son shot Leon?” Jameson sneers. “You’re smarter than that.”
“I didn’t really give a fuck if you found out,” Aiden says. “I told you Gemma is mine.”
His father makes a noise of disgust in the back of his throat. “And, what, you caught them together? I suggested she be put with the other girls—it’s not too late to change your mind. A just punishment for a West, don’t you think?” His eyes gleam. “I can only imagine what her family would think.”
I shudder, and Aiden squeezes my arm. His hand slides down until he finds mine, then squeezes again. I lace our fingers together and take a deep breath, then step out next to Aiden. Not fully—I’m not an idiot—but enough to see his father.
“Ah, there’s the little mouse.” Jameson’s gaze bores holes into my forehead. “Come to rise to your own defense?”
“No need,” Aiden grits out. He’s practically vibrating with fury. “If anyone lays a hand on Gemma, I will kill them. No questions asked. Last night was just a message I’m happy to repeat.”
His father eyes us like he’s never seen anything like it. I don’t know what we are, but I feel more firmly planted on Aiden’s side than I did before. Even if it’s tenuous. Even if it’s temporary.
“Now, with all due respect,” Aiden adds. “Get the fuck out.”
Jameson laughs. “Fine. I cleaned up your mess, by the way. And we have a lunch date. Be ready at noon.”
“With who?” Aiden demands.
His father just smiles and heads to the door. He pauses and runs his finger over the latch. Aiden removed the tape before we fell asleep, but maybe there’s a residue? He implies that he knows what I did.
“I’m getting a deadbolt,” Aiden says as soon as the door clicks shut. “Fucker. Of course he has a key.”
I cover my eyes with my free hand. “You just left him there?”
He gently pulls my hand away. “No. I had my guys clean it up. He was spewing bullshit, like usual.”
My eyes widen. “You have guys?”
He chuckles and ducks down, kissing my temple. “Yes, princess. More than just cousins. Friends. Guys who have my back.”
Over his father’s? But apparently, he has a leak in his ship if Jameson found out.
“You’re capable of friendship?”
His chuckle turns into a full-blown laugh. “Some would say no.”
“Well, I need to meet them. Find out everything I can about you.” I yank my hand free,
stepping back and clearing my throat. For a moment, it seemed like we were getting too close. My stomach flips, and I raise my hands to my hot cheeks.
“You’ll meet them soon enough.” He nods to himself and turns away. “Apparently, we have a lunch date that can’t be missed. Until then, I have to do some work. Should I send Cat up?”
I wince.
He eyes me but doesn’t say anything. If Cat already told him… she must’ve had a good excuse, right? To not be watching me?
“I’ll be fine on my own. I won’t leave.”
He sighs. “Yeah, I don’t believe that. You’re coming with me.”
My stomach twists again.
“Do you have an office?” I don’t need prompting this time to follow him out. We wait for the elevator, and I pick invisible lint off my dress.
“I do. One I don’t use too much, but today…” He sighs. “Luca handles permits, but with him gone, it’s fallen to me. All sorts of things on my plate. I just need to get shit done for the next few hours.”
I cross my arms. “And what will I do? Stare at you?”
“Maybe.”
Turns out, Aiden’s office is nearly on top of Jameson’s on the twentieth floor. The latter man gives me a withering glare when we pass his open door, but Aiden doesn’t release my hand. Once we’re locked in his office, he motions for me to go to the chair in front of his desk.
I can’t, though, because I’m fixated on the view.
Finally, I’m pretty sure this faces south. We’re higher up than the restaurant. Aiden’s question the first night he brought me here resurfaces: Do you recognize this? It’s been nagging at me. I squint at the building across from us.
It doesn’t look too familiar… but all I can see is the glass reflecting our building back at us. It’s a bright morning, the sun already high. I glance back at Aiden, who watches me with an inscrutable expression.
He circles his desk and sits, pulling a laptop from one of the drawers and opening it. I go back to staring out the window as he types, and I wonder who, exactly, my would-be killer was.
Jameson mentioned his name was Leon, but that doesn’t explain anything. And to get access to the roof, he was obviously someone familiar with the building. A DeSantis, even. In my drunken state, I didn’t question it. I didn’t question Aiden.
I’m an idiot.
Someone tried to kill me, and in the moment, I accepted it. I mean, yes, I fought, but I didn’t question the attempt. I know they all hate me. He said it was from the mall, but it’s deeper than that. More ingrained. They see me and think I’m… what? Going to pick up an automatic weapon and shoot them all down?
I twist back to my so-called fiancé. The marks on his cheek and neck are still red, standing out against his tan skin. I approach and sit on the corner of his desk, right next to his laptop, and cross my arms.
A corner of his lips tips up, but his focus stays on the screen.
I automatically shiver. What is it about him? Why is he a magnet for me?
His phone rings, and he sighs. He answers it, bringing it to his ear, and his other hand inches up my leg.
I consider shoving him away, but I’m curious as to what he’ll do.
“Just spit it out,” he demands. “I’ve got shit to do.”
The person on the other line squawks. I can’t make out the words, just the tone. Frantic, it seems. I part my knees, letting Aiden’s hand creep under the hem of my dress. He traces the edge of my panties and meets my eyes.
I open my mouth, but he shakes his head. There’s a devilish glint to his gaze, and he pushes the fabric aside. I bite my lip and grab the edge of the desk. My back arches when his finger dips inside me. My muscles tighten.
He makes a noise of affirmation on the phone and answers them. Something about… I don’t know. Permits, territory. My heart pounds. There’s an extra level of danger here, in a semi-public space.
He rubs my clit with his wet fingers while their conversation drones on. All I can do is try not to combust. He pinches the phone between his ear and shoulder, his other hand now free. He grabs my ankle, spreading my legs wider. My dress rides up, and he smirks.
“Don’t make a noise,” he mouths.
Like I’d risk anyone hearing me.
But a second later, he pinches my clit, and I gasp, my sudden climax taking me by surprise. I hadn’t known I was riding that edge, so close I could burst, until he pried it out of me. He thrusts his fingers back inside me, prolonging my pleasure. I clench around him and throw my head back. I bite my lip to keep any sound from escaping.
“I’ll call you back,” he says to whoever’s on the other end of the line.
He tosses his phone down and rises, looming over me. He pulls out of me and licks me off his fingers. My breath hitches. I’m captivated by the way his tongue sweeps around his fingers. His hand cups the back of my neck, and his thumb traces my throat. My pulse hammers.
His kiss this time is sweeter. Not quite gentle, not when his teeth nip my lower lip, then travel down my jaw. Each nip reels me farther into his web.
“On your knees, princess,” he says in my ear. “If I can’t claim your cunt, I’ll fuck your mouth.”
My eyes widen, but I do as he asks. I slip off the desk and almost fall to my knees next to his chair. He sits back down, and my gaze goes to his pants. I undo his belt, the button and zipper of his pants, and free his erection.
I lick my lips.
In truth?
I’ve dreamed about doing this. Taking his cock in my mouth. It started when I was seventeen and accidentally walked in on Kai watching porn. The girl on the screen was enthusiastically sucking the guy off, and I was transfixed for a moment. Up until then? Totally innocent.
Kai then noticed I was there and threw something at me, effectively scaring me away.
But… I went to bed that night thinking about Aiden.
Ridiculous, really, that he implanted himself in my mind and stuck. We knew each other for one day. A blip in time. But all that dreaming… maybe it was just easing the way for this to happen. And even though I’ve done it before, heat curls low in my abdomen.
“Gemma.” His hoarse voice brings me back to the present. “Tell me what you want.”
“I want to suck your cock.” I shake my head once. That isn’t quite right. “No, I want you to fuck my mouth. Choke me with it. Don’t go easy on me, if that’s what you think I need. Not like this morning.”
I rise on my knees and lean forward, taking him into my mouth.
He groans, and his fingers fist through my hair. I swirl my tongue around his head, smearing the bead of pre-cum on my lips. His hand on the back of my head is light, guiding—but not for long. His grip tightens, almost painfully, and he jacks his hips up. I gag and relax my throat. My eyes burn, and my core clenches, as he does exactly what I asked. And I just kneel there and take it. He slides in and out of my mouth, and I imagine that’s what he’ll do to my pussy when I’m ready. The thought only turns me on more.
I should be afraid of this. But I’m not.
“Fuck, baby, I’m going to come.”
My core pulses at those words, and he spills into my throat. I swallow around him and sit back on my haunches. I touch my swollen lips and meet his gaze.
He yanks me up onto his lap and kisses me. His tongue slips into my mouth, and I feel claimed all over again.
“What was that for?” I ask, pulling away.
He smirks. “Do I need a reason to kiss you?”
I shrug and glance away.
He grabs my chin, pulling my gaze back to him.
“Don’t do that,” he says. “Don’t put up more walls. We’re making progress.”
I shift. “We’re not making progress. This has just been…”
“A reprieve.” He exhales. “You’ll let me all the way in one day, princess. Body, mind, and soul.”
I shudder and rise, putting distance between us. I already feel vulnerable, like he’s managed to flay me open. I’m sl
eeping with the enemy—just sleeping, I guess, but still. I should feel gross. But in the back of my mind, I have to ask: what else did I think was going to happen?
Aiden wasn’t going to kill me.
Even if he should’ve.
He tucks himself back into his pants and goes back to work. I sit back down on the window ledge and stare outside. The sun on my face is a nice contrast to the air-conditioning.
Someone knocks on the door. I keep my eyes on the tiny people below, ants on the sidewalk, and ignore when Aiden unlocks it and ushers someone in.
“Jack,” Aiden says. “This is Gemma.”
I twist around and frown. I don’t bother to tell him we’ve met—if Aiden had stuck around at the card game, he would’ve seen Jack. And my husband-to-be would probably put much more space between us.
Not that Aiden has anything to worry about… just because he’s a possessive asshole.
But maybe Jack realizes this, too. His eyes are wide, locked on mine. He must’ve truly believed I was Cat’s friend, not Aiden’s… plaything. Fiancée. Hostage. There’s a flash of hurt in his expression, but he masks it.
He strides forward and reaches out his hand to shake mine.
I start, and Aiden’s jaw clenches.
“Jack.” He regains his friend’s attention and motions for him to sit. “What did you have to discuss?”
I can’t hide my relief when Jack turns around and sinks into the chair across from Aiden’s desk. Aiden takes my hand, guiding me away from the window and back onto his lap. His hand lands on my hip, and his thumb circles the spot.
Jack eyes us. “Sam took me to meet with Rubert.”
What kind of name is Rubert?
Still, I keep my mouth shut.
“And?” Aiden prods.
“They’ve made a deal with the…” Jack’s sweating. He rubs at his forehead, the back of his neck. His gaze is suddenly glued to the desk instead of us.
“Jack,” Aiden warns.
“Lawrence,” Jack mutters, wincing. “Rubert and Lawrence made a deal already.”
I try to straighten, not really understanding the half of it, but his hand keeps me down.
“Stop,” he hisses.
“If it’s my father—”
