Page 50 of The Fragile One

“I won’t. I promise.” With the confirmation, he moves faster and deeper with purpose, making sure I know he’s serious. This isn’t just sex. This is a declaration.

The beads of sweat that have collected around his brow drip down the side of his face, past his chin and onto my stomach as he pounds in and out of me ferociously. I grip the back of his neck, pulling his mouth to mine and kiss him so thoroughly there will be no room left for doubt that I’m his, wholly and completely. We break the kiss to catch our breaths and Aiden presses his forehead to mine. Breaths mingling with each pant, our desperation and desire is mirrored in each other’s eyes. I trail my hands over the corded muscles of his back and cling to him tighter while he continues to thrust into me like a man possessed.

“I’m there,” I gasp before the pleasure washes over me again and I moan out my orgasm. With just a few more hard thrusts, he empties himself into the condom, kissing me hard on the mouth while his cock jerks inside me. We’re both out of air when his lips leave mine.

“Mmm, that was definitely worth coming home for.” I run my fingers through his sweat coated hair, breathless and satisfied.

He growls when he puts his forehead to mine.

“Glad I could make it worth your while, Sunshine.”

Aiden rolls off me and quickly disposes of the condom. My body is exhausted, but I’ve never felt so alive as I do now when he comes back to bed and wraps me in his strong arms, tucking me into his side. I lay my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it slows back to its normal pace, the sound soothing the battered pieces of my heart in a way only Aiden can.

We’re enjoying the feel of each other, lying in contented silence, when my stomach lets out the loudest rumble, echoing in the otherwise silent bedroom.

“I suppose I’ll have to feed you sooner than I thought,” he jokes. I turn and bury my face against his chest, reveling in his delicious scent and the comforting feel of his warm skin against mine.

“I swear I ate before I came home. Maybe my appetite is coming back full force now that I’m home and happy.”

I kiss his chest as he smacks my ass.

“Let’s get you fed.” He rolls away from me and pulls on a pair of jeans that he left lying on the floor. After tossing me a T-shirt, I pull it over my head before we make our way into the kitchen. Aiden pulls out a few things for sandwiches as I grab a couple of plates and begin putting them together. It’s all very domestic, and I’m on cloud nine with our simple task.

“Ah, my specialty,” I say to him while he opens all the ingredients and watches me work.

“See, you can cook.” He gives me a wink, likely remembering my disastrous attempt at making lasagna a couple weeks ago.

We sit at the table and dig in. I moan in delight at the first taste of the delicious, sweet ham and crunchy lettuce. God, I was hungrier than I thought. His eyelids lower, watching me lick a fallen crumb from my lip, and the look he gives me sends a chill through my body. I love that look and it feels good to be on the receiving end of it again. I didn’t know if we would get back here, sharing a meal and heated glances.

“So, I spoke to Jackson this morning before I came home. He said you guys met up last night and talked things out.” Sitting here and talking with Aiden about the mundane things feels normal, right. The pure joy it brings me to have a simple conversation with my man makes my heart swell with happiness.

Aiden gets a look on his face I can’t quite decipher. He’s not meeting my eyes, and I get the feeling he’s trying to figure out how to tell me something.

“What is it? He seemed to think you guys were good now. I know he doesn’t hold a grudge. If it’s Abigail you’re worried about, I’m sure she’ll come around with an apology from you.” His expression is making me uneasy. Was Jackson lying about forgiving Aiden? Did something happen at the bar that I don’t want to know about?

“Did he tell you Liam met us there?” Aiden asks, shifting in his seat. Why does he have that damn look on his face?

“He mentioned it, but honestly, I just wanted to get home to you and was relieved that you guys worked it out. I didn’t ask him about what brought Liam around. Did something happen with Liam? The way you’re acting is making me a little nervous here.” I let out an uncomfortable chuckle. What on earth is going on here?

Aiden takes my hand in his. He turns his body toward mine, giving me his full attention.

“Liam showed up not too long after I got there. He tracked me down, actually. He needs my help on a case.”

“Oh, well, I’m sure it’s important if he went out of his way to find you. What does he need you to do? Use your ninja tracking skills to find someone?” That doesn’t sound so bad.

Aiden averts his gaze, obviously unsure or nervous about whatever he’s not saying.

“Aiden, what is it? The way you’re acting is kinda freaking me out.”

“Sorry, love. It’s just that I hate to do this right after you came back to me. Liam needs my help on a mission. An eight-year-old girl has been kidnapped, and she’s being held for ransom.”

I close my eyes and remember my time in the grips of a psycho. I take a deep breath in and let it out slowly through my mouth.Deep breaths, Lindsey, deep breaths.

Seeing my reaction has Aiden rushing to explain. “This isn’t the same thing. The people doing this are doing it solely for a payout and political leverage. As far as her father can tell, they haven’t hurt her, but I’m sure the poor thing is terrified, nonetheless. Liam is working on a location now. As soon as we have the details, I’ll be going with him on the retrieval.”

“God, I can’t believe that kind of thing happens in this country. How do they expect to get away with this? That’s the kind of shit that happens somewhere else, where it’s more like the Wild West than anything else.” I shake my head, my heart breaking for the poor girl.

“Well, that’s the thing, Sunshine. It’s a South American politician who’s apparently ruffled some feathers trying to make things better for his people. Not everyone down there is interested in change, especially when it makes their trade more difficult.”

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