Lost then Found Page 9

  “Yep,” Aidan smiled confidently. “Just because I’m a new dad, doesn’t mean I can’t get the basics right.”

  There was just something in the smug way he spoke that got my hackles up.

  “You know, you’re not really a new dad. You’ve been a dad for over four years, you just didn’t know because you didn’t care enough to answer my calls.”

  “That’s not true, Erica,” he smiled softly, “I’ve always cared. I mean…if I’d known about Jack, things would have been different.”

  There was something in the way that he smiled, cocky and sure of himself, that always got to me. I felt it now, the two of us alone with our kid in the other room, and Aidan so close that, if he wanted to, he could lean across and kiss me. He looked down at my hand, where it was laying on the shelf, the new ring glinting.

  “You know, you’re mine now,” Aidan said, an odd look on his face as he nodded towards the ring.

  I sucked in a breath, his words getting to me. My stomach twisting. That kind of talk had always made me hot for him. I loved the way he used to claim me. The way he’d claimed me just that morning.

  I turned away.

  “This marriage isn’t real. It’s just on paper.”

  He moved away, headed for the large, open kitchen.

  “Have a glass of wine with me.”

  Behind his back, I rolled my eyes. He never asked if I wanted something, he’d always just tell me I was going to do it. I never used to mind it, but it grated on me now.

  I think the difference was, I used to trust him - I trusted him to care, that he wanted to look after me, and even if he phrased things a certain way, his aim was me being happy and having a good time. Nowadays, that trust was broken. After he’d left me so inexplicably, how could I really believe that he wanted me to be happy?

  Aidan was already moving around the shiny chrome kitchen surfaces. It didn’t look like anything in that kitchen had ever been used.

  “Yeah, OK. Let’s have some wine. I’ll just be right back.”

  I snuck away, down the long hallway, to go and check on Jack. He really was fast asleep. His little snores audible even before I pushed the bedroom door fully open. I tiptoed into the room, making sure that I was quiet. Although, goodness knows, he was such a heavy sleeper these days that not much could really wake him once he got snoring.

  Surprisingly, Aidan really had got him changed and ready for bed. Even his breath smelled of toothpaste!

  I had the most disconcerting feeling.

  Aidan really was capable of being a good dad. He’d been initially awkward, but it was coming naturally to him now. Even Jack’s bedtimes ritual had gone smoothly for him, when usually this was something that only I could do for Jack.

  I smoothed the hair back from Jack’s forehead and gave him a soft kiss goodnight. He didn’t stir. I tiptoed out of the room, holding my dress up so that swishing sound of the silk didn’t disturb him.

  Aidan was waiting for me, and he handed me a glass of red wine straightaway. I didn’t know if it was a coincidence, but I really prefer red to white. Was it just chance, or had he remembered my preference?

  “A toast,” he said, clinking our glasses together.

  “To what?”

  “To a successful marriage!”

  “A successful marriage,” I echoed. I supposed it was a good toast. This was a marriage that was going to earn me a lot of money. I took a small sip of wine, it was dry in a way that I could tell was very expensive. I licked my lips, chasing the taste. I’d never buy wine this expensive just for myself.

  I was so busy savoring the taste that it took me a moment before I glanced up at Aidan - his eyes were tracking the path of my tongue, following it so closely that I knew he was thinking about kissing me.

  He leaned forward and, on instinct, my eyes fluttered shut.

  Cool fingers wrapped around the outside of my hand which was cupping hold of my wine glass, gently taking it from me. I opened my eyes with a terrible feeling of being wrong-footed. He hadn’t meant to kiss me at all! He was just taking my glass!

  My cheeks were instantly boiling hot and I had to turn my head to hide the well of disappointment inside me. I hadn’t realized, up till then, just how much I’d wanted him to kiss me.

  Being back in this penthouse with Aidan brought back all sorts of memories - of the nights of passion we’d once spent here. With Aidan’s muscular body, right there in front of me, his strong hand still touching mine, my mind was suddenly full, remembering the things we’d done together, in the past and just that morning. The way he just seemed to know how to make my body sing for him.

  “Maybe we should have toasted our wedding night,” he said, his voice deep and husky.

  I didn’t have any witty comeback for him, all my sarcasm, all my annoyance had completely deserted me. He was close enough that I could have reached out and touched him. I knew if I did I’d feel the hard muscles of his broad chest, strong and powerful. There didn’t seem to be enough air in my lungs, and I had to breathe faster, gulping back air just so I could catch my breath.

  Finally, he took my wine glass and put it on the kitchen counter.

  When I looked into his eyes, my head and heart were so confused. I felt such a mess of mixed emotions for him. But despite that, there was no denying the effect he had on my body.

  “We don’t need to toast our wedding night,” I said, wishing that he was still touching me, but not quite having the courage to reach for him first.

  “No?”

  “Well, a toast is for good luck…And we don’t need good luck, we get to decide what we want to do tonight.”

  “Aah, I certainly know what I want.”

  I froze, not able to move because I was caught by his piercing gaze. I wanted him so badly and, there in his eyes, I saw that lust reflected back at me.

  “So do I,” I whispered. He grinned, sharp and wolf-like. He leaned down, once again I thought he was going to kiss me. Once again, he didn’t. Instead, there was a sudden blur of Aidan moving even closer to me and then lifting me, one arm under my knees and the other behind my back.

  I blinked, suddenly realizing how high off the ground I was. Aidan was carrying me, bridal style, in his arms, the long skirt of my wedding dress draping artfully in front of me.

  “I didn’t know you were so romantic,” I said breathlessly. He took a few steps forward and I knew immediately where he was taking me - we were headed straight for his bedroom.

  “Sweetheart, this isn’t about romance,” his low voice rumbled, vibrating through his chest and making me shiver, goosebumps pebbling my arms.

  He was carrying me so easily, like I weighed nothing. One of my arms wrapped itself behind the back of his neck, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I could feel the muscles of his chest flexing as he walked, my side pressed against him.

  He carried me over the threshold of his bedroom and threw me down onto the bed, my dress tangling around my legs.

  “You look so good in my bed,” Aidan purred, before following me down onto the bed. I don’t know if he reached for me first, or if I was the first to move, but suddenly we were kissing and all I could feel was giddy relief: like all that mattered was our bodies, we didn’t have to talk, I didn’t have to think, I could just give myself over to the burning need, the demand, already coiling in my belly with each scorching kiss.

  I could taste the wine on his tongue.

  “Turn over,” he whispered, his mouth next to my ear, before he rolled away.

  I turned over, my back to him, and felt him pull at the zipper of me dress. Slowly, far slower than I was expecting, he undid the dress, planting searing kisses along my spine with every inch of skin that he exposed.

  He stood up, getting off the bed and pulling at my dress so that it fell away from me, the heavy silk falling off me easily. He let the dress fall to the floor in a crumple and I half sat up, about to scold him for not taking care of such an expensive dress. But I stopped myself, it di
dn’t matter. The dress wasn’t a real wedding dress, and just then Aidan reached for his tie, pulling it undone, taking off his own clothes, almost ripping his shirt in his hurry.

  I lay back, watching him, enjoying the sight of his tanned, muscled body, coming into view. The furrows of his taut abs, that width of his broad, powerful shoulders, it made me wet with anticipation, knowing what he was about to do to me.

  Finally naked, he paused, looking down at me. I could see the lust in his eyes, the way that he wanted me - I admit, it was an ego boost. I smirked, preening under his heavy gaze. There, almost at my eye level was his heavy cock, fully hard and pointed straight at me.

  I licked my lips, remembering the taste and feel of that cock. The way that, just this morning, I’d felt the hefty weight of that cock in my mouth and in my pussy.

  Aidan leaned down, catching hold of my panties and pulling at them. I lifted my hips, so that he could get them off easily and he surprised me by kissing at the crotch of my panties. I blushed, feeling how wet I already was as he slid my panties down my legs and threw them over his shoulder.

  He got down onto the bed, caging me within the confines of his arms, his eyes bright as he smirked at me before kissing me again. His mouth trailed down my neck, making me gasp, my legs going weak and my belly trembling. One of his hands roamed over my body, possessive touches that paralyzed me, making me weak with need.

  Aidan’s head moved lower, taking off my bra - when had he undone it? I wasn’t even sure. But then he lowered his mouth to one of my nipples, sucking gently and obliterating all thought from my head.

  I could feel his cock between my legs, not pushing forward, not entering me, but prodding at my clit, getting wet with my slick. I opened my legs wider, inviting, but Aidan was taking his time. He moved to my other nipple, sucking gently at first and then harder. I moaned, my back arching, forcing my tit more into his mouth. I was ready for him now, the anticipation too much for me.

  “Aidan! Fuck me! Fuck me now!”

  He let go of my nipple, and moved back so that his cock was pressed right against me, my thighs spread wide around his waist.

  “Now? Do deserve my cock?”

  “I do! I do!” I babbled, my hips squirming, trying to get his cock closer to my entrance.

  “Tell me your mine!”

  “I’m yours,” I screamed unthinkingly. There might have been some stupid reason why I hadn’t told him that before - but I couldn’t remember it right now, it didn’t matter. I just wanted him to fuck me.

  The head of Aidan’s cock pressed against my wet lips, opening me and remaking me with his cock as he pressed inside.

  There was a soft whimpering sound, high-pitched and needy. I ignored it, not understanding where the noise was coming from, all my awareness focused on the way that Aidan was pushing into me. Slow, electrifying, seemingly endless.

  There was an odd rasping feeling in my throat and I realized those needy, desperate sounds were coming from me.

  Aidan bottomed out, buried to the hilt, his balls slapping against me, our bodies connected.

  I screamed again, it was too much, he filled me so completely. I turned my head, trying to bury my screams in the thick bed sheets.

  “No,” Aidan said, slowly pulling out of me. For one, heart-stopping, bewildering, terrifying moment, I thought he was going to stop. “Don’t you dare hid your noises from me!”

  He pushed back in, agonizingly slow and this time I didn’t try to hold back my shuddering yell. I couldn’t have stopped it if I tried! He was everywhere, surrounding me and filling me impossibly full.

  “More,” I gasped helplessly, begging him to give it to me, make me take it - I didn’t even know what I was asking for, just that I needed more of him. He seemed to know exactly what I wanted. He thrust into me, suddenly hard and fast, setting an unrelenting pace.

  I tried to tell him how good it felt, how close I was already, but all that came out was an inarticulate moan, a string of meaningless sounds as he pounded me. Each powerful thrust almost violent in their intensity, my breath catching in my throat each time. I was so close now, sparks jolting through my entire body, and then, somehow, Aidan sped up, his thrusts harder and deeper. Nothing mattered but his cock inside me, rushing me towards orgasm. My body was beyond my control, clamping down in sudden overwhelming bliss, as Aidan pounded into me, fucking me through my orgasm. I felt his cock explode inside me, pumping his cum into my pussy, filling me up in the best possible way.

  For a long moment, we were both still. My muscles were still shaking and my mind emptied of all thought by the force of my orgasm.

  My breath was ragged as I felt him pull out of me, still hard. With him inside me, I felt like I was finally complete, and when he pulled out, it was as if a part of me was missing, like he’d taken it with him.

  I couldn’t stay here, in his bed. It was going to be drive me insane. I wanted him, I couldn’t get enough of him, the way he looked, the way he made me feel…

  But I just couldn’t forgive him for leaving me five years ago.

  I sat up, gathering the bedsheet around me.

  “Where’s my bedroom?”

  I thought he was about to tell me to stay. He opened his mouth and, for one devastating second, I knew that if he asked me, I would stay with him, I would forgive him. But then he closed his mouth, and made a jutting motion with his chin.

  “Down the hall, the room next to Jack’s.”

  I got up and walked away, leaving the wedding dress crumpled on his bedroom floor.

  13

  Aidan

  I woke up alone.

  This wasn’t how I’d envisioned married life. I wanted Erica by my side. I was sick of being alone, of my feelings being unrequited.

  Her body wanted me. I knew that. I could feel it in the way that she got so wet for me, the way that she bent over for me, so ready and eager for my cock. God, just the memory of the tight feeling of her pussy.

  But, then, as soon as the sex was over, she left.

  I had claimed her body, but her heart wasn’t mine.

  We were married, we had a child together, and she might willingly come to my bed every night….But I wanted more. I wanted her to acknowledge that she belonged to me, completely and utterly mine. Not because of some business deal, but because she was helpless to resist me.

  Despite that, I really meant it when I said I was going to divorce her.

  I definitely didn’t want to. But being married to me put a target on her back. I’d hoped that if I kept everything secret and got married as quietly as possible, then she would be safe. However, that dream was shattered. My nemesis had already seen her - he’d been there, sitting at the back of the chapel.

  Still, there was something, some primitive part of of my soul that screamed that Erica was mine! Now that I had her, I never wanted to let her go. That same possessive part of me wanted her to know how I felt. I wanted her to enjoy being mine.

  If I were a better man, I would divorce her right now, giving up forever any chance of inheriting the company, but knowing that she was safe.

  There were noises coming from the kitchen. The tinkly sound of a child laughing echoed through the usually silent penthouse. It sounded good. Like this was what my life should be like.

  Pulling on some clothes, I ambled to the kitchen, walking slowly, leisurely, enjoying the echoing sounds of my son’s happiness. Jack was sitting at the table, a booster seat strapped to one of the chairs. I’d told Felix to prepare the penthouse for Jack. He must have bought that.

  Jack beamed as soon as he saw me. That instant smile, just for me, with no ulterior motives except that he was glad to see me. I had to admit that it got to me. There was something powerful about being on the receiving end of that kind of love.

  “Good morning, Daddy!”

  “Morning, Jack!”

  “You wanna eat apple sauce?”

  He offered me a spoon that had just been dunked in apple sauce.

  “Nah, you h
ave it.”

  I ruffled his hair, feeling Erica’s eyes on me.

  “Morning, Erica, coffee?”

  “Please,” she paused as I started working the machine. “So, Jack’s daycare is expecting him soon, and I need to get to the office after that.”

  “This is your honeymoon. You can take some time off.”

  She hesitated, biting her bottom lip. I knew that look. It meant that she wanted to do something, but wasn’t quite sure if she dared do it. I made the decision for her.

  “Brian will cover for you. I’ll make the arrangements”

  I didn’t like the idea of her going back to the office at all. I wanted to enjoy every minute of this marriage and that meant having her with me. How could I persuade her to do what I wanted?

  “We have to make this more believable. No wife of mine would have an office job.”

  “You want me to give up my career?”

  I shrugged, grabbing two cups from the cupboard.

  “Become a consultant, you can still be involved in the things that interest you, but not have to deal with the day-to-day office shit.”

  “I…I guess…”

  I knew I had convinced her and I turned to pour out the coffee.

  “And then, after the div -” she stopped herself abruptly, “After our deal comes to an end, I could pick up where I left off.”

  My jaw clenched, my hands squeezing down on the coffee cups. It was a good thing that my back was turned and she couldn’t see my reaction.

  I didn’t want a divorce and I definitely didn’t want to listen to Erica talk about it on our first morning together.

  “That’s the sort of talk that will make people think this isn’t a real marriage. If you want this to work, and get the million dollars, then you should be more careful.”

  She nodded obediently, taking the coffee I offered her.

  “We should go shopping today.”

  “For what?”

  Honestly, I just wanted to buy her things. I wanted her to wear clothes that I had bought for her. I wanted the world to see that she was mine, that everything she touched was from me. A morning spent shopping was not exactly my idea of fun! But…choosing what Erica would be wearing for the next few weeks was very appealing.