Chapter 27—Tit for Tat

"Shit!" Ivette said, twisting to look at him. "Do not sneak up on me like that!"

Where was Fiona? Where did he come from?

Cian smiled, reaching around her to grab a cookie from the tray. "You're cooking. Why?"

Her cheeks flamed and she bit on her lower lip nervously. "I...uh...got hungry."

He shot her a knowing look that said he knew she was lying but she didn't mind, not as he took a bite out of the cookie and her eyes dropped to his lips as he chewed.

Hell.

He could even make chewing seem hot.

His gaze met hers and held. He regarded her with burning intensity and her body instantly reacted, even if he hadn't yet touched her.

"Doona be looking at me like that, lass. I might just kiss you."

She sucked in her lower lip, wetting it and she looked at him beneath thick, long lashes. "And if I want you to?"

Eyes dark, he leaned in subtly and whispered against her cheek, the scent of shortbread teasing her nostrils, "Tell it to me. Tell me what you want."

But words were hardly her forte. "I don't know how to."

"Show me then."

Holding his gaze, she leaned forward on her toes. Her hands slid up his chest to cup the back of his head. Slowly, she pressed her lips against his stubbled cheek, and trailed a line of soft kisses down to his earlobe, before catching it between her teeth and biting down softly.

She pulled back then, dragging on the skin as she did.

He reacted instantly. The tray of cookies clattered to the ground as he lifted her onto the counter. The batter was pushed aside as were the cutleries and mixer and—

His lips brushed hers softly, a complete contrast from the urgency with which he had placed her on the counter. It was devastating, and every fear, every line drawn, every wall lifted melted for him.

It was the most intimate kiss she'd had in her entire life. Slow and tender, like he had all the time in the world to know and explore her. Her heartbeat spiked and through every slow alteration in the caress of his lips, she could feel nearly a dozen of them.

Her head dropped back weakly and her eyes closed as she got lost in the intoxicating movement.

His fingers pressed gently against the corner of her mouth, urging her to open for him, and she did, sighing with pleasure.

She felt his tongue on her lips but he didn't offer it to her, and she began to grow impatient, wanting more than just a brush of lips.

She let her hands wander below his waistband and he drew back sharply, capturing her hands and holding them in place with one large hand.

She jutted forward, capturing his lips between her teeth and he let out a husky groan as his tongue finally slid into her mouth in a velvety smooth stroke that had her purring and mewling.

"Ahem," someone suddenly said and reluctant to let go of him, Ivette sucked hard on his lower lip as she pulled away to see Iain and Connor by the door, grinning at the both of them.

"Iain! I told you to leave them alone!" Fiona called out from God knew where and Ivette turned red. Did everyone in the house know that they were making out?

Could they not have a single moment of privacy?

She began to miss her villas and the security unit attached to each of them that wouldn't even let her parents in until she said so.

Cian's hands circled her waist as he lifted her off the counter like she weighed nothing and set her down on shaky legs.

She looked down at her feet shyly but Cian's fingers pinched her chin, raising her head to meet his gaze. "I will see you later, lass."

And she did not doubt that he would.

****

Aaron leaned back in his chair, toying with his whiskey glass as he watched the karaoke singer on stage.

She was a beauty, but she had those eyes. Passionate eyes that said a one-night stand was off the table.

He looked away. Ivette looked like that when they'd met too.

She had been dressed in the hottest black dress he had ever seen and he had taken one look at her and known she was his for the night.

But he had been wrong.

It had been the shock of getting flipped off by a female that had had him finding out more about her and going all out in seducing her when he found out what family she hailed from.

None of his antics had worked with her. She was a woman who only chose you because she chose you—if that made any sense.

And one day, she had.

"Brooding, are we?"

He turned left to find a strawberry blonde slipping into the sit beside his and his eyes narrowed upon recognition. "I suppose," he replied, bringing his glass to his lips.

Rosalind smiled, blood-red lips curving sensually as she settled in beside him. "It must apologize for what trauma you must have gone through. Your bride getting abducted on her wedding."

Aaron gave her a sidelong glance and the look in her eyes confirmed what he had feared might have been true. The truth he didn't want to believe.

He had known when he'd met Annet's hateful, yet relieved gaze that Ivette hadn't been abducted. She had run from him.

But he had chosen not to believe that she would have run from their wedding. From him. She had never been one to run from her responsibilities. She always faced them head-on, regardless of how tedious and heavy they were. Regardless of how much it took from her.

Had she hated the thought of marrying him so much that she'd left him standing? That she hadn't considered her reputation and her family's?

He tossed the drink back, barely wincing at the taste. "And where's your boss?"

Her manicured nails drummed on the table beside his in a strange rhythm as she waited on her order. "Gone since the day your bride left you. Scotland, perhaps. He goes there when he wants to hide from the world. Or hide something from the world."

He poured himself another glass and drank from it rather quickly. "You don't know that."

"Oh, but I do. He was seen with her at the fair a couple of days ago. They looked like quite the couple—shall I go further?"

He clenched his jaw and his grip on the glass tightened. "You have a picture?"

She smiled. "I could get you one. However, I am more interested in how you will use this to your benefit. And mine."

His brows furrowed and he dropped his glass. "What do you mean?"

She laughed heartily, sipping from her own glass. "Cian knew you were falsifying figures and stats. He had me look into it a while back. He kept it quiet and I highly suspect he only did that because of her. He could have easily destroyed you."

Aaron's breathing slowed, and his gut tightened. That had been a private affair between himself and his father. The loans borrowed, the lies told to keep the investors rolling in. It had been between himself and his father.

It would take careful observation and time to find that out, and it would seem Cian had been overly observant.

"And how exactly is a photo supposed to help me? He could just as easily ruin me if I choose to make a move against them."

She turned slightly, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "He will not."

"Why?"

"She's changed him. He won't play dirty anymore. He cares deeply for her, and when Cian cares, it extends to the people she cares for. He will not ruin you. Plus, before he finds out, you'll be out of the shit hole you're currently in."

Aaron's lips tugged down into a frown. A scandal of that intensity could very well destroy the King name. But more than that, it'll place him in a positive light. The right words would have all of their investors angling for Maxwell Industries.

"And why are you doing this? You've known him for years. You would ruin him?"

She laughed again, shaking her head. "You must not know much about the MacGregors. Nothing can ruin his image, and unlike you, he doesn't need a line of investors to keep his business running. He won't suffer from a scandal. But she will."

That wasn't answer enough for Aaron, but he said nothing more as her fingers began trailing a dangerous line along the length of his arm. A caress. An invitation. Work together to destroy Ivette, and help Maxwell Industries gain ground again.

His lips formed into a grim line and he raised his glass as he calculated the merits and demerits. It would benefit him more.

Maybe she shouldn't have run from him.

But she had.

And it was her fault he had to do this.

"Get the picture."