I Knew You Were Trouble

Chapter Twenty-Six

It’s dark outside. I’m back in my room when there’s a knock at my door.

I’m still buzzing from Cal’s reaction to Bianca’s interview so I practically skip over to answer it.

Except when I open it, I freeze.

‘Hi,’ I blurt at Aidan, my stomach rolling over because I’m still wearing the body camera, and – if the battery hasn’t run out – it’s still recording.

‘Can I come in?’ he asks, a soft smile on his lips.

I nod, opening the door wider. He moves past me and I breathe in his scent.

I close the door behind him, kicking myself for not removing the camera as soon as I got back, and the resulting guilt swamps my chest.

‘Sorry, I thought you were going to be Duncan,’ I mumble, not sure what to do with my hands.

‘Would you rather I’d been Duncan?’

He’s put a hoodie on to go with his ripped jeans. He takes in my room, no doubt a lot smaller than his own.

‘No, not at all,’ I say quietly from behind him, the knowledge that I’m hooked up to a hidden camera making my skin crawl. Can I excuse myself to the bathroom? Will that look sus?

His hands go inside his pockets. ‘So… Bianca Lawson. Was that the reason you came to New York early?’ he asks.

My throat tightens. ‘Yes.’

‘I thought you were seeing your dad.’

‘I—’ I stutter. ‘I’m so sorry. It would have put you in a difficult position. If I’d have told you. You would have felt obligated to tell Cal about my plans to interview Bianca. I hope you can forgive me.’

He smiles, shakes his head. ‘It’s a great interview. It’s cool. I get why you didn’t tell me.’

An ugly feeling makes me feel nauseous.

‘Can I say something?’ he says, looking to the floor.

‘Sure,’ I say, my tone bordering on a whisper, because I don’t want him to say anything. The guilt of me recording him right at this moment is like a gut punch. I want to go and remove the camera. Then he can say whatever he likes, because I have a feeling it’s going to make me melt.

He lifts his head, raising his eyes to me. ‘I know this whole professionalism thing bothers you. Like those execs at Silverpix won’t approve or something, and that it might reflect badly on you… if you and I… if we started something.’

I see his throat working. ‘But can you promise me one thing?’ he continues. ‘Now that you’ve held a mirror up to Cal, will you hold one up to yourself? Ask yourself what you want. Because filming for this documentary, it will come to an end one day, but I’ll still be here when you’re finished. If I have to wait for you, then… I can wait.’

Tears sting my eyes. No man has ever said he would wait for me.

I want to go to him, but if I do, I know what will happen. If he tears my clothes off, he’ll see there’s a wire from a hidden camera. And he’ll know. He’ll know that I’ve lied to him. And that’s damage control that I need to save for another day.

‘Cal’s planning something big by the way,’ he adds, when I say nothing, as though my silence is too difficult to deal with.

‘He is? Will I be allowed to film it?’

Now I just sound shallow.

‘I think you should film it. ’Bout time the world saw Cal do some grovelling. He and Ziggy are making phonecalls as we speak.’

Back in the same suite, Cal’s going through his plan. I’m only half-listening when he should have my full attention. He wants me to call Bianca tonight to request another visit, as a follow-up to the interview, to ensure she is at home.

Except I can’t concentrate. I’m too busy dwelling on Aidan’s words. If I have to wait for you, then I can wait. Right at this moment, his full attention is on Cal and he hasn’t even looked my way. He seems happy. Relaxed. Perhaps it’s his way of giving me space to think. To look in the mirror.

We’ve agreed that Duncan will show Meredith how to work the camera, so we can cover all bases. The plan is to leave here at seven a.m.

I have no idea if this is going to work, but Cal is like a man on a mission, the other members of Rebel Heart all willing him on.

‘Everything alright?’ Duncan asks me as we walk back down the corridor to our rooms when the meeting is over.

I force a smile. ‘Fine.’

‘You were quiet in there. Thought you’d be a little more animated. I mean, considering you started this.’

I give a shrug. ‘I don’t want to influence anything.’

‘You wanna grab dinner?’

‘No, I… I need to deal with some… stuff. You could take Mer with you?’

‘What, just me and Mer? That’d be a bit like a date.’

‘Well, then maybe you should just ask her out on one. A date.’

‘What’s up with you?’

I stop, exasperated. I can’t get Aidan’s words out of my head. ‘I’m sorry. I’m tired. See you for an early breakfast?’

He looks annoyed. ‘Right. You’re the boss.’

When he opens his door, I can tell he’s definitely not expecting me. Fortunately, his expression registers pleasant surprise.

‘Hi,’ Aidan says in a low tone, looking me up and down. I’m wearing a casual slip dress, and I’m aware of his gaze as it settles on me.

‘Can I come in?’

He opens the door wider and I step inside, a thrill going through me when I realise he can’t take his eyes off me. I subtely hook the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign over the handle at the front.

‘How did you find my room?’ he asks once the door is closed. I look around me, taking in the enormous suite. It seems to have three separate rooms. There’s a bedroom, down a corridor with wardrobes on either side. On the opposite side is a bathroom with a substantial bathtub, and in the middle, a larger living area. The views over the Manhattan skyline are breathtaking.

‘I happened to see a list that Bodhi was holding yesterday,’ I say. ‘Then Meredith told me you were all getting an early night.’

‘You could have messaged me. I would have told you.’

‘That would have ruined the surprise.’

His smile is tentative, like he can’t work out if I mean what he thinks I mean.

‘I’m sorry about earlier,’ I tell him, keeping my voice low. ‘You were so honest with me, and I… I think I told you before, I’m not great at this. But I came to tell you that… I’m ready. I looked in the mirror and I know what I want. I want you. I want us.’

He exhales shakily, taking a step closer to me. He searches my face, his hands seeking mine and finding them, until our fingers are entwined. ‘You’ve captured me, Lex,’ he whispers, and I feel my reaction in my chest, and in between my thighs. A small whimper escapes my lips but he smothers it with a searing kiss that sends little lightning bolts down my spine. I cling to him, welcoming the invasion of his tongue, fitting my body to his form, running my hands across his torso and feeling him flinch under my exploration.

Grabbing my bottom with two hands, Aidan walks me towards the bedroom, stopping in the corridor where wardrobes buffer us on both sides, and pinning my back against them, pressing me up against the dark slats of wood, his kisses moving to my neck. I tilt my head as his teeth gently nip at my skin, heat swirling in my belly.

‘You look stunning,’ he mutters close to my ear, ‘But I’d rather see you naked. So, this dress has got to go… and anything else underneath it.’

I cradle his cheeks in my palms before he kisses me deeply again.

Finding the hem of my skirt with his fingers, he eases it upwards, gripping the smooth material, his eyes darkening as he finds there is no other barrier, and my hips are free of anything further. His low groan conveys his passionate approval, his hand gliding up my inner thigh, already wet with my arousal. His fingers continue upward on their journey before parting me, sinking inside my slippery folds, relasing more of the hot liquid that has pooled there. I gasp at his touch, my head going back as I angle my hips, allowing him better access. I squeeze his shoulders for support as his fingertips expertly stroke the tight bundle of nerves before two fingers dive inside my opening, ripping his name from my lips.

Aidan removes his fingers, and grasping my hips, slowly turns me, finding the zip to my dress and gripping it, nudging it downward, his fingers trailing my arousal all the way down my back to my waist, his other hand keeping the material taut. When it’s down, he helps me shimmy out of the straps, then works the material downward so it’s draped about my waist. He draws away then, tearing off his shirt and tossing it, easing himself forward so my back is leaning into his smooth chest. I revel in the sensation as he trails kisses along my neck and back, his hands coming round, gliding up my stomach to cup both breasts, the tips of his thumbs brushing up against my nipples. My hands free, I thrust the dress down to the floor from my waist where it lands in a heap, and I kick it away. I want his hands on me. Everywhere. Taking his right hand, I guide it back down to where it’s required most, and another moan escapes my lips as he obliges me, sinking back into my folds and finding the place that makes me shudder.

‘Do you want to see the bedroom?’ he whispers and I nod frantically. Before I know it, he’s swept me into his arms and is carrying me naked, further down the corridor. The room opens out, and he lowers me down onto the gargantuan bed, before getting up to adjust the curtains to ensure we are hidden from any intrusive paparazzi lenses. There’s an enormous TV on the wall, an electric fireplace underneath it, lit behind some protective glass, flames casting shadows about the room.

Lying naked on pristine white linen, I watch as Aidan goes to a bag that’s on the floor. After pulling out a condom packet from one of the pockets, he unbuttons his fly, undressing, his gaze never leaving my body. My muscles are taut with anticipation. I want him down here with me. Watching him slide the slick latex over his hardening length, my body’s quivering.

‘Aidan, I need it,’ I sigh, my words coming out as a hiss. ‘I need you.’

He moves toward me, for a moment settling on top of me and between my thighs, until I feel the urgency of him pressing blissfully up into me, as close as we can be without being fully joined.

‘You feel so amazing,’ he murmurs.

In a flash he flips me over so that I’m on top. Suddenly I’m straddling him, my knees pressing into his sides and into the fresh sheets, hovering high over him. I take him in my hand, giving him a slow stroke, his mouth falling open, his gaze fixing mine as I play with him.

‘Lexi, Jesus Christ,’ he mumbles before I tilt my hips and sink down onto him, taking him deep inside me. His mouth falls open again as I circle my hips gently, and we swiftly find our rhythm.

I ride him. The pressure builds between my legs, the ache so exquisite. Being naked in the light of the fire is liberating. Aidan’s fingertips drift to the point where we are joined, caressing me, sending a flutter through my belly as I hurtle towards my own release. I’ve never felt so complete. The look on his face on the bed tells me he’s close, his expression overcome by pleasure, yet he’s watching me.

I feel full. Sated. Glorious. I feel a rushing sensation as the ache within me builds to an exquisite climax. As his fingers circle faster, my head goes back and I see stars. As I come, I feel Aidan reaching his peak barely a moment later, his tremors and his own groan of pleasure enveloping me.

When it’s over, I roll off him, collapsing to the sheets, his arms going around me.

‘You’re beautiful,’ he whispers, and I answer his compliment with a long, contented kiss.

‘I’m crazy about you, Lex,’ he whispers, stroking my hair, still breathless, and in response, I snuggle further into him.

He holds me close as I listen to his heartrate slowing down.

Later, before I fall asleep in his arms, under the flickering light of the fire, I know that I have never felt so protected.