The Fate Of Broken Hearts

Chapter 51

An overwhelming sensation crowded over me when his eyes melted with mine. With fervour and temper, his lips collapsed into mine like rubble, and then slowly, they lowered down my neck. His kisses were wet, heavy, greedy. Every moment set butterflies loose, ramming into my stomach walls.

His rough and calloused hands found their way to my hips, carving their presence into my skin like hot iron. My fingers sank to the base of his neck and held onto him tightly.

In small breaks of air, Aiden managed faint words. We stumbled around the kitchen, finding our way.

"I need to ask you again..." His mumbles twisted amid his damp, tireless kisses.

"What?" I answered back hastily, pulling him closer and closer.

"Are you ashamed... of being with me?" His question was severe, but his movements, distracting and calculated, forced my thoughts away.

"No."

He pushed me up against the counter, closing his tight body against mine until I gasped for air. Then, like a gust of wind, his strong hands clasped behind my legs and lifted me atop the cold stone counter, standing between them. He let a hand fall back to my thigh, roaming free, touching all the right places, setting me alight. I wrapped my legs around his long torso, encasing my needs.

"You are my sweetheart," He whispered into my flesh.

"Yes."

A grin was pinned to his face with his dimples. Hums vibrated with each drowning kiss. My breaths became short. He paved his way up my neck. He pulled at the tips of my hair. More. More. Every beat of my heart burst to his touch.

He lifted my dress so it rested above my thighs. My fingers eagerly reached for the buttons closing him away. I undid the first, the second, the third. His neckline was now bare, the sight of his chest just in reach.

Hot heat rose as I continued undoing each button carelessly until the shirt danced around his waist and his chest was completely exposed. Every defining line on his skin was a path for my fingers—every trail leading to pleasure and delight.

It was almost as if I could feel the earth move beneath our feet, swept away and stolen, with every thought gone with the wind.

Then, Aiden froze. Slowly, he pulled back to reveal the confusion drawn on his face.

"I... I don't know what's happening." He settled his hands on my hips, easing his once fierce grip. "This doesn't usually happen to me." I glanced at the hem of his dress pants. He followed my line of sight. "Trust me, that is working." His fingers raked through his hair, tossing the curls around. "But... As strange as this might sound, I don't think I can do this."

A flush of heat crept up my face. "I don't think I understand...."

"Believe me, I don't understand it myself."

"If you don't want to do this with me-" The tone of my voice was so uncertain that even I didn't believe it.

He squeezed his eyes and shook his head. Then, with a soft voice, "Emma, I don't want to fuck you on this counter like it's a one-time thing. You mean a lot more to me than that - you deserve more than that. And if I went through with this now, I would resent myself for it later."

I was out of words. Knowing what his past – his reputation – was like, I wondered if there was something wrong.

He helped place my feet back on the ground.

"I'm sorry." He made it a point to reassure me.

"It's okay." I smiled up at him brightly. "You better rock my world next time, though."

His deep laugh warmed my heart with chuckles of my own.

Aiden drove me to the library the following afternoon. He watched me go into the large building before turning on the ignition and leaving.

I said hello to Kate and Arthur, who greeted me with a smile, one warmer than the other.

I went about my day as my routine had become. At six-thirty, the glass entrance doors opened, and a nervous blond man walked in. His figure was notable, as was the last memory I had of him.

"Oh, I'm surprised Elijah came to work. It was about time." Kate exclaimed from beside me, shortly greeting him a few seconds later.

"Hi, Kate." He smiled brightly. He flicked his gaze over to me, his smile turning into an embarrassed frown of sorts. "Emma... Can I- May I talk to you?"

I cleared my throat and nodded, following him into the empty office behind the desk.

Inside was Arthur's neat desk, which was the opposite of what I'd thought I would find.

"I'm sorry I haven't come to see you sooner... I wanted to give you some space. I- I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have... done it - I shouldn't have kissed you." He rubbed the nape of his neck crudely. "I'm really, really sorry. I felt so embarrassed... I promise it won't ever happen again. I would like us to be friends, but I will understand if you don't want that. Again, I'm very sorry."

"I appreciate your apology. Thank you, Elijah. I want us to be able to work together. After all, you've done for me, I don't want to avoid you. We're co-workers."

"Do you think you'll be able to forget about what happened?"

"No." I watched his face fall. "But I think we can get past it."

A huge sigh of relief blew out of his mouth. "Thank you. Thank you, Emma. I have to get to work now, but maybe we can catch up later and have a cup of coffee?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, Elijah," I told him truthfully, and he seemed to agree without pretension. "If you need anything, though, don't hesitate to ask."

He nodded and quickly left the office, flushed and rubbing his palms against his jeans repeatedly.

Just as I was about to leave the office myself, I felt the vibrations of my phone against my leg. I took it out of the small pocket and looked at the screen, a tightness in my cheeks as I answered the call.

"Emma! My gorgeous girl! How are you?"

"Oh, hi Mark." I grinned, taking a seat at one of the desks. "I'm very well. You caught me just at the right time. I was about to return to work."

"I'm not interrupting, am I? You don't have an angry boss or anything?"

"No angry boss. They're all lovely here."

"Good! It's so good to hear your voice again. It feels as though it's been an eternity since we last talked, what was it – two, three months ago?"

"Around that, yes." I looked out of the window that displayed the inside of the library and noticed Kate waving me over. "Mark, is everything okay? My boss is calling me over. Is there something you need to talk about right away?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I won't stay on for too long. I just wanted to express my happiness for connecting with your dad again. Your mother told me all about it. I honestly didn't think your mother's plan would work."

"What plan was that?" I mouthed an apology to Kate, which she understood and gave me a thumbs up in return.

"To find your father." My heart stopped as his words continued to fall through the phone call. "You know how your mother was with her finances... She made an offer to your father. In exchange for money to pay for your college and apartment, she told him you wanted to see him-" He paused for a minute. "But you know all of this..." Another minute of silence. "Right...? Emma? Are you there?"