Unraveled (Love in Salem, book 2) (6 page)

He made his way through the throng of bodies never once looking away from her.  Determination was set in his eyes, and she knew without a doubt she would be the one he chose. 

Glad I didn’t go home after all
, she thought smugly.

When he was finally standing before her, she lifted her hand to wipe off a smudge of lipstick from around his mouth.  “That color really does nothing for your complexion.”

“I didn’t mean for that to happen, I swear –” he began to defend himself.

Atayla interrupted by pressing her fingers over his lips effectively shushing him.  “I know.  I saw the whole thing.”

Aidan gathered her into his arms and laid his forehead against hers.  Relief was evident in the way his shoulders relaxed, and the crinkle between his eyes smoothed out.

“I’m so damn glad you’re here.  I was going crazy knowing I wouldn’t see you for a few more days.  I don’t know how you did it, but I think I’m addicted to you already.”

Sweet talking man.  Pleased beyond words, Atayla lifted up, pressed her lips to his and kissed the holy hell out of him.  Taking advantage of his surprise, she slid her tongue into his mouth exploring seductively.

It didn’t take long for him to get with the program.  Within seconds, the fingers of his hand wove through her hair and he started walking them backwards.  When her back was flush with a wall, he reached down and lifted her just enough to fit his raging cock against the seam of her pussy.

He moaned as he rubbed against her, feeling her heat and the bite of her nails digging into the back of his neck.  If only they were naked, he could wrap her legs around his hips and plunge deep inside of her.

Tearing his mouth away from hers, he began kissing and nipping his way down her neck to her shoulder.  Moving the thin strap of her dress aside, he worked his way down the soft flesh of her chest as his hand cupped the bottom swell of her breast.

“This seems vaguely familiar.”  Her voice, husky with arousal, went straight to his dick.

He chuckled as he glanced around.  He had backed her into the same hallway they had met in three months ago.

“And I see you still have this strange fixation with pinning me against the wall.”  The smile on her face was mischievous and sensual at the same time. 

Pressing a kiss to the underside of her jaw, he worked his way to the shell of her ear.  He blew a breath into her ear then sucked it right back out, causing her entire body to tingle. 

“It doesn’t have to be a wall necessarily.” He replied, his voice hoarse with arousal.  “I would probably like pinning you against any surface as long as I could feel your lush curves against me.”  He nipped her ear lobe.  “Preferably naked.”

His thumb swiped back and forth across the hardened nub of her nipple. With the strap of her dress pulled off her shoulder, the top of her areola peeked out from above the fabric of her dress.

He made no attempt to hide the fact that he staring right at it.  Bending down, he swiped his tongue around the curve and moaned.  “God, Atayla, I want you so much I ache from it.”

Now how could she turn him down after that declaration?  Especially with the reverent way he said her name and the way he seemed to need her like he needed air to breathe.

She knew it wasn’t wise, but she was going to have sex with him tonight.  She didn’t want to listen to the voice of reason inside her head that told her she was moving too fast.

She wanted him, rough and raw, and she wanted him right now. 

Running her finger around his lips she said, “That color looks much better on you.” 

He chuckled and sucked her finger into his mouth.  She moaned when the sensation went straight to her clit.

“Why don’t we go back to your place and see where else my lipstick looks good on you?”

If the growl he emitted was any indication, he was all aboard for that plan.  The kiss he gave her was filled with all-consuming passion, causing her to lose her ever loving mind.

If he kept that up, she would allow him fuck her right there up against the wall of the hallway where everyone could see.  She was never one for exhibitionism, but when he kissed her like that she lost all sense of reason.

“Are you sure about this?”  His eyes literally glowed from arousal.  They went from a deep penetrating blue to a smoldering sapphire. 

“I’ve never been more certain about anything in my life.”

Chapter Six

The drive home was quiet and uneventful.  Considering the time of night, or morning as the case may be, there were few cars on the road.  It made it possible for him to get back to his house in record time.

He was grateful she took a taxi to The Den.  With how quiet she was at the moment, he was sure she would have turned tail and run before she had arrived if she would have had to follow him. 

She sat in the passenger seat of his SUV looking out the window and fidgeting her hands.  Her nervousness was refreshing, the women he had dated in the past were aggressive and took whatever they wanted. 

That right there was probably why none of his relationships ever lasted.  They only wanted a good time from him and nothing deeper or more meaningful.

Atayla was different.  He knew she didn’t do this, go home with men she barely knew.  She had this whole innocence persona about her.  He had a feeling she hasn’t ever fucked a man outside of a relationship.

Good thing he planned on them being in a relationship, that way she wouldn’t actually be falling out of her norm.  If he had his way, they would be spending a lot of time together.

He wanted her in a way that was beyond his comprehension.  His cock was so hard he could drive spikes into the ground with it, but even if they just spent the night talking he would be a happy man.

By the time he pulled into his driveway, Atayla was so tense he was afraid she would shatter if he touched her.  He coaxed her out of the SUV and into the house.  Holding her hand until he shut the door behind them, Aidan released her to flip on the light.

He knew if he was going to get his chance to love on her tonight the way he wanted to, then he would have to set her at ease first.  He looked around for something that might distract her from her nerves.

“Big house.”  Her voice was quiet as a mouse.  As squeaky as one too.

Aidan smiled.  “I bought it five years ago.  I love this house.”  He sighed.

He had bought it with the intensions of filling it up with children.  At twenty five, he had already been with his long term girlfriend, Shelly, for three years.  He had a plan: buy a house, prove to Shelly he could provide for her, and ask her to marry him.

Everything had worked out well until he proposed.  He had come to learn that Shelly had been seeing someone else on the sly.  Someone she ended up married, and eventually divorced to.

She had come knocking on his door once she realized her marriage was ending and he happily sent her on her way.  Every relationship after her had been a disaster.  ‘Looking for love in all the wrong places’ was his motto.  He was a perpetual bachelor because of it.

Looking over at Atayla, he thought maybe he might have finally found his match.  Everything about her attracted him.  He felt whole in her presence, as though he could be who he was and not apologize for it.  She wouldn’t just settle for a good time, she would want something to build upon.  It was just who she was, and who he was as well.

“Would you like a tour?”

At her nod, he grabbed a hold of her hand again and gestured towards the room they were standing in.  “The living room.”

He moved her towards the staircase to the left of the room.  Ascending the stairs he continued relaying the details.

“There are four bedrooms upstairs and a full bath.”

Reaching the top of the stairs, she could see there was a single hallway.  There were two doors on the left, two doors on the right, and one door right at the head of the stairs.  Pretty basic layout, actually. 

Opening the door at the head of the stairs, Aidan showed her the bathroom and all its amenities.  It was a very nice bathroom.  He had obviously remodeled it recently.  When she commented on it, he laughed.

“Actually, my brother did.  Bridger lived here with me after he turned eighteen just to get out of our parents’ house.  He asked if he could make a few changes, but I didn’t realize it was going to be an extensive remodel.”

Leading her to the first door on the right, he opened the door so she could peek inside.

“This is Bridger’s room, or at least it was.  He moved out a year ago and left a lot of his stuff here.  I think I’m going to start charging him a storage fee.”  He teased.

“Are all the bedrooms on this level are the same size?”

He nodded and allowed her to explore through the rooms at her own pace.  As eager as he was to get her to his room and get her naked, he also didn’t want to spook her or rush her into something she wasn’t quite ready for.

After descending the stairs, he took her back through the living room to the kitchen/dining room combo.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever been in a kitchen this big.”  Atayla commented as she looked around through inquisitive eyes.

It was Aidan’s turn to blush for a change.  “Ah, yeah, um.  It was actually one of the main selling points for me.  I love to cook.” 

Atayla laughed.  “I can’t boil water without burning it.”  She said with a smile.

He loved that she wasn’t the least chagrined about her lack of cooking skills.  The women in his family, and even the women he dated, thought of learning culinary skills as a rite of passage.

He also loved, as chauvinistic as it was, that he as a man could provide for her in a way she could not.  Call him old fashioned, but he had a need to be the protector, the provider.  It was in his genetic makeup.

“Oh yeah?  I’ll have to cook dinner for you sometime.  I usually hold all the family cook outs here at my house.  Sunday dinners are at Mom and
Pop’s of course, can’t take all the glory away from Mom.”  He said affectionately.

“It must be nice to have such a close family.  I don’t think I’ve even spoken to my mother in at least eight years.”  She looked thoughtful for a moment.  “Yeah, it would have been right after I graduated from Harrison-Graham.”

He cocked his head to the side, disconcerted.  “What about your father?”

“I’ve never spoken to him.”

“I’m sorry if I’m being too intrusive, but why not?  I can’t imagine living my life without my family close by.”

“My mother won’t tell me who he is.  I’m not sure she even knows.  She’s a drunk and has been my whole life.  She married my stepfather because he had a lot of money, but he never had time for a family.  He sent me off to Harrison-Graham so he wouldn’t have to deal with me.”

The thought angered him.  Atayla spoke of her childhood as though it were a normal fact of life.  She really had no idea how families were supposed to be, how children were meant to be loved and cherished.  He ached for the little girl that had to endure that kind of abandonment.

“You’re angry.”  She said hesitantly.  “Did I say something inappropriate?”

Taking a deep breath to calm himself he replied.  “No.  Well, yes.  I’m not angry at you.  I’m angry at how you were treated.”

“Well, it could have been worse trust me.”  She smiled at him and changed the subject.

“You have a hot tub?”  She asked while looking out his patio door.

“I just put that in last fall, so I haven’t been able to get much use of it yet.”  The lustful look in his eyes was enough to reignite the arousal she felt earlier.  “Maybe you might be amenable to breaking it in with me.”

“I might be persuaded.”  Her voice had taken on a husky quality.  “What’s down that way?”

“Come.”  He smiled salaciously. 

She had no doubt she would.  He took the hand she offered him.  Jolts of awareness pulsed through her body.  The sexual attraction between them was like a living thing demanding attention.

Walking the short hallway off the dining room, Aidan opened the first door on the right.  “A half bath.”  He turned and opened the pocket doors on the opposite wall revealing an alcove storing a washer and dryer.

“What is that room?”  She pointed to the door down from the bathroom.

“Just a small room I use to store my band equipment.”

He watched while Atayla opened the door to peek in.  “Small room, huh?  It’s bigger than my kitchen.”

Chuckling, he opened the door across the hall, walked over to the nightstand and turned on the lamp.  Turning, he waited patiently as Atayla crept into the room.  Slowly, as not to spook her, he ambled towards her.

“This is the master bedroom.”  Grabbing her hands, he lifted them to his mouth and laid a gentle kiss to each palm before kissing her lips.