“He’d better be good to you.Or he’ll have to deal with me,” Jared warned.
Christa laughed and swatted his arm.“You’ll have to get in line behind Jen.She’s already warned him enough for both of you.”
Jared kissed her cheek goodbye, waved to Aaron, and left the café.He sat in his car for several minutes before driving away, thinking about what could have been, what should have been had he not been so self-absorbed all those years.Had he not just assumed she would wait for him to come home.
After Jared left, Christa returned to her seat with Aaron.“So, what’d you think?”
Aaron had anticipated this very question.“He seems like a good guy.He looks familiar.Is that him in the picture in your apartment?”
He’d already known the answer before he asked, but he wanted to open the dialogue to get her talking.He wanted to find out as much as he could about her previous relationship with Jared.The man was protective of her.Hell, the whole family was protective of her.But there was a different look in Jared’s eyes when he looked at Christa.And Jared couldn’t hide how he felt or what he thought when Christa sat in Aaron’s lap.The man was jealous with a capital green.
“Yes, that’s him.”There was no hint of hesitation in her voice.“We were so young then—or I was anyway.Jared’s a few years older than I am.Anyway, I had gone to his family’s BBQ one weekend, and all the kids had a three-legged race.I was paired with Jared, so you can imagine how that worked out with his long legs and my short ones.We were getting beaten, very badly, so I hopped on his back just before we crossed the stream and he ran the rest of the way to the finish line.His mom was laughing so hard she could barely take that picture.”
Christa’s laughter increased the more she talked about that weekend.Aaron immediately noticed she wasn’t reminiscing about Jared as much as she was the whole family get-together.The partial confirmation that there was nothing more than friendship there made Aaron feel a little more relaxed.That, and she made no secret about their relationship in front of Jared.When she’d sat back down in his lap in front of Jared, Aaron had felt invincible.And his little sweetheart had no idea she was breaking hearts.
Aaron stayed after all the customers left and helped Christa clean up the kitchen, get breakfast items set up for the morning rush, and walked her to her car after they locked up.He kept his hand on her lower back, enjoying the contact and intimacy it implied.Just as they reached her car door, he moved his hand to her arm, lightly gripping her elbow and turning her to face him.Aaron gently stroked her cheek, leaned in, and placed a dry, chaste kiss on her lips.
Once wasn’t enough, so he closed the gap again, taking her mouth with his, using his tongue to gain entry.He lifted her up and sat her on the hood of the car.She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding tight and pulling himself to her core.The kiss became urgent, fueled by desire, and the fire only grew hotter.His hands covered her face, cradling it as he devoured her, tasting her with a fevered frenzy.His hips surged forward, the evidence of his arousal pushing into her through their clothing.
Christa’s breathing hitched, and she moaned softly into his mouth.Aaron’s hands rapidly moved across her body, leaving a trail of fire in their path.Christa pulled him closer to her, pressed her chest firmly against his, and her tender nipples rubbed against the hardness of his muscled chest.His thumb found her already erect nipple and lightly rubbed it in circles.The sensation shot straight through her body to her core, igniting her nerve endings and sending a delicious shudder through her.
As much as Aaron wanted to continue this very public display of inappropriate affection, he didn’t want to get Christa arrested for indecent exposure.And while a big part of him, mostly the part below his belt, wanted to continue this erotic dance in the privacy of her apartment, or even her car, the other part of him wanted something more.He’d always had one-night stands, or sometimes, a couple of nights, but never more.No real connections, no real feelings, and no real future were ever possible.
With Christa, he already wanted more of everything—more time with her, more getting to know the real person, more intimacy, and more connection.He showed more restraint and self-composure than he knew was humanly possible when he slowed the kiss until he could pull away from her.Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated, and her breaths were heavy and fast.He found little consolation in knowing she didn’t want their impromptu display of public affection to end any more than he did.It only made him want to take her even more.
Aaron put his hands back on her face and kissed her lips softly.He kept his kisses controlled, smooth and sensual.Her natural taste was so intoxicating he couldn’t get enough.With a deep sigh, he put his forehead to hers and moved his hands to interlace their fingers together.
“You should get going.It’s late.Can I follow you home—just to make sure you make it safely?I don’t like you walking in alone at night.”Aaron’s voice was low and possessive.
Christa’s heart melted at his words.She couldn’t believe she had found someone who cared enough to go out of their way to make sure she got home safely.
“You don’t have to, Aaron.You must be tired.”She offered him a way out of his offer.
“Christa, I can’t rest without knowing you’re all right.I won’t try anything, I promise.I just need to know you’re safe.”His tone pleaded and commanded at the same time.
“Okay.”Christa gently stroked his stubble.At that very moment, she could honestly say she was falling hopelessly head over heels in love with Aaron.
Aaron followed her into her apartment, checked to make sure everything was secure, and kissed her good night at the door.Christa closed and locked it behind him and then floated on cloud nine to get ready for bed.Everything in her life was finally looking up—her new business was picking up, she had big plans to expand her catering, and her love life was definitely getting better and better.
June
Over the following month, Jared buried himself in his work and stayed away from Christa and her café.And her new boyfriend.The thoughts of her with another man were killing him, but he wouldn’t be the one to cause her any more pain than she’d already suffered at the hands of her family.His long days spent working the extra heavy caseload the senior associates had piled on him were starting to pay off.He had managed to settle several cases out of court, creating lucrative deals for both the firm and the clients.He’d also spent most of his evening work hours with another junior associate, Faith Wells.She wasn’t Christa, but she was nice and she helped fill the lonely hours.
It was when he was home alone after work when the thoughts invaded his mind relentlessly.He tortured himself thinking about the sounds Christa must make, how good it must feel to hold her, and what it would feel like to wake up with her in his arms.Not to mention the dreams he had almost nightly.The ones where she writhed underneath him, calling his name as he buried himself deep inside her.He woke every morning with the thought he was too damn old to be having wet dreams.He was right.He just woke with an unresolved erection that couldn’t be fully satisfied without her.
Jared had never had a problem in thegetting a datedepartment, and Faith made it obvious she was interested in him.He decided maybe it was time for him to spend some time outside of work with her and see how it progressed.He hadn’t heard from Christa in the past month, so he reasoned he wasn’t as important to her as he thought he was.
This must be exactly how she felt all those years I treated her the same way, he thought solemnly.
The next evening after they finished with more of the case files, Jared asked Faith to go to a local jazz bar to have a drink with him.She readily agreed, and they left in separate cars, agreeing to meet at the club.
The dimly lit room matched Jared’s feelings.Even though his brain told him to move on without Christa, his heart hadn’t quite followed suit yet.Jared and Faith found a small table away from the crowds and quickly ordered their drinks.
“So, I thought you’d never ask me out.What took you so long?”she asked brazenly while smiling seductively.He cringed inwardly, instantly comparing her to Christa and noting that Christa would’ve never been so bold.
“Just been busy, I guess,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulder, not wanting to tell her what he honestly thought.
After a few drinks loosened him up, he felt a little better without Christa on his mind every second.Faith laughed and flirted with him, touching his arm and moving her chair closer to his in her obvious attempts to draw him into her.
