Rules of Her Sins (Their Sins #1) (5 page)

Chapter eight

Jesse

I awake to the smells of eggs and bacon assaulting my nose.
What the hell? I don’t have bacon in the house
. Bacon’s something I haven’t eaten since I visited Laney. I get up and throw my robe on to see what is going on in my normally spotless kitchen, and I walk down the back stairs to find Laney frying eggs and bacon on the stove.

“I hope I didn’t wake you. I’ve been up forever and you didn’t have very many groceries, so I borrowed your car and ran to the market to pick up a few things. I hope you don’t mind because it’s the least I could do for you letting me stay here.”

“No, you didn’t wake me up, the bacon did. I haven’t had any in six months. You didn’t have to buy groceries. We could have gone out and bought some later.”

“We’re busy later. You’re taking me out. We’re celebrating!”

“Celebrating what? And you didn’t tell me your news.” I mock glare at her, trying to look angry.

“That is what we are celebrating. Are you, by chance, looking for a roommate?” She looks at me like she is about to combust.

“I haven’t really thought about having one. I’m sure it would make it easier on the bills for me if I did, but I don’t trust people.”

“I’m moving in! I accepted a job at the art museum in Denver!” she says as she grabs me and jumps up and down.

“You what…? Oh my God, Laney! I’ll be able to see you every day?” I scream with excitement.

“Yes, I start next month. That is why I am here for a week. I was going to scout out places to live, but seeing this ginormous house, I think it would be a win-win for both of us if I move in,” she says matter-of-factly.

The only thing I can think to do is nod my head in agreement. Finally, things are starting to look up for me. I graduate in a little over a month, and my best friend may be here to see it happen. Suddenly, I’ve got a little pep in my step.

After quickly eating breakfast and throwing all the dishes in the dishwasher, we both head to our rooms to shower in our en suite bathrooms and get ready to go shopping for our night out. I think we are going to go to Club Vine, a very popular dance club in Denver. We both love shaking our asses. We did plenty of it when I lived in Indiana.

We head to the mall to find our club attire. My normal slutty club attire doesn’t match the “looking to party” vibe I want for tonight. I used to go for a screw-in-the-bathroom or give-head-in-the-hallway look, and I’ve had my share of fuck ’em and leave ’ems. As long as I was the one doing the leaving, I didn’t care. The term whore might be appropriate, but I’ve never led anyone on. They knew what they are getting when they’re with me, but that has somewhat changed because I now browse the singles websites looking for guys to have fun with in a secluded area.

Partly because of my father’s eagle eye and my grams slapping some sense into me, I decided I needed to keep myself out of the public eye. Only Laney knows about my lack of commitment to guys because of Chet. Talking about my sexual encounters is something I don’t do. Laney doesn’t have to ask; she knows. I don’t do relationships or have sex with guys I know, and I don’t make a habit of doing the same guy twice, so when I tell Laney I’m looking for sins, she knows I’m out trolling for sex. Those are the rules of my sins. Similar to
Fight Club,
I don’t talk about them.

Chet destroyed my thoughts on relationships and my self-confidence in regards to having a normal, loving relationship. I promised myself I would never be in another relationship like my marriage to Chet. He made me feel like I was broken because of the miscarriage, like I’m not able receive love. I won’t go there again. I won’t lose the semi-wholeness and the love I feel for myself again. I’m sure my siblings think I’m a nun or have a thing with Laney because they never see me with anyone, but I’m not
with
anyone.

We find ourselves in Bebe and I discover this amazing black dress with tribal designs cut out. They look like small little circles up close, but from a distance, the circles show sexy little peeks of the skin underneath the dress. I try it on, and I’m instantly in love. For me to find a sexy dress I love and look good in is rare. I’m not skinny but not overweight, either. I’m curvy and toned from all the years I played softball. I still get in a workout a few times a week, but I have to balance it out with healthy food.

Laney’s jaw drops when she sees me in the dress. “You’re buying it, right? You will have every guy in the club wanting to take you home tonight.”

Raising my eyebrow, I reply, “Don’t be so dramatic.”

“Seriously, Jesse. You’re a fine catch. If I batted for the other team, I’d so play on your field,” she says, trying to keep a straight face, but she cracks a smile and has a wicked gleam in her eyes.

I look at her and we both start laughing so hard, tears are streaming from our eyes. She finds a teal midi dress that makes her look curvy. The dress pretty much shows her lady bits, since she is so tall. We make our purchases and head to the food court for a smoothie.

After getting our drinks and making the short trip back to my house, we decide to rest before getting ready for our hot night out in the city. I’m so excited to spend the night with my best friend and soon-to-be roommate.

Chapter nine

Aedan

I guess I will be heading downtown tonight. I don’t enjoy spying on Jesse, but I promised myself I would keep her safe and wouldn’t let anyone hurt her. The way she and her friend are dressed, they are getting the kind of attention women like them shouldn’t, and I might have to step in if justified.

If she knew everything that I have done over the past eight years to keep her safe, she would think that I’m a crazy stalker. However, as the daughter of a billionaire, having someone watching your every little move comes with the territory, even if it’s not the kind of attention you want. In all actuality, this is only the beginning. Once Jesse moves into her rightful place in the company, her security will intensify.

I work hard to make sure I don’t interfere with her everyday life because she doesn’t need to know she’s under surveillance twenty-four-seven. I normally have one of the other guys handle her security detail, but lately I have wanted to watch her myself.

They are heading to the club now, so I figure I had better go in there so I don’t seem so obvious.

***

Jesse

Laney is impressed that I remember all the beauty secrets and tips she taught me when I lived with her. Playing softball all the time didn’t allow me to be girly, which was okay with me. I’m not a girly girl, but I had to play the part when I was married to Chet. I had to step my routine up even more when I moved back home. I knew the basics of makeup without looking like a clown, but I didn’t know how to do the highlighting or hiding tricks or even the smoky eye look. I have them all down now since I have to look my best every day at the office.

We primp and prep ourselves and put on our new ensembles for tonight’s celebration. We decide to call a cab to take us downtown since we both want to drink. The cab arrives not long after, whisking us to downtown Denver. We get out of the cab not far from the club, and I get the feeling that someone is watching me. I look around, trying to see anyone that looks familiar. I don’t see anyone, so I mark it up as excitement.

After walking around for a few minutes, we decide to eat at a sandwich shop. The bread will help soak up what I am sure will be a one-too-many cosmos tonight. Talking in-between taking bites of our overstuffed subs, we decide we are going to work on getting her room and part of the house ready for her to move in. Since she’s here for a week, we can get the house ready for when she officially moves in next month, and honestly, I don’t think that day can arrive fast enough.

A little after nine, we decide we probably should head to the club before it gets too crowded. I get that weird feeling again, but I ignore it because I know I’m not worthy of anyone’s attention.

When we arrive at the club, there is a line. Laney flashes her lady bits and her killer smile, and the bouncer lets us skip the line. The club’s extremely crowded, but we don’t care. We make our way to the bar and order our first cosmos of the night. We don’t even wait for our change before we clink our glasses and down the sweet mix of juice and alcohol.

While hugging my friend, I glance over her shoulder…and that’s when I see him. Aedan.

I pull Laney in and loudly whisper in her ear, “He’s here! Asshole, I mean Aedan, is here! What is he doing here?”

“What? Where? I want to see if he is as hot as his name implies he is.” She turns, looking for Aedan, scanning the hundreds of men packed into the club. “Oh my. Is that him in the black suit with a black shirt and emerald green tie? Holy shit, Jesse, the tie matches your eyes. Damn, he is sexy!”

“How in the hell did you know that was him? And that is not my eye color. My eyes are lighter green. You’re funny. He is
not
sexy!” My body heats up under his intense gaze.

“He
is
sexy, and it looks like he is trying to make his way over here to us. Let’s wait and see if he is coming this way,” she says, ogling his tailored suit body.

“No, I want another drink. Maybe two.”

I turn back to the bar and order three more cosmos. I down the first one the bartender hands me and patiently wait on the other two. I’m about to pay for our drinks when a perfectly manicured, masculine hand reaches over me and says, “This round is on me.”

Aedan
.

How in the hell does this man move so fast? I turn around. My body is overheating from the proximity of this sexy man. I start to tell him that I am capable of paying for my own drinks when Laney finally makes it to where I’m standing at the bar and opens her big mouth.

“So, you’re Aedan? Jesse’s said a lot of good things about you.”

I glare at my soon-to-be dead best friend.

“Really, like what? I’m under the impression that
Jesse
doesn’t care much for me. Am I wrong?” he says to her while staring at me.

I completely stumble over my words. I’ve only had two drinks and I’m bumbling like an idiot. No man has ever made me speechless or had my body craving his touch like Aedan is at this moment. I snap out of my minute of stupidity.

“It’s not that I don’t care for you. It’s that I don’t know you that well,” I say quietly.

“I can think of several ways we can remedy that.” He gazes into my eyes, completely forgetting Laney is standing there too.

“Um. I, um, I’m not allowed to date anyone in the company,” I rush out, not even looking at his sexy face with the five o’clock shadow. Okay, so maybe I gawked a little.

He reaches out and puts his fingers under my chin. My face heats up and my eyes meet his blue gaze. He looks at me as if I’m completely drunk. Cocking his head to the side, he says, “Who said anything about dating?”

Holy shit
. I need to get out of here because if this were any guy other than Aedan Hughes, I’d be on him faster than you could say panty drop.

I need to dance or get more to drink. I look Aedan in the eyes and say nothing as I pull Laney to the dance floor, where I turn around and start dirty dancing with my best friend to Beyoncé’s
Drunk in Love
.

I’ve totally lost my appetite for partying tonight. Instead, I want to sweat out all my built-up frustrations on the dance floor with the one person who knows me and how much Aedan Hughes affects me.

Chapter ten

Aedan

As I stand by the bar, watching Jess dance like an adult entertainer shaking her ass for everyone to see, thoughts of dragging her from the dance floor take over my mind. I hope no one is snapping pictures of this little display she is putting on with Laney. I should be out there on the floor with my leg between her smooth thighs and my hands on her tight, curvy body. I need to calm myself down before I have to adjust myself in public.

I dream of the day I can publicly take her out, if she will have me, and not in this creepy stalker way. I’ve been crushing on her forever and working for her father on his insane plan hasn’t made that crush go away. I’ve learned so much about Jesse’s childhood all the way up to now.

Working beside McCoy for the past few years, I’ve noticed he has hardened a lot over the last couple of months. I’m wondering if some of that hardness comes from his wife. I don’t care much for Mrs. McCoy because I’ve seen plenty of women like her—the trophy wife. I honestly don’t know what he sees in her. She is not much older than Jesse, but he is my boss. What can I say?

Son of a bitch, some days I wish this wasn’t my job. This show she is putting on is getting a little out of hand. I will step in if I notice any men trying to take advantage of them, and I know I’ll need to watch her until she leaves and make sure she gets to a cab safely.

***

Jesse

Laney and I hail what I think is the last available taxi in Denver. I promptly give the driver my address and we are on our way home. What in the hell was Aedan Hughes doing at Club Vine, especially when there are classier clubs in the city? I’m not saying we’re not classy, but Club Vine is more for the “younger” crowd, not Aedan.

“Jesse, I really think you should hook up with that hottie from work,” Laney slurs as she puts her head back on the headrest of the cab’s seat.

I sigh at her statement. She knows the very reason why I can’t sleep with Aedan—my father’s beloved contract. As part of the agreement of me coming to work for him, I had to agree not to have a relationship with anyone in McCoy Investments, and I can’t move up the ranks of the company until I graduate from college.

The punishment was fitting for me since I decided to think with my lady head instead of my brain when I married Chet. He wanted to make sure I didn’t use my name to get me to the top. I know the company like the back of my hand, but all I was good for in his eyes without that diploma was answering the phones.

The contract wasn’t really something I had to think about when it came to sex because I could go out with other people. Yes, McCoy Investments is a large employer, but I don’t understand why all of a sudden Aedan is coming on to me. There has to be a reason. I know my father and Aedan meet a lot, but I thought it was only security details about the company or about my father. I wonder if Aedan knows about my contract with my father.

“You know why, Laney. My father made sure Aedan was off limits, and I’ll be damned if I let one night of sex screw up everything since I’m trying to repair my relationship with my father. I’ve already been there and done that with Chet,” I say, staring out of the taxi’s window.

Laney softly snores in the seat beside me, and I smile. I still can’t believe she is moving back to Denver and will be living with me. Having her here feels like a dream. The driver pulls me out of my thoughts when he tells me we have arrived at my house.

I wake up a sleepy Laney and tip the driver. We make it up the steps and unlock the door, and then I help a very drunk and tired Laney to her room. She says, “Thanks, roomie, for making sure I made it home okay.” Then she passes out on top of her covers, still fully dressed.

Removing her shoes, I roll her over so I can unzip her dress. I leave her in her underwear, as I was lucky to get the dress over her head. I pull the covers over her and tuck her in. Before I turn out the light and leave the room, I whisper, “Thank you, Laney Lou.” I finally turn off the light and make my way to my own room.

Although I had plenty to drink, I stopped drinking before Laney did. I wanted to be somewhat alert when we came home. I decide to take a shower before going to bed because I want to remove the sweat from dancing for hours with my best friend on the dance floor.

My thoughts go back to the club and Aedan. He didn’t approach me the rest of the night, but I could feel him watching us, me. His gaze kept my body on fire, and I thought of him out there, dancing ever so close to my body, running his big hands up and down my needy body. He didn’t dance with anyone all night, and he stood at the bar, staring at me as if he wanted to take me right there on the dance floor. The thought of being under him gives me goose bumps.

Removing my clothes, I step into the shower, letting the water wash away the sweat and alcohol from my body. I close my eyes while the water runs over my head. His steely blue eyes haunt my mind as I see them take in my features, burning with desire. I gasp and almost choke on the water as it fills my mouth. Pulling my head from the water, I grab a towel to wipe the water from my face.

What the hell, Jesse? You’ve been around Aedan since you came back to Denver. Why are you letting this man get in your head now?

I think I need a new date from the website. I make a mental note to check my messages Monday to see if I have any email replies. I hope that Mr. Levi has gotten back to me. I wash my hair and body, and I let the water wash away the bubbles and the thoughts of Aedan Hughes. I cannot let this man come between me taking over the company. If I have to take a B.O.B. to work with me, I will not let Aedan Hughes break me down and come between my goal and me.

After getting out of the shower and drying off, I brush my teeth and head to my dresser to get my favorite pj pants and t-shirt to sleep in. I grab lotion, which is on my nightstand, and I sit on my king-sized, black sleigh bed while I apply the lotion to my body.

My bedroom is my favorite room in the house. The walls are painted teal with a complimentary wall of black and teal stripes. All my furniture is black cherry and the bedding is all black. The darkness of everything comforts me.

Finally, I get in bed and pull the covers over my exhausted body, and it’s not long before sleep over takes me.