Trusting Aaron Read online

  He watched her face while she separated her thighs. Her entire crotch was exposed. The teddy was tied off with two sets of ribbon that extended down from her waist. Hope had tied the ends in bows between her legs at the sides of her pussy.

  Aaron had never personally seen a teddy like this on a woman. It was sexy as hell. Instead of glancing down, he kept his gaze on the mirror as he stretched his thumbs toward her lower lips and stroked them.

  She sucked in a breath, her head lulling backward onto his shoulder. “How do you always manage to get me so aroused with so little effort?” she asked.

  “Mmm. How do you manage to speak out of turn with so little thought to the consequences?”

  Her eyes went wide and she met his gaze in the mirror. “Sorry, Sir.”

  “I think it’s time to introduce you to spanking.”

  She swallowed hard.

  He grabbed her hips to back her up a few inches and then smoothed his palms down her arms until he cupped the backs of her hands. He threaded their fingers and then drew hers forward to set them on the vanity. “Bend at your waist,” he instructed as he stepped to one side of her.

  She did, but not far enough.

  “More. I want your bottom jutting out.”

  She whimpered as she stepped back more and angled her body to ninety degrees.

  “Safeword?”

  “Red, Sir.” Her voice shook.

  Aaron rounded to her perfect ass and set his hands on the exposed globes. He was liking this teddy more by the second. What little there was of it artistically framed her waist and her back, leaving her tits and ass exposed.

  To a certain extent, Hope was right. Why bother? But now that he’d seen her wearing it, he knew exactly why. “You have no idea how gorgeous you are right now,” he murmured, his gaze lowering in the mirror to the sway of her breasts, the nipple rings tugging on her swollen buds.

  He molded his palms to her butt cheeks and kneaded them, warming them up as he pulled them gently apart over and over.

  He knew it was hard for her to expose herself like this, the tight rose of her bottom so close to his thumbs. Not surprising. Many new submissives experienced a certain level of trepidation when it came to having their most private parts on display.

  Hope wasn’t just new to D/s; she was new to sex.

  He continued squeezing and releasing her soft skin, watching as she gradually relaxed. He lowered his fingertips to the backs of her thighs, enjoying the way she sighed and pushed her ass into his palms.

  When he leaned forward to kiss her smooth butt cheeks, she sucked in a breath. He rubbed his three-day beard against her skin, making her moan slightly.

  She was already reaching a frenzy. He wondered if she would always be this responsive or if it was simply a product of everything being so new to her. After twenty-six years of pent-up sexual tension, anyone would be horny for a few days in a row.

  Or, it was possible her arousal had more to do with him than the newness of her blossoming awareness. He wouldn’t ponder that. It wasn’t productive. Falling for her was out of the question. They both knew he was her rebound guy, introducing her to an adventure in a world she’d only read about. This was all just a way for her to have a few days of freedom before she went back to her real life.

  If he were a stronger man, he would step to the side right now and start swatting her bottom, but he couldn’t resist checking to see how aroused she was. So, he reached between her legs and dragged a few fingers through her moisture.

  Yeah, damn…

  Hope moaned, her belly dipping as her back bowed. Either she was permanently horny these days or she was excited about the prospect of having his palm on her bottom.

  Just to emphasize his point, he thrust two fingers into her and drew them back out slowly.

  She cried out, rising onto her toes and then lowering back down quickly as if realizing she hadn’t had permission to do so.

  He smiled. She was learning. Now she was going to have another lesson. Stepping to the left, he angled himself so that one hand rested on her lower back and the other on her smooth bottom. He lifted his palm and then swatted her low, at the bottom of her cheeks where they met her thighs. Not hard. Not soft either.

  She gasped and then stopped breathing. Her butt cheeks pulled together tight.

  Before she had a chance to think about the sensation he knew would be going through her head, he did it again, a slightly harder spank on the right, and then again on the left. Both landing on the bottom of her cheeks where he knew the vibrations would run straight to her pussy.

  She started trembling, her knees buckling.

  He wedged one leg between hers and pressed his jean-clad thigh against her soaking sex to hold her up and emphasize the effects of the spanking. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and locked her knees. He rubbed her bottom, though those three swats hadn’t done more than bring a tinge of pink to her warm skin. “Good girl. Can you take more?”

  “Yes, Sir.” Her voice wobbled. So fucking sexy.

  He removed his knee, lifted his hand, and spanked her three more times, sticking to the same general area. She was far too new to the lifestyle to understand the difference between a punishment spanking and one meant for pleasure.

  This spanking was purely for pleasure. Aaron had done it intentionally so that she would know why some people enjoyed being struck. A flogger or a paddle could create the same results. Sure, those items could also cause pain, but suddenly Aaron couldn’t imagine Hope ever enduring a punishment like that.

  Could she endure any sort of punishment? Maybe. But he wasn’t sure it suited her. Nor was he sure it suited him to inflict something like that on her.

  He shook thoughts of the sort of submissive Hope might be in the future from his mind. He wouldn’t be the one making those decisions.

  This was a limited arrangement. She wasn’t his. In three more days he would put her on a plane and she would go back to her life in Miami. Besides the fact that she had a mess to clean up, she had spent her entire life living in luxury. She might be able to throw a tantrum and run away for a few days to sow wild oats, but there wasn’t much chance she could give up everything she’d previously been for the long-term.

  She was panting as he molded his fingers to her cheeks.

  It was time to put her out of her misery. Lifting his palm one last time, he spanked her right in the center of her bottom, low and harder. Three more swats and then he immediately reached between her legs, thrust his thumb into her pussy, and rubbed her clit with three fingers.

  Hope screamed, her head thrown back as she came. Her body shook. Her pussy spasmed. Her clit throbbed.

  He’d never seen anything more beautiful.

  Chapter 13

  Hope was nervous as they drove into Denver two days later. She had only one more night with Aaron, and she would be spending it in his apartment.

  Unless she could convince him to let her stay in Denver.

  She was afraid to bring it up. After three days together—three days during which they had proven time and again they had amazing chemistry—would he still insist she get on a plane tomorrow?

  She’d done everything in her power to persuade him otherwise for the entire trip. She’d been the perfect submissive when he required her to be. The rest of the time—in the car or at meals—she’d worked hard to ensure they developed a friendship.

  None of those things had been difficult. She found she truly liked Aaron, and she believed he felt the same about her. They had joked and laughed together over childhood antics and funny moments during their teen and college days.

  She knew how he liked his steak—medium rare—that he didn’t like his food to touch, that he wasn’t a salad guy, that he preferred to eat his rolls with his meal instead of before.

  She also knew more important things like how strong his work ethic was, that he’d saved a good portion of his income for many years in a retirement plan. That he was an amazing web designer with several imp
ortant clients who relied on him to keep their websites up and running.

  Aaron was a man who worked hard when it was necessary and played hard when it was time to relax. He’d been involved in the fetish world since he left the military.

  She still wasn’t sure what sort of submissive he normally preferred, but he hadn’t complained about their unique dynamic either, so she hoped she was enough for him. Until she actually visited a club herself, she wouldn’t be able to fully wrap her head around his description.

  One thing she was beginning to understand, however, was that people who enjoyed kink came in many varieties, and finding a partner who enjoyed the same sort of D/s relationship could often be tricky.

  What had Aaron been looking for in a partner for all these years? She knew he was interested in a permanent relationship, but he’d never met the right person who fulfilled his needs.

  Could she be that person?

  The one subject he’d avoided for the past three days was his specific requirements in a submissive. The fact that he wouldn’t discuss that with her both intrigued and concerned her. What were his motives?

  She’d spent four days with Aaron. Four of the best days of her life. Free. Laughing. Eating whatever she wanted. Relaxing. Sometimes in comfortable silence while he drove.

  And having sex. She’d lost count of the number of orgasms he’d given her.

  However, she wanted more. She would love for it to come from Aaron, but if not, then she would find a way to move on. What she would not do was return to her old life.

  “I need to stop by Zodiac before we go to my apartment, okay?” Aaron asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “Of course. I’d love to see it.” She sat up straighter, excited for the opportunity to enter her first fetish club.

  “Don’t get too excited.” He shot her a grin. “It’s still under renovation. I’ve only been gone four days. The major construction is done, but I doubt paint or flooring happened while I was gone.”

  A few minutes later, he pulled up to a strip mall and parked near the corner unit. There were cars in the lot, but not many in the vicinity. Hope got out of the car and joined Aaron as he headed for the building.

  He set a hand on the small of her back like he always did when they moved to and from the car. She wondered if he would treat her differently when they got inside in front of his friends.

  Aaron held the door for her, and she passed under his arm to enter. The room she stepped into was small, and she realized it was a reception area.

  A woman stood behind the makeshift desk that had probably been put there during construction. She smiled. “Aaron, you’re back.” The woman had thick curly brown hair tucked behind her ears, deep brown eyes, and skin a shade darker than Hope’s. Hope found her to be refreshing and gorgeous, especially with that killer smile.

  Aaron set his hand on Hope’s back. “Hope, this is London. She’s our receptionist. London, this is Hope.”

  London’s eyes went wide as she set a stack of papers on the rough wooden surface of plywood and wiped her hands on her jeans. “Nice to meet you.”

  Aaron looked down at Hope. “I need to meet with Colin for a few minutes. Do you mind if I leave you here? I’m not sure how safe the main rooms are yet.”

  “Sure. That’s fine,” Hope responded with a twinge of disappointment.

  “Go on,” London stated. “I know where it’s safe to walk. There’s paint everywhere. I’ll give Hope a bit of a tour.”

  “Thanks.” Aaron’s hand slid from Hope’s back as he opened a second door and entered what she assumed was the main room. Loud hammering filled the reception area for a moment until he shut the door behind him.

  “It’s chaotic in there,” London declared. “A few of the construction workers are still here. They’re working long shifts to get the club open.”

  “How long will it be before it’s ready?” Hope asked.

  “A few more weeks. We’re hoping for a soft opening by then at least.”

  Hope had no idea what to say, so she just glanced around the room. It still needed paint and flooring, but everything else looked pretty complete.

  “So, you’re the runaway bride.”

  Hope jerked her gaze back to find London smiling at her.

  “I wish I’d had the balls to leave my asshole of a husband before I got to the altar. Would have saved me five years of hell.”

  Hope cringed. “I’m sorry.” What else could she say?

  London winced. “Sorry. That was uncalled for. I don’t know what sort of man your fiancé was, but if he was abusive to you in any way, I’m glad you got rid of him before saying ‘I do.’”

  “He wasn’t abusive. At least not in the way you mean. It was just that he also wasn’t in love with me. He was marrying me for financial and social connections. If anything, he would have been neglectful, and I would have spent my entire life in a loveless marriage having bad sex.” Hope smiled, hoping her words sounded light enough to ease London’s apparent assumption that Hope had been abused. As it was, she felt awful for whatever London had endured.

  London shrugged. “I’ve learned not to judge the type of abuse. Neglect is also abusive. Alienation of affection too.”

  “True.” Hope hadn’t thought about it in those terms before, but London had a point. If Hope was with Montgomery on some beach somewhere today, she had no doubt he would be off playing golf, leaving her alone with a book and no one to speak to.

  Instead, she’d spent the last four days having amazing sex with a man far hotter and far livelier than Montgomery Ainsley. In fact, Hope shuddered at the difference between the two men, and she counted her blessings.

  “Are you staying in town?” London asked.

  Hope sighed. “Technically, I have a ticket to go back to Miami tomorrow.”

  London lifted a brow. “Technically?”

  “Yeah… Well, it’s the last thing I want to do.”

  “Then why are you going?”

  Hope tucked her hair behind her ears and met London’s gaze. “I don’t know really. Because Aaron wants me to.”

  “Why does Aaron get a say in your life?” London winced again. “Sorry. I keep sticking my foot in my mouth. It’s none of my business.”

  “It’s okay. I haven’t spoken to another human being in four days. It’s kind of nice to get another perspective.” London had a point. Just because Aaron wanted Hope to return to Miami didn’t mean she had to obey him. This wasn’t a D/s situation. This was her life.

  London ripped off a small piece of notebook paper, wrote something on it, and handed it to Hope. “My number. If you need anything at all, call me.”

  “Thank you.” Hope pursed her lips against her emotional overload. She had never met someone so open and kind this early into their acquaintance. People in her parents’ circles did not offer up advice or help when one of their friends had relationship issues. Instead, they kept their problems to themselves, brushed them under the rug as if they didn’t exist.

  “You okay?” London asked. She rounded the desk and set a hand on Hope’s forearm.

  “Yeah. Just tired. It was a long day of driving.” What a ridiculous thing to say, but it fell from Hope’s lips easily, the sort of thing she would have said in her old life, the one she’d led until four days ago. She took a deep breath, determined to change the subject, and pasted on a fake smile. “So, how did you meet Colin and Aaron?” Hope knew the men had only been in town a few months. Had they posted an ad for the job and found London that way?

  London giggled. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you had no idea who I was. I’m Colin’s sister.”

  “Oh. Jeez. Aaron didn’t mention you.”

  London shrugged. “No big deal. Colin actually jumped at the idea of moving to Denver when the owners of Club Zodiac in Miami suggested he open another branch of Zodiac across the country. He knew I lived here, and he wanted to be closer to me.”

  “That worked out perfectly.”

  London leaned aga
inst the wall and crossed her legs. “Not at first. I was still with my husband. I only saw Colin the one day he came to my door and gave me his number. It was a godsend, though, because Colin provided me with a way out.”

  Hope swallowed. Jesus.

  “It’s been almost two months since I left Louis. And before you hear it from someone else, you might as well know that he came after me and was killed by the police in Colin’s home.”

  Hope gasped. “My God. I’m so sorry.” London had been through hell and back more than one time.

  It was London’s turn to paste on a fake smile. “On the plus side, I never have to worry about him coming after me again, and I was able to sell the house, liquidate everything, and create a small nest egg. I’m living in an apartment now, and I’m free for the first time in so long I can’t even remember what it was like.”

  “That’s amazing. You’ve been through so much.”

  The door opened behind Hope, and she spun around to find Rayne entering with a man Hope didn’t know. Rayne was also from Miami. She’d moved to Denver a year before and opened her own law office—she was a divorce attorney. Aaron hadn’t mentioned London during the drive, but when Hope questioned him about Rayne, she’d learned that Rayne was in a relationship with Colin.

  In truth, Hope had only seen Rayne one time over a year ago when she’d gone to lunch with Faith and they’d run into Rayne in the restaurant. But she remembered the tall, slender woman to be friendly.

  Rayne smiled. “You made it.” She closed the distance and gave Hope a brief hug. “Aaron only gave us the basic details about what happened, so I wasn’t sure what time you two were arriving.”

  “Just got here a bit ago. London’s been keeping me company while Aaron does whatever he’s doing in there.” Hope nodded toward the door to the main room.

  Rayne turned toward the man who’d entered with her. “This is Pierce Titus. He’s a detective here in Denver and a friend of mine.”

  “Thank God Rayne has friends in high places,” London said. “Pierce saved my life.”