Page 26 of High Stakes

She leans a little closer, her hand on my chest, “Seriously, you can do better.”

“Yeah?”

“One hundred percent.”

I kiss her. Gently to the side of her mouth, lingering to gage her reaction. She’s surprised, her eyes are wide with shock but as my hand glides along her jaw, I feel her relax a little. “Do you want me to stop?” I whisper against her lips. She gives a slight headshake, and it’s all the permissionI need to kiss her properly. She tastes sweet and fresh, and my cock strains in my jeans. Her eyes flutter closed, and her hands grip my t-shirt, tugging me closer. I pull back slightly, still cupping her face in my hands. I study her for a second, her blue eyes are shining, and her cheeks are flushed. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it,” I whisper.

Bella’s mobile phone begins to ring, and she inhales sharply, dragging her eyes from me to reach for it. She accepts the call, clearing her throat before saying, “Hey, Luke.”

My eyes widen in shock.She fucking answered his call after what just happened. “Really?” I hiss.

She turns slightly to avoid my glare. “Yes, that’d be great. See you then.” The she disconnects.

“You’re seeing him?” I ask, clenching my jaw in irritation.

“Yes, tomorrow,” she mutters.

“But we just kissed,” I snap.

“I know,” she almost whispers, “And we shouldn’t have. We’re friends, Aiden, and friends don’t do that.”

I roll my eyes and push to my feet. “Fuck you, Bella,” I spit. Humiliation burns me as I grab my car keys.

“Where are you going?” she asks, also standing and following me to the door. “Aiden?”

“To see Laurie,” I hiss.

I arrive at the hotel and approach the desk. The maître d’ gives me a nod, which means she’s alone. I slip him a twenty and head straight up to her room. I know I shouldn’t be here and ignoring Laurie’s calls felt good.Being with Bella felt good.I groan, raising my hand and knocking once. At least Laurie can calm the rage within me.

The door swings open and Laurie glares at me with her hands on her hips. I smirk, wrapping my hand around her throat loosely and pushing her further inside before kicking the door closed. Her eyes narrow in that way they do right before she tries to piss me off, “Don’t think you can have me after leaving her bed.”

I scoff, “We both know that isn’t true.” My head is full of Bella,damn it.She’s all I can see. I give it a shake and focus on Laurie. I grip her silk nightdress and tug it hard, letting it pool to her feet.

“Are you serious about her, Aiden?” she demands. I lean in, trying to kiss her but she turns her head, shoving me back.

“Why do you care, Laurie?” I snap, “I’m here, aren’t I? That should tell you all you need to know.” I take her hands, pinning them above her head. “Besides, I don’tfuck virgins, I like my women with a little more experience.”

“Bullshit,” she spits, cupping my chin tightly and forcing eye contact. “I see it,” she adds, digging her nails into my skin. “You want her so badly it’s killing you.”

I force a grin, “You think you know me so well.” I wrap her hair around my fist and tip her head back, kissing along her jaw and down her neck. “Now, you called me several times today and I know it wasn’t to talk about Isabella.”

She smirks, gripping onto my shoulders and forcing me to my knees. “We have the entire night,” she says, raising her leg and slipping it over my broad shoulder.

I grin as her scent consumes me. “We’d better make the most of it.”

I pull my jeans up, hardly able to look Laurie in the eye. She steps in front of me and places her hand against my face, pulling it away to show me blood where she’d dug her nails into my chin. “Opps.” She smirks. It’s not the first time either of us have come away with injuries. We fight and fuck, loving the adrenaline it gives us. It’s unhealthy and toxic, but somehow, I can’t walk away.

I go into the bathroom, taking a breath before staring at my reflection in the mirror. It’s the first time I’ve felt weird about fucking Laurie, like I’m ashamed of myself.Bella’s got into my head. I touch the scratches and then notice marks on my neck where she’s sucked too hard on my skin. I have no doubt that was done on purpose.

I groan out loud then splash my face with cold water. I’ve got to get Bella out of my head. The sooner this is all over, the sooner I can go back to my normal life. Fucking Laurie and anyone else I want, without feeling guilty.

There’s a tap on the door and Laurie enters, still naked. She has red marks around her neck and bruises to her hips where I gripped her too hard. She stands in front of me so that she’s leaning against the sink and hands me a bottle of whisky and places my mobile phone on the countertop. She watches me carefully as I swig straight from the bottle.

“I haven’t seen you this distracted in a while,” she muses running her fingernail down my front. I take another swig. “Who is this girl, anyway?” she asks, licking up the side of my neck seductively.

She rubs her hand over my cock, through my jeans. “I’m helping her out with a place to stay.”

“She’s living with you?” she queries, halting her movements. I cover her hand with my own and encourage her to continue.

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