Unraveled (Love in Salem, book 2) (5 page)

She smiled and waved once she saw him.  He was immensely happy to have the chance to talk to her in person.  He would have settled for a phone call, but was glad he didn’t have to.  The woman was like a breath of fresh air, and his lungs were starved of oxygen.

Just seeing her there, waiting for him, calmed a part of him he hadn’t realized was wound tight.  All his muscles relaxed, his overactive mind began to rest and overall peace surrounded him.

Sitting down across from her, he reached out and grabbed her hand.  It felt natural to do so, as though she was already his and not practically a stranger.  She smiled, and his world righted itself.  Yeah, his life could easily revolve around this woman.

Picking up her hand, he kissed her knuckles.  He watched as a rose blush spread along her cheeks, charming him.  God she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.  He was just getting ready to say so when the waitress chose that moment to interrupt.

“What can I get for you, sugar?”

Without looking away from the angel in front of him, he responded. 

“Chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes and whatever vegetable you have today.”

“And to drink?”

“Tea, sweetened.”

“Be right back with your tea.  Tay, would you like a refill?”  At her nod, the waitress departed leaving the two of them alone.

“It’s good to see you.  I was hoping you would be available when I called.  Sorry it was such short notice, but it’s not often I get the opportunity to beg off work early.”

“Well, considering you’re the boss I would think you could do so without any begging.” She joked.  “I’m glad you called though.  I really need the distraction.  It’s been an extremely busy week, and it's barely past midway.”

“Hmm.  I’m more than happy to be your distraction.”

The conversation, like last time, flowed easily from one topic to the next.  There were no awkward silences, no trouble filling in the gaps, just gentle pushes and nudges to learn more about each other.

Aidan was quite pleased with the easiness between them.  He always hated the first few dates with a new woman.  Hated feeling as though he was being interrogated.  That feeling wasn’t there when chatting with Atayla. 

All too soon their food arrived, and the conversation slowed.   He couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed a meal so much.  Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed a woman’s company so much.

Halfway through the meal, a shadow fell upon the table.  Aidan looked up to see his brother, Paxton, standing there with his devilishly charming grin.  That grin awarded him many lady friends and had gotten him into trouble more than once.

“Hey bro, saw your bike out front and thought I’d come in and have a bite with you.  I didn’t realize you already had company.”  He glanced over at Atayla.  “Hello, Miss Parker.  What in the world are doing having dinner with my knucklehead brother?  I thought you had better taste than that.”  Paxton said with that ever present grin still on his face.

Atayla looked back and forth between the two men.  “Of course, I don’t know why I didn’t put it together before.  You could be his twin you look so much alike.  Mr. Aiello, I haven’t seen you in a while.  How have you been?”

“Please call me Paxton, or Pax, whatever.  That Mr. Aiello shit makes me want to look over my shoulder for my father.”

“You two know each other?”  Aidan asked, looking confused.

“She is my lawyer’s assistant.  I think I spend more time talking to her than I do with Bill, but I can’t complain too much since she’s so pretty to look at.”  He winked at her.

Atayla’s face turned red with embarrassment.  “Call me Tayla.  Why don’t you have a seat and join us for dinner?”

Paxton looked at Aidan and barked a laugh.  The look he received said loud and clear that he wasn’t invited, but the ringing of his cell phone kept him from responding.  A few moments later, he hung up his phone and turned to Atayla. 

“Maybe next time, sugar.  Looks like I’m headed to the pub to have a beer and wings with Knox and Clint.  I’ll see you two around.”  With a wave, he walked towards the door and exited the restaurant.

“You said you have three brothers.  Do you all look so much alike?”

“No, Pax and I resemble each other the most.  There are some similarities between all of us, but not to that extreme.”

They finished their meal in relative silence.  They both hated for the evening to end, but it was already getting dark outside and the work week wasn’t over yet.

“When will I be able to see you again?” Aidan asked with a hopeful look on his face.

“What are you doing Friday?  Maybe we could get together that evening.”

He shook his head.  “I can’t.  The band plays at The Den this Friday.  I’ll work the shop until eight then head over to the club to play by nine. We won’t pack up until three in the morning.  How about Saturday?”

“Saturday is margarita night with the girls.  We get together once a month as our schedules allow.  It just happens to be this Saturday.”  She sighed.

After some volley back and forth of times and dates, they finally agreed to meet at The Hot Spot for lunch on Tuesday.  Now all Aidan had to do was change some appointment times around in order to make it happen.  He hoped it wouldn’t cause too many problems.

When the bill came, he paid it with cash and told the waitress to keep the change.  Holding Atayla’s hand, he walked her outside to her car.  Now that dinner was officially over, he was grabbing every extra second he could with her.

While waiting as she fished her keys out of her bag, he gave her a thorough once over.  Even dressed in her business attire she was sexy as hell.  He could tell she tried to hide her body behind her clothing, though he didn’t know why.

Her blouse was loose and buttoned up to her neck.  Her slacks were baggy, and the jacket she wore hung below her hips.  She may think people don’t notice her femininity when she dressed like that, but he was sure they did.

Right now, imagining what she looked like underneath her armor, his cock was so hard it throbbed.  He was clearly going to have to jerk one off when he got home.  He just hoped she didn’t see the bulge in his pants.

Finally retrieving her keys from her bag, she opened her car door and turned to say goodbye to Aidan.  A gasp barely escaped before his lips descended upon hers.  The kiss was hesitant at first, as though he feared she may turn him away.

Fat chance in that, all through dinner she thought about his lips on hers.  Remembering that kiss all those months ago, how he devastated her self-control.  It was all she could do not to squirm in her seat in order to gain some relief.

Now, standing there with his mouth seducing hers, her body was ablaze with fire.  Her skin was over sensitized. Her nipples brushing against fabric sent a zinging sensation straight to her clit.  Her panties, already wet from her fantasies during dinner, were now so soaked she could smell her own arousal.

She hoped he didn’t notice.  What would he think of her, getting so worked up over a single kiss?  But man oh man, what a kiss it was.  Once hesitant, the kiss turned exploratory then heated until she melted into him.

If the bulge in his pants were any indication, she would say he was just as affected by it as she was.  What she wouldn’t give to slide her hand down inside his jeans and feel the velvet covered steel of his shaft.

She longed to stroke him, make him moan, make him beg.  Where these wanton desires came from she didn’t know.  She never did have much of a sexual appetite.  In fact, Randall was constantly telling her she was a disappointment in that department.

Thoughts of Randall slammed her back into the present.  What was she doing?  She had no business making out with some guy she barely knew while standing out on the street.  This was how she got herself into trouble in the first place.

No, she needed to take her time.  They needed to take things slow so she knew exactly what she was getting herself into.  There would be no fast courtship with her ending up at his mercy.  Resolve fortified, she pulled away from the man who easily made her forget her mistakes.

Aidan didn’t know what happened to cause such a drastic change in her.  She was literally on fire in his arms.  He swallowed her breathy little whimpers as he savored the feel of her luscious body rocking enticingly against his.

Biting back a moan, he could smell the musky sweet scent of her arousal.  It was only the knowledge that they were standing on a downtown sidewalk that kept him from hoisting her up onto her car, shoving her skirt up past her hips, and burying his face in between her thighs.

She wanted him as much as he wanted her.  The proof was in the damp spot her wet little pussy left on his thigh.  Her pussy was so moist and juicy she had soaked through her clothes and onto his.

Then, abruptly, it was as though someone had dumped a bucket of ice cold water on her.  He thought back to everything he had said and had done over the last few minutes, but was at a loss as to what turned her off so suddenly.

Raising a trembling hand to her lips, she quickly looked around and found them alone on the sidewalk.  At least she didn’t have an audience for her lapse in control.  This man was trouble, no doubt about it.  She had a funny feeling, though, that he was the kind of trouble she won’t be able to resist.

Clearing her throat, she looked sheepishly at Aidan.  “Sorry, I don’t normally maul someone in public like that.”

The smile Aidan gifted her was wicked and naughty all at once.  “It was definitely my pleasure.  Feel free to maul away whenever the desire proves too great.”

Atayla laughed.  “Thank you for dinner and for your company this evening.  It really was nice seeing you again.” 

“You too, and your welcome.  I look forward to our next rendezvous.”

After getting into her car and shutting her door, she quickly rolled down her window.  “I’ll see you on Tuesday then?”

Because he couldn’t resist, he bent down he gave her one last soft kiss to her soft lips.  “Just try to keep me away.”

Stepping back from the curb, Aidan watched Atayla drive away.  He was falling hard and fast for this woman.  He knew he shouldn’t, but some things were inescapable. Every moment spent with her cemented his fate.

He never felt this way before.  Out of all the women he had been involved with, this one was teaching him what love truly is.  Without a shadow of a doubt, he knew Atayla was his future.  Now he just had to convince her of that.

Chapter Five

Friday night at The Den was loud and raucous, especially when the band on stage was as popular as Enslaved.  Young people tended to flock to wherever they were playing.  Most of them, much to Atayla’s dismay, were young gorgeous women who were willing and eager to please.

What in the world made her think coming here was a good idea was beyond her.  Being here, seeing these little chippies vying for the attention of the men on stage, made her feel considerably lacking.

Hell, she was twice the size of these girls.  She must have been out of her mind to think that she might actually have a chance with a guy like Aidan. 

She shouldn’t have come here tonight.  He hadn’t invited her, and now she understood why.  How could she compete with all these beautiful faces, perky breasts and tight asses?  He was probably up there right now trying to decide which one he was taking home with him tonight.

And who could blame him?  The way they dressed displayed more of their assets than they concealed.  They may as well have a sign around their necks that stated ‘no strings attached sex.’ The choice between her and them was obvious.

Just as she was getting ready to leave, Aidan announced that they were done for the night.  Curiosity made her stay.  Not that she actually wanted to see him choose one of those skinny little tramps because it would more than likely break her heart, but not knowing what he would do would be even worse.

The group of men made their way from the stage, through the crowd, to a table set off to the side of the dance floor.  It amazed her how the women practically threw themselves at the band members.  One woman even went as far as to sit in Aidan’s lap and rub against him like a cat in heat.

For a moment, Atayla thought that perhaps the slut was his date for the night since she seemed so comfortable humping him right here in front of everyone. 

So this is what jealousy
feels like
, she thought briefly as she envisioned yanking the woman away by her hair.

The only thing that saved her was the fact that Aidan gently extricated himself from the tangle of her arms and legs and set her aside.  Of course, the little bimbo didn’t take the hint and threw herself at him again, fusing her lips to his.

It was as he attempted to push her away the second time that he looked up and saw Atayla.  A look of absolute horror washed over his face as he all but threw the girl away from him.  He stood up and started towards her.