Page 37 of Seduced in Ink

It wasn’t just them. This was a lie, just like everything else. But she could pretend. She could just be. When she kissed Aaron again, ignoring the salads that had been placed in front of them, she could only lean her head against him and pretend.

Because as much as she wanted this to be real, it wasn’t. It couldn’t be. However, she always had her dreams.

Even if the taste of him was still on her lips.

Chapter 9

Aaron stood in Madison’s living room, the scent of coffee filling the air, and anticipation sliding through both of them. At least through him. Though he wanted to imagine that it was for her, as well.

Why was he here? Why hadn’t he just dropped her off, called it a night, and walked away?

It didn’t matter, he hadn’t. And, honestly, he didn’t want to.

Madison walked out, two mugs of coffee in her hands, her heels off, and her dress clinging to her curves in the most sensual way possible. He had to swallow hard so he didn’t reach out, take those mugs from her, and ravish her on the floor.

Yes, ravish. Those were the words sliding through Aaron’s head right then.

Ravish, fuck, make love to, have sex with, plunder…every random connotation he could think of filled his mind. All he wanted to do was touch her. He needed her. Had to taste her.

Once again, he knew it was a mistake, but he didn’t care.

Madison handed over the cup of coffee, and he wrapped his hand around the mug, letting the heat seep into his skin. “Thank you.”

She smiled at him. He liked that smile, it seemed real if a bit nervous. He hated that they were doing this because of what her mother was doing to her, but he had to be honest with himself and say that he liked it regardless. Not the fact that Madison had been hurt, but the idea that they could spend time together. He knew it wasn’t smart to allow his cravings to turn into wants and needs, but he couldn’t hold back now.

Even though he knew he should.

He still had the taste of her on his lips from after dinner.

He could barely remember anything they’d eaten, even though he knew the food was delicious. All he could do was remember the taste of her, her feel, and her scent.

Maybe he was losing his mind. Perhaps he should walk away. But he wasn’t going to. Instead, he took a sip of his coffee, his gaze never leaving hers.

“Dinner was nice,” Madison said after a minute, most likely to fill the silence. He was glad that she’d spoken first because he didn’t know what to say.

So unlike him.

“It was great. Although I could have done without Guy being there.” He hadn’t meant to say that, but now that it was out there, he really regretted it. When Madison winced, he spoke up. “Sorry, let’s not bring him up. Ever.”

“No, let’s talk about him for a second. And then never bring him up again.” She winked as she said it, and he was glad for that.

“What do you want to say about him?”

Why did he sound so grumpy?

“I don’t know why he was there. It could be a coincidence. It is a nice place, and he did have a drink with someone. It looked to be work-related as he said.Ormy mother could have someone on the payroll watching me, following me, and she sent Guy there to ruin our date.”

Aaron blinked a couple of times and shook his head. “You know, I would say you might be overreaching because it sounds like something I read in a book once. But the more I learn about your parents, the more I think that actually could happen.”

“Right? It’s a little worrying. However, either way, we both know that my mother will hear that we were out on a date. And that we were kissing and all that.” She said the last part quickly, and Aaron took another sip of his coffee, the warmth suffusing him before he set the cup down on the table next to him. Then he took hers, as well.

“I’m going to do something just to try it out. Will you let me?”

Curiosity filled her gaze, and he swallowed hard.

“I should say no. We should both say no.”

“But we’re not going to. Are we?”