Confusing Women

December 3rd, 2019

(Caines, Terres Somnia)

CC's birthday was coming up. She had only recently started getting her dress ready for her birthday and planning for the next fashion show. Bart was glad to see it. The queen's absence finally seemed to be weighing on her less. CC even applied for fashion school next year. 

Bart liked watching his fiancee. Shortly after they got engaged, he got himself a too comfortable bean bag chair that he placed in her office. When he dropped by and she complained that she didn't need a babysitter, he swore that he just needed somewhere to study. And he did study. He got through tons of material during his time at the fashion house. Did it take him twice as long as usual because he spent half of the time watching her work? Yes, but she didn't need to know that. 

It might not seem sensible that it pleased him so much just to watch her, but then there was a time when he would have given anything just to lay eyes on her. A time when they were forbidden. Even now their families thought that they were moving too fast. “You’re too young,” his father had said. As long as she showed up two months from now to marry him, Bart didn't care. A 20 year old man had never been as sure that he wanted to marry someone as Bart was that he wanted to marry CC. 

"Ouch," he heard her whisper under her breath. 

As much as Bart liked watching her, he loved going to her even more. She already had the bandaid out by the time he got to her. He looked into her face as he took it from her and put it on her newly pricked finger. 

"I can take care of my own needle pricks you know,” she complained, ghost of a smile on her face.

"I know Caroline," he said, bending over to pick her up. 

Caroline. 

Her name out of his mouth made her putty in his hands. He knew it and she knew he knew. It made her furious. His saying her name undoubtedly meant he was going to make her do something she didn't want to and she would allow it, because really there was nothing he wanted to do with her that she didn't want to do with him. 

"Time for bed, you're exhausted. You can pick it back up tomorrow," he said, taking the unfinished dress from her.

"I'm not sleepy," she protested with a yawn, her arms wrapping around his neck as she snuggled up against his chest and her eyes fell closed. 

"Right, of course not," he said, as he carried her out of the office. 

Bart took CC to the room next to her office. He had turned it into a bedroom for her to take naps in when she had a show coming up and didn't have time to go home. It was one of many attempts at getting her to come back to work. He probably should have gotten her something bigger than a ¾ bed. CC ended up spending quite a lot of time at the fashion house after James and Zoey's coronation. Being at the palace all the time was still too hard for her back then and she didn't want to put Bart's parents out. Besides, she liked the effort he'd put into the place. It was cozy, she'd told him. 

She clung to him as he tried to lay her down. 

"Stay," she whispered, kissing his cheek. 

Bart swallowed. She'd been especially clingy the last few nights, insisting he stay with her. There was this unspoken agreement between them that nothing beyond kissing would happen until they got married, so he didn’t usually stay the night. He loved her and wanted her to be happy and comfortable, but damn she was driving him crazy. 

Ever since the first time he saw it, the uncertainty in her eyes, it was like CC no longer wanted what he thought they agreed upon. She was finally getting back to basics and that pleased him, but now there was this. He didn’t know what to do with himself. Did they need to talk about it? But he didn't want to embarrass either of them. 

He couldn't go there with her. Not while that persistent look of uncertainty left him so confused about what was going on in her head. Bart needed to find a way to make that look go away before they could consummate their love. 

The moment she asked him to stay, he knew it was coming. Just like the previous two nights, she was straddling him and her warm touch alongside her eager mouth told the story of her intent. He restrained himself, giving her free reign as he fought to not to explore beyond her mouth. For all the good it did him. Tonight her fingers weren’t satisfied with feeling out the buff chest, broad shoulders and rock hard core that hid under his shirt all day. As evidenced by the way she locked eyes with him, bit the corner of her lip as her shirt accompanied her arms up above her head, tonight CC wanted more.    

Bart gulped as he watched her shirt hit the floor. What was he supposed to do with her shirtless and on top of him, threatening to take off more as she kissed her way down his body? The last two nights he'd managed to get her to fizzle out while spooning her and she'd fallen asleep in his arms. He’d hoped he had deterred her. Instead having caught on, CC only became emboldened. She already had them both half naked. His fingers dancing to the tune of her melody up her back, heading for her bra. 

Stop. Tell her they needed to talk. He wanted to, he really did, but all his willpower went into not flipping them over and tearing the rest of her clothes off.

"I love you," she said, innocent eyes staring down into his. 

The hot air from her lips mixed with his as he felt the bra he didn't know he had unclasped give way under his fingers. 

Fuck. 

He was going to stop now, wasn't he? 

Her lips pulled up into a smile as she pulled the zipper of her shorts down. He found himself helping her, caressing her shoulders as he dragged her bra straps down her arms. Bra joining the rapidly increasing pile on the floor, his hands went straight for her breasts, squeezing and massaging her chest as her head fell back and she let out the most alluring moan to escape her lips in their eight month engagement. 

Carefree. Out of control. These just weren’t things Bart ordinarily associated with himself. She just sat up there, taking it all, enjoying herself, lust tainting the love in her eyes. If this was wrong somehow, he'd deal with it later. If she wanted him to stop at any point, he would, but he was done restraining himself. 

"I love you too Caroline," he said before he cupped her neck and pulled her mouth down onto his, wrapping his arms around her to pick her up and lay her down on her back. 

She had her shorts down before he'd managed to pull his shirt all the way off, her legs wrapping around him as she welcomed his tongue into her mouth.   

CC had finally gotten Bart to respond the way she wanted him to. He wasn't gritting his teeth, finding excuses for them to stop. Not tonight. Tonight he was all over her, kissing her and touching her like a mad man. She felt his lips heat up every inch of her skin. Starting with her lips, he moved onto her cheeks, her ears, her neck, her breasts. Tugging on her rapidly hardening nipples with his teeth. 

“Bart,” she moaned softly. “Don’t stop.” 

He was everything. Gentle but passionate. Generous and considerate. He kept looking at her, as though to ask her if she was sure. And she was, she really was, but by the time Bart pulled his pants down she found she couldn't keep her eyes open, not even for his ridiculously ripped body. 

He felt her body go limp against his and gave a short laugh. She was lying under him, nothing but panties on with her brief clad fiance hovering over her. His head cleared quickly. He was an idiot. It never should've gone this far. As he pulled the covers over her, he couldn't help getting in next to her. Frustration and pure lust rushed through him as he took her into his arms, but he stayed anyway. 

She’d be mortified in the morning and he didn't want it to be without him next to her. So he stayed to reassure her. This might have to be the last time he brought her to bed for a while though. 

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Aaron and Aria had been making eyes at each other for three days straight. She flirted readily and responded to his little light touches with little touches of her own. Aaron didn't know what James was talking about. She may just be one of his easiest conquests yet. It gave him morbid pleasure to discover that Aaron Condor, The Casanova of Caines, still had it. 

Aria had gone out to get a haircut that morning, just when Aaron was getting used to the hair too. He decided it was in fact the hair that he didn't like. When he saw her again the day after meeting her, he went right up to her and pulled her hair out of the rigid ponytail she had it in and let it fall down onto her shoulders. As her hair spilled down, Aaron had to admit she was more than striking. She was gorgeous/ This was no small thing. He almost never changed his mind about these things. 

Aria didn't strike him as shy, so Aaron figured an aggressive approach would be good. Hell, she'd all but invited him into her bed last night when she got into a hot tub with him with nothing but a tshirt and black thong on. There was no touching allowed this time, but damn the way she was looking at him before she opened that book and started reading, then completely ignored him for two hours. It did things to him. Aaron was usually the hunter, but somehow even as he got between her sheets buck naked, he felt a little like her prey. 

"Get out," she said, taking one look at his greek god-like body and apparently deciding she was going to pass. 

She sat down at her dresser and took in her new hairdo. And as she did, so did he. His mouth went dry, jaw dropped to the floor. She was wearing a knee length, violet dress. On her feet she wore classical black high heels. Aaron had always had a thing for black heels. Everything came together with a charming diamond necklace to subtly draw attention to her rack, which ladies and gentlemen, was also fantastic. And then of course there was the new haircut. Gone was the girl next door. There was no ponytail today and probably wouldn't be for a while. The way the chin length haircut framed her face made it look like red hair was invented for her. 

Wait, did she just tell him to get out? 

Aaron promptly slipped out of the bed and went to stand behind her, making sure she got a good look in the mirror. She looked, of course she did, she ran her eyes all the way down his body, surveying him like she was considering buying a slave and then went back to looking at herself and touching up her makeup. 

"Impressive," she said apathetically. "Five stars."

What the hell was happening? This was not a response Aaron Condor was used to. Stay calm Aaron, she's just playing with you. On the inside, she's a wreck. A complete mess. They always are. 

"Usually this goes a little differently," said Aaron, turning on the charm. "Usually I show up in someone's bed and I get a 'how do you want me?' not a 'get out.'"

As he approached, Aria felt her pulse quicken. Of course his body was doing things to her. She didn't think he would go this far this quickly. Hell just last night he was a being a fucking gentleman, as much as Aaron Condor could be asked to be a gentleman at any rate. He had looked, boy had he ever, but he didn't try anything. Now here he was ambushing her in her bedroom! 

He was standing right behind her now, bending his head down to her neck, staring down her dress as he watched her in the mirror. 

"Sounds like your usually is screwing a bunch of airheads," she answered, turning around, just as his lips grazed her neck. 

She stared straight at his package, put a finger just above it and dragged it up his six pack before putting her finger in her mouth and sucking it. 

"Like I said, impressive," she said, her eyes darkening. 

She got up, grabbed his head by his hair and pulled his face down to hers so that she was looking him straight in the eye. 

"Still not impressed though."

He snaked an arm around her waist, his head dipping down to her chest. She inhaled sharply as she felt the skin of his face, his hot breath, make contact with her breasts, her chest, shoulders and neck, felt his hands go down her arms, down her sides before he slid them down and grabbed her ass. He looked into her eyes. They were dark with lust, but there was no emotion in them. 

She was attracted to him, wanted him, but not like this. He was wrong about her after all. This victory, even if he did get her into bed somehow, would be short lived. He was sure he would blow her mind and she his, but then where would they be? She wasn't some airhead, as she'd put it. She wouldn't be begging him to come back. If anything, sleeping with her now would probably only get him out of her system faster. 

Aria saw it in his eyes. She'd won this one. She hadn't the foggiest why. He probably could've taken her right there and then and she would no doubt have let him, but he had found a reason to fall on his sword and she wasn't about to question it. She needed to get Adonis the hell out of her room. 

"Next time, try harder. At least make some effort," she said, licking his cheek before sitting back down. 

He stepped back, gave her a naughty crooked grin as if to say challenge accepted and turned around. He pulled up his pants and walked right out the door. 

Aria let out the breath that she'd been holding. She was here to find a King Consort, not play hot and cold with Aaron Condor. What the hell had she been doing the last three days, acting like a child, making him think she'd spread her legs just because he came calling? She needed sanity. Something concrete. Reliable. Someone who would help her keep order. Aria needed someone that hadn't been at the palace lately. She needed Barry.