Chapter 16
Aiden
WITH BLUE ANDBella circling my feet while Cooper and Dozer stand at the end of the island, waiting patiently for their turn to eat, I place the cat food down, then head to the pantry to grab the container of dog food. I fill both their bowls before I go back to my computer to look over the files I’ve been going through since I got up this morning.
“Why are you up so early?” I lift my head at the question and watch May come out of the bedroom, wearing a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top, with her hair a mess and her face still filled with sleep.
“I had some work to do.” I hold up my arm as she curls into my side while I scan the document I was looking at.
“It’s Saturday,” she says quietly, and I tip my head down to look at her, then drop a kiss to her soft mouth.
“I got an email this morning letting me know one of the project managers quit without any notice. So I need to make sure the houses he was in charge of are all up to date with inspections and on track for their finish date. Don’t want whoever takes over to be caught off guard by any unexpected surprises.”
“Did they say why they were quitting?”
“No, but I’m sure it had to do with money. There is always someone willing to pay a little more, especially if a project manager has a good track record of completing jobs on time. And it looks like this guy was one of those people.”
“I’m sorry you’re dealing with this today.”
“It’s all part of the job.” I give her waist a squeeze. “I made coffee.”
“Okay.” She rests the side of her head against my chest and wraps her arms more firmly around my waist. I kiss the top of her head, then go through each document with her just like that.
“Are you gonna go with me to see my dad this afternoon?” I ask, closing my laptop when I’m finished with work, and her body against mine that was relaxed grows tight. “He’s not like my mom.”
“What is he like?”
“I don’t really know.” I turn her so I can wrap both my arms around her. “When I was a kid, I didn’t see him much, since he was always working. And that only got worse when I went to college and later decided to play for the Sparrows.” I tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, then trail my fingers down her jaw. “He seems happy to see me when I visit him now, but I don’t know if that’s just because he’s stuck in a bed all day with only the TV and his nurse for company.”
“So he didn’t ever go to watch you play soccer or visit you when you were away?”
“He thought soccer was a waste of time, especially when I was supposed to be working for him when I graduated. And visiting me would mean he’d have to take time off work, and he wouldn’t do that.”
“Did you ever have family vacations?”
“No.” I shrug, and her eyes fill with sympathy. “My family might have sucked growing up, but Noah’s didn’t. Rebecca would take us to the lake in the summer, and I went on trips with them all the time. I don’t feel like I missed out. If anything, I feel sorry for my parents, who’ve both lived very shallow lives centered around greed and not much else.”
“That’s sad.”
“It is,” I agree, and her face goes soft.
“Maybe things will change.”
“Maybe,” I say, but I know not to get my hopes up. My father is not in a position where he has the ability to go back to his old ways. And my mother will likely never change. “Now, how about some coffee?” I move my hands down her back, and they come to rest just above her ass.
“Coffee sounds good.” She lifts up on her tiptoes, bringing her mouth closer to mine, and I dip to kiss her, then groan when she nips my bottom lip.
“Or coffee can wait.” I lift her off the ground, and her legs wrap around my waist while my hands grab onto her ass. With my cock rock-hard, I carry her to the bedroom and stumble to the bed as she rolls her hips against mine, and her taste explodes on my tongue.
I never thought I could be addicted to a woman, but I was very fucking wrong about that. I’m addicted to everything about her—her taste, the noises she makes, the feel of her under my hands, and her very presence when she’s around. I know I’ll never get enough.
With her legs still around my hips, I put one knee onto the mattress, and her head falls back on her shoulders while my lips move over her chin and down her neck to the tops of her breasts. “Aiden.” Her fingers dig into my skin as I move my hands up her sides and lift her tank up over her head, tossing it over my shoulder.
“Let me go, baby,” I order, palming her breasts before sliding my hands down her smooth stomach so I can grasp the top edge of her shorts. Her eyes darken, and her lips part as she lets her legs around my waist fall to the mattress, then she lifts her hips as I pull her shorts off. I slide my hands up her inner thighs and pull the lips of her pussy apart, groaning at how wet she already is for me.