Chapter Sixteen

Aiden

“ T hanks again. I could have called for a ride to save you the trouble.” I close the door behind us as Bec and I leave Dom and Ellie’s house.

“No worries. It sounds like your building isn’t too far from mine anyway.” She pulls her keys from her purse and unlocks her car. We walk down the driveway in awkward silence. When she starts the car and begins to adjust the heat, I hear a podcast come on.

“That’s it, baby. You take it like such a good fucking girl. Look at you on your knees for me, sucking me, tasting me.”

Wait…what the fuck?

What kind of podcast is this?

“Holy mother-trucker shitballs,” Bec shrieks, scrambling to find her phone, I assume to stop playing…whatever it is that’s playing in her car right now. The way her hand is flailing around in her bag, I assume it’s bottomless, making it impossible for Bec to find her phone and stop whatever the fuck is happening right now.

“Come on, Delilah. Finger your cunt. I know you’re dripping for me.”

She freezes, all efforts to retrieve her phone stopping completely. She slowly raises her gaze to meet mine. Her eyes are wide with horror as we both listen to what might be the most erotic thing I’ve heard in my life. Is she listening to porn? While driving? I file this information away for later…I don’t have time to process it right now.

“Oh…oh god! Oh fuck!” A woman screams, followed by a series of moans and grunts.

“That’s right, come for me. Then, I’ll make you come again on my cock. I’m aching for your hot, wet pussy, Delilah.”

I think I’m having an out-of-body experience. A first for me.

I’m staring at Bec, while her entire face flames a deep shade of pink and her mouth drops open. It’s not well lit in the car, only the light from her dashboard controls and the faint glow from the light above Dom and Ellie’s garage, so I know she’s truly mortified if I can see her blushing. I don’t know whether or not to look away as we both listen to a woman completely coming apart, screaming and moaning.

Holy shit, I’ve got to look away from Bec. Hearing this…and looking at her. I can feel myself getting hard and that is the last thing I need right now.

I turn away, focusing my eyes forward, which must snap Bec out of it because out of the corner of my eye, I see her slowly reach over to the knob on her console and simply turn the volume all the way down.

Silence. The loudest silence in history fills the space between us.

“Wish I had thought to just turn down the volume,” she whispers.

“Hm.” I nod, my head bobbing like one of those dashboard bobble heads they carry in the team’s shop of all of the players.

What the fuck am I supposed to say right now? I’m half-hard, my mind racing to make sense of what just happened, but all I can think about is if Bec would sound like that coming for me. Would she want me to talk to her like that? If I told her all the things I want to do to her, would she let me?

“So, um, I like smutty romance books. The girls and I have a book club. That’s this month’s book I was listening to earlier. ”

“Sounds like educational stuff. A lot, uh, a lot of good stuff there. Sounds like…a nice time.” I inwardly cringe.

Did I just say that sounded educational? I mean, yeah, I might feel a little enlightened, but only because I just discovered a side of Bec that I am too happy to meet.

“It’s very educational,” she replies.

Huh?

Bec’s looking down in her lap, her hands braced on the steering wheel. She pauses and lets out an audible breath. “I’m going to drive now. But later, when I get home and I’m alone in my bed, I’m going to listen to that again. I’m going to think about this moment and pretend that it’s happening to me,” she says, meeting my eyes. “Are you going to think about it too?”

I’m stunned speechless. Fuck yes, I’m going to be thinking about what I just heard…most likely it’ll play in my mind on repeat for the rest of time. But is she asking me if I’m going to be thinking about her thinking about it, and maybe thinking about me too? What is she going to be doing while she thinks about it? Is she flirting with me? Am I losing my mind? I think my brain just melted.

A flash of confidence strikes, surprising me, and I decide to take a risk. “Bec, there is no way I could think about anything else for the rest of the night. But now that you’ve told me that you’ll be thinking about it, too, there won’t be any Delilah in the version I replay for myself later.”

It’ll be you, Bec.

I let the implication speak for me.

Her eyes flash to my mouth. She licks her bottom lip and bites it. A habit of hers I continue to notice and now find myself watching and waiting for glimpses of. I want to bite it too. “What else happens in your version?” It’s practically a whisper, but I hear every word reverberating in my mind .

I don’t know if it’s the tension that I’ve felt between us since I moved back to town, or if it’s the safety of darkness lowering inhibitions and reservations for us both, but all of a sudden, I feel like the Bec from years ago is sitting next to me, turning my insides into liquid fire. I want to reach over, wrap one hand around the back of her neck, and pull her close. Grip her thigh and run my palm up her leg to find her center warm and wet for me.

Holy fuck. I gotta get out of this car.

My thoughts are going from rational, reasonable, and respectful to fucking filth.

“I wanted to show you when we met. I like to think it would have sounded a lot like your book. I would have taken my time with you. There isn’t an inch of you I wouldn’t have worshipped. We would have made a mess of things. Made a mess of each other. We would have gotten a noise complaint in that hotel and deserved it. I would have left your body feeling weak, thoroughly used up from the inside out. You would have begged me to carry you out of the room when we finally had to leave, because I wouldn’t waste a minute we had together, wringing every ounce of pleasure out of you that I possibly could.”

She gives me a wicked smile and simply states, “I think I like your version better than my book.” She shifts her car into gear and drives us to the city in silence, leaving my mind to wander through thoughts of what could have been and what could possibly still be.

* * *

Aiden : Hey Dom, can you do me a solid?

Dom : Sure, what’s up?

Aiden : Can you text me the name of the book Ellie’s reading right now ?

Dom : Um, why are you asking what book my wife is reading?

Aiden : Don’t make it weird, man. Bec mentioned their book club, and I’ve been trying to get back into reading. Can you just send me the title?

Dom : Did she mention the types of books they read? Because if you’re looking for a thriller or classic, the girls can’t help you.

Aiden : Okay, Bec may not have meant to tell me about the book club, but yeah. I know the types of books they’re reading.

Dom : What do you mean?

Aiden : Her audiobook may have started playing when she drove me home last night.

Dom : Holy shit…what did you hear?

Aiden : Let’s just say it was eye opening. I need to do a little more research.

Dom : Understood. Let me go find her book. I’m sure this goes without saying, but I’m going to need more details later.

Aiden : I’ll need a drink first.

Dom: Consider it done.

* * *

“Ow, oh shit, my side hurts,” Dom says, laughing his ass off. He slaps me on the back and flags down the waitress for a beer. “I can’t breathe, man. That is hilarious.”

I join him, letting out a reluctant laugh as I recall everything that happened in Bec’s car last weekend. Thankfully, Dom was able to meet me after work for a quick drink downtown before heading home to take over for Ellie with Luca.

I needed to tell someone about what happened, and not just the revelation about Bec’s books. I finally came clean and told Dom about how Bec and I initially met and how I still think about the possibility of more between us. It was a relief to tell him. I asked him not to share with Ellie for now, since I’m pretty sure Bec hasn’t told her either. He didn’t love that, but he understood. He also said that if she’s pissed at him for not telling her, that he gets to throw me under the bus. Not sure Ellie will let him get away with that, but I agreed anyway.

“It really was…something. I’m nervous to see her this weekend for Hop’s training class. I can’t imagine she wants to see me.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Bec’s chill as fuck with a great sense of humor. She’ll shake it off. Besides, it kind of sounds like you two still have some kind of attraction going on. Why don’t you go for it and ask her out?”

“Bec already told me we should be friends. Don’t get me wrong, I was disappointed she didn’t want to talk about exploring anything more than that. She really is cool as hell.”

And hot as fuck. I immediately went to rub one out in the shower after Bec dropped me off at my place after Dom’s party. I thought of her the entire time, guilt-free since she said she’d be doing the same thing, but I’ll keep that part to myself.

“Huh, she didn’t mention that at the party when I mentioned trying to hook you two up,” Dom says.

“What’d she say about me?”

“Got it bad, huh? A little eager?” He looks down at his shoulder where I’ve gripped him roughly, turning him to me in demand of an answer. Okay, so maybe I got my hopes up a little. I release my hold on him and try to calm down.

“I don’t want to sound desperate, but I sort of can’t get her outta my head.”

“Could have guessed. Listen, I’ve known Bec for years. Her last relationship didn’t end on great terms, from what I know. If she feels something for you, she’ll probably keep that locked down and wait for you to make the first move. All she said at the party was that you seeing her covered in baby shit probably killed any shot at romance. I didn’t realize what had already happened between the two of you, or that you were still interested, otherwise I could have put in a good word for you. Sorry, man.”

Before I can respond, I get a call from Evie. When I answer, the urgency in her voice tells me everything I need to know. I’ll be making a trip to Detroit this weekend. I thought maybe we had more time to figure things out, but I guess not.