No Strings... Read online

  She moaned, too, her fingers slipping beneath his T-shirt to stroke his bare skin, to skim her thumbs across his own rigid nipples while she nibbled on his bottom lip. He pushed the rest of her dress over her hips and let it fall to the floor. She tugged his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

  More languid kisses and sultry caresses ensued as they finished undressing one another, much too leisurely for his liking. But every time he tried to speed things up a few notches, she deliberately slowed him down, making him excruciatingly aware of the fact that tonight was going to be much, much different than all the other nights before.

  It was so unlike Chloe to want to take her time—she who always wanted to be in control, to have the upper hand, who opted for hard and fast over soft and slow and thorough. But as he followed her down onto the bed, donned a condom, then moved over her, he couldn’t help but note the subtle change in the back of his mind and knew exactly what this joining was.

  They were making love.

  Tonight, there was no hiding behind forbidden fantasies, wild seductions or frenzied, reckless mating. The emotion between them was palpable, and it made him feel raw and exposed. Made his heart feel wide-open and vulnerable.

  Fairly certain that he’d fallen in love with her, he swallowed hard and tried to maintain his composure. With her soft, giving body pinned beneath his, the hard length of his cock nestled between her spread thighs and his hands framing her face, he saw the longing in her gaze and knew with absolute certainty that their no strings affair had suddenly become very complicated. Despite the revelation, he lacked the willpower necessary to stop whatever was happening between them, regardless of his own fears and misgivings. He wasn’t sure he even wanted to, because he didn’t know how he was going to live without this, without her in his life.

  As if sensing his emotional turmoil, she wrapped her slender legs around his waist and urged his hips forward, distracting him with the slick heat of her desire drenching the sensitive head of his dick.

  She arched beneath him, restlessly rubbing her breasts against his chest. “Take me, Aiden,” she whispered.

  Temptation and heaven beckoned, and with a long, grinding flex of his hips he slid all the way home...impossibly, deliciously deep. A perfect fit, she clasped him tight, and as he withdrew then pushed back in, those internal muscles contracted and her soft moan became a whimper of need.

  He breathed her name before he claimed her mouth, taking the kiss deeper with a purposeful slide of his tongue. His hips began pumping and grinding against hers, filling her, over and over. He took her with mindless greed, with heat and passion and selfish demand, and knew by the way her body strained against the onslaught of his that he was giving her as much pleasure as he was taking.

  She turned wild beneath him, her hips rising to meet each of his heavy, driving thrusts. Her hands gripped his muscled back, holding on to him as she started quivering around his cock, the exquisite sensation more than he could bear. The rolling waves of her release milked his shaft, and he could no longer hold back.

  His orgasm slammed into him, exploding out of control, and he came so long and hard he saw stars. And in that moment, he surrendered everything to her...possibly even his heart and soul.

  10

  AIDEN WOKE JUST before five in the morning, still in Chloe’s bed, his body spooning the back of hers and his arm wrapped around her waist. The realization that he was still there when he should have been long gone jolted him to full consciousness.

  After their first night together, as if by unspoken agreement, neither one of them had stayed the entire night in the other’s bed...and now he understood why. Because sharing this kind of intimacy was a dangerous thing and made their relationship feel real, when their affair was only supposed to be a temporary fling.

  But last night he hadn’t been able to get enough of Chloe, and every time he started to go, she would lure him right back in with a seductive kiss, a whispered promise or an erotic caress...until they were both too exhausted to do anything but fall into a deep, sated sleep together.

  Which brought him back around to his current predicament. He couldn’t resist Chloe, that much was clear. But his desire for her went beyond the physical. Everything about her felt good and right, in ways he never would have imagined. She exhilarated him, challenged him in ways he enjoyed, and made him want to open himself up to the possibility of more. With her. Despite her drive and ambition and need to climb the corporate ladder.

  Because he was falling in love with her.

  The thought terrified him, and it was that tangle of fear currently tightening his chest that had him itching to get out while the getting was still good.

  He couldn’t stay. He had to leave. Not just Chloe, but the island, too. There were so many conflicting feelings battling within him, and he wasn’t ready to face Chloe until he sorted things out in his own head. And the only way he could do that was to put distance between them. He had decisions he needed to make, and none of them were easy. But he just couldn’t think straight when he was around her.

  Ignoring the dull ache in his chest, he eased away from the delicious warmth of her body. She let out a soft sigh and snuggled into the warm spot he’d left behind, giving him the opportunity to move off the bed. Careful not to awaken her, he quietly got dressed, knowing he was taking the coward’s way out, but unable to change what he needed to do...for his own self-preservation.

  They were supposed to leave the island today, anyways. He was just taking the very early morning flight out, instead of waiting around for the late afternoon one they’d initially booked. He had everything he needed for his campaign, so there was no reason to stay, and he’d be long gone before she realized what he’d done.

  Finding the standard hotel notepad and pen on her nightstand, he wrote her a quick note letting her know he’d flown out early, and that he’d see her back in the office on Monday morning. Then, with one last longing look at her, he silently slipped out of her room and hoped like hell he wasn’t walking away from the best thing that had ever happened to him.

  * * *

  CHLOE WASN’T SURPRISED to wake up alone, but as she reread the vague, impersonal note that Aiden had left for her to find, a huge knot of hurt and disappointment twisted inside her stomach. He’d decided to leave the island earlier than their scheduled afternoon flight, and considering it was after eight in the morning, he was likely already gone.

  She set the piece of paper back on the nightstand and dragged her fingers through her disheveled hair, reminding herself that no promises had been made between them other than to indulge in a hot affair during their time at the resort.

  And today definitely marked the end, no matter how much she wished otherwise.

  A foolish part of her had hoped that after last night’s discussion about his ex-wife, she and Aiden had forged an intimate bond that went deeper than just appeasing their lust for one another. And the way he’d made love to her after sharing something so painful, there had been no denying the emotion and need pouring from him.

  Last night had been so different from all the other times they’d been together. When she finally fell asleep, curled up against Aiden, safe and secure in his arms, she’d truly believed that something significant had changed between them. That despite their differences and the standing no dating policy at the firm, that they could quietly continue seeing each other outside of work and find out if what they’d started here on the island translated into a real-world relationship.

  But she realized it was all wishful thinking on her part. If Aiden’s actions were any indication, he had no desire to continue anything with her...and that realization hurt more than she wanted to admit.

  She pulled in a deep breath, and the lingering scent of Aiden filled her senses. Refusing to sit in her room for the rest of the morning wallowing in what could have been, she decided she needed to get out, to breathe fresh air and clear her head.

  She took a quick shower, changed into a lightweight sundr
ess and sandals, and headed down to the lobby, which was filled with guests going through the check-out process, and groups of people saying farewell to the friends they’d made. There was laughter and lively conversations, as well as many couples walking hand in hand, giving credence to the fact that love matches had been made, and would hopefully flourish even long after they left the St. Raphael resort.

  Feeling a twinge of jealousy for those who were heading back home in love and with the promise of a bright, fresh future with someone they’d met, Chloe quickly made her way outside, where it was a beautiful, sunny, breezy day. She walked aimlessly along various pathways, inhaling the familiar fragrance of jasmine, until she realized she’d ended up at the island greenhouses. The flowers beckoned to her, and she didn’t hesitate to enter the glass enclosure.

  Silence greeted Chloe, along with the perfumed scent of all the tropical flowers growing around her. She was immediately reminded of the first time she’d been in here, with Aiden, and when she caught sight of those fuchsia flowers that Hattie claimed to predict a couple’s compatibility, she slowly strolled over to those potted plants and lightly stroked one of the soft, velvety petals.

  “Hi there,” a familiar female voice said from behind Chloe. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to stop by the greenhouse today, not with everyone leaving the island.”

  Chloe turned around, and as soon as she met Hattie’s perceptive gaze, she realized why she’d come here...even if it had been subconsciously. Because she believed Hattie’s claim, that the possibility existed that she and Aiden could be soul mates—even if Aiden didn’t. Chloe felt the connection in her heart, and other places she’d thought she’d closed off after the way things ended with Neil.

  “I was just taking a walk around the area and ended up here,” she said easily. “Did you have a busy week here in the greenhouse?”

  “Actually, I did. A lot of matchmaking going on, that’s for sure,” she said with a throaty laugh, then she tipped her head, regarding Chloe a bit more speculatively. “Where is your man? The one so interested in my matchmaking skills, yet so skeptical about love, even when it’s right in front of him?”

  There Hattie went again, spouting insight about a person. But as far as Aiden was concerned, Chloe had to admit the other woman’s intuition was pretty dead-on. “Aiden took the early morning flight out,” she said, keeping her reply simple, when it was anything but.

  Hattie gently took Chloe’s hand between the two of hers, her deep brown eyes kind and tender. “He left you,” she said softly, knowingly.

  “Yes,” Chloe whispered, hating the way her throat closed up with emotion.

  “The man is a fool,” Hattie said with a scowl that made Chloe chuckle, before the older woman grew serious once again. “But he’s also been betrayed in the past and doesn’t trust easily. You’ve been hurt, too. But you, at least, are open to love again.”

  Hattie’s statement was very matter-of-fact, and Chloe no longer questioned how the woman knew such things, especially since what she’d just said was dead-on—about both her and Aiden. It was true that the way things ended between her and Neil had left her guarded and more intent on exerting her time and energy on her career, rather than another man. After Neil had taken control of so many aspects of her life and decisions, she’d sworn she’d never give another man that much influence over her.

  But with Aiden, there was no emotional power-play between them, just an equal give and take that had turned their flirtatious friendship into something much deeper and caring. This past week with Aiden had made her realize just how much she missed being in a real relationship...one based on mutual respect, caring, great sex and the kind of faith that came in knowing that Aiden would never do anything to deliberately hurt her.

  There was no question that her heart ached for Aiden and what he’d gone through with his ex-wife. They both had screwed-up pasts, things that had happened to each of them that kept them from letting someone close again. But after everything they’d shared, she trusted Aiden, and that’s what ultimately mattered.

  Unfortunately, those feelings weren’t reciprocated.

  The thought made her chest hurt. “I am open to love again, but that doesn’t do me much good when the man I want isn’t.”

  Hattie gave the back of her hand a consoling pat. “You need to give him a little push, I think,” she said thoughtfully. “If you haven’t told him how you feel, then you need to. Men can be very obtuse that way.”

  The other woman managed to make Chloe laugh, but her biggest fear was that she’d put her feelings for Aiden out in the open, and he’d reject them. But then again, when had she ever backed down from something she believed in? “No guts, no glory, huh?”

  “Yes, you strike me as a woman with a lot of guts,” Hattie said, her tone amused. “The worst thing in life is living with regrets. Don’t let your man be one of them.”

  “Thank you,” Chloe said, and gave Hattie a hug, because this woman had given her more useful advice in the span of fifteen minutes than her own mother ever had.

  Filled with a renewed purpose, she headed back to the resort, wanting to believe that Aiden’s reasons for bolting on her were because of the emotional impact of what had happened between them. But she wouldn’t know for sure, not until she had the chance to ask him herself. Because unlike him, she needed closure to this affair, one way or another. She wanted to look into his eyes, tell him what was in her heart, and know that she’d laid herself bare, with no regrets.

  As she made her way into the hotel lobby, she caught sight of Darryl and Ken, the Metro Ad Agency boys, who were talking with Edward Luca, the vice president of St. Raphael Resort. She could tell by their expressions that it wasn’t a casual conversation, but rather a more intense discussion that raised her awareness and business instincts. They’d all had their time with Luca during the week to discuss the resort and potential ideas. They weren’t supposed to pitch their presentations until next week, after they’d returned to their respective ad agencies to refine their campaigns.

  There was just something about how insistent Ken was being with Luca that didn’t sit right with Chloe. Curious to know what they were discussing, she stopped at a nearby rack of brochures about the island, and with her back to the trio she perused the selection while blatantly eavesdropping.

  “We really feel we have the winning campaign for the St. Raphael Resort, and we’re ready to pitch our presentation today, before we leave the island,” Ken said, doing his best to convince the VP to give them an edge over the competition, without outright saying so.

  It was all Chloe could do to keep her mouth shut, when she wanted to step in and argue just whose campaign was superior. She’d never be so crass in front of the vice president of the resort, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to make damn sure that she and Aiden had their shot, too.

  “I have meetings with your agency, as well as Perry & Associates next week,” Edward said hesitantly. “I wasn’t planning on viewing anyone’s campaign here on the island.”

  “We understand,” Darryl chimed in, his tone a bit more assertive. “But we feel that our presentation is all you need to see to make a final decision.”

  The man’s gall and arrogance made Chloe’s blood boil in her veins, and she nearly tore the brochure she held in her hands in half. Maintaining her composure took extreme effort.

  “That’s very presumptuous of you both,” Luca said, his tone frank.

  “We’re just confident.”

  There was a distinct pause, then Edward spoke again. “All right,” he said, a twinge of reluctance in his voice. “Let’s set up a meeting in conference room C in half an hour, and I’ll see what you’ve come up with.”

  “Excellent,” Ken said in a too cocky tone. “We’ll be there.”

  As the three of them went their separate ways, Chloe swallowed back her anger and knew she had no choice but to be present at that meeting, too. Because there was no way she was going to let those boys steal something t
hat rightfully belonged to her or Aiden.

  * * *

  AFTER BOARDING A small puddle jumper plane from the island early that morning, Aiden sat in the Nassau, Bahamas, airport, waiting to catch his connecting flight to Boston. He had a little less than two hours to kill, and way too much time alone to think. About Chloe, and the way he’d slipped out on her this morning.

  At the time, it had been a defensive reaction, a way to protect himself from having to deal with the intense emotions rioting within him. True, those feelings were still present and wreaking havoc with every rational reason he tried to come up with why things would never work between him and Chloe, so why did he think that any amount of distance was going to change that?

  He dragged his hands through his hair, his stomach roiling with a ton of regrets, because he could only imagine how Chloe had felt when she’d realized he’d left without so much as a goodbye, or an explanation. Just a brusque note, when she deserved better than an impersonal brush-off.

  Jesus, he was such an ass, and Aiden was certain his brother Sam would heartily agree with that sentiment. If he could turn back the clock and do things differently, he would, but trapped between the island and Boston while waiting for his flight, without any cell service to the island, there was nothing he could do about his stupidity.

  Knowing he had no choice but to wait and deal with Chloe and the situation until they were both back in Boston, he decided he needed to keep himself distracted, or let his thoughts drive him crazy. Deciding to use his idle time to refine his presentation, he retrieved his computer from his leather attaché. While his laptop booted up, he reached into the front pocket of his briefcase for the flash drive with his PowerPoint presentation, but it wasn’t there. Frowning, he thought back to when he last remembered having it, and his stomach churned with apprehension when he realized he’d never gotten it back from Chloe.

  He didn’t believe she’d deliberately kept it from him, and it wasn’t as though he didn’t have a back-up on his laptop’s hard drive, but he couldn’t stop the niggle of unease coursing through him. He knew how much securing this campaign meant to her—just as much as it meant to him, and he wanted to trust her but...