Two Can Play (13 page)

She wants me.

I don't know what's happening with Marco, and right now, I don't care.

Because she wants
me
.

I brush her warm lips with mine and we both gasp loudly as a surge of electricity shoots between us.

Our eyes are wide open with reaction and shock.

I feel like this is the first kiss I've ever had. I've never felt anything like it. It's so powerful it takes my breath away.

“Kate. Oh God, Kate,” I murmur, brushing her lips again and again. She's shaking all over, moaning against my mouth. It all turns me on so much that I'm hard in a second.

I'm dying to ramp up the action, but desperately trying to keep myself under control because she needs to take the lead.

She wraps her arms tightly around my neck and starts kissing me properly, her tongue entering my mouth.

I feel weak inside and hot everywhere else.

I rub her stud and a rising wave of desire, need, and something deeper takes hold of me. Our tongues wind together and we're carried away somewhere so good. The heat rising from us is burning hot.

The breath leaving my lungs is so loud in my ears. My heart is about to thump out of my chest; it's beating so hard.

This kiss goes on for a long, long time and I don't want it to stop. Ever. My hands are in her hair, hers are in mine. I feel her ears and her neck with my fingertips, and she explores me so softly and gently. I slide my hands slowly down her back to her ass, and pull her hips close to me. There's no doubt she'll feel just how much I want her.

She suddenly pushes me away, real hard.

“Aaron, I just can't,” she groans, shaking her head.

Shit, I've done something wrong. Pushed her too hard or fast. I know she's feeling nervous after being raped.

I take her chin in my hand and tip her face up to mine. “You can't what exactly, Kate? Explain it to me. I need to know.”

She looks deeply into my eyes and I can see her struggling with what to say.

“I'm starting to panic and freeze with you. I think I must be frigid,” she blurts out.

I laugh at her terminology. Maybe I shouldn't have done that, because her eyes flare wildly with a burst of anger.

Before she can speak, I assure her she's wrong. “There's nothing cold or frigid about you, Kate, believe me.” I brush my finger down her soft cheek. “You're warm, sexy and so very beautiful. Passionate and completely gorgeous. Maybe you need some more time, that's all. But I'd like you to tell me about things, when you're ready, so I can help you with this. You don't want to spend the rest of your life denying yourself sex because of one evil bastard, do you?”

“
No, but I need to go slow. Really slow. So don't push me, okay? My pace.”

“
If you kiss me like that, I kinda like the slow.”

She finally smiles and her face lights up.

I can't explain what it is about her exactly.

But every single little thing she does affects me way more than it should.

I'm completely hooked. Sex or no sex.

Did I really think that?

So. Not. Me…

~ * ~

To slow things down, we both decide on a movie. A scary one called The Conjuring that neither of us has seen. We get comfy in front of the TV, lounging close together, and begin to eat our Chinese. I notice she's picking at hers.

“
You're too thin already. Eat up or you'll disappear.”

“
I'm off my food. Got things on my mind,” she replies and carries on pushing the noodles about with her fork.

My iPhone beeps with a message and I look at it. It's from Karen.

Jack's done the first score. I've sent it to you. See what you think.

“
It's a rush job at work,” I explain to Kate. “They want me to do something. I need to go to my room for a few secs.”

We pause the movie and I'm pumped as I go to my room and plug in my ear buds. I start to play and absorb every note of it, imagining her words fitting in.

Oh my God... it's a fucking gem of a number...

Highly synthesized strings and a touch of drums.

I want to bounce around the room like a nut-job, but I bite the pillow quietly instead.

I text back, when I've calmed down enough to move my fingers coherently.

It's great. Get her in the studio. Try and compose some similar verses temporarily. Get the promo girls on it. Let me know the minute it's done.

I stand up and pull myself together with a deep breath or two and return to Kate and our intimate TV dinner.

“Everything okay?” she asks.

“
Yep, everything's just perfect.” I smile to myself.

~ * ~

I don't know what time it is, but it's dark outside. I wake up hearing a noise. My eyes focus in the semi-darkness of the room, and she's standing next to my bed. She's completely naked. For the first second or two I'm not quite with it, and nervous, imagining mad things about her stabbing me with a kitchen knife or something. I've seen far too many of those scary-girl movies. Then my rational mind takes over and I'm suddenly thinking other, way too hot things about her appearance at my bedside.

Those long silky legs wrapped around me. My hands squeezing that perfect ass, and sliding upward over those completely wonderful tits...

Steam is gathering in my brain, until I come to realize, she's crying.

“
Hey, Kate, what's the matter?” I put my hand out to her. There's no answer, just more sobs.

“
Kate…? Speak to me.”

Still no answer...

Fuck, is she sleepwalking?

I get up and take her hand. She's cold. God knows how long she's been wandering around like this. I'm concerned she might even have been outside. I try not to stare too much at her shit-hot body as I guide her back to bed.

She gets in and lies down and the sobs stop instantly. Like magic.

I'm not sure what to do now. I don't think I should leave her or fall asleep next to her, either, just in case she wanders off somewhere again. But then I have an idea. I pull the belt from her robe, which is lying on the foot of the bed, tie it around her wrist and the other end around mine, and get in bed with her. She won't be able to go anywhere without me knowing.

I lay snuggled up next to her bare back, stroking her shoulder as I drift off.

~ * ~

“
What the fuck? You bastard!
”

I'm woken by a loud voice next to me and turn my head.

“And good morning to you too, honey.” I stretch my legs out and smile at her angry face.

“
Don't you ‘morning’ me. What's this?” She shoves her bound wrist in my face for my inspection.

I show her mine. “What did you do to me, Aaron?” Her voice is rising in panic.

“Cool it, Kate. Just calm down and listen. You were sleepwalking, that's all. I dealt with it as best I knew how.”

“
No!
” she protests.

“
You appeared in my room in the middle of the night. Naked and crying.”

“
Oh my God, I didn't, did I? Please no....” She covers her bright pink face with her palms in confusion and embarrassment. I detect more than that going on. There's a note of tension in her voice. She's scared of something.

She can't be scared of me, surely? It's all such a shame, kinda tragic, what's going on her mind right now. I really need to know more about her trauma
.

“
Yes, you did. But don't worry about it, okay?” I say gently.

“
Oh, fuck. I'm so sorry,” she mutters through her hands. “I'm sure I don't normally do that kind of thing.”

I lean up and pull her hands away from her face, looking down at her intently.

“How do you know for sure?” I ask quietly. “Look, maybe it was a combination of things. Us getting a little physical, watching that really scary movie, and maybe eating and drinking late again? Perhaps it all set you off and disturbed your subconscious mind. We'll see how it goes tonight, shall we?”

I untie our knotted wrists and kiss her gently on the lips, three wonderful times. I want to do it a whole lot more.

“Thank you,” she murmurs. “For looking after me.”

“
It was more than a pleasure,” I grin. It certainly was that. A visual pleasure at least. “You're most welcome. Now then, I'm gonna make you some morning coffee.”

“
Awww, that would be a real treat.”

I get up and walk toward the open bedroom door.

“God, you've such a hot ass,” she calls after me.

“
I know,” I reply immodestly, grinning to myself. Then I go and modestly cover up my hot ass with some underwear.

Later that morning, we're sitting in the living room, on opposite sofas.

“
Why are you here, in Venice?” she suddenly asks me.

The question takes me by surprise. I haven't prepared for this one.

“Errr, well, I had things to sort out.”

“
Like what exactly? You don't get on with your mom, and never have. Your dad's gone now. You have no property here. No ties. Why haven't you gone back to New York?”

“
It's like my second home,” I offer.

“
I can't see that. You don't seem to have a lot of friends here. How can it be? I think you're still here because of me, aren't you?” Her eyes sparkle and a little grin appears on her mouth. It's adorable. I want to lick it.

“
You're a good reason to stay,” I admit. There's no point hiding the fact. She knows I like her. Not the full extent of that, though.

Yep, Kate and my thirty million. Actually, it's just Kate I'm here for. Fuck the thirty mill, I can sort that out from New York.

“Oh, boy.” She rolls her eyes at me.

“
What's the problem?”

“
I don't know about this, Aaron. I've been badly used...as well as…raped. You and I might not be a good idea. I'm not the best relationship material.”

“
What d'you mean by used?” I'm really thankful the conversation has moved away from me.

“
Being taken for a ride. The last one put me off dating forever.”

“
Wanna tell me about that particular one?” I push. I really need to know more about this.

She sighs deeply and stares at the floor and then back up to me.

“You want the whole story?”

“
The whole thing, if you want to tell me.”

“
I met Ryan in a bar. He was a friend of an old school friend from Vegas. We clicked and got together after a couple of casual dates. A month later it was getting kinda serious in my mind, and he asks me if I could get some cash for him. Borrow it from my heiress' account. The one I manage, you know. He said he had a lot of debt and was being threatened by some heavy guys. It was
a lot
of cash though. A hundred grand.”