She let him take control, closing her eyes as his hands and mouth explored her body. She watched as he shed his clothes and shivered as he began undressing her too. He slid her panties down around her ankles, and she kicked them aside, wanting nothing, not even a shred of material, to be between his skin and hers. As his fingers played along the wet folds between her legs, she spread them just a little wider to let him know she approved. It felt so good to have his fingers inside of her, all over her, drawing circles on the most sensitive spot on her body until she wanted to scream.
“Please, Aldon,” she moaned, distantly aware of a rustling sound that seemed to be Aldon retrieving a condom from his pants pocket and putting it on before he climbed atop her once more. As he entered her, she felt her muscles squeezing around his hardness. “Yes!” she cried. Her back arched as they came together, right there in the library in the midst of Aldon’s book collection.
Piper sighed with utter satisfaction and wrapped her legs around Aldon’s body. She’d never dreamed this man could possibly be a part of her life before all of this. But now she couldn’t imagine losing him. Tenderly, she kissed his cheek.
“Are you up for round two?” he asked.
She grinned, and let Aldon carry her to his bedroom, sweet anticipation pulsing in her veins.
Aldon curled his body behind Piper’s, pulling her into his arms after their second round of lovemaking. The curve of her form fit perfectly into his. In fact, everything about Piper seemed to fit Aldon to a T. It was hard to believe that just a few days ago he’d come here seeking nothing more than rest and quiet, only to find this beautiful and warm-hearted woman with so much to give. When he’d first met her, he’d found her attractive, but he’d never imagined they’d end up like this, especially after having spent a life always expecting that things inevitably wouldn’t work out.
But he could imagine things working out with Piper. She just seemed right.
“You okay?” he asked, as he brushed a strand of red hair from her face.
“I’m great,” she said and turned toward him. Her face had the afterglow of good sex and satisfaction.
“I am too,” he said. “Today was amazing. Helping at the homeless shelter and talking to all of those people at the restaurant made me feel useful, like I matter for a change.”
Piper’s brows furrowed. “Do you usually feel like you don’t matter?”
Aldon didn’t often talk about his complicated relationship with his father, but he felt compelled to open up to Piper. “I’ve always kind of been the other son,” he said, his eyes cast down.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, ever since I was young, I’ve gotten lost in between my other brothers. My older brother was always the perfect child who could do no wrong. Marcus, on the other hand, kept my parents busy with his antics.”
“The playboy prince?” Piper asked, and Aldon nodded at the nickname his brother had procured from his former gigolo lifestyle. Since Marcus had settled down with Kyra, his American bride, he’d done a total one-eighty, but more time would need to pass before people would let the nickname go.
“I had to try really hard to get my parents’ attention, especially my father’s. I got good grades and never got in trouble or anything, but I always seemed to come up short somehow.”
“I’m sorry,” Piper said and caressed his arm lovingly. “Families, especially fathers, can be complicated. I imagine having a king for a father can’t be easy.”
Aldon shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s any different from what everyone else deals with, but my father has just always been tough to pin down let alone impress. I used to play pranks on him just to feel like I had some sort of impact on his life.”
Piper laughed. “What types of pranks? Saran Wrap on the toilet? Shaving cream while he slept?”
“No. I used to hide his things,” Aldon said. He remembered feeling a weird sort of pleasure as a young boy at watching his father hunt for his pens, his phone, his cufflinks. “Sometimes I’d play the hero and act like I’d found what it was he’d misplaced.” Aldon placed air quotes around the word. “He’d usually notice me for a few minutes then.”
“Aldon, that must have been really hard,” Piper said. Her green eyes gazed into his as if he was the only person in the world who mattered.
“I turned out okay.” Aldon knew he was making light, but he didn’t feel like talking about his family anymore. “How about your family? Are you close?”
Piper propped herself up on her elbows. She looked adorable with her feet peeking out of the comforter on the other end of the bed. “Well, I’m close to my mother. She lives in town and helps me with Piper.”
“And your father?”
Piper released a frustrated sigh.
“The first of several men who left me high and dry and disappointed me.”
Aldon was quiet. He couldn’t imagine any man wanting to leave Piper. He wished that they could stay here like this, his body wrapped around hers, forever.
“I’m sorry, Piper,” he whispered and kissed her ear.
“He cheated on my mom so many times. He’d meet his fancy of the month and leave us for her only to show up with half-dead roses and an insincere apology a few weeks later when his latest fling fell apart.” Piper ran a hand through her hair, remembering the time she’d run off after her father, determined to find him and bring him home. She’d only been about eight years old and had gotten herself lost. When the police found her hours later and brought her home, she’d been too ashamed to tell her mother she’d been looking for her dad.
“So, what happened with your dad? Did your mom eventually stop taking him back?”
“No, she took him back every single time,” Piper said. “The last time, he disappeared for good. He left me a note saying he’d tried his best to stick around, but it just wasn’t working out for him.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ve always felt like I wasn’t enough of a reason for him to want to stay.”
“That’s awful,” Aldon said. Anger and sadness filled his chest at the thought of Piper, a small child, being devalued by her father.
“At least I have my mom,” Piper said. “She never deserved to be treated the way he treated her.”
“You said your father was the first of many men who disappointed you,” Aldon said. He knew he was digging, but he was curious about Willa’s father. Piper had told her that he’d been unfaithful, but Aldon got the sense that there was more to the story.
Piper must have sensed his curiosity. “I got pregnant with Willa when I was twenty. Her father disappeared the day after I told him. I knew I was keeping my baby, knew I’d have to be strong to raise her alone, but it worked out. I’ve had to work hard and fight alone for a good life for the both of us, but Willa’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Listening to Piper’s story, Aldon realized that she wasn’t only beautiful and kind. She was strong. That was what had made her able to bounce back from her father deserting her and then another desertion from Willa’s father. Piper was a wonder. Instead of saying anything, Aldon leaned in and kissed Piper tenderly on the lips. When he pulled back, Piper was smiling.