Chapter One
















Aiden’s been gone for a week now. The time elapse doesn’t make my heart grow any fonder.  His absence makes it ache. It’s a cool, empty Arizona night. And it’s on nights like these that I especially miss him. I lay in our empty bed. On his side of the mattress. Trying to soak up as much of the warmth that he had left behind as I can.  It’s well after two a.m. but I can’t sleep.  I turn onto my side and exhale.

Our wedding is next week. Though I’ve spoken to Aiden every day and night, I’m worried that he might not be back in time. His trip to Texas had been one headache after another.  Afton refused to let him see the kid. On top of that, she refused to consent to a blood test. So, Aiden had to call his lawyer friend who specialized in family law to take Afton to court. And that’s where we stand.

I flop onto my back and stare up at the tray ceiling.  What if this paternity suit drags out for months, even, years? Will I have the strength to keep going? I close my eyes only to open them again. I just want Aiden home where he belongs. None of this is his fault. I put the blame squarely on Afton. Maybe her plan all along was to get Aiden away from me so she could try to get him back. But there never was a ‘them’. Just one drunken night.

A craving for a bowl of fruit pebble cereal washes over me.  I don’t feel like going to the kitchen because a) I don’t have the strength and b) I don’t have that kind of cereal in the house. A run to the big box store up the street is out of the question.  The baby growing inside of me will just have to wait until morning. I press my lips together. What if Afton’s kid is Aiden? Ours will have an instant brother and Aiden will have two kids.

That means the kid will be staying with us for holidays. Some weeks. Weekends.  Not to mention trips to Texas for school events. Graduation. And I’ll have to see Afton. Which means that I’ll have to be cordial and not punch her like I want to.

“Cyd,” Aiden calls.

The bedroom door creaks open. I sit up in time to see Aiden’s figure cross the threshold.  Suddenly, I’m paralyzed.  My voice lodges in my throat.  Without a word, he tosses his duffle bag on the floor and makes his way to the bed.  My heart resumes pounding in my chest.

“Aiden?” I finally squeak out.


“Shh.”

“But-.”

“Don’t. I need to be inside of you.”

He shrugs off his coat. Then, pulls his sweater over his head. The dark bedroom conceals the rest of his strip show from my view but I know his body like the back of my hand. I have each hair, each mole memorized.  I know his eyes are the most piercing blue ever invented. His hair is dark and wavy .  The skin on his athletic frame is pale with a slight olive tinge to it. I bite my lip as he crawls his way toward me. Aiden gently tugs my lip from between my teeth and takes my mouth in a passionate, deep kiss.

Aiden pushes down the sheet to reveal my nude body.  His hands curve around the fullness of my breasts. My dark nipples spring to attention.  He swipes them roughly with his thumbs and all I can do is moan.  I sink back against the mattress. My thighs part on their own.  The tip of his cock glides into me. The walls of my pussy expand and contract around his girth. Damn, I missed him.

He leans up on his elbows, then the palms of his hands. His hips arch hard into mine. Push the rest of his length into me. I hold on to his solid arms to brace myself from the impact of his thrusts. Just the way I like it.

I want to outlast him for once. Match him thrust for thrust. But I can’t. My climax crashes into me head on.  Leaves me dizzy and spent, but wanting more. I know he’s not done. Aiden makes love the way a chef creates a meal. There is a beginning, a middle and several ends with lots of nibbling in between.

His momentum slows down. Stops. I can feel him looking down at me, but can’t really tell in the darkness. I can imagine his intense blue eyes staring at me.  My nipples swell, harden.  The only sound in the room is me panting. I arch my hips. Aiden doesn’t move. I shiver.

“What is it?” I ask finally.

“Thank you. Thank you for not bolting when this came up. Thank you for standing beside me.”

I swallow the lump that formed in my throat, but it won’t go down easily. Now, I’m worried. What happened in Texas that brought all this on?  Right now, I don’t want to know. I just want him to lose control for once.  Turning my head, I press my lips against his wrist and plant kisses up his arm as I sit up. I’m stunned that he lets me turn him onto his back.

I straddle his hips. Reaching between us, I put his cock back in place. I ride him hard. The bed ebbs and surges under my movements.  Aiden grunts.  I lean down. Press my lips against his. I devour his mouth slowly, deliberately. My own climax swirled in my pussy. Threatened to spill over.  I hold on to it as long as I can but it eases out of me. I moan.

Aiden’s grunts turn into pants.  His body tenses.  When he explodes, I nestle my pussy around his cock to absorb every drop.   He swiftly flips me onto my back. I swallow. Brace myself for what might happen next. Instead, he rolls off of me and lies on his side.  Once he’s comfortable, he pulls me to his chest. I snuggle against him. I’m so glad he’s home.

My stomach growls. Loudly. Aiden chuckles.

“I brought you a present,” he says.

“What?”

“It’s in my bag.”

Like a child on Christmas, I break free from his hold and sprint to his duffle bag. I turn on the overhead light. I pull out the box inside.  It’s a box of fruit pebble cereal wrapped in a bright red bow.



Chapter Two

Now, as I sit in my office and think back on that night more than a month ago, I wonder if Aiden was trying to warn me as to how bad it might get with this whole paternity mess. We got married. Went on our honeymoon to Montreal. But, it was like a black cloud was hanging over us and threatening to drop down at any minute.

At the wedding, I was so afraid that Afton would show up to disrupt it. I kept watching the entrance, expecting her to waltz in at any minute.  She didn’t. But, that didn’t make me feel any better about the situation. That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling most of the time. Like she’s going to show up and totally mess up my life. Until the paternity is solved, I doubt that I will feel any different. I take solace in going to work to get my mind off of hiring a hitman.

I sit behind my desk. Instead of signing the contracts in front of me, I stare at the black ink until the words become blurry.   Of course, I’m crying. Again. Damn hormones. I wipe my eyes with a tissue.  Aiden is meeting with his team of lawyers today. They are trying to hammer out a solution. Frankly, I don’t see one.

“Hungry?” Stace asks.

I jump. I didn’t hear her come in. But, then, my office door was open. I shake my head. She walks over to me and wraps her arms around me.  I rest my head on her shoulder.  This is one of the times that I’m glad I work with my best friend.

“You need to eat something.”

I shrug.  “I had some tea this morning.”

“That’s not food. Come on. Let me feed you.”

I pull away from her and wipe my eyes. “No. I’m fine.”

“Like hell, you are,” She snorts, pulling me to my feet. “Besides, I need to feel like I’m doing something to take care of you.”

I sigh. “Okay.”

We end up at the deli that’s a few doors down from work. In no time, I’ve devoured a chicken salad sandwich and a bowl of broccoli soup. So much for not being hungry. Stace picks at her garden salad.  She hasn’t said a word since we left the office. I eye her. It’s not like Stace to be so quiet.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“Nothing.”

I stare at her. Stace tosses her fork onto the table. She pauses to brush her blond hair from her blue eyes before stating, “We’re moving.”

“What!?”

My heart sank. I had broken off a chunk of my pumpkin spice cookie but don’t eat it. The baby protests by kicking me.  Quickly, I shove it in but chew slowly.

“Paul was offered a job coaching in high school football in Baltimore. He accepted.”

I nod. “Well, you’ll be closer to his family.”

“I don’t want to go,” she whispers.

“He’s wanted to coach for a long time,” I remind her.

Stace sips her iced coffee. “I know. I just didn’t think he’d get it.”

“Maybe, this will be a great thing. We’ve talked about opening another office. Maybe, we can do it in Baltimore.”

She nodded. “That’s true.”

I polish off the last of my cookie.  I am so sad that Stace will be leaving me. But, I can’t let it show. This time, I’m going to have to be the strong one. Just like I have to be with Aiden. When we return, Aiden is waiting for me. He kissed me on my cheek in the lobby. The, follows me down the hall to my office. He’s silent. Which means something is wrong.

Inside the office, I let him help me take off my coat and lock the door. He drapes it over the back of one of my guest chairs.  I watch him move to sit in my executive chair, then, motion for me to join him. Aiden pulls me into his lap. He’s wearing his favorite three piece black suit with a royal blue shirt, and striped tie. The combination makes his eyes appear like they are made of ice.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I’ve got some news, but I want to soften the blow first.”

My stomach flops. Aiden reaches up and unfastens the first three buttons of my shirt. He slides his hand under the fabric to cup my left breast. The news must be horrible if he has to soften the blow like this. Still, I feel my nipple harden against the cup of my lavender bra.  I tilt my eyes and sweep his lips with mine.

Aiden releases my breast. His hand flows down my torso to find the hem of my skirt.  As he scrunched up my skirt to expose my thighs, he takes my mouth in a hard kiss. This must be some really bad news. The suspense is killing me. I lean away and look into his unwavering gaze. Before I can speak, he covers my lips with his index finger. He returns his hand to my lap. Through the crotch of my panties, he rubs my clit.

“Stand up.”

I do. Aiden pulls my panties down my legs. He repositions me on his lap. Spreads my legs. My clit quivers when his warm finger tough it. He strokes my orb until it tightens.  I wrap my arm around his shoulder to brace myself for both the news and my climax.  Neither happen. Instead, he roughly thrusts his index finger in to my pussy. I feel my walls clench around it, but he doesn’t move his finger. The anticipation is killing me.

“Don’t move,” he commands. “Don’t cum.”

I bite my lip. Do my best to hold on to the orgasm that desperately want to be let free. Aiden’s lips brush against my neck. He holds his finger in place. And I so want to move against it. I know he can sense me fighting it. He shakes his head.

“Take your tit out and put it in my mouth.”

My hands shake as I unbutton my blouse. Shove it open. I pull out my breast and rub my nipple against his lips. He takes it greedily. His gentle suckles trigger a flood of wetness in my pussy.  I moan. Clutch his shoulder and try my best not to move. It’s a losing battle. Especially when I can feel his dick harden beneath my butt cheek.

Aiden reaches his free hand around my waist. He pulls my legs further apart.  His finger slides in deeper. And he adds his middle finger. Damn it! Releasing my nipple, he presses his lips against the side of my breast.

“I’ve heard from Afton.”

I blink. “Okay.”

“She wants to meet.”

“That’s good.”

“You.”

His fingers remain stationary inside of me.  I close my eyes. I want cum so bad. I inch my hips forward. Sensing my intent, he removed his fingers and rests them on my opening. I grab his wrist to but his hand back in place. He snatches his arms from my grasp. I sigh in frustration. Aiden thrusts his fingers back inside of me.  Again, he doesn’t move them.

Slowly, I realize what Aiden just said. Afton wants to meet with me. I look at him.

“What? Why?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I’ve told her no. She said the only way I’ll know the truth is if you meet with her.”

“Will you be there?”

He shakes his head. “She requested to meet with you alone.”

Aiden moves his finger up to stroke my clit. I close my eyes. Fight the rising climax. With a sigh, I allow my head to roll back.

“Don’t,” he says.

I’m not sure if he means don’t cum or don’t meet with Afton. I really don’t want to meet with her. But, if it will bring us closure, I will. He traps my bud under his finger and swirls it. Mercy. I swallow my tongue. I tense. Clutch his shoulder.  Aiden presses his lip against the side of my breast.

“The choice is yours,” he says.  “I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“I know,” I pant. “But, if it will help your case-.”

Fuck it. I let my orgasm go.  I slump against his chest. Aiden kisses my temple. He removes his hand and holds me while the tremors subside.

“I’ll do it,” I say. “I want this to be over.”

“So, do I. Thank you.”

I climb to my feet. Then straighten my clothing. Aiden does the same.  He kissed me on the lips, and then, bends to kiss my belly.

“I’d like to play with you some more,” he says. “But, I have to get back to the office. See, you at home?”

“Okay.”

I watch him leave. I hope this meeting will be the end of this and we can get back to normal.