I couldn’t blame him. She was pretty freaking amazing.
Aston
Back then
As my body slid in and out of Bexley’s, my blood had never felt so heated. My skin prickled from being near her, on top of her, inside her, everywhere.
I wanted her for forever, but I’d take this one weekend. It was the fix I’d been jonesing for.
I’d had a lot to drink by the time Bexley arrived at Milly and Mike’s engagement party. Mike and I had started the evening with a round or two of shots, and then I switched to my old standby, Jack and Coke.
She’d shown up by herself, sexy as fuck in a skimpy black dress and matching heels. It was probably some bargain-basement special, but on her it looked like couture. At least to me.
They’d told me to bring a date because Milly expected Bexley to bring some loser, Seth. Unlike her, I couldn’t convince myself to bring someone who wasn’t important to me. For the last four months, all the someones in my life were nothing more than a warm body and a release. I was beginning to hate every woman I met.
When Bexley showed up alone, I knew I’d made the right choice. Although it might have been the alcohol talking. My dad had just signed me on as a full-fledged partner in the business as an early Christmas gift. Not saddling myself with a poor girl like Bexley had been my dad’s demand before promoting me, in addition to insisting I go to business school now that I was weeks away from getting my bachelor’s degree.
A few cocktails in, my dad’s requests were nothing but silly semantics.
Who the hell was he to tell me who I could love?
Bexley looked gorgeous. The sides of her dress had these cutouts, revealing tanned skin and subtle curves. Her long, lean legs looked fucking delicious in those pumps. As I downed my fifth or fifteenth drink of the evening, I imagined running my tongue up the back of her calf, making my way to the inside of her thigh.
It didn’t help that she ignored me for most of the evening, drinking champagne and laughing with her friends. But I caught her near the bar.
“Aston Prescott,” I said with my hand extended.
A million emotions flashed across her face—disbelief, anger, confusion, lust, and finally, happiness.
“Bexley,” she said, slipping her hand in mine like when we first met.
“Nice to meet you, Bexley . . . ?”
She laughed. “Stop. You already know me, Aston.”
I pulled her into my side, and her head dropped on my shoulder, her hair cascading all around her face and mine.
“I was just remembering when we first met,” I said as I kissed the top of her head.
“Aston,” she whispered.
“It’s good to see you.” And it was better than good.
“I thought you were moving on. You said it yourself—your dad needed your full focus, and that included not being with some washerwoman’s daughter.”
“I hate that you heard that.” I couldn’t stop breathing her in, with her cherry lip gloss and drugstore perfume.
“I thought you were driving me back to school. I waited and waited, and you never showed. What else should I have done? I came to your office—”
“Enough. I don’t want to talk about it anymore. You look too gorgeous tonight to be sad. Plus, I’m a partner at Federal now. Nothing my dad can do.”
That was definitely the alcohol talking. When it came to my dad, nothing stopped the power-hungry, money-grubbing man.
“You are?” Her eyes lit up like the buzzers on top of slot machines.
I had no clue how she could be so excited over something that had led to so much pain for her.
“Yep. Come on, let’s have a drink and celebrate.”
We did a little more than that.
I ended up back at her mother’s house, fucking Bexley on her small bed. It was the skin-slapping, aggressive, it’s-been-too-long kind of fucking, not the languorous making love we’d once done. I assumed she was still on the pill, and I didn’t ask any questions before diving into what I still considered to be mine. What would always be mine.
I marked her neck, and she bit my nipple, running her tongue along my chest. My skin smelled like her when we were finished. Afterward, when I dragged my clothes back on, I decided not to shower.
I had to go . . . her mom couldn’t find me there. Not after I broke her heart.
Bexley called a cab for me, and I was gone before the sun came up or I could question my actions. As I dragged myself into the carriage house behind my dad’s mansion, he sat waiting for me, questioning enough for both of us.
Of course he’d been watching me. He knew what I’d done, and threatened to take away what was mine—my partnership at Federal, and any chance at ever taking over the company.
When he demanded that I end it with Bexley, once again, I agreed. I owed it to my mom. She hadn’t endured all his bullshit for me not to get that damn company. No way in hell was he going to give it to his new kids.
A month later, I heard Bexley had married Seth, the jerk she’d been seeing. They’d gone down to City Hall and made it official. At least she didn’t go to Vegas.
Aston
Present day
“I have another daughter,” I said to Aidan, sitting across from him at his overpriced law firm.
“We know this already, Aston. We’re taking care of all the paperwork you requested, setting up a trust fund and college-saving accounts. But we really do need to talk about the case. You’re wanted for some very serious crimes. The fact you’re walking around a free man is a small miracle, a gift of having money and status—”
Kicking my feet out in front of me, I stared at him. “Look, I didn’t do anything. We’ve been over this. Someone planted that shit there and then called
