Chapter 5. Confusing Women (2)

Her lips pulled up into a smile as she pulled the zipper of her shorts down. He found himself helping her, caressing her shoulders as he dragged her bra straps down her arms. Bra joining the rapidly increasing pile on the floor, his hands went straight for her breasts, squeezing and massaging her chest as her head fell back and she let out the most alluring moan to escape her lips in their eight-month engagement.

Carefree. Out of control. These just weren’t things Bart ordinarily associated with himself. She just sat up there, taking it all, enjoying herself, lust tainting the love in her eyes. If this was wrong somehow, he’d deal with it later. If she wanted him to stop at any point, he would, but he was done restraining himself.

“I love you too Caroline,” he said before he cupped her neck and pulled her mouth down onto his, wrapping his arms around her to pick her up and lay her down on her back.

She had her shorts down before he’d managed to pull his shirt all the way off, her legs wrapping around him as she welcomed his tongue into her mouth.

CC had finally gotten Bart to respond the way she wanted him to. He wasn’t gritting his teeth, finding excuses for them to stop. Not tonight. Tonight he was all over her, kissing her and touching her like a mad man. She felt his lips heat up every inch of her skin. Starting with her lips, he moved onto her cheeks, her ears, her neck, her breasts. Tugging on her rapidly hardening nipples with his teeth.

“Bart,” she moaned softly. “Don’t stop.”

He was everything. Gentle but passionate. Generous and considerate. He kept looking at her, as though to ask her if she was sure. And she was, she really was, but by the time Bart pulled his pants down she found she couldn’t keep her eyes open, not even for his ridiculously ripped body.

He felt her body go limp against his and gave a short laugh. She was lying under him, nothing but panties on with her brief clad fiancé hovering over her. His head cleared quickly. He was an idiot. It never should’ve gone this far. As he pulled the covers over her, he couldn’t help getting in next to her. Frustration and pure lust rushed through him as he took her into his arms, but he stayed anyway.

She’d be mortified in the morning and he didn’t want it to be without him next to her. So he stayed to reassure her. This might have to be the last time he brought her to bed for a while though.

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Aaron and Aria had been making eyes at each other for three days straight. She flirted readily and responded to his little light touches with little touches of her own. Aaron didn’t know what James was talking about. She may just be one of his easiest conquests yet. It gave him morbid pleasure to discover that Aaron Condor, The Casanova of Caines, still had it.

Aria had gone out to get a haircut that morning, just when Aaron was getting used to the hair too. He decided it was in fact the hair that he didn’t like. When he saw her again the day after meeting her, he went right up to her and pulled her hair out of the rigid ponytail she had it in and let it fall down onto her shoulders. As her hair spilled down, Aaron had to admit she was more than striking. She was gorgeous/ This was no small thing. He almost never changed his mind about these things.

Aria didn’t strike him as shy, so Aaron figured an aggressive approach would be good. Hell, she’d all but invited him into her bed last night when she got into a hot tub with him with nothing but a t-shirt and black thong on. There was no touching allowed this time, but damn the way she was looking at him before she opened that book and started reading, then completely ignored him for two hours. It did things to him. Aaron was usually the hunter, but somehow even as he got between her sheets buck naked, he felt a little like her prey.

“Get out,” she said, taking one look at his Greek god-like body and apparently deciding she was going to pass.

She sat down at her dresser and took in her new hairdo. And as she did, so did he. His mouth went dry, jaw dropped to the floor. She was wearing a knee length, violet dress. On her feet she wore classical black high heels. Aaron had always had a thing for black heels. Everything came together with a charming diamond necklace to subtly draw attention to her rack, which ladies and gentlemen, was also fantastic. And then of course there was the new haircut. Gone was the girl next door. There was no ponytail today and probably wouldn’t be for a while. The way the chin length haircut framed her face made it look like red hair was invented for her.

Wait, did she just tell him to get out?

Aaron promptly slipped out of the bed and went to stand behind her, making sure she got a good look in the mirror. She looked, of course she did, she ran her eyes all the way down his body, surveying him like she was considering buying a slave and then went back to looking at herself and touching up her makeup.

“Impressive,” she said apathetically. “Five stars.”

What the hell was happening? This was not a response Aaron Condor was used to. Stay calm Aaron, she’s just playing with you. On the inside, she’s a wreck. A complete mess. They always are.

“Usually this goes a little differently,” said Aaron, turning on the charm. “Usually I show up in someone’s bed and I get a ‘how do you want me?’ not a ‘get out.”

As he approached, Aria felt her pulse quicken. Of course his body was doing things to her. She didn’t think he would go this far this quickly. Hell just last night he was a being a fucking gentleman, as much as Aaron Condor could be asked to be a gentleman at any rate. He had looked, boy had he ever, but he didn’t try anything. Now here he was ambushing her in her bedroom!

He was standing right behind her now, bending his head down to her neck, staring down her dress as he watched her in the mirror.

“Sounds like your usually is screwing a bunch of airheads,” she answered, turning around, just as his lips grazed her neck.

She stared straight at his package, put a finger just above it and dragged it up his six pack before putting her finger in her mouth and sucking it.

“Like I said, impressive,” she said, her eyes darkening.

She got up, grabbed his head by his hair and pulled his face down to hers so that she was looking him straight in the eye.

“Still not impressed though.”

He snaked an arm around her waist, his head dipping down to her chest. She inhaled sharply as she felt the skin of his face, his hot breath, make contact with her breasts, her chest, shoulders and neck, felt his hands go down her arms, down her sides before he slid them down and grabbed her ass. He looked into her eyes. They were dark with lust, but there was no emotion in them.

She was attracted to him, wanted him, but not like this. He was wrong about her after all. This victory, even if he did get her into bed somehow, would be short lived. He was sure he would blow her mind and she his, but then where would they be? She wasn’t some airhead, as she’d put it. She wouldn’t be begging him to come back. If anything, sleeping with her now would probably only get him out of her system faster.

Aria saw it in his eyes. She’d won this one. She hadn’t the foggiest why. He probably could’ve taken her right there and then and she would no doubt have let him, but he had found a reason to fall on his sword and she wasn’t about to question it. She needed to get Adonis the hell out of her room.

“Next time, try harder. At least make some effort,” she said, licking his cheek before sitting back down.

He stepped back, gave her a naughty crooked grin as if to say challenge accepted and turned around. He pulled up his pants and walked right out the door.

Aria let out the breath that she’d been holding. She was here to find a King Consort, not play hot and cold with Aaron Condor. What the hell had she been doing the last three days, acting like a child, making him think she’d spread her legs just because he came calling? She needed sanity. Something concrete. Reliable. Someone who would help her keep order. Aria needed someone that hadn’t been at the palace lately. She needed Barry.