Bared (14 page)

Protect him from what?

Aidan’s nostrils flared, heat rising to his face. “Have you talked to her about this?”

Kyler shook his head. “Nope.”

“Then shut up,” Aidan all but spat. “I played with her on Saturday and there was no hint that she had an issue with me as her Dom.” He jerked his gaze to Porter. “Did Cora tell you that it was about me?”

Porter was drinking his beer and exchanged a look with Dmitri before he lowered his bottle. “Cora talked to me privately. I will not break that trust between us.” He gave Aidan a hard look. “You need to ask her.”

Aidan considered that answer. If it wasn’t about Aidan, then he didn’t doubt Porter would have just said so. But he hadn’t, had he? What in the fuck had Aidan done to her? He regarded the men around him. No one would look at him, and he wondered why. They all seemed to be protecting Cora. As if they all knew some secret he didn’t. As if she had told them and sworn them to secrecy.

For the first time since he joined the lifestyle, he cursed the very fact that Doms held a level of respect with others that kept private thoughts private. “Do you all know something I don’t?”

Dmitri lifted his gaze to Aidan’s, his eyes searching Aidan’s. “We know she cares for
you and that you care for her. That is not the question. But as to what’s troubling her, Aidan, I can only guess.” He placed his hand on Aidan’s shoulder. “Porter is right. You need to talk about this with her. It’s not our place to get in the middle of this conversation.”

Kyler sipped his drink and then banged the glass against the table. “Besides, Cora doesn’t belong to you. If you’re so worried about her, let me have her for a little while and I’ll let you know. Maybe if I see what you see, we can figure out how to help her overcome it.”

Aidan drew in a sharp breath. He’d gone to Porter for help for Cora, but if any of the Club Sin Masters thought about jumping in to help, they’d have to get through his fist first. He pressed his hands against the table and stood, glaring down into Kyler’s face. “Not. A. Fucking. Chance. Buddy.”

“Ah, what a shame.” Kyler tipped his glass toward Aidan with a knowing grin. “It’s selfish of you not to share a sweetie who you’re not committed to.” His eyebrow arched at Aidan’s trembling hands. “And look at that, he’s turning into the Hulk, ready to smash something.”

Aidan’s lips flattened, his forearms flexing. “Wanna be that
something
?”

“Hmmm …”
Kyler tilted his head, then grinned. “I think I’ll pass.”

Chapter Twelve

In her kitchen with white cupboards and gray marble counters, Cora stirred her tea, mulling over the
thing
with Aidan. Her thoughts had remained stuck on his bringing Porter in to talk to her. His care touched her, warming a special place inside her.

Maybe she hadn’t allowed herself to believe he cared
that
much.

Yet it frustrated her all the same. He still wasn’t facing his pain. If he just opened his eyes and saw things clearly, it’d all make sense. But how could she force him to accept his love for her? Force him to leave Lily behind and move on? How could she ask that of him?

She didn’t want to.

Cora wanted Aidan to see it for himself.

She shook her head and grumbled to herself, “He’ll see it. He has to.”

Realizing she stirred her tea to a point that made it warm instead of hot, she dropped the spoon into the sink. Leaving the kitchen behind, she strode through her bright living room and entered the small office that was designed simply with clean lines and decorated with modern furniture.

Taking a seat at her steel desk, she placed her teacup on top. With her upcoming vacation time, she needed to play catch-up. Her weekly teen group meeting was on Thursday, which lasted a better part of the afternoon, so she’d never get to the nitty-gritty paperwork if she didn’t look at it now.

Once she powered up her computer, she shoved away thoughts of Aidan and got to work. An hour flew by like a minute. By the time she logged off her computer, her tea was gone, and all thoughts of Aidan returned in a rush.

As much as he couldn’t let it go, apparently, she couldn’t, either.
Stupid
.

Pushing off her chair, she grabbed her teacup and went in search of more liquid warmth. As she reached the living room, a knock sounded at her front door. Cora turned, staring at the door, hoping to hell that it wasn’t Aidan.

Wait
.

Why would it be him?

Cora snorted to herself. She kept the teacup in her hand and hurried to the door. Good grief, why in the world was she even thinking these things?

The moment the door swung open to a stormy sky, Presley stood there saying, “I’ve come with chocolate.” The lights on the porch beamed down on Presley’s head, making her stand out in the dark night. She held up the box of chocolates and raised her other hand. “And popcorn, which I’m totally cooking, since you burn the crap out of it.”

Cora laughed. Not too long ago, Presley ate Cora’s popcorn with great disdain. She was too sweet to say no, even though it had tasted horrible. Though Presley’s appearance shouldn’t be odd, Cora wondered over her surprise visit. Letting her in, Cora asked, “Did Dmitri tell you to check in on me?”

“Er … no.” Presley’s nose wrinkled, eyes went wide. “Was he supposed to?”

Cora snorted.
Great
. Now she was thinking everyone was out to get her. “Nope. Come on in. I just finished up some work and planned to watch a movie.”

“Is it a romance?” Presley asked, stepping into the house. Then she took off her shoes, placing them neatly beside Cora’s.

Typical perfect Presley. Though her skinny jeans and revealing shirt weren’t typical at all of Presley.
She’s been corrupted by a dark and delicious kinky world
. Cora smiled at that thought, shut the door, locking it behind her. “Yup. It’s a totally gag-worthy romance.”

Presley giggled, heading into the kitchen. “Awesome.”

Cora followed, dropping down onto the tall, white stool by the island. Presley got to work making the popcorn. She looked as she did when she lived with Cora—totally at home. A little pang erupted in Cora’s heart. It was strange not having a roommate anymore—just something she hadn’t expected to miss so much.

Presley put the pot on the stove, flicked on the burner, and added the oil. “Okay, not beating around the bush.” She glanced over her shoulder and waggled her eyebrows. “Porter is hot!”

Cora placed her elbows on the countertop and rested her chin on her hands. “He looks a little different now than when I dated him.” She shrugged. “A bit older or wiser or something. But still very hot.”

Once the oil heated, Presley turned to the stove and added the popcorn. “The other night, you guys looked cute together.” One of the pieces of corn jumped onto the stove, and Presley
placed the lid on the steel pot. “What happened between you?” She glanced to Cora and blushed. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“Oh, please, why would I mind?” Cora tapped her fingers against the countertop, smiling at fond memories with Porter. Also overjoyed that Presley wasn’t asking anything about Aidan. Maybe it all had been put to rest.
Good!
“You know those boyfriends that end up being really great friends?”

More popcorn popped and Presley shook the pot, leaning her hip against the counter. “No-spark type of thing?”

“Yeah, like that.” Cora nodded, as the scent of not-burned popcorn swept through the air. “He’s a good guy—really terrific. But it always felt like what I have with Kyler. He’s a friend.”

“I’m so envious of that.” Presley turned off the stove and took the pot off the burner.

Cora knew why—Presley’s ex, Steven Moser, was one memory she could rather live without. She was also confident both Dmitri and Presley wanted to forget about him, too. Steven was a dickhead.

Hell, with Dmitri sharing her bed, Presley likely had forgotten all about her past relationship. “That’s because your last boyfriend was an asshat,” Cora muttered, scooting her butt into a more comfortable position on the stool.

“Right, that’s why.” Presley laughed, dumping the popcorn into one giant bowl. “But still, I think it’s great that you can be friends with men like that. I’ve never had a really close male friend.”

As Presley melted butter in the pot, Cora looked down to the countertop and swirled her finger along the marble design. She hadn’t had many male friends before Club Sin. The Masters were overly caring in that way. They made it easy to be close to them.

Lacking energy, she pushed off the stool and grabbed two glasses out of the cupboard. As she took the cola out of the fridge and added ice to the glasses, she hoped it would happen soon between her and Aidan.

She didn’t only want his friendship.

Hell, she had broken up with Porter for that reason. She wanted
more
. When had she stopped wanting that? As she topped off the cola once the fizz died down, she knew she had a spark with Aidan. His touch was unforgettable. His care was perfect. He was undeniably good to her. But was that enough for her?

How much more time could she give him?

Lately, every step forward seemed to be only a step backward.

A headache loomed, and she rubbed her temple as she put the cola back in the fridge. Sometimes being a counselor didn’t give you all the answers—it was definitely more difficult to analyze yourself. Emotions made things murky.

With the cool glasses in her hands, she turned as Presley said, “Don’t forget the tissues. I’m sure I’ll bawl my eyes out like I always do.”

Cora didn’t respond. She couldn’t move as her thought replayed in her mind. Emotion slammed so hard into her chest she couldn’t breathe. As if an icy part of her soul cracked ever so slightly, splintering something deep inside her.

How much longer can I wait …

As always, Cora stuffed it all away and forced a smile. “You are such a cheesy romantic, Presley.”

Chapter Thirteen

The wind breezed along Aidan’s skin, cooling the heat of his flesh, and the pavement passed quickly under his feet. Beads of sweat dripped off his nose as he pushed harder on his run. Two hours had dragged by since his frustration had forced him to work it off with exercise, but the exertion didn’t shed his tension.

At the fork in the road, he headed left and continued to run along the sidewalk in Summerlin. Passing by the Tournament Players Club, known to host the PGA Tour, he spotted the golfers on the course, glad not to be one of them.

Aidan craved thrill and excitement in his sports. In golf, he never found that type of adrenaline, though he was sure some did. But he hadn’t moved into this neighborhood for the golf course. He’d moved in for the classy and elegant houses, and for the safety a gated community provided.

Minutes later and gasping from exertion, he spotted his two-story house. With his heart hammering, he slowed to a walk and studied the home he’d purchased to start his life with Lily. It stood proud with its gray brick and black accents, but the focal point of the house was the gorgeous arched entryway.

Built on a large lot, the mansion was luxurious, from the grand foyer with crystal chandelier to the floating staircase. Lily’s eyes had brightened when they’d been shown the house and that had been enough for Aidan to purchase the home.

With Lily gone, the house didn’t hold any warmth, as it once did. Aidan didn’t like the open concept, nor did he enjoy all the windows on the front side. All of which hadn’t mattered when he’d bought the home for Lily.

The only thing that suited him was the stunning mountain views that were visible from every window at the back of the house. It had always been more Lily’s house than his, but he’d been all right with that. As long as he had a place to eat, sleep, and fuck, he didn’t care what it looked like.

Arriving at his dark oak front door, he grabbed the key from the pocket in his workout shorts and unlocked the door. Once he entered the large foyer, he headed toward the chef’s
kitchen decorated with cherrywood cabinets.

At the large island, he grabbed his towel off the dark marble countertop and wiped the remnants of his workout off his face. Tension still vibrated in his body, and even jerking off before bed and again this morning hadn’t removed the strain.

With trembling muscles, he dropped down at the sleek kitchen table, staring out at his empty kitchen with a heavy heart. Lily always had something cooking in the slow cooker, from soups to stews to new recipes that he pretended to love. The lack of smell from home cooking in this kitchen clutched his chest.

He’d considered selling the home after she died, but somehow he thought that would be a betrayal to her. He didn’t want to forget Lily. The picture of her by the fridge was a constant reminder that she once had given so much to his life.

With a tight chest that had nothing to do with the workout, he looked away from the photo to his cell phone on the countertop. If one thing came from his run, Aidan no longer wrestled with himself. Even if tension still rippled through him, his mind had cleared to the hundred choices laid out before him.

While he had no answers for what plagued Cora, he, at least, had a plan.

Cora had offered her body to him, but as her Dom, he needed to supply more.

Her body might trust him.

Her soul didn’t.

That, to him, was unacceptable, and was no one’s fault but his own.

Pushing off the chair, he approached the countertop and grabbed his phone. He dialed his legal assistant. “Knight Law, Ella speaking.”

He wiped the towel across the back of his neck. “Ella, this is Aidan.”

“Good morning,” she replied in her soft southern accent. “I have a ten-o’clock appointment for you this morning.”

“Clear my schedule for today.” He hesitated. “And tomorrow as well.”

As expected, Ella replied, “Will that be all?”

That’s why he needed Ella and paid her well. No questions asked. No hesitations given. She simply dealt with the situation as it happened. And he never had to worry if he was away from the office—she’d deal with whatever came up. “Yes, that’s all.”