Finishing her off with a kiss across her pulsating love, Aiden crawled up the bed and coaxed her onto her side. She sighed with relief, loving how his muscular, warm body felt against hers when he spooned her. As if they were engaged in a dance and she a ballerina, he reached under her thigh and raised it, opening her legs. With slow, sure movements, he thrust his hard cock within her. Her voice sprung a high note before she lost her breath completely. Her passion rang free through mumbled words, a grip of his pillow, and prayers that she not fall in love with this man—with his kindness to her, his humor and expert lovemaking. This would be her downfall… but perhaps it was too late. What his mouth didn’t say, his actions and his dick did tenfold. He’d made himself crystal clear.
“Baby, you’re mine!” Seemingly reading her mind, he blurted the possessive words as his pelvis bumped violently into her, driving himself to the brink until she felt the heat of his strong release. She lost her breath in that moment, coming undone as he came, his pelvis moving in a slow grind until, at last, he stilled. He exhaled, his breath heavy, and pressed his firm chest against her back. Silence reigned between them as they came down from the high. After a few quiet moments, coolness hit her body in the cruelest of ways for he rose from the bed and left the bedroom. Sitting up, she fluffed the pillow and wondered what he was up to. Before she could call out to ask, he returned with what appeared to be a card, a single red rose, and a large heart shaped chocolate box. He sat by her side.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.” He placed the items between them, but handed her the card first.
“Awww! Thank you, Aiden… you’re so sweet.” She grinned as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “What about the birthday gifts I brought you?”
“I’ll open them later. Go on.”
She opened the vanilla scented envelope. Bringing it to her nose, she closed her eyes and gave it a hearty sniff. Removing the card, she saw the design on the front—two hands reaching out to one another with the sea as a backdrop. She didn’t miss how one hand was brown and the other white. “Where’d you get this?”
“A little shop that has some pretty nice stuff… Go on, read it.”
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY, ADDISON
This is my first Valentine’s Day with you, but I hope it’s not the last.
I’m really feeling you. You wouldn’t break a guy’s heart on his birthday, would you? I hope not because I want to know if you’d like us to see each other exclusively? Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won’t you be my forever?
-Aiden
P.S. I hope you liked the calla lilies.
-Tongue-tied
“That was you?!” Her eyes sheened over and her mouth hung open in shock as he nodded.
“Yup. That was me.”
She lunged at him to grab him in an embrace and they fell back onto the bed, laughing hard. Wrapping her arms around him, she looked down at him, admiring all of him.
“Yeah… I will be yours. But first, let’s make love one more time…”
CHAPTER TEN
Daddy’s Big House
…Two weeks later…
She’d broken up, down, in and out to chase a dream…
“And so, that’s where I am at with it now,” she said with a sigh.
She sat at the big dining room table facing her stone-faced father after spilling her guts about her business plans. It had taken a great deal of courage to ask him for the loan to create her workout video series. This was one of many steps to launch her into the next leg of success. She’d come humbly, hesitating forever, but after speaking with Aiden he practically made her promise to do so.
What’s the point in pride if it stands in your way, Addison? Besides, they’re your parents. You said they love you. If their actions showed they loved you despite your resentment after what happened, then hell, baby, believe them…
Much to Addison’s surprise, Aiden had been right about the type of reaction she’d receive from her request. Dad was supportive, went as far as to say it was a good idea, but he demanded she come to the house to get the check—no just-over-the-phone-stuff, as he called it. He wanted to look her in the eye and wouldn’t be sending her the funds online or through the mail. That had been made abundantly clear. The tall man with milk chocolate skin, dressed impeccably from his head down to his toes, stood from the antique chair and exited the dining room without so much as a word. When he returned, he had his checkbook in hand.
“I thought Mom was home, but I didn’t see her car when I pulled up.” She looked across the room towards the window, dressed in sheer white curtains. The long, winding driveway was occupied by Dad’s black Mercedes and their mailbox at the end of the trail.
“She’s running some errands,” he stated matter-of-factly as he sat back down. “Addison, I want you to come by and visit more.”
“I know you do, Dad.”
“Then why don’t you?” He slowly looked up from his checkbook, a rather stern look on his face.
“I… I’m not really sure. Things just… okay, look.” She placed her hands on the table, ready to come completely clean. “Things hadn’t been right between us since I married Daniel.”
“Okay, but that wasn’t our choice.”
“I don’t agree. You made me choose between him and you. You and Mom didn’t approve, and you didn’t even bother to come to the wedding. That hurt me so badly. Initially I believed it was because he was White.”
“That’s preposterous. Race doesn’t determine a person’s character and we never said anything to you to prove otherwise. You’ve dated Black men, White men… there was even that one guy, what was his name?”
“Franco from Argentina. Look, dating and marrying are two different things though, Dad. I did figure out that his race wasn’t your concern or, at least, not your main one. What hurts most is that we barely talked for the entire duration of that marriage. Though he ended up being just what you said he was, I needed you most because of that, Dad. I felt… so alone.” She dropped her head. “So, when he and I ended, I still felt awkward to be around you, in your home… My childhood home where the happiest times of my life were spent. I called you and Mom to let you both know how horrible things had turned out, that you both were right, but… I don’t know, Dad.” She shook her head. “Something felt broken between us and I wasn’t certain what to do about it, how to make it right. I felt abandoned by you.”
She looked into the man’s eyes. He nodded, but no words came out. Looking down at the check, he filled it out, then paused. A few seconds later, he tore the check from the booklet and placed it in front of her.
“There you go, Addison. Hopefully that’s enough to get you started.”
“I’m sure it will be, Dad, and thank you. I will pay you back every single penny as soon as I get fulltime employment.”
“From the sound of things, that should be any day now, but take your time repaying it, Addison. I know you aren’t really one for handouts, as you call them, but I believe in you and what you’re trying to do. Look, before you go, I want to finish what we were talking about.” He clasped his hands and leaned back in his chair.
“Okay.”