Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“It was my grandmother’s.” It had taken some shady work to figure out Charlie’s ring size after he’d first met her, so that he could get the ring resized. He hadn’t told anyone about it. Though he’d been as sure of her as he could be of a near-stranger, he hadn’t wanted to admit the lengths he’d gone through, in case things didn’t pan out.
If anything, she looked even more horrified. “I can’t wear your grandmother’s ring. It’s not right.”
“You have to. As oldest son and heir, that ring rightfully belongs to my future wife. It would be more than a little suspicious if I didn’t give it to you.”
She touched the massive diamond. It was in the same setting as when his grandfather had proposed, little rubies and garnets surrounding the diamond, to represent colors in the O’Malley crest.
It felt a whole lot like he’d just branded Charlie.
It didn’t bother him nearly as much as it should.
Chapter Nine
Charlie was going to kill Aiden. He didn’t let up on that goddamn vibrator for a second during the ride over to the party. Between that and the giant diamond ring that she swore was weighing her hand down, she didn’t feel like herself anymore. She wasn’t herself anymore.
By the time the car pulled to a stop, she was panting a little, her body so primed for him, she was putting serious consideration into breaking her own rule and begging.
And then the vibrations between her legs…stopped.
She took a breath, and then another. “I hate this.”
“No, you don’t.” Aiden glanced out the window and then at the expensive watch at his wrist. “We have a little time.”
“What—oh.” She found herself in his lap, her back against his chest.
“You might think this is a mercy.” He pulled her dress up and slid his hand into her panties. “It’s not.”
She didn’t care. All that mattered was his hand working between her thighs, taking up where the vibrator had left off. Charlie let her head rest on his shoulder as he fucked her with his fingers. “God, Aiden.”
“Tonight, bright eyes. If you make it through this dinner without sticking a fork in my jugular or embarrassing us both, I’m going to be inside you tonight.”
And just like that, she was coming, his free hand over her mouth to muffle her cries. He didn’t gentle his touch, ruthlessly driving her over the edge again, until all she knew was the man at her back, his fingers buried inside her.
He adjusted her panties, and she sobbed out a breath as the vibrator came into contact with her oversensitive clit. She was aching from the orgasm, and the sheer deviousness of what he’d just done struck her.
Charlie pushed off him, cursing. “Maybe I don’t want that cocktease of yours.” She couldn’t catch her breath. He wasn’t doing this. He couldn’t. When he made a move to get out of the car, she grabbed his arm. “Aiden.”
The desperation in her voice was clear. She didn’t even try to hide it.
He stopped, closed the door that he’d just opened, and turned to look at her. She could almost feel his attention sliding over her, and she saw the exact moment he realized this wasn’t just a game of protesting for the fun of it. “You don’t want this.”
“This?” She motioned between them. “This is fine.” But now wasn’t the time for bravado—not when she was about to climb out of this car and face down the man who’d been instrumental in her being branded a dirty cop. Charlie took a deep breath and muscled past her pride. “I like the games—when it’s between you and me. You can’t honestly expect me to go out there with a goddamn vibrator in my panties.”
He was so still, she wasn’t sure he was breathing. Finally, Aiden smiled. “I don’t.”
“What?” She pressed her hand to her chest to hide the relief that made her shake. “What are you talking about?”
He had her dress up and the vibe removed before she had a chance to tell him she could do it herself. Then Aiden pulled her back into his lap and rested his chin on the top of her head.
Charlie stared blindly into the shadows of the town car while Aiden…comforted her. She’d be lying if she called it anything else. He didn’t say anything, and she didn’t know what to say, so they sat there in silence as he rubbed her back and held her. The shift happened so fast, she was surprised she didn’t have whiplash.
I don’t even know what’s happening right now.
Movement on the outside of the car drew her attention. People were walking through the front doors, each dressed glitzier than the next. “What are we doing, Aiden?”
“You were worried about meeting Romanov tonight. Now you’re not.”
Charlie froze. All this was a distraction? For her? To put her mind at ease because he knew how nervous she was to finally face the man behind her downfall?