Authors: Casey Griffin
He scowled. “You won’t be
bumming
off me.”
“Fine, then I’ll be freeloading off your company dime.”
“What does it matter?” He ran his hands through his hair again. It had only just fallen down since the last time. She wondered if he did it enough times if it would get stuck like that. He threw his hands up in the air, voice loud enough to carry throughout the house. “I’m trying to help you. Why won’t you let me?”
“I’m
fine,
” she said, emphasis on the word “fine.”
He laughed, a little crazed, she thought. “You’re not fine. Stop saying you’re fine. A single word has never irritated me so much in all my life.”
“I don’t need your help,” she snapped. “I don’t need your money. I can take care of myself.”
“Clearly.” He waved a hand to encompass everything that happened that night. Or maybe that week. Or maybe even in her life.
She thrust her fists onto her hips, and winced slightly as she hit her bruise. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“I didn’t mean…” He made a visible attempt at collecting himself and his thoughts. “It’s just that everyone seems to need me for something. For money, or contacts, or leverage, but you–”
“Me what? The CEO doesn’t have enough people under his thumb; he needs me under it too?”
“Under my thumb?” he repeated incredulously. “Where is this coming from?”
“Do you have some crazy desire to feel needed by everyone?”
“No!” he blurted. “Not by everyone. I just want to feel needed by you. Because…” The anger faded from his face, his tone softening, like the fight had fled his body. “Because
I
need
you
.”
And just like that, she’d been bucked from her high horse. A second before she had a response ready for almost anything he could say, but she hadn’t been ready for that.
“But the one person that I want to help the most,” he said, “doesn’t want my help. Not even when she’s about to become homeless, not even for the rescue center that she loves so much. Don’t think I didn’t notice you never cashed my check. And I practically threw a job at you and I still had to convince you to take it.”
It was true. She couldn’t deny it. “I told you,” she muttered, “I don’t like handouts.”
“The money means nothing to me. It’s nothing for me to give it to you. It’s not a big deal.”
“Well, it’s a big deal to me.”
“Why?” His voice was still thick with frustration, but he stared at her like he really wanted to know, to understand.
“Because I worked hard to get where I am. It may not be great, it may not be glamorous, but when you consider how far I’ve come it is. I did this.” She spread her hands wishing she could display all her accomplishments before him. “On my own. And I didn’t need anyone to do it.”
“Dammit, Piper.” He banged his fist against the wall, the sound echoing around the grand foyer. “I feel like an asshole standing by and watching your life fall apart when I can do something about it.”
“My life isn’t falling apart. This
is
my life.” She laughed without humor, like it was ridiculous to think it could be anything but. “And it has been for the last eight years. It’s called being a starving student. My life fell apart in high school and I’ve gotten by just fine on my own up until now. And I’ll continue to get by. Life doesn’t change because I’m dating Mr. Big-Shot CEO.”
“Shouldn’t it?” he asked, seeming to find the crux of his argument. “Shouldn’t it get better? When you find someone and decide that you want to be with them, isn’t it because they make your life better, not harder? I know you make my life better.” He tried to reach out to her, but she pulled away.
“Right. I make life real easy. You know, between the evictions, the unemployment, losing cars, the hit-and-runs, and arson—”
“And the laughs,” he interrupted, “and how easy it is to talk to you, and how, when I’m with you, I can be myself. I never feel pressured to be Mr. Big-Shot CEO, as you put it. I’m not a paparazzi target, or the front-page news of the society pages. I’m just Aiden. Cargo shorts, plaid-wearing, dog owner Aiden.”
A chuckle rose to her throat, but she was too angry for it to reach her lips. “Don’t forget the Hawaiian shirt.”
Closing the distance between them, he reached out and held her face in both of his hands. “You may not think you make my life better, but you do. You make me better. I haven’t felt like I could be myself since my father died and I had to step into his big shoes. I’ve needed you in my life for longer than I ever knew. To have someone that, when you’re together, makes the weight of the world feel like a feather.”
She stared back, trying to imagine it. If she could allow herself to lean on someone else a little, to share the weight she’d been carrying for so long, what would that feather feel like?
When she couldn’t find an argument, he took her hand and drew her into the sitting room. They sat down on the leather club sofa and he turned to face her.
“Would you want to see Addison or Zoe thrown out on the street with nowhere to live?”
She rolled her eyes, but more at herself because she was beginning to see his point. Why did he have to make so much damned sense? And why was it so hard to admit it out loud? “No. I’d do everything I could for them.”
“Well, it just so happens that I can do more than most. Are you going to hold that against me?” he asked. “You only have a week left until you graduate, until your exam. Are you going to throw it all away because you’re living in a cardboard box? Because you’re too proud to accept my help?”
“I suppose not. No.”
“Besides”—he grinned—“if you want me to spend nights at your place, well, I find drain water disagrees with my complexion. And don’t get me started on park benches. They play up my lower back.”
She smiled despite herself. “Well, I was thinking of something more like a spot under a staircase. You know, nice and dry. Or maybe an underpass.”
“Sounds lovely. We could put up some newspaper curtains, plant some flowers in the drainpipe.”
“Whoa. Hold on a minute.” She held up her hands. “You’re already moving in? We’re moving a little fast, aren’t we?”
He grabbed her hands in both of his, kissing her knuckles before leveling her with a firm look. “You’re strong, independent, resilient, and really, really persistent. I know that you will be just fine on your own. But I don’t want you to be just
fine
.” He squeezed her hands. “I want you to be amazing.”
“But you said so yourself, nothing in life worth having comes easy.” Even she could hear the lack of conviction in her voice. Her argument had lost its punch.
“So would an easy life with me not be worth having?” he asked seriously.
She bit her lip, wanting to scream, “Yes! It would be worth everything.” If only it weren’t for her damned stubborn pride. Not to mention those uncertainties and questions that were still rolling around inside her head, waiting to be answered. So instead, she looked him square in the eye and said, “I just don’t want to be your charity case.”
“I don’t want you to be my charity case, either,” he said. “I want you to be my girlfriend.”
It was suddenly hard to breathe, like the air had thickened around them. Her eyes began to sting. She blinked to keep them from tearing up. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught like she was drowning in all the words that bubbled up inside her, fighting to be the first ones out, like, “Eeek” and “Are you sure?” or “Hell, yes!”
But the first words to find their way out were, “I don’t want a boyfriend.”
His imploring grip around her hands slackened and he leaned against the tufted backrest.
She smiled, reaching for him. “I want a partner.”
He leaned forward again like he wasn’t sure if he heard right. “A partner?”
“Fifty-fifty.” She pointed at him. “Those are my terms. Take ’em or leave ’em.”
A grin spread across his face, his dimple finally making an appearance. “Fifty-fifty.” He nodded. “Those sound like reasonable terms. I’ll have my lawyer draw up the contract.”
“Should we shake on it?” She held out a hand between them.
“No.” He reached over and pulled her toward him. She slid across the hard leather until she was wrapped in his arms. “No more handshakes.” And he sealed the deal with a kiss.
Eventually, he pulled away, but Piper grabbed him by the tie. “Oh no. We’re not finished here.”
“We’re not? I thought we came to a pretty good resolution.”
“That’s just the start.” Standing up, she pulled on his tie, forcing him to his feet. “I’ve got a whole list of demands for you.”
“You know, you’d make a good lawyer.”
“Is that so?” She tugged on his tie, leading him toward the stairs like she had him on a leash. “Well then. Come on, counsel.”
“Where are we going?” His voice growled low and thick, stirring something inside her.
“To continue our negotiations in your chambers,” she purred.
He followed her up the stairs and down the hall to his bedroom. The room was dark but for the streetlights glowing through the row of old multipaned Georgian windows. There was a scuttle of little footsteps that chased after them, nails clicking on the hardwood floor.
Aiden met the two dachshunds at the door. “Sorry, guys. This is human playtime only.”
The second he closed the door, soft whining drifted from the other side.
“They’ll get over it.” Piper slipped her hand into his and led him farther into the room.
“I can be a pretty a hard negotiator, you know,” Aiden said.
“So I noticed.” Her eyes roamed over his suit pants that were growing tighter by the second. “Hard is good.”
Wanting to finally see what that suit and tie had been hiding, Piper stopped in front of the windows where the slanted streetlight glowed against his white button-down shirt. Aiden bent his mouth to hers. She pulled at his tucked shirt and ran her hands across the firmness of his abs. Two, four, six, and yup, there were eight.
Desperate to see more, she tugged furiously at his buttons. His tongue slid in and out of her mouth, caressing hers, making buttons seem like brain surgery. With only two left to go, his muscular chest so close, she said, “Screw it,” and yanked his shirt open. The buttons popped and flew across the dark room. Oh, well, she thought, he has two dozen more just like it.
As she pulled his shirt back, she wasn’t disappointed. His gym membership was well worth the money. She’d have to remember to thank them. She may not have been a customer, but she was definitely satisfied.
He took more care with her clothes as he slid her jeans off, making sure not to rub against the bruise on her hip. Her tank top, however, he tugged down beneath her breasts, and he popped the clasp on the front of her bra before she could even gasp. His mouth was moving across them in seconds, licking, suckling, like a starving man.
She moaned and arched against him, running her hands through his hair, pushing his face into them. “I take it you’re the kind of man who devours his dessert rather than savors.”
“Oh, I have savored you.” He ran his tongue up her neck, sucking her earlobe. “Every time I’ve seen you in one of your little costumes, I’ve savored, I’ve studied, I’ve thought about it while I’ve pleasured myself.”
Piper gasped at his husky voice. His words tickled her ear, a direct line to her hips, which automatically pressed against his. These words, his voice so full of craving and hunger, surprised her. They were not the words of her orderly, reserved CEO whom she dreamed of ravaging.
“I’ve had enough of looking at you,” he said. Hooking his thumb under the lace of her thong—the only one left with a crotch—he dragged it down her body until it fell to her feet. Scooping her up, he tossed her lightly on his bed. “I’m ready for a taste.”
And taste her he did. Every. Square. Inch.
He started with her toes, kissing each one. He nibbled his way up her calves, gliding his tongue along her thigh. She held her breath as his mouth worked its way up the inside of her leg until she could feel his hot breath tickling between her thighs. She watched his head bob up and down as he took his time exploring everywhere but the spot that called to him the most.
Unable to stand it anymore, she wove her fingers into his thick hair and drew his luscious mouth closer. At the last second, he turned his face away and kissed her hip. Her breath left her in a frustrated grunt and he chuckled in satisfaction. She felt the rumble in her belly, stirring something deep inside her that Zoe’s vibrators could never reach.
Tucking his thumbs under the tank top around her waist, he slid it up over her breasts. He paused to admire. Tongue swirling in delicious circles, he toyed with each nipple in turn until they stuck out, as hard and aroused as the bulge rubbing eagerly between her legs.
“How have I pleaded my case so far?” he asked.
She pretended to think for a moment. “Not bad, but I think I’d like to reexamine your briefs.” Piper reached down and unfastened his pants. She slid her hand along the waistband of his boxer briefs, teasing him like he was teasing her.
His breath hitched. “I think you’ll like what you find.”
Just as she drew the elastic down around his hips, he pulled away. “But not yet.”
She pouted, narrowing her eyes playfully. “I object. You’re out of order.”
With a wicked grin, he knelt between her parted legs. In the dim light filtering into the room, she could see him half-peeking out of the top of his boxers—and half was more than enough already. But he was annoyingly just out of reach. She licked her lips at the thought of him inside of her.
“I told you I was a hard negotiator,” he said. “You’ll just have to wait.”
“Is that up for debate?”
“If it’s a debate you’re looking for, then I’ll give you a good tongue-lashing.” The grin on his face carried a warm surge through her belly.
Aiden settled on his stomach, nestled between her legs. He took his time exploring every satiny smooth inch that her recent trip to the wax salon had exposed. Each kiss brought him closer to her sweet spot. When she could feel his hot breath tickling it, so very close, the air caught in her chest and fire ran through her nerves, building higher, hotter, almost painful until he pressed his lips against her. So light, so soft and sweet, but her sensitive nerves exploded with the relief.