Chapter 13: Chapter Thirteen

Everett

I had spent the afternoon with Aubrey at her place. She has been quiet, mostly, but she hasn’t once asked me to leave. Maybe we are making some progress, or she is tired of telling me to leave her alone and has gotten nowhere.

“Are you hungry? I could make us some lunch.” She says, breaking the silence.

I had immensely enjoyed the silence that was between us, but at least she is speaking.

“Sure,” I reply.

I am getting a little hungry. She smiles and slowly gets to her feet.

“Is your back still sore?”

“A little, but it will ease.” She shrugs and disappears to the kitchen.

I sigh and get to my feet. She is still in more pain than she likes to admit. I can’t help but wonder what happened in her past with the way she flinched. I know it too well. I did the same when I was a kid, any time my father would get close. Someone hurt her.

I follow her to the kitchen.

“Is a ham salad roll okay? With some pickles on the side?”

I screw up my face, “No pickles. I don’t like them.”

She seems shocked, “Who doesn’t like pickles? Sorry, I don’t think we can be friends.” She laughs.

I chuckle and stroll towards her. I stop in front of her, putting her between me and the counter. She swallows hard. The closeness between us is getting to her.

“I didn’t think we were friends since you hate me,” I say, and rest my hands on the counter next to her.

“I-I-I don’t hate you, Everett.” She breathes out.

I lift one of my hands and place it on her cheek. I caress her cheek with my thumb.

“You don’t, huh? Then what do you feel towards me?”

“Everett, we are not doing this.” She whispers nervously.

I step into her and make sure there is no distance between us at all.

“Why not? I am all for honesty, Aubrey. I think it is time you tell me what is going on in your head.”

Her eyes divert to the ground, “I don’t want to.”

I place my finger on her chin, “Eyes on me.”

I tilt her head back to make her look back up at me. She whimpers, her cheeks turning red.

“What does it matter how I feel?”

“It matters, Aubrey. I have control issues. I need to know these things.” I answer honestly.

Aubrey shakes her head, “I can’t.”

She dips under my arm, trying to run away from me again. I wish she would stop doing that. It is getting rather annoying. I groan and swiftly turn around. I reach for her and spin her around to pull her tightly to my chest. She moans and glances at me, staring through her long lashes.

“Why not? Please, will you stop running away from me?” I say softly.

“Why are you so insistent on this? I know what you are after, Everett. I refuse to become your little plaything.” She replies through gritted teeth.

She isn’t wrong, but I can convince her that there is nothing wrong with just having some fun.

“I always get what I want. There is nothing wrong with two consenting adults having some fun. I think it is exactly what you need. I know you want me to. I don’t see the problem. And don’t say there is one because of Hugo and Erica; they wouldn’t need to know.”

I circle my fingers on her hips and watch her closely. I see the darkness in her eyes from lust and want.

“You can have any woman you want, Everett. I shouldn’t be on that list. Men like you aren’t interested in someone like me unless they are getting paid or dared to.” She sighs.

I don’t understand why she is so down on herself. She is beautiful, sweet and kind. There is nothing wrong with her. If I were the type to settle down, which I am not, she would be the kind of woman I would choose to do it with.

I could use my words to try to convince her otherwise, but I will try another way. I press my lips to hers in a heated kiss. Aubrey is hesitant and does not return it. It only lasts a moment. She soon kisses back, her arms going around my neck. I hold her hips tightly, her body firm against mine. She moans into my lips. I kiss her harder.

I turn her around and push her back to the counter. I slip my tongue by her lips and into her mouth. I nudge hers with mine. She groans and grants me the access I want. Our tongues fight for dominance. I am winning.

I lift her onto the counter and stand between her legs. I run my hands up her thighs. The kiss becomes heated. It is making me breathless. I need to pull away to catch my breath. I don’t want to, in case when I do, she pushes me away.

I hesitantly part from the kiss. We are both panting loudly. Fuck, her lips feel good. I open my eyes to see her flushed face. Her breathing is heavy. Aubrey slowly opens her eyes to meet mine. She chews on her lower lip.

“Why did you do that?” she whispers.

I smirk, “Because I wanted to.”

Aubrey sighs and runs her fingers through her hair, “You shouldn’t have done that.”

“Why not? You enjoyed it. You want it as much as I do.”

I wish she would just be honest with me.

“It doesn’t matter.”

I stop from rolling my eyes at her words.

“Maybe it is time for you to think about your wants and needs, not everyone else’s.”

“It is not that simple, and you know it.” She groans in frustration.

I stroke the hair from her face, “If you can look me right in the eye and tell me you don’t want me, if you can do that, I will walk away and leave you alone.”

She won’t be able to do it, that is why I made the suggestion. Aubrey opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out.

“You can’t, can you?”

I try my best not to sound too smug. She sighs loudly and shakes her head.

“Why won’t you just leave me alone and move on?”

I raise my brow at her, “I thought I have been clear about that.”

“God, you are a pain in my ass.”

I smirk, “Oh, I know, but you love it.”

She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but I can see a hint of a smile on her lips. I reach for her lips again. She kisses back straight away this time. She is addicted now. I kiss back, but only for a second. I want to make her want more without giving it to her.

I pull away, “How about that lunch now?”

“Are you serious?” she huffs.

I walk away and begin to prep our lunch, chuckling to myself. I hear her curse and mutter under her breath. I may have made her sexually frustrated.

As badly as I would love to rip her clothes off and have my way with her, I won’t. I will let the tension build a little longer. It always makes it better. I am curious to see if, at any point, it will get too much for her and make a move. Highly doubtful, but she may surprise me.

I hear her jump down from the counter and approach me.

“I will do that. You are my guest.” She says, appearing by my side.

“It is fine. I don’t mind.” I smile.

“I got it. Please go and sit down.” She says softly.

I nod and do as I am told. I leave her to it. It will be an interesting afternoon now that I am closer to getting what I want.