ASTONLying in my bed last night, I decided to put Blake behind me. The chances were overwhelming that I would never see him again, despite him saying he would be back soon. In the months since I started at the McAllen Group, this was the first time he’d been in California. It could be months before his business brought him back.As hard as it was, I was going to have to relegate him to the far recesses of my mind, and pull him out as a fond memory from time to time. No doubt I would be seeing him in my fantasies on the occasions I brought my vibrator out to play.But I couldn’t spend my days thinking, wondering or wishing things were different. I had work to do. The furniture I had procured last week was arriving today and there were lots of special guests checking in, not the least of which was the elderly couple standing in front of me in the lobby.The man was slightly hunched over, but he beamed at his wife like it was their wedding day. “It’s our sixtieth wedding anniversary thi
Aston“I believe you.” And I really did. Maybe it made me an idiot, but I wanted to believe he was telling me the truth. I believed he wouldn’t have left so abruptly if he didn’t absolutely have to. He’d given me no reason to doubt him, especially now that he was back.“Good.” Relief seeped into his expression. He stood his wheelie bag up beside him, resting on its handle. “Does that mean I’m forgiven?”“There was nothing to forgive.” I meant it. He was a businessman. It made sense that business would drag him away. He said goodbye, told me he would be back, and here he was. “How long can you stay this time?”A thundercloud passed over his features, settling as a strange fire in his eyes. “Two weeks at least, but they’re going to be busy. Speaking of which, we need to talk.”What? Fear took root in my stomach. Something about the way he said it alerted my ‘spidey senses’ which was troublesome. We weren’t dating, so ‘we need to talk’ couldn’t mean he wanted to break up with me. But I k
BLAKEAston wasn’t in the lobby when I got there. Fuck.I scanned the room again. There was an elderly couple holding hands on a bench near the front doors. The man kept glancing at the doors like he was waiting for something, then looked back at his wife. Well, presumably she was his wife. Both of them wore plain gold wedding bands and the way they looked at each other was sickeningly sweet. She had to be the wife.There were a few other people milling around, but none of them was Aston. She said she forgave me for leaving so suddenly, but maybe she hadn’t. Damn.I really needed to talk to her. We were already a day into the two weeks we had, there wasn’t any time to waste. I was also anxious to see her. Being away from her these past two days had me on edge, for some fucking reason.So, I had to see her, then somehow find a way to talk to her about what needed to be done. Preferably without telling her who I was, because I couldn’t afford to have her losing trust in me or needing a
Blake“Really?” Surprise filled her eyes. She picked up her glass and took a big gulp of her wine. “Okay.”“I’ve been looking over the numbers for the company, for this branch in particular.” She sat back in her chair, eyes locked with mine.“Okay. I don’t really know how I’m supposed to respond to that.”“You don’t have to. I just need you to listen.” Here goes nothing. “The California branch is the lowest performer of all the big branches at the moment.” Her voice cooled. “I looked over our numbers just the other night when our quarterly report came in. We’re not under performing.”“I know, but given the possibility of cuts like we talked about the other night after that announcement was made, I thought you should know. Overall, the branch is doing well. But it’s not doing well enough.” “What are you saying? I compared our numbers to other hotels in the area. We’re on par,” she said stubbornly, but I could hear a hint of fear creeping into her voice.“I’m saying that if you want
ASTONBlake blinked up at me. “What?”“I’m a virgin.” Electricity crackled through my entire body as soon as his lips hit mine. I’d almost decided not to tell him, but he had to know before things went any further. Desire flowed like a living thing between us, taking hold of every rational thought. But then Blake pulled away abruptly, sliding out from underneath me. “Fuck, I’m sorry. Good night, Aston. I’ll see you tomorrow.I grabbed his wrist when he started to get up from the carpet and his eyes snapped to mine. No more than a second passed before he was on me again, kissing me like he couldn’t stay away. When we broke apart, I cupped his chin in my hand. “No, please don’t be sorry. I want to—do this. With you. I just thought you should know.”He drank in my expression and then Blake tugged me towards his strong chest and kissed me like I’d never been kissed before. Without breaking the kiss, he picked me up off the floor and carried me over to the bed. It was only once my back
AstonI’d never felt so empty. It was like I needed him to make me whole again, to provide a piece I didn’t even know I was missing.Blake practically ripped the suit he had on from his body. When he was naked, he stood in front of the bed and let me look at him, like I’d done. His body was absolute male perfection, just like I thought he would be. He had hard ridges on his abdomen and narrow hips that tapered down to a thick, long erection that saluted me like it would never go down again.I was practically panting for him by the time he crawled back onto the bed. He reached over to pull a condom from his wallet, then rolled it on so fast it was like he was competing for a prize.Positioning his cock at my entrance, the broad head nudged me open. Blake looked deeply into my eyes, muscles tight with restraint. “Are you a hundred percent sure about this?”I nodded. “A hundred and fifty. Stop teasing me.”He let out a low growl and pressed his lips to my neck. Gently, his hard cock push
BLAKEThe first rays of sunshine crept over the horizon when I opened my eyes. I blinked, catching sight of a sea of auburn spread out on the white pillow beside me. Aston.My lips curled into a smile. She was still here. I half expected to wake up to find her gone. In the heat of the moment, I worried she would regret what happened as soon as it was over.But she looked serene in her sleep. A soft smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, causing the slits on her eyes to curve up.Christ, she was fucking gorgeous. I made it a rule not to be with virgins, but I couldn’t resist her. I nearly started crying when she told me, sure she was going to put a stop to things. I really hadn’t expected her to ask me to be the one to do it, but I felt strangely honored that she placed that amount of trust in me.Today, it was time to return the favor. I was going to do everything in my power to help her raise the branch’s numbers. I wanted California to do well. To be on top. For her. Because I kn
Blake“I’m ready when you are. Should we go to my office?” Without waiting for me to reply, she started turning and curled a finger for me to follow her into the back.We rounded the front desk, drawing a curious glance from Tiffany. Aston waved her off and pushed through the doors that lead to the staff area.We walked down a narrow passage with grey carpeted walls. There was nothing opulent about this part of the building. It had grey walls and rectangular lights that hummed with electricity overhead.Aston stopped at the door about halfway down and produced a single key on a keyring with a small teddy bear on it. “This is it. Be prepared. It’s not exactly big.”I already knew that. We tried to ensure that the staff was comfortable, but hotels were hotels and the majority of the space belonged to the guests.“Don’t worry about me. At least you have an office. I have a laptop bag on the plane.”She cocked head. “You have your own plane?”“You know what I mean.” Well, the company had
AstonEverything further away than what could be reached in two or three hours by plane, he let Danny handle. Blake had been my rock, my constant. With him as the dad, I could see myself having a lot more children. He certainly seemed to be on board.A nurse came in to check on us, as they did every so often. This was one who must have just started her shift, since I hadn’t seen her around earlier. She was an older woman with bright red hair and a kind smile. “Is everything okay in here? I need to take the baby for observation, it won’t be more than a few minutes before she’s back.”Blake’s eyes widened comically. “You’re taking her away?”“Just for a few minutes, sir.” The nurse smiled sympathetically. “I won’t take my eyes off of her for a second, you have my word. I know it’s hard for you to let go of her right now.”“She has to go?” Blake asked, not looking like he was inclined to hand her over at all.The nurse nodded. “A few minutes, sir. She’ll be back before you know it.”Relu
ASTONOn a rainy Saturday morning, Blake and I welcomed baby Emma Rose McAllen into the world. She was a pink, healthy little angel that had both of us wrapped around her little finger the very first second we laid eyes on her.The hospital was busy. I could hear people milling around outside, some running to take care of patients and others here to visit friends and family, and to meet the new arrivals. Emma was only three hours old, but I was sure Blake’s family and Tiffany would get here soon.Both Tiffany and Blake’s mom had wanted to be in the waiting room when she was born, but I went into labor in the early hours of Saturday morning and in our rush to get to the hospital, we hadn’t wanted to disturb them in the middle of the night.For now it was just us and our little cherub in our bubble of the most perfect, serene happiness I’d ever known. With Emma’s tummy full for the first time, she was dozing in her daddy’s arms and the scene in front of me was as precious as I’d known i
BlakeTiffany led us into the smaller of the conference rooms at ground level, one where Aston and I had shared dinner not so long ago, yet it seemed like a different lifetime now. Aston walked over to the window, releasing a happy sigh to be looking out over the ocean. “It feels like I haven’t been here in forever.”“For you and me both, girl.” Tiffany sighed. “Welcome back.”“Thanks,” Aston replied softly. “You should come visit us in Florida sometime. We’ll be happy to have you.”“Once the baby is born, try keeping me away,” she said, reaching out to pat Aston’s belly again.The two friends shared a moment. I hung back, getting settled at the table. When they sat down, Aston joked, “Oh, you’ll only visit once the baby is born? That’s still months away.”“Good point,” Tiffany said. “Maybe I’ll come out there sooner. Is your nursery set up yet? I can come help with that.”“We’ve been settling into the house,” Aston told her. “We haven’t gotten to the nursery quite yet. It would be gr
BLAKEThree months after the last time Aston and I walked out of the hotel in California, we were back for a visit. It had been a long three months. We had meant to pop in for a visit weeks ago, but we never got around to it.As it was, we’d almost had to cancel again. Aston managed to dodge the bullets flying her way, with Danny’s help, and we’d hopped on the jet as soon as our meetings let out. We were like kids fleeing from school on the last day, excited to be getting away from the head office that took so much of our time.Our visit to California wasn’t a vacation though. Soon, I would whisk Aston away for a break before the baby was born, but for now, we were working.It didn’t make Aston any less excited to be headed back to her hometown. She missed her friends and had been looking forward to spending time with them, even if we would have to get some work done at the same time.Dressed in a soft, flowing red dress that clung to her newly rounded stomach, she looked more beautif
ASTONBefore I knew what was happening, Blake flipped us over and was rolling my pants down my legs. My panties followed quickly.He yanked both items over my bare feet and dropped them to the floor. Heat spread through me as his bright blue eyes drank in every inch of me.He sat between my legs, spread open so there would be space for him. Completely on display for him, I was surprised by how much it turned me on. The raw lust in his eyes told me he felt the same. “I was an ass. I’m sorry I didn’t see how much I was upsetting you, can I make it up to you?”“Please,” I breathed, reaching for his shirt.Catching my hands in one of his, he used the other to reach behind him in a fist and pulled it off in a smooth slide. As his body came into view, I wished he wasn’t sitting between them so I could clench my thighs together to ease the need building there. Seeing me squirm, his hands went for my bare legs, running up and down my thighs.“You’re gorgeous, Aston. And the best thing that ha
Blake“No buts. If that’s what you want, I’ll go. I understand that you need someone there and that logistically, it can’t be Aston. I can be a team player again and if that’s what this team needs, I’ll take one for the team and go.”Taking a deep breath, his eyes darted up to the ceiling like he was slightly embarrassed by what he had to say. “But if you’d consider keeping me on in Florida though, I could work under Aston.”Shocked, my eyes widened. “You’d be her subordinate?”“Yeah.” His eyes drifted to Dad before he nodded and looked back at me. “It’s not easy for me to face, but I know I brought this on myself. If I stay, I’ll work as her second. Help her, learn from her, whatever.”“You would do that?” To say I was surprised was an understatement. My brother, or at least the brother he’d become, lacked the astonishing maturity it took to come up with a plan like this. “You realize it wouldn’t be temporary.”“I do.” He held onto my gaze, sincere in what he was saying. “I’ve been a
BLAKEWalking out of Dad’s study, I bumped into my mom in the hall. For a guy who spent years seeing only one family member, two at most, once every couple of weeks, I was surrounded by them now. I didn’t know how much I liked it yet.“Have you seen Aston? I asked Mom, who smiled as she jerked her head in the direction of the front door.“She left in a cab a few minutes ago,” Mom told me. “I saw her out there from the kitchen window, but it looked like she could use a couple of minutes alone. Next thing I knew, there was a cab and she was getting into it.”My heart sank to my shoes. “What?”I knew Aston was upset by my offering her Danny’s job, but I never thought she would leave. Panic crept in and gripped my heart. She didn’t know anyone in Florida as far as I knew. I didn’t even know where to start looking for her.“Fuck,” I mumbled, ignoring my mom’s chastising look. It was a little fucking late for her to try have any say about my language. I was getting used to having her around
Aston“I’m against it because I don’t think it’s a good idea,” I exclaimed, rolling my eyes. “Danny’s position isn’t some random spot. It’s a very important position in the company.”“Exactly,” Blake snapped. “It’s not good enough to put some random person into that position, don’t you think I get that? That’s one of the reasons why I need you, Aston. You’re all I’ve got. I don’t have any other options that are good enough.”“I’m a last resort?” My head reared back like he’d slapped me. I didn’t know what was going on with me, but my emotions were all over the place. Maybe it was the pregnancy after all, but knowing he only wanted me because there was no one else was somehow more hurtful than people thinking he’d only put me into that spot because he was sleeping with me.Staring at me like I’d grown a unicorn horn or turned green, Blake shook his head. “You’re not a last resort. It’s not like that at all. Think about it this way, my dad supports me in this decision. About Danny going
ASTON“Excuse me.” I pushed my chair back from the kitchen counter and glanced at Blake’s family before letting my eyes come to rest on him. “Could I talk to you outside for a minute please?”“Sure.” Exchanging a look with his father who nodded encouragingly, Blake followed me outside. I didn’t stop walking when we hit the deck, heading over it and onto the expansive green lawn.The sparkling swimming pool was blue and inviting. I briefly considered stripping off my clothes and taking refuge in the silence of its depths, but I doubted very much that Blake’s father would appreciate a half-naked pregnant girl sitting at the bottom of his pool.When I hit a patch of trees at the back of the property, I paced in the shade beneath them. Without having to look, I knew Blake was standing there watching me. He let me blow off steam for a few more seconds before planting his hands on his hips. “Before you say anything, hear me out.”“I told you I didn’t want that spot, Blake.”Walking toward m