Текст книги "Tempted"

Автор книги: Claire Adams

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We decided to walk down by the beach for a bit, but as we stepped off the patio onto the sand by foot twisted just a bit causing me to tumble. Aiden caught me by the elbows which prevented me from falling all the way to the ground.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks,” I said, pulling myself away from him although hesitantly as I enjoyed the feeling of securing in his steady touch.

"I might be a bit tipsier than I realized,” I explained.

"I have an idea,” he said. "My apartment isn't far from here, just about a ten minutes’ walk if we stay along the shore. Why don't we go there and have a night cap. Then we'll call it an evening."

"That sounds great,” I said.

I kicked off my shoes and we walked along the sand. I enjoyed the feeling of the sand through my toes and every once in a while a bold wave would wash close to us enough that I could dip my bare toes in. Aiden still wore his shoes and stayed well away from the salt water.

The night air was warm, but the breeze of the ocean did much to add to the magic of the night. Within about ten minutes we arrived at his apartment. His porch looked out over the water, and I find myself amazed at how nice the place is once we stepped inside, with an off-white plush carpet and sleek, modern furniture.

How the hell could afford this place?

"How long have you lived here?" I asked.

"I got this place while I was still in school so I guess a couple of years,” he said.

"How on earth did you afford to find a place like this as a student?!" I asked.

"I had a bunch of roommates at first," he said as handed me a glass of scotch over ice. "We wanted to live by the water, so we agreed that we would bunk up. You should have seen the place. Each of us pretty much lived in the corner. But all we did was sleep here, so it made little difference. We spent most of our time out on the water if we were here. They all moved out one by one over time. About six months ago the last one moved out and it was just me then. I figured I would keep it since I could afford to with the new job."

He won’t be able to afford it after I win the competition.

"Wow," I said gazing out at the view, taking in the white sand gleaming in the moonlight. "You got lucky."

"I had the furniture changed out so it wouldn't look so much like a frat boy dorm room."

"I can see that," I said. "It looks great. This view is spectacular."

"Yeah, it is,” he said.

I sipped the tumbler of scotch he had given me and realized that this one was pushing me over edge from a little bit tipsy to feeling quite a bit wobbly. We had both been in a laughing mood all night, and now seemed no different. My inhibitions were practically gone and I no longer had any concern about anything outside of tonight.

I had developed a serious case of tunnel vision.

I turned towards Aiden, to ask him a question. Something rather important and pressing I remained certain. But as soon as I turned to look at him I felt a bit overcome. The whole night so far we had maintained the playful nature of our friendship, but in this moment I realized just how sexy he looked, tan and blonde, the moonlight streaming through the window and the effects of the alcohol coursing through my system all contributed to what happened next.

I stepped forward and nudged his arm, so he turned to face me. I had positioned myself so that when he turned his head he would be mere inches away from my face. He noticed our closeness and took a motion as if to step backwards.

"Aiden," I said, keeping his attention with my gaze.

He hesitated staying close to me. A moment of silence hung between us, both of us saying nothing and everything at once.

 On impulse I kissed him.

The warmth of his lips had me overcome instantly. I felt his breath catch when I pressed my body against him, but he soon relaxed and kissed me back. I felt as if the tables had turned.

Without breaking contact he set down his own tumbler and took mine placing it next to his on the glass surface of his dining table.

His tongue teased me and I opened my lips slightly, searching his mouth with my tongue. His hands rested lightly on my hips but his body pressed against mine urgently and without shame. Once again I felt amazed at the muscular feel of his torso, tensing as his arms moved to encircle my waist.

Before long I felt the urgency between us rising as he probed my mouth further with his tongue, ravishing my mouth. I fell into him feeling my inhibitions melt away as his hands caressed my back. He pulled me close to him and I felt my breasts pressed against him responding to the pressure of his body.

His mouth traveled from my lips along the edge of my neck to the divot just below my earlobe. He teased with his lips and the tip of his tongue. The sensation nearly made my knees give out. I let out a small moan as I clung to the fabric of his clothing. He let out a throaty laugh at my reaction, even as I dug my nails into him playfully.

Any inhibition that I may have previously had, had completely vanished. I no longer cared about consequences. I reached forward and my inebriated fingers tried to unbutton his shirt. He pulled off his jacket as I did so letting it drop to the floor. I struggled with the tiny white buttons against the white fabric, but remained determined to undress him.

"You know what?" he asked.

I expected him to stop me, bringing up any reason why continuing would not be a good idea.

"What?" I asked, taking a small step back ready to hear his reasoning.

"I have other shirts," he replied, pulling his shirt open and not worrying about tearing the buttons off.

He tossed it to the floor. I laughed at his brashness and he pulled me towards him planting another kiss firmly on my lips. I welcomed him with my body, my lips, every part of me, feeling myself melting into him.

I hadn’t been touched this way by a man in a very long time.

A very very long time.

Every nerve in me had been pulled taut like a stringed instrument ready to be played. His hands had made their way to the back of my dress, and pulled gently on the zipper exposing the flesh of my back to his urgent touch.

I desired nothing more than to feel the warmth of his skin against mine. I pulled my dress off revealing the black lace bra and panties set that I had put on, mainly because it was the only undergarment I had that didn’t shine through the black dress. I was glad I did, as he stood back and looked me over, with hunger in his eyes.

"Don't move," he said as he stepped back and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Okay," I said with hesitancy.

What was he up to?

He returned a moment later and knelt slightly planting kisses on the flesh between my breasts. I realized after a moment that the sensation of cold that I felt which momentarily confused me was from the ice cube that he had tucked between his front teeth. He traced the icy trail along my collar bone, sending shivers through my bones and fire though my veins. The ice melted leaving a trail of cold dripping down my stomach, which he followed with his mouth, melting the liquid in rivulets along my skin.

On his knees now, he steadied himself with his hands at my hips, tracing the cold torture along the lace edge of my panties, my stomach muscles convulsing at the sensation. I closed my eyes and laced my fingers lightly in his hair as he moved over my body with his mouth, teasing me to the edge of reason. Every part of my being wanted him. I had accepted the circumstances and thrown the consequences to the wind.

But, god, what he was doing to me!

I didn’t know how much more I could take and yet I wanted more.

He pulled me down to his level gently laying me down right on the carpet so I was laying down prone before him. This made it easier for him to continue to torture me with the cold sensation tracing over my skin.

He moved back up my stomach, raking his fingertips along my torso, now dripping wet from his ministrations. The heat of his touch off set the goosebumps that had arisen from the ice, and his hands landed upon my bra. He carefully caressed them dancing his fingers along the edge of the fabric. Instantly I reacted, my nipples hardened into points.

I knew that he had to have felt them against his palms.

With surgical care he pulled the fabric of my right cup down exposing my breast to him. He smiled at me revealing the still sizable ice cube parked between his front teeth, revealing what he had planned. I squirmed in anticipation, catching his eyes before he lowered the ice cube down on to my exposed nipple. The cold seared through the sensitive skin, causing me to cry out with pain and pleasure.

His other hand caressed my free breast, lightly pinching my nipple through the cloth while circling the ice on the other one. In a smooth motion he pulled the fabric down so both breasts were now exposed. My back had lifted up off of the carpet from the tension that coursed through me.

He placed his hands behind my back lifting me with one hand and steadying himself on the floor with the other, to have better leverage. The ice cube melted completely, or he swallowed it because the next sensation was that of his fiery hot lips caressing in the very same places where the cold had dominated moments before.

He caressed his lips around the circle of my areolas, first one and then the other. I pressed my palms into the carpet and moved my body, arching towards him to be as close to him as possible. Through the remaining fabric between us, I could feel his need arising through the bulge in his pants that grazed against my thigh as he continued to nibble at my tits.

I placed one hand on his head caressing his blond locks once more. He lifted his face and then kissed a trail up my sternum and continuing along the center of my throat. When he crested the edge of my chin I tilted my face towards him and let him kiss me fully on the lips as I wrapped my arms around his neck clinging to him with all my strength.

His body crushed against mine, and with every inch of my being I felt the muscles tense at our contact. I angled my hands to find the button of his pants.

He pulled my hands away and shook his head with a mischievous grin though. He kissed me again as if we melted into one another.

His hands reached behind me and found the clasp of my bra, which soon landed on top of the pile that contained his shirt and my dress. He slipped his head down and kissed my neck, causing my desire to flare up once more. He reached down and removed my panties pulling them down around my ankles and I kicked them to the side.

My body ached and when he leaned over me once more I realized that he had somehow slipped out of his pants without my knowledge and was now completely naked. The form of his body, accented by the sexy tattoos on his arm, made me want to open up to him. To welcome him with everything I had to offer.

Still he held back.

I felt the tip of his cock resting against the flesh of my thighs, teasing the sensitive area that ached for him. He kissed me lightly, letting his lips linger over mine. I became so enraptured with the smoothness of his lips on mine, so engulfed with the endorphins already rushing through me that I barely noticed when he entered me. I felt myself filled with him in one seamless motion, intensifying the kiss that now enveloped our entire body.

His rhythm and mine matched perfectly, as if our bodies had become one. He brought me to the edge of ecstasy, pulling me back. With my legs wrapped tightly around his waist, he pulled me up to sitting and I pulsed against him as he reached depths I had never felt before.

I cried out, barely able to handle the sensations and yet desperate for more.

He remained inside me, covering me with kisses, on my neck, my mouth and my breasts, as his hands plunged through my disheveled hair. I traced my fingertips along his collarbone marveling at the sculpted beauty of his body, perfect like an ancient statue, I thought. Then I placed my lips along the very same curvature of his bones, hearing him moan at my kisses. For the final time, I felt the pleasure began to crest, taunting my body for final release. He whispered in my ear.

"Tell me when," his rough voice pleaded. "Tell me when you’re ready."

"Now," I said, barely able to form words. "Now!" I threw my head back as he pulled me down hard onto him to maximize my release. "Oh god, yes! Yes!" I screamed as the orgasm rushed through my body sending me into convulsions of delight unlike I had ever felt.

I felt him shudder in my arms as our pleasure crested, goosebumps erupted over his skin, which made me smile, a bold sense of accomplishment flowed through me. He landed his forehead on my shoulder, as we both repositioned, lying once more on the carpet curled in each other’s arms.

It was in this manner that we fell asleep.

No words spoken and none needed, the only thing covering over our naked bodies was the moonlight landing through the open patio window.

Chapter Five

The first tendrils of dawn woke me before I even opened my eyes. Immediately I sensed something wrong. The surface beneath me felt strange, not like my bed at all.

Carpet.

Perhaps this feeling was the last remnants of a forgotten dream. I turned to stretch, still with my eyes closed as the light invaded by closed lids. My head pounded like a drum, and I put my palm on my forehead to try and calm the feeling. A mile panic crept into the back of my mind.

What had happened, I wondered.

It began to come back to me in images and flashes, the sensations brought by the drunken flirtations which had let to, what? Little by little the events of the night before seeped into my conscious memory. Starting with the date, the fun at the restaurant, the walk at the beach, and then...

"Fuck," I mumbled against the pounding of my head. "Fuck. Oh no," I said hoping it had all been a dream, but already knowing better.

I opened my eyes and sat up with a startle, confirming my fears.

"Fuck."

Aiden's apartment looked different in the morning light, wan, pale and stark. I sensed Aiden sleeping next to me, hearing his steady breathing. I kept my eyes averted to avoid seeing him recalling that we had passed out on the floor with nothing so much as a blanket.

With a pounding heart I shuffled around looking for my clothes. He began to stir just as I pulled the dress over my naked body and shoved my bra and underwear into my purse.

Last night was one thing, but I didn’t want him to see me unclothed with sober eyes.

My hangover had distracted me but an even more horrifying truth slowly began to dawn. Today was the day that the court case officially began. We only had a few hours to get to the justice building, and worst of all I had slept with Aiden.

This was bad.

Very, very bad.

"Get up," I said, urgently nudging him with my toe. "Aiden get up, get up!"

I grabbed my purse and shoes. I realized that he had to drive me back home as he had picked me up the night before. Aiden stirred again and moaned. I tried to keep my eyes away, but even in the panic of the morning I couldn’t help but notice his spectacular form.

Time and place, Blair. Time and place! I mentally scolded myself.

"Aiden wake up. We have court in three hours."

Those words seemed to have gotten his attention as he opened his eyes, sat up and reached for his boxers. He pulled them on and stood up rubbing his hand over his hair which stood out in every direction.

"What happened?" he mumbled.

His lack of urgency was infuriating.

"What do you think, happened!" I blurted. "Look, there's no time for this. You need to take me home right now, so we can get ready and get to the court room."

He blinked at me. "Court room?"

"Aiden," I said, trying not to raise my voice. "The trial starts today if we could decide on a jury."

"Oh, right,” he said as some semblance of life seeped into his eyes. "The trial. You want some coffee?"

I smacked my hand against my forehead losing my patience. "Aiden you have to take me home, right now! Wake up and be serious! I have worked too hard on this case to let things slip out of control now!"

"Are you angry?" he said as he casually strolled to the kitchen and began to fill the coffee carafe with water.

He was making coffee.

Was he even serious? I followed him, not ready to let up.

"Am I angry?" I fumed. "Of course I'm angry!"

He turned to face me and crossed his arms over his bare chest. The sight of his muscles flexing caught my attention which made me that much more infuriated.

"Do you feel as if I took advantage of you last night?" he asked as he scooped the coffee grounds into the filter. I felt a little bit taken aback by the question, but that thought hadn’t crossed my mind.

"Well... no,” I said, confused by suggestion.

"Okay," he said. "You’re obviously upset. I'm trying to figure out why." The calmness of his voice and demeanor irritated me even further.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my pounding heart which didn’t do a thing to ease my headache.

The coffee gurgled cheerfully through the filter making me want to pick it up and throw it through the window.

If I had told myself the truth, it would have been that I was angrier with myself for letting my attraction to him distract me from the task at hand. I should have known better than to go out with him the night before our court date. I don't know why I had never made the connection before.

He turned and opened the cabinet lifting down two travel mugs. He poured coffee into each one and turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

"I take mine with milk," I mumbled under my breath.

He opened the refrigerator and poured a dollop of milk into each mug, twisted the lids back on and handed me one.

"Wait here,” he said. "Let me grab some jeans. I'll take you home and then meet you at the courtroom in a few hours."

He left and disappeared to his bedroom. I fumed over my coffee as I took a small sip unhappy with the fact that the coffee tasted great. A few minutes later, we were in his car headed towards the highway to take me home. The coffee had helped my headache a little but my fury hadn’t subsided one bit.

I felt as if I had worked my whole life to get to this point professionally just to have it crumble to pieces moments before I was to step into the courtroom. This was more than just a youthful indiscretion. I felt as if the world were imploding in slow motion, collapsing around me with me in the center, everything falling to pieces.

"What is it?" Aiden asked, glancing at me from the driver's seat. "Why are you so upset?"

"What do you think?!" I spat. I heard my voice rising to an unnatural level.

"Blair, you need to calm down,” he said. "This isn’t that big of a deal."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I yelled, now in a fever pitch.

"Okay, hold on,” he said. "We aren't going get anywhere just yelling at each other, so I'm going to ask you a few questions and I want you to be completely honest with me, okay?"

"Fine," I said, my mind still whirling to figure out his angle.

"First, do you think that I took advantage of the situation?"

"No," I said, wishing I could put the blame on him, but knowing that wasn’t the real root of my emotional state.

"Do you feel as if you took advantage of the situation?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "No," I said.

"Good, okay. Third question, are you mad because we slept together?"

I hadn’t expected this question.

"Yes," I said.

"Now we are getting somewhere," he said. "Can you explain why?"

"Come on Aiden," I said. "It was unprofessional. We should have known better. This could ruin everything for both of us."

He emitted a small laugh which prompted me to shoot him a furious glare.

"Of course we should have known better, Blair."

"What's that supposed to mean!" I said.

 "Hear me out okay?" he said still trying to calm me. "I’m attracted to you, and I’m pretty sure you’re attracted to me too. Sometimes when people are attracted to each other, sex happens! We are human beings. This is what we do! Don't try to over think it."

He turned down the road that would lead to my block. His words had struck a chord with me, and I didn’t want to discuss it any further. I crossed my arms and turned away from him looking out the window. I watched the trees glide by as we approached my neighborhood.

“Job over boys,” I mumbled to myself.

Once I got home I would only have about an hour to shower and get dressed for court before I would have to get out the door to make it on time. Aiden's lackadaisical response offended me to no end, but I couldn’t decide if it was because it clashed with my thinking or because his words held a little bit of truth. Though my headache had largely subsided, I didn’t feel as if I had my game face ready, and this wasn’t just about my pride.

I was mad at myself.

Remembering the faces of the family of the murder victim, and questioning the fate of the accused, I knew that if I screwed up today we could be sending an innocent man to jail for a long time.

"Blair," Aiden began but he had just pulled into a parking space in front of my building. I pulled away from him opening the car door. I had nothing more to say because I had to get ready.

"I'll see you at court,” I said and slammed the door shut.

I trotted up the stairs hearing him calling after me, having rolled the window down. I ignored him, keeping up my rushed pace until I stepped into the safety of my apartment. I heard Kelsey moving around in the kitchen already up. Great. Hearing the door she stepped out of the kitchen to greet me.

"I guess the date went well?" she said, making a show of looking at her wrist, pretending to check the time.

"I'm sorry Kelsey,” I said. "I can't talk now, I have to be at the court house in an hour and a half."

"Wow," she said. "This gives new meaning to the phrase, 'walk of shame'." I brushed past her to get to my room. "Oh, your mom called about an hour ago."

"I'll have to call her later,” I insisted as I grabbed a fresh suit from my closet and headed for the bathroom. "I really am running late."

"Blair," Kelsey said. "She's at the airport. She needs you to pick her up."

"Shit," I said stopping in my tracks.

I had completely forgotten that my mother had said she was coming for a visit. When the court date got moved I had been so consumed with Aiden's attention that it hadn’t even occurred to me that the new dates would interfere. I certainly didn’t have time to go and pick her up at the airport, but I didn't want to leave her stranded either.

I looked desperately at Kelsey, who looked the picture of calm in her plush bathrobe, towel wrapped around her head and sipping on a freshly brewed cup of coffee. I must have looked the polar opposite, still wearing my disheveled black dress from the night before, my hair looped in a throw away pony tail with ends sticking out every direction.

"Um, Kelsey..." I began.

She laughed and held up her hand with her palm towards me.

"Don't worry, Blair," she said. "I'll go pick up your mom. I'll explain everything,”

I exhaled in relief. Just before I stepped into the bathroom I called after Kelsey who had headed to her room to change.

"Don't explain too much!" I said.

I was met with the sound of her laughter. I shut the door and started the water, letting it warm up as I undressed. My mind began to wander over the events of the last twenty four hours. There was a point somewhere in which I could have changed the course of things.

I could have said, let's call it a night.

Maybe after dinner, instead of agreeing to a walk on the beach.

Maybe when I stumbled and almost twisted my ankle.

Maybe even after we had had our drink at his place.

I imaged that happening, exactly as it should have.

I would have set my glass down on the table and said. "We have an early morning. We should really call it a night."

Then he would have nodded, perhaps with a glimmer of regret on his face. But then he would have taken me home. Maybe, worst case scenario he would have kissed me good night, before I exited the car. I would have gotten a good night’s sleep. He and I would still be friends, (and only friends!), and most of all I would be fully prepared for this case.

And my mother, what did it say about me that I had forgotten about my very own mother. She would understand of course. I should have called her when the dates were rescheduled. I should have postponed our visit.

I stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash over me. I wish more than anything that I could turn back the clock and erase the events of last night.

Why had I not stepped away, I wondered.

Why had I agreed to a night cap?

I knew the answer.

I knew the truth.

Aiden had been right. I was attracted to him, despite myself.

It had been me who had kissed him. It had been me who had instigated the whole scene. I never stopped him. Even now thinking back over the events I realized that underneath my anger, underneath the fury and confusion ran a vein of a much more powerful emotion.

I wanted him.

I had only had one other boyfriend in my life, back in college, Alex Marsden. He and I had dated through college and into law school. There had been some fleeting talk about marriage even. Eventually he had broken up with me because he said that I was too consumed with my studies, and he suspected that nothing would change once I graduated. Until last night he had been the only man I had ever slept with.

In retrospect, I realized that Aiden was much more talented in this arena. Alex had been right. When he had broken up with me I thought I should have felt more upset than I did, but the truth was I had been mostly relieved. The nuances of trying to fit in a romantic relationship between classes and internships, made for a stressful dynamic. I had canceled more dinners with him than I had gone to. He had been right that I wasn’t in the right mindset for a serious relationship. I had tried to part ways amicably but he was too offended and we lost touch.

I thought for sure that I had answered the question of whether or not I would date, anyone ever. Yet here I was, years later having slept with my best friend from childhood, who had never so much as expressed a curious interest in me.

Where would I go from here?

At least the sex was better with Aiden than it had been with Alex, I thought as I stepped out of the shower, reaching for the towel. When faced with a situation such as this in the past, I would have normally talked it over with Aiden, but then again, back when Aiden was in my life I would not have been faced with such a situation.

I had been the quintessential book worm, not interested in dating and not many interested in dating me, either. I turned on the hair dryer and ran the brush angrily though my wet tangled hair. Regardless of everything falling into shambles there wasn’t denying that I had to be in court soon. I needed to clear my mind for now and focus on getting ready.

Chapter Six

The atmosphere at the courthouse contained a strange electric energy. Aiden had already arrived, and we waited with the senior partners in the small room for the bailiff to come and fetch us. A whole new jury pool had been summoned and we had to wait while they all went through intake in the main hall.

Our team included myself, Aiden, Mr. Mahoney and Ms. Klein and we sat in the small chamber off of the courtroom. We had gathered in the lobby, and I had hoped desperately that the hangover I felt didn’t appear so readily on my face as I felt that it did.

I didn’t speak to Aiden except the usual pleasantries so as to not arouse suspicion from the partners of unprofessional behavior. We waited without much discussion. I pulled out some papers from my case and reviewed them while we waited, more for the sake of having something to do, rather than needing the actual review. I also knew that once we went to the courtroom for jury selection, Mr. Shaw would join us and the trial would start later that day depending on time. For now we just had to wait.

"Are you both feeling good about the opening statements?" Ms. Klein asked after a moment probably speaking to fill the silence.

"I do,” Aiden replied. "I’m definitely ready to get started. What do you think, Blair?"

I had largely ignored the discussion trying not to have to talk to him unless necessary. I glared at him before I placed a pleasant smile on my face turning towards Ms. Klein.

"Um, yes. Fine," I said, glancing up from my document. I realized I may have seemed stand offish, so I raised my eyes more fully. "I feel quite confident in our case. I too am anxious to get underway."

I returned to my review, forcing myself to focus on the words in front of me, refreshing myself on what I had prepared. In my periphery I could sense Aiden's eyes on me. I tried to ignore him, but I couldn’t help but think about the competition between us.

In our efforts to outdo each other we had somehow managed to play off of each other’s strengths, each of us trying to outdo the other. We had built a very strong case in the end. I tried not to let my mind wander to the events of last night, but being in such close proximity with Aiden, seeing his hands and his eyes, the scent of his beachy cologne didn’t help matters.

I felt my face grow flush even as an errant thought of the feel of his mouth against my skin drifted across my thoughts.

Shit.

I had to get him out of my head.

On reflex I glanced over at him, and found him sitting in a relaxed pose one arm resting across the back of the empty chair next to him. He cut his eyes over to me and grinned when I lifted my head, prompting me to immediately look back down.

We looked up when the bailiff came to the door. We all expected him to summon us, but he had a different message for us this time.

"We have time for a bit of a break. The jury pool is about ready. Once the pool is assigned they get a small break. If you guys take half an hour now you should all arrive back at the same time."

"That's one thing you two will have to get used to,” Mr. Mahoney said as he stood. "The ongoing grind of due process. There's very little excitement to any of it. Most of it involves hurry up and wait."

He smiled a bit at his own amusement, and if I hadn’t thought myself mistaken I could have sworn that Ms. Klein nearly rolled her eyes as they walked out the door together.