5. Elysa

CHAPTER 5

ELYSA

I slip my hand into Aidan's as he waits for my answer, surprised by how easily it comes rushing to my mind. I do trust him. Perhaps I shouldn't. It may very well lead to the demise of me and my business. But… I trust him anyway.

"Don't make me regret it," I whisper, my voice trembling faintly. It's a plea more than a command. Somewhere over the last few days, my attraction to this man has blossomed into full-blown infatuation. I'm falling for him hard. The hint of vulnerability he showed me when his rig caught fire, and the fact that he texted me to talk about it at all, tipped me right over the edge. This man could break my heart, splinter it wide open… devastate me in a way Gavin Cochran never could.

I didn't stop dating because I loved Gavin. I stopped because, if someone I didn't love could wrought so much destruction on my life and those of the people I love, what could someone I gave my heart to accomplish? Someone like Aidan? It's a terrifying prospect, considering how much is at risk and how much I've already endured.

But Aidan knows exactly what to say to calm my nerves and silence my fears. He steps toward me, pressing his hard body up against mine, and cups the back of my head. His gorgeous eyes bore into mine. "The only thing I'm going to make you regret, baby girl, is the gauntlet you threw down when you wrote that I wasn't up to the challenge of making you mine," he growls softly. "By the time I'm finished, you'll happily print a retraction."

"Oh yeah?" I lick my lips, staring at the way his lips shape every word. "What should it say? Cranky oil baron strikes liquid gold and realizes he has a heart?"

"Smartass." His lips twitch. "I was thinking more like, 'Bossy Daddy wins war with his bratty baby girl. He got his ring on her finger and his kid in her belly.'" He leans forward when I gasp in shock, his mouth trailing across my cheek toward my ear. "Fuck exposing you, Fairy. Nothing short of your complete and total surrender will satisfy me."

I whimper softly, my knees shaking. Lord, have mercy. I may have bitten off more than I can chew with this man. But when has that ever stopped me? Exactly never.

I turn my head so my lips brush his cheek, right beside the corner of his mouth. "Bring it on." I pause. " Daddy ."

He groans, a guttural, almost broken sound of need, turning his head to capture my mouth in a fierce kiss. I clutch him to me, my lips parting beneath his as he consumes me alive, licking into my mouth like he's starving for the taste of me. Heat flows through me in pyroclastic waves, igniting my bloodstream. Making me ache in ways I didn't think possible.

"Daddy," I moan into his mouth, aching and desperate for more.

"Fuck, baby girl, I know," he whispers, planting sweet little kisses on my bottom lip. "Let's get inside. I'll find us a private room and take care of you."

I nod frantically. And then what he said about a private room registers through the fog of desire clouding my brain. I pull back, blinking around us.

"Are we at The Sterling Rope?" I ask, breathless.

"Yeah, baby girl." He brushes his thumb along my cheek. "And I have no expectations beyond dinner at the bar if that's all you want. But I wanted to take you somewhere to show you that I've been listening. I understand you. And your privacy is important to me, too."

That's sweet. Really freaking sweet. But I can't go in there! Privacy is, literally, the last thing waiting for me inside.

Leia's brother-in-law, Bronx Kaiser, is the club’s head of security. And his wife, Gemma, is here all the time. Aidan doesn't know me enough to recognize me with my mask on. Bronx and Gemma absolutely will. We spend a lot of time together. Bronx works the front door. We have to go through him to get into the club.

And I don't know who Aidan has told about who he was taking out tonight or about who he wanted to date. If he's told anyone that he's after the matchmaker… well, he won't have to say a word to expose me. My own dang friends will do it without even knowing they've done it.

This is really bad.

I think quickly, trying to figure out how to wiggle out of this without disappointing him. I'm not ready just yet to tell him who I am. Maybe that's silly, all things considered, but I like this little game we've been playing. I love how determined he is to prove himself. And I love that he's letting me keep him in suspense.

I feel completely free with him. Will that change once he knows I'm Elysa Darby? I'm a little afraid to find out. But I won't lie to him either.

"I can't go in there, Aidan," I whisper regretfully.

"Why not?"

"There are certain people in there who know me well enough to recognize me on sight even with the mask."

"Who?"

"Friends."

"Are we talking about men you've dated, baby girl?"

I smile at how grumpy he sounds about it. "I certainly hope not, considering the last man I dated is in prison."

"What the fuck?" Even through his mask, I clock the dark scowl overtaking his expression. "You dated a man in prison?"

"He wasn't in prison when we were dating. And I didn't know he was going to try to murder my best friend over his stupid sports betting scheme. Obviously, I broke up with him," I grumble.

He grunts, whatever that means, and then pauses. "What a fucking prick," he finally mutters, his tone black.

"Uh-huh," I agree, scrutinizing his expression. "You're jealous, aren't you? Thinking that I've slept with men in that club?"

"Hell yes," he growls without hesitation. "Everyone has a past, baby girl. We're human. But I'm jealous as hell thinking about yours." He looks me over, his gaze intense. "You called me your daddy. From that moment, in my mind, you became mine. And Daddy doesn't want to fucking share you or think about you with anyone else. I'm a possessive asshole, Fairy. You turned me into that."

"Want to know a secret?"

He nods warily.

"The only reason I didn't try to hook you up with anyone else was because I didn't like the thought of you with anyone. Jealousy ate me alive anytime I considered who would be a good match for you." I press myself up against him, crushing my tits to his chest as I lift up on my toes, placing my lips at his ear. "I wanted it to be me, Daddy."

"How long?" he growls, anchoring me to him with his hand on my hip.

"Months."

He groans, his fingers digging into my flesh. “I've been waiting for you for years, baby girl. Christ. I'm mad as hell that you’ve been jealous for months when you didn't have to be. I never would have agreed to anyone but you.”

I have a feeling he isn't kidding about that. He's unholy stubborn. And for some reason, he's decided I'm what he wants.

Thank you, Baby Jesus.

“Just so you know, you aren't sharing me with anyone else," I breathe against his ear. "I dated a few times, but I saved myself for the man who was meant to be my daddy."

"Fucking hell," he growls, hauling me off my feet as my laughter peels around us. "You're trying to break me, aren't you?"

"Only a little bit. Is it working?"

"Yeah, you little minx. It's fucking working. We're going to my place. I'm going to cook you dinner, feed you, and if I'm a really good Daddy, maybe you'll let me show you exactly how devoted I plan to be."

"Mmm," I hum, pretending to think about it as he loads me back into his SUV. "Depends."

"On what?"

I flash him a grin. "How good of a cook you are. Mediocrity will not get me out of this dress, Aidan."

"Mediocrity?" he scoffs. "Remember you said that when you have my meat in your mouth, baby girl."

I throw my head back, laughing loudly. "Bring it on, Daddy ."

He crushes his mouth to mine with a soft grunt. "Fuck. I love the smartass way you say my name when you're fucking with me. It shouldn't make my cock this goddamn hard, and yet, the bastard hasn't gone soft yet."

I don't tell him, but I kind of love it, too. Oh, who am I kidding? I kind of love him .

"Well?" Aidan breathes against my ear two hours later, nuzzling me as I sit on his lap at his kitchen table, our empty plate before us.

A shiver works its way through me as I lean into him, blissful in a way I've never been. "Your meat is the best thing I've ever had in my mouth." I sigh happily, earning a chuckle from him.

Mediocrity definitely isn't in his vocabulary. But devotion? Well, he's got that one down pat. He's been spoiling the hell out of me. I got to drink wine and watch while he made us steak and potatoes. And then he pulled me down onto his lap and fed me from his hand.

I'm not sure which of us enjoyed it more. His erection has been a hard ridge against my ass all night, slowly driving me crazy.

"Good girl." He nips the shell of my ear, and I hum, melting against him. "Do you want more wine?"

"I shouldn't."

"Didn't ask if you should, Fairy. I asked if you want it."

I think about it for a minute and then shake my head. "I want something else."

"Yeah?" He cups my jaw, turning my head until he's able to brush his lips against mine. "What do you want? Name it and it's yours."

In that case…

"A private island, a yacht, seven billion dollars, and a treehouse. Like, an actual house built around a giant tree."

His body shakes with laughter. "I'll see what I can do."

"Perfect. In the meantime…" I wriggle until I'm able to turn on his lap. My dress rides up my thighs, so freaking high I know he can see my just-in-case thong as I straddle his thick thighs, looping my arms around his shoulders. "I'm in the mood for dessert, Daddy."

"Oh yeah?" His eyes glitter with desire behind his mask as his hands fall to my outer thighs. "And what does my baby girl want?"

Fortune favors the bold, right?

I hold his gaze, my heart beating like a drum as I cover his hands with mine, sliding them up my body. His chest shudders as I glide his hands up my hips, over my belly, and then stop with them on my breasts.

"You all over me," I whisper. It's nothing but the truth. Who needs sugar when I can have spice?

"Fuck," he growls, leaning forward to capture my lips in a deep kiss. His hands close over my breasts, and my core clenches. He pinches my nipples through my dress, nipping at my bottom lip. "Do I get to eat you right here at the table, baby girl?"

"Yes," I gasp, writhing beneath his touch. God, yes. Who needs a bed when we have a whole table right here? Hell, we have a chair. A sideboard, the floor… plenty of options.

"Hold on to your mask so it doesn't slip," he says sweetly, dropping his hands to the hem of my dress.

I quickly grab the ribbon of the mask, holding it in place as he lifts my dress up my body, stripping it from me. Naturally, I get tangled up in it. He chuckles as he helps me fight my way free, carefully keeping my mask in place. And then the dress slithers over my head.

His breath rushes from his lungs. "Fucking hell, baby girl," he whispers. "Look at you."

I blush, shivering at the intensity in his gaze.

"You're fucking stunning." He reaches out, running a single fingertip from the column of my throat all the way down the center of my body to my sex.

I whimper, my thighs parting on instinct.

His gaze drops, noticing the wet spot on my panties. "Mm." He runs his thumb over it, practically purring. "I wonder what did this."

"Easy. Feeling you against my ass all night, Daddy."

Heat rolls through his eyes in a wave. "There isn't a shy bone in your body, is there?"

"Not really. Does it bother you?"

"Fuck no," he growls, grinding his thumb against the seam of my panties. "I love your confidence. I love that mouth. I love how goddamn sexy you are."

I rock into his touch, panting for breath. "G-glad you approve. I wasn't always this way. I used to be awkward and nerdy."

"You? Never." He flicks my panties aside, parting my slit with his thumb, and I forget what we were even talking about. Clearly, so does he. His gaze is between my legs, the tip of his tongue peeking from between his lips. "Christ. Look how fucking pretty it is," he groans. "And Daddy gets to wreck it? Goddamn, baby girl. How are you real?"

"Fairy magic," I moan, rocking against his hand. "Aidan, please. I want your mouth. I need it!"

He chokes out a groan, his free hand darting out. Dishes rattle on the table behind me as he shoves them out of the way. Two seconds later, he's boosting me up, planting my ass on the antique wood where our plate was just moments ago.

"Spread wide for me, baby girl. Let Daddy eat," he growls, draping my thighs over his shoulders.

I scramble to obey, practically sobbing when he tears my panties away, shredding the delicate lace. His lips glide up my inner thigh, his breath hot against my sex.

"Daddy!" I sob at the first lick. "Oh, God, Aidan!" This is my dessert, but he's the one who feasts, growling and snarling against my pussy as he eats.

"So good," he mumbles. "Christ. So fucking good." His tongue circles my clit with sinful precision. "I can't stop, baby girl. I'm never going to be able to stop now that I've started."

I cry out, clinging to the edge of the table as he forces the tip of his tongue inside me, snarling again. This is heaven. Magic. Nirvana. Totally worth every damn second of waiting.

He uses his tongue like a cock, fucking me with it. Driving me mad with it. His nose grinds against my clit, pushing me closer to the brink. But it's his greedy sounds and possessive hands that send me catapulting right over the ledge.

I fly with a scream, his name breaking on my lips. It echoes around us… which only seems to make him crazier. He tips me backward, gently pressing me down on the table, and keeps eating, using every part of his mouth to unravel me again.

"Daddy. Aidan," I gasp, reaching for him. Begging for him. "Please. Please." I want him inside me. No, I need him inside me.

Right freaking now.

"You want my cock, baby girl? You want Daddy to fuck you?"

"Yes!"

He rises to his feet with a groan of surrender, already reaching for his zipper. I watch through wide, dazed eyes as he pulls his cock out, my breath stalling in my throat.

"Daddy…"

"It's okay, Fairy. I'll fit." He wraps a fist around his massive erection, stroking from root to tip. "You'll love the way I fit."

"Do it. Put it in me. Please, Aidan."

"Christ, my baby girl's first time shouldn't be on a kitchen table, but I'm a greedy bastard. I can't wait," he groans, shoving the chair back as he steps up between my legs. He leans down, brushing his lips against mine. "I’ll make it up to you, Fairy."

"It's perfect. You're perfect," I whisper against his lips. "This is exactly what I want." A man who wants me so freaking badly he can't think straight. One who already made me come twice. Aidan .

He kisses me sweetly, running his cock through my folds. I gasp, arching against him. And then I arch again, wiggling, desperate, trying to get him inside me.

He pulls back slightly, his gaze locking with mine through our masks. "I need to see your eyes, baby girl. If I can't see your face, I need to see your eyes…"

There's something in his gaze, some emotion I have no name for, no experience with. But it's deep. And powerful. He isn't asking me to remove the mask and reveal myself. He hasn't asked for that a single time. He's simply accepted me on my terms.

So, I don't even hesitate to rip it off now, giving him all of me. It's what he deserves.

"Elysa," he whispers, his eyes flaring bright as the sun.

"You knew," I realize.

He nods. "Figured it out when you mentioned the ex."

"You didn't say anything."

"I can’t be your daddy without trust, Fairy,” he murmurs. “There has to be a foundation to build on, or it falls apart. If you can’t trust me with your comfort, how can you trust me not to push you past your limits or not to take more than you’re willing to give? I’m not going to risk what we're building here. Not fucking ever. I knew you'd tell me when you were ready. I was willing to wait.”

I always thought falling in love was a metaphor, not something you could actually feel happening. But in this moment, I feel myself slip head over heels into love with him. It's wild and fierce, as bright and hot as the sun. And my God, it's beautiful.

No wonder my clients fight so hard to keep it. This feeling is worth any battle. And it's worth any risk, too.

He kisses me again. "Are you ready now, baby girl?"

"Are you going to take off your mask?"

Something dark and wicked rolls through his eyes as he slowly begins to push forward. "Nope," he growls softly. "You're going to be a good girl and let Daddy fuck you in his mask just like this."

Oh. My. God.

I moan loudly, arching against him. He fills me inch by inch, slowly stretching me, with his eyes locked on my face the whole time, as if he can't look away now that I've revealed myself to him. I can't look away either. The sheer ecstasy in his eyes is beautiful.

So is the way pleasure mingles with a tiny bite of pain as he claims me, making me his. I love it so damn much. It doesn't really hurt. It feels… like forever.

"You okay, Fairy?" he asks when his hips come to rest against mine and he's so deep he's stealing my breath.

"Yes," I gasp, writhing, unable to stay still. "Please move. Please."

His eyes heat and darken as he immediately gives me what I want, pulling back before he surges forward again. I cry out in bliss, ecstasy sliding through my veins.

He keeps going, pounding into me again and again, slowly at first and then faster. Until every breath, every second, I feel like I'm going to shatter into pieces. I've never felt like this—so whole, so perfect. So adored.

"God, baby girl. Look at you," he groans. "You're so fucking perfect wrapped around Daddy's cock."

"Aidan," I whimper, my inner muscles fluttering.

"Come for me, Elysa. I want you all over me." He slips his hands under my ass, lifting me into each thrust. The change in angle is divine, allowing him to slip in even deeper. His cock glides against my G-spot again and again.

"Aidan. Daddy…" I try to tell him, but I can't find the words before another thrust sends me hurtling over the edge into oblivion. I cry out wordlessly, clamping down on his cock as endless flows of pleasure rip through me.

Aidan roars when my body locks down on his, going rigid above me. And then I feel his cock twitching inside me as my name tumbles from his lips.

I whimper beneath him, ropes of his cum spilling deep inside my womb. Setting off another explosion, this one deeper, threaded with veins of hope. That they take root. That he wins this war. Complete and total surrender, his ring on my finger… and his baby in my belly. Isn't that what he said he wanted?

Yeah, I'll wave the white flag for that.

Happily.