I hop off, stand, and walk to the end of the bed with a pep in my step. I dress while he stares at me blankly. Finally, he smiles, sits up, and shakes his head. “You. Are. Trouble. Jenifer Taylor. I’m going to be worked up all day now because of this little stunt you’ve pulled.” He subtly rearranges his cock with a slight chuckle.
“I know, but you love me anyway.”
“Yeah, I suppose I do.” Aiden walks over and kisses me on the cheek, rubbing his hardness into my leg, but I just roll my eyes and finish getting dressed.
On arrival at the office, my nerves are back. I discreetly try to shake them, not wanting to worry Aiden. I really dislike this place. I’m not sure if I can get these feelings to go away. He, on the other hand, must either be really good at hiding his stress or he isn’t affected in the same way.
“You ready?” he asks, taking my hand.
I swallow the lump that’s caught in my throat and don’t answer as we start to walk. My breathing becomes shallow, almost non-existent as we walk up the stairs. Memories of Aiden being arrested flood back with a vengeance as he looks down at me and stops. “Are you okay?”
I try not to show him how unsettled I really am, so I nod.
“Jeni, talk to me. I can tell you’re not.”
My eyebrows pull together as I turn to look at him, while trying to hide the fact that all I can picture right now is him in those damn handcuffs being dragged away. The memory of all that time without him. How alone I felt, and how scared I was that he wasn’t going to make it through jail and back to me.
His eyes meet mine with some sternness. “I know you’re scared, but nothing is going to happen. We’re both safe, and no one is going to hurt you.”
I scoff. “It’s not that I think someone is going to hurt me, Aiden. It’s the memory of you being taken from me. Of thinking of you in that place. I…” I pause because I wasn’t the one who was in jail. I don’t have any right to be upset. It should be Aiden, and I’m making this all about me as he pulls me into a tight embrace.
“I know it was terrible, what I put you through. I’m never going to leave you again, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. I’m not going anywhere, Jeni.” He kisses me and takes my hand.
“You didn’t put me through anything, Aiden. God, please don’t think that. This isn’t your fault, not even a little bit. I’m just glad you’re here.”
He turns, and we continue up the stairs. Walking through the sliding doors, we enter the reception area where Josie and the other girl sit at the main reception desk. They all turn to watch us as we step to the elevators, and I notice Josie eyeing Aiden lovingly. I roll my eyes. I don’t know what her problem is. It seems as though she’s really into him, but, of course, Aiden’s oblivious to it.
“Glad you’re back, Mr. O’Connell. I never thought for one minute it was you,” Josie gushes, fluttering her eyelashes.
“Thanks, Josie, glad to be back,” he chimes, flashing his panty-dropping smile as we enter the elevator.
As the doors shut, he pulls me closer to him and turns to face me, gently kissing me. Too soon the elevator doors open, forcing us to quickly separate and walk into the main area. Before I can stop it, my breath catches, and I bite my bottom lip at the sight of the dead flowers on my desk. Without a word, Aiden wraps his arm around me, and we continue our way to his office.
Reaching his office door, my brows furrow in confusion when I notice his name plaque has been removed. “Why’s your name plaque gone?”
Aiden cocks his head. “I have no idea.” Opening his office door, he guides me into a completely empty space. Everything is gone. Looking up at him, I see he’s just as shocked and confused as I am. With a deep inhale, he puffs out his chest, then walks back out toward my desk.
“Everything’s gone from your station as well.” He picks up my phone and dials. “It’s me. What’s going on with my office?” His tone is curt, even a little angry. He listens to the voice on the other end of the line—I have no idea who he’s talking to. “We’ll come up now.” Slamming the phone down, frown lines crease across his forehead.
“Who was that?” I ask.
“Father. He wants to talk to both of us in his office.”
Oh God! I fake a smile. I can’t help but think something strange is going on. “Well, I guess we’d better go see him then.”
“What the hell is he up to?” Aiden asks, concern etched on his face.
With no words to reply, I simply shrug as we step over to the elevator where Aiden pushes the button with a little more force than necessary.
The soft music in the elevator turns to a somber, slow violin solo which doesn’t help our anxiety levels. Sensing my growing apprehension, Aiden holds my hand while we ride the elevator in silence.
The doors open to a floor I’ve never been on. It has the two main offices opposite each other with two PA desks that sit at the front, mirroring our level. But this floor is more sophisticated, actually, way more sophisticated. The wood is so polished I can see my reflection.
Sitting at the desk on the left is Brielle.
“Hey, Bree,” Aiden calls loudly.
She looks up from her desk, jumps out of her chair, and runs over. “Oh, big brother, it’s so good to see you and have you back. I’m glad you’re out of the big house.” She leans in, hugging him tightly while giggling at her own joke.