CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Aidan threw the last of his clothes in the suitcase and then zipped it up. He grunted in frustration when his cell went off in his pocket. Since he was already running late to pick up Emma, he didn’t need any more interruptions. Luckily, he knew it wasn’t her demanding to know where he was because it wasn’t her familiar ring tone. “Hello?”
A slightly inebriated voice boomed on the other line. “Fitzy, where the hell are ya man? The entire gang is down at O’Malley’s waiting on your sorry ass!”
It was his buddy Blake. Aidan had conveniently forgotten to tell him and the other guys from work he wouldn’t be making their usual Saturday meet-up. “Sorry dude, I’m about to head out of town with Em.”
“You’re with Emma again?” he whined, over the roar of the boisterous crowd in the background.
“Yeah, we’re going to visit her family up in the mountains. A Barn Dance or some shit.”
“F*ck that, man. You spend all your time with her now. Not to mention you’ve got a kid on the way. You might as well have grown a vagina.”
“Yeah, spending lots of sexy time with a beautiful, fiery redhead really makes me a p-ssy!” Aidan replied, with a chuckle.
Blake snorted. “You have no idea the f*cking quicksand you’re treading on. Sure, it seems like easy fun now, but just wait. Emma’s no fool. She’s tightening her noose, and you’re too mind f*cked to see it.”
“Don’t be saying shit like that about Emma,” Aidan snarled.
“I’m not the only one saying it, Fitzy. The whole gang is worried about you. And don’t say we don’t know what we’re talking about. Three of us have been through divorces, remember?”
Aidan shifted the phone to his other ear. He wasn’t enjoying the turn the conversation had taken. He didn’t like Blake’s tone or the potential truth in his words either. “Nice groups of friends I’ve got running their mouths behind my back.”
“Yeah, well, just mark my words. If you don’t get out fast, you’ll wish you had listened to us one day.”
“Go f*ck yourself, Blake!” Aidan shouted before hanging up. He shoved his phone back in his pocket. Who the hell did Blake think he was? Emma wasn’t forcing him to do anything. No woman ever had and no woman ever would. He was with her because he was enjoying what they had. There was nothing wrong with that. He was giving just as much as he wanted to, and she wasn’t forcing his hand at anything else.
At the thought of his friends drinking and giving him shit about Emma, he couldn’t help muttering, “Douchebags.” He grabbed his suitcase and whistled for Beau. “Come on, boy. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
Beau happily complied and went into full wiggling mode when he saw he was getting in the car. Knowing he was running late, he sped along the interstate and then zipped along the familiar streets over to Emma’s house. He pulled in her driveway at a little after three. He ignored the text buzzing in his pocket because he was sure it was her. Instead, he hopped out. Beau started to nudge forward, but he shook his head. “Stay boy.”
After jogging up the front walk, he smacked the doorbell. “It’s open!” she called.
As he pushed through the door, he saw her suitcase and purse sitting on the foyer floor. He heard rustling around in the kitchen. “Sorry, I’m a little late. Beau took forever to pee,” he lied. He didn’t feel the need to tell her one of his asshat friends had made him later than Beau’s bladder.
“You didn’t leave him at home, did you?”
Aidan laughed. “No, he’s having a fit in the car. I swear he recognizes your house.”
Emma’s girlish giggle floated back to him. “Poor baby. It’s been his off and on again home the last few months. I put him a rawhide bone in my purse to help make the trip. But we’ll probably need to stop off once to let him pee.” She gave a frustrated sigh. “Who am I kidding? I’ll probably have to stop more to pee than Beau will!”
She came around the corner, and his heart shuddered to a stop. Every time he saw her after being out of town, she took his breath away. She wore an emerald green sundress with thin spaghetti straps. The hemline fell just below her knees. Her enhanced pregnancy cleavage strained against the cups on the bodice. But it was the brown cowboy boots that made him do a double take.
Emma started to rush past him to throw something in her suitcase when Aidan reached out and pulled her to him. “Damn, you look sexy as hell.”
Her brows furrowed as she glanced down at herself. “Seriously?”
He licked his lips and nodded.
“This is one of the few dresses I can still get into. I think it might be time to cave in and buy some more maternity clothes.”
His fingers splayed over her baby bump, touching her tenderly over the thin material. “To be four and a half months pregnant, you’re barely even showing.”
She blew a stray strand of hair out of her face. “Tell that to my zippers.”
“And the boots?”
“Oh, these help me stay true to my country roots. I wear them all the time when I’m in the mountains.”
He grinned. “I like them…a lot.” Cocking his head, he gave her his best ‘I want to devour you’ smile.
Emma wagged her finger at him. “Oh no. Don’t even go there.”
“Baby, I’ve hardly seen you, least of all touched you, in the last week. I’m about to explode!”
“We need to get on the road. It’s already after three,” she protested.
“What’s wrong with taking a little detour?” Before she could argue anymore, Aidan crushed his lips against hers, his warm tongue sweeping into her mouth. He snaked one arm around her waist, drawing her against him. She started to squirm away when he pressed his erection into her. “Don’t make me meet your grandparents with a hard on.”
She smirked at him and started wiggling out of his embrace. “It’s a long drive. I’m sure you will cool off by then.”
With a frustrated grunt, Aidan tightened one of his arms around her waist. He then brought his other hand to slip one of her tiny straps off her shoulder, pushing the material down to bare her breast. As he kneaded her flesh, his thumb brushed back and forth across her hardened nipple. When he heard her suck in a breath, he teasingly pinched the bud. It appeared to do the trick because a surge of passion overtook Emma. She brought her lips to Aidan’s while arching herself against him.
He licked from her chin up to her ear. “I want you so bad, Emma,” he murmured. When he took her chin between his fingers and tilted her head back, Emma stared at him with hooded eyes.
“Then take me,” she murmured.
Kissing her again, his hand slid under her dress. Emma moaned into his mouth when his fingers found the heat between her legs. He stroked her over her panties until he could feel her moist desire through the fabric. Then he delved his fingers inside her —keeping the same rhythm with his tongue as with his fingers. She tore her lips from his, her breath coming in heavy pants. “Mmm, Aidan…yes, God! Aidan! Yes!” she cried, pinching shut her eyes as he brought her to the brink.
She whimpered when his fingers slid out of her. His hand then went to jerk her panties down to her knees. He brought Emma’s hand to his crotch. She reached out to fumble with the button and then the zipper on his jeans. Once she freed his erection, she stroked him hard and fast, using the drops of pre come for friction.
Aidan sucked in a ragged breath and then removed her hand. “That’s enough of that,” he muttered in a strained voice.
He backed up to the couch, pushing his pants and underwear over his hips. He tugged Emma’s hand, jerking her to him. They collapsed onto the couch with Emma’s heat straddling him. After guiding himself into her, he started moving her hips against him. Frantically, he thrust himself in and out of her as Emma leaned over to kiss him. She didn’t last very long before going over the edge again.
Even though he was close, Aidan didn’t want to come. Nothing felt as good as being buried deep inside Emma. He kept raising his hips and bringing her hard down on his cock. He threw his head back and closed his eyes as the intense sensations rolled over him. Finally, when he thought he couldn’t stand it anymore, he gave in to the release and came flooding into her.
***
As Aidan cradled her to his chest, Emma covered her eyes with her hands and groaned. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I can’t believe I just let you screw my brains out right before I’m going to my grandparents.”
Laughter rolled through Aidan. “I’m sorry I’m a horny bastard and couldn’t help myself. But if we’re really honest, it’s more your fault than mine.”
Emma gasped. “And just how the hell is it my fault?”
Aidan winked at her. “You just had to look so damn sexy in that dress and those cowboy boots.”
“You’re impossible,” she huffed. Secretly, she was more than pleased to hear him calling her sexy and not being able to keep his hands off of her. The bigger she got, the less desirable she felt. But then Aidan made her feel as beautiful as the day he first propositioned her at O’Malley’s.
He kissed her neck while running his hands up and down her back. “Damn, I missed you,” he murmured against her throat.
“Me or the sex?” she asked, repeating her familiar question.
“After all this time, are we still playing that game?” he growled. “You. I f*cking missed you, okay?”
She pulled away to grin at him. “Oh, Aidan, you’re so romantic. Whisper more sweet words to me!”
His eyes widened, but then he laughed. “Sorry, guess that wasn’t really romantic, huh?”
“I appreciate the sentiment. I’ve missed you, too.” She ran her fingers through his hair and smiled. “Even though it brought us together, I really loathe your job sometimes.”
“Tell me about,” Aidan grumbled.
“You think you’re still going to be traveling like this when the baby gets here?”
“I hope things will calm down by then.” He feathered kisses along her jaw-line. “They think they can use and abuse me because I’m a bachelor. Maybe I should tell them I’m going to be a father, and they’ll go easy on me.”
Emma stiffened. “You mean you haven’t told anyone in your department about the baby?”
“Not exactly…I mean, my friends and work buddies know.” He grinned. “Spending time with you has kinda cut into our beer binges down at O’Malley’s, and they’re not really happy about it.”
A grunt of frustration erupted from Emma’s lips. Jerking herself off of Aidan lap, she worked at wriggling her panties back up her thighs and readjusting her dress.
“What’s wrong?”
“You seriously have to ask that question?”
He grimaced. “You’re pissed because I haven’t told my boss about the baby.”
“Of course I am!” she huffed, stalking across the room for her suitcase.
Aidan rose off the couch and adjusted his pants. “Em, wait, would you listen to me?”
She whirled around. “Is this when you tell me you’re sorry and that you just didn’t think about mentioning it? That somehow the fact you were going to be a father in less than five months just slipped your mind?”
He held up his hands defensively. “Look, I really am sorry. It’s been crazy at work the past two months that we’ve been working on being more of a couple. I’ve barely been in the home office a week straight. I promise you that I’m not being intentionally deceptive about you or the baby. I swear.”
When she realized the sincerity in Aidan’s voice, Emma sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have freaked out like that. These stupid hormones make me totally irrational sometimes.”
“No, you were right to get pissed. It’s not like I’ve gone out of my way to introduce you to my friends or tell them we’re official.”
Emma felt the electricity in the room shift. Was Aidan really talking about making things more official between them? Did that mean maybe living together? It seemed like a quantum leap considering they hadn’t even spoken the “l” word yet. It wasn’t for the fact that Emma wasn’t deeply in love with Aidan. She was just too afraid of scaring him away. Their entire relationship was such a fragile balloon that she was afraid would pop at any moment.
Aidan raised his eyebrows questioningly at her. “So are we okay?”
She smiled. “We’re fine.”
“Good then. Let’s get the hell out of town then!” Aidan said, grabbing Emma’s suitcase.
She drew in a deep breath and tried to mentally and emotionally prepare herself for what was to come.