Future Investment: (Taboo Romance Series) (Forbidden Fruit Book 2) (10 page)

Chapter 17

Aiden

I leaned back in my chair and ran my fingers over the papers sitting on my desk, trying to figure out how to make things up to Elizabeth. I'd been a dick that day to the only person I truly cared anything about. Saying that I was sorry would only go so far. I got up and walked back down the hall to Mrs. Peterson's room. They were going to pull the plug on Lance at eight, and I wanted to be there with her when they did. I knew Elizabeth would do a great job delivering the news, and some part of me was angry over having pussy-footed away from doing it myself.

I cared about the little old couple and had fought hard for Lance's life more times than I could count over the last ten years. Between having to watch him die and deal with the shit between me and Elizabeth, I was mentally and emotionally wasted.

After knocking on the door, I poked my head inside. "Sarah, can I speak with you for a minute?"

Everyone turned to look at me as Sarah got up from the couch with the help of two middle-aged men who sat on either side of her.

"Of course. Aiden, come in here and let me introduce you to my family." She gave me a tired smile, and I walked in and shook hands until we'd gone all the way around the room.

"Nice to meet you all. I wish it were under different circumstances." I held the door open and glanced down at Sarah. "Let me buy you a coffee?"

"I'd like that." She looped her arm into mine and glanced up at me with a sweet smile as we started down the hall. "You know something?"

"Tell me." I turned the corner and held open the door to the cafeteria.

"Lance always wondered if you would ever find the right woman. He was in here so often that I think he started to think about you like he did Fred and Tommy, our boys." She chuckled. "He used to always tell me that you were a good-looking man with a great head on your shoulders, but you were missing one vital thing."

I lifted my eyebrow as I grabbed a couple of coffee mugs for us. "What's that?"

"A good woman to complete you." She winked at me and took the mug, filling it up and walking toward a table in the center of the room. It was empty, which was good. I needed a few minutes with someone I knew would listen to me and offer sound advice. I had a lot of patients like Sarah and Lance. I guess that's why I never really felt alone until Elizabeth showed up. These people
were
my family.

"Tell me about the girl you sent in to share the news about Lance." Sarah sat down and gave me a motherly look. "I assume she must be pretty important to you if you were willing to let her do that deed for you today."

I let out a long sigh and sat down. "Yeah. I should have come in there myself. I just hated the fact that this was it. I've been with you guys since Lance's first heart attack. You're like family."

"I know, Aiden. You are too, sweetheart." She reached out and brushed her hand over my forearm as I swallowed my devastation. It was a flavor I'd tasted far too often, and yet it was part of the job on a regular basis.

"Elizabeth is an incredible doctor, or will be one day. She's at the top of her class and graduated number-"

"Aiden, I don't want statistics on the girl. I know you came to talk to me because you're hurting. I could see it on your face when we talked about Lance earlier. Either she's incredibly sensitive, or she was hurting too. She cried right along with me, and I'd never seen her a day in my life." Sarah laughed. "I wanted to comfort her over us losing Lance, but she wasn't weeping over that, was she?"

"No. I mean... she's sensitive and loving, so your pain was mostly shared by her, but no... I've hurt her." I ran my hands through my hair and let out a shaky sigh. "I'm in love with her, and I can't be."

"And why in Heaven's name can't you be?" She squeezed my arm and let out a curt laugh.

"It's complicated, but it boils down to the fact that I'm her mentor and she's my resident. We can't step over those lines, or one of us will have to move to another hospital. She needs me as her mentor because I'm the only one truly capable of pushing her to greatness. I need her because she's the only woman who's made me feel anything... ever."

"Wow. That
is
complicated." Sarah took a sip of her coffee. "Have you spoken to Peter?"

I loved that Sarah and Lance knew me so well. We'd had coffee together many times over the years, and they had grown to love me, as I did them.

"I did, but there's very little that he can do about it. The rules are black and white. We can sneak around for the next three years, or one of us can call 'uncle' and leave the hospital, but that would destroy anything we had between us anyway, or at least I think it would. I've been an ass to her since I realized that I was in love with her." I left out the part where we'd made an arrangement for me to pay for access to her delicious body. Sarah and anyone else with breath in their lungs would frown heavily upon that. And they should. It had to stop.

"Life is short, but you know that all too well. Go get the girl, and you can figure out the rest later, Aiden. Love doesn't show up on your doorstep every day. It's rare, and it deserves to be treasured and fostered. Stop messing around, and trust that everything will work out as it should. Go take the first step. Lance did, and we had forty-three years of bliss. My daddy hated him, but he didn't care. I was more important than the opposing forces, and you know what?" Tears filled her eyes, as they did mine. "We won. We got all those years of being together. No one can take that away from us. Go get the girl."

I nodded and got up. "You're right. You always are."

After giving her a long hug and walking her back to Lance's room, I stopped by my office and gathered my things. I would text Elizabeth, and wherever she was... I was going there too. I wanted to tell her how much I needed her, how much I'd fallen in love with her.

She could accept me or deny me, but I had to get it off my chest.

I pulled my phone from my pocket as it buzzed, and stiffened as bile rose up in my throat. The text was from Parks, and there was picture after picture of Elizabeth wrapped in his arms, or his lips pressed to her cheek. They looked happy, whole - right. The message simply read that Parks was
almost there
with her. He was rounding first and headed toward home.

Anger and regret raged through me like I'd never felt before, and I texted him back, asking where they were. The minute I got the name of the club, I got into my car and drove like a bat out of hell. It would be a holy nightmare for me tomorrow for busting into the club and dragging Elizabeth out, but I wasn't letting her go, and I owed Parks an explanation. He cared about me, and I had no doubt that he would be furious with me for keeping my feelings a secret, but he could get over it.

She mattered far too much to keep my mouth shut any longer. Sarah was right. We would find a way to make things work out, and the rest of the story would fall in line somehow. We could make sure it did, but first... I needed to get to my girl.

*

I parked across the street from the club and walked in without too much hassle. I recognized a few residents from St. Mark's, but didn't see Elizabeth until I got further into the crowd. She was dancing with Parks, her arms around his neck and his face pressed to the side of her throat.

There was no hesitation inside of me as I reached out and pulled her arm roughly. I half dragged her off the floor and pulled her toward the front door. We made it outside before I turned to her. She slapped me hard across the face, and that was it.

Picking her up, I pushed her against the wall behind us and consumed her mouth, putting every ounce of anger and despair I had pumping through me into the kiss. She pushed at me at first, but melted a moment later, wrapping herself around me as she opened herself up and pulled me in tighter.

I groaned and rocked my hips, wondering why the fuck we weren't naked and writhing with each other. Someone pulled at my shoulder, and I broke the kiss, looking back to find a wide-eyed Parks.

"What the fuck, dude?" His hands lifted to the side as confusion filled his expression.

"I'm in love with her. I should have told you." I held her to my side and pressed my lips to her forehead as she lolled against me. She was wasted, but I didn't care.

"What? Yeah, you should have told me. Fuck, Aiden, I almost took her home with me tonight. Then what? Damn, man." He pushed at my chest, but not as if he wanted to start something. He was upset, and had every right to be.

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll catch up with you tomorrow and explain. I saw your pictures and honestly thought I was going to go through the roof. Elizabeth is mine, and I'm done pretending that she's not." I squared my shoulders, not worrying if she could hear or understand me. She was lost to her liquor, but I would explain it all again to her in the morning.

He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "Alright. That sucks, but I get it. I thought something might be up, but then you kept treating her like shit, so I figured I was wrong."

"I know. I'm a dick, and if she doesn't want anything to do with me when she sobers up, I'll move back and give you space to see if something exists between you guys, but if she wants me... I'm all hers." I reached out and squeezed Parks' shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Me too." He patted my hand and moved back toward the club. "Take care of her, Aiden. She's a good woman. No more fucking this up if you get a chance to make things right. I'm waiting in the wings, as are a zillion other guys. Got it?"

"Yeah. More than you know." I turned and picked her up as she mumbled something against my neck. I couldn't understand her, but I leaned down and brushed my lips by hers instead of trying. "It's alright, baby. I'm going to take you home with me, and I'll take care of you. Okay?"

She closed her eyes and cuddled up against my chest as I walked to the car. She wasn't going to wake up for the rest of the night, but I didn't care. I would clean her up and hold her until she came to the next day. Then... I was coming clean with the beautiful vixen. I didn't just want access to her body, but to her heart as well.

Funny to think that no amount of money could purchase such a treasure.

Chapter 18

Elizabeth

I woke the next morning tucked against someone. Fear raced through me that I'd gotten completely drunk and let Parks take me to bed, but then I realized the color of the sheets beneath me. Aiden. I stiffened in the bed, trying like hell to remember the night before, and only getting quick glimpses of Parks dancing with me sensually.

"Fuck," I whispered, hating myself. I might have been mad at Aiden, but cheating on him wasn't part of the deal. Was it cheating if we weren't really together?

"You awake?" His lips brushed by the back of my shoulder, and I realized that I was naked.

"Yes. What happened?" I turned onto my back and pulled the cover up as I looked over at him. My heart melted in my chest and tears filled my eyes at the dark circles under his eyes, coupled with the worried look on his devastatingly handsome face.

"You got sick, so I held you over the toilet. Your clothes are probably dry by now." He moved up beside me and lifted to his elbow, which caused the sheet to slide from his chest and leave his upper body on display.

Desire shot through me and I reached out, rubbing my hand up his arm to his shoulder. "Thank you. I'm so sorry. I think I danced with Parks. I was so drunk."

"Shh... it's okay. It was my fault." He leaned over and brushed his lips against mine tentatively.

Gratefulness that he was willing to care for me after what I'd done drove me to press into the kiss. I pulled at his neck and he moved to rest on top of me, the sheet getting stuck between us.

"Take it easy, Elizabeth. I've been watching you all night, and it's not going to take much to have me starving for your touch." He pressed his nose to the side of my neck and breathed in deeply.

"Oh God." I arched my back and tugged at the covers. "Get under here. I need to feel you against me so fucking bad."

He moved the covers, giving me a glimpse of his rock-hard erection. I reached down and stroked it as he growled softly at me.

"Woman. I'm serious. Take it easy. I know you're not feeling well." He settled down on top of me, and I closed my eyes as tears burned my vision. It felt like heaven to have him against me.

Fear wrapped around me so tightly that I couldn't breathe. I would have him for an hour or two, and then he would belong to the world he lived in and not me anymore. I would be a burden, a hindrance, until it was time to make love again.

"I can't do this," I whispered as a sob bubbled up inside of me.

He stroked my hair back and placed soft kisses all over my face before brushing his nose along mine. I opened my eyes to find his deep blue eyes filled with tears too.

"I can't either. Let's not do this anymore." He kissed me softly, and I expected him to move, but instead, he pressed into me as I gripped the sheets and let out a cry from the pleasure that swelled in my stomach. "Let's not pretend that we're not in love with each other, Lizzy. Let's let down our guard and fall so far that we can't imagine breathing if something were to happen to the other."

I cried out as he pressed in farther. His hands tightened around my face and he licked at my mouth before kissing me a few times and starting to pump in and out of me. I reached up and gripped him as if I might lose him.

"I want to be on top," I whispered, and he rolled us over, never losing contact.

I sat up and pressed back to take him fully inside me, and it was his turn to cry out. I pressed my hands to his strong chest and rocked against him as I whimpered due to his size.

He reached up and palmed my breasts, squeezing and massaging them as his eyes bore into mine.

"I love you. I've fallen so far in love with you that it scares me. Tell me that I'm not alone. I don't want to be alone anymore. Tell me that you feel the same." His hand brushed my cheek, and he pulled me down to lay flush against him as his other hand squeezed my ass tightly. "Tell me."

I nodded, and wrapped my arms around his neck as we continued to give and take from one another. "I love you too. So much that it hurts sometimes."

He nodded and closed his eyes, lifting his hips and working me from underneath as he groaned in pleasure with each thrust.

His words opened up a part of me that I didn't realize existed. I wanted forever with him, and even though it had started out as something so far from good and wholesome, it was turning into all those things now. My pain would dissipate the more I began to believe his desires were true.

"Hold on, baby. I'm going to get up and put on a condom." He kissed me once more and rolled us back over, working me for a few more minutes before getting up and walking to his nightstand.

"Aiden. What about tomorrow when we're back at work? Will you still love me then?" I knew I sounded needy and maybe a little pathetic, but I didn't care. I needed to know. If he was only willing to love me behind closed doors, then I needed to gather my things and leave. My heart couldn't handle us not truly being together. It was wrecking the parts of my life that mattered most.

"Yes. Forever." He rolled the condom on and walked back toward me as I let my eyes run along him. A soft moan left my lips as he pushed at my shoulder and curled in behind me, spooning me tightly. "I'm not telling you that it's going to be easy, but I don't care. If one of us has to leave the hospital, then I'll go."

He gripped my hip and impaled me with a loud groan. I reached up and grabbed the headboard, far too out of breath to tell him that I would go. He'd been there for the last ten years. I would take one for the team and do my residency elsewhere.

"I need to release all of this shit I've been building up inside of me for the last three weeks. Tell me you can take it." He shifted a little and half lay on top of me, forcing me more onto my stomach as he pressed in so deeply that it almost hurt.

"I want it." I gripped the bed tightly as he thanked me, and started to fuck me fast and hard, his body opening mine up as if it were his to command. I came so hard that tears filled my eyes, and he followed me quickly, rocking himself against me until he collapsed and wrapped me in a tight hold.

"I love you. So much, Elizabeth. Tell Parks and every other man in the world to fuck off. You're mine. We don't need to figure out what that means, but we do need to work through the details."

I nodded and wiped at my tears. "I love you too. I need to get into the hospital soon. My boss has been a dick lately, and I don't want to upset him."

He chuckled low in his chest. "Your boss says that you're at work already. Today's going to be a test in longevity. You up for it?"

I smirked and pushed him back before crawling out of the bed and grabbing the rest of the condoms. I tossed them at him and pulled my hair up before cracking my neck and walking back to the bed.

"Get another one of those on. I've always wanted to try reverse cowgirl." I crawled onto the bed as his eyes widened slightly.

"You play mentor then. Just promise to make me your mentee." He reached for me, pulling me down and wrapping his arms and legs around me as we rolled to a comfortable spot on the bed. "Forgive me for all of this. I wanted your heart, not your body or your time. That all would have come along with it if I hadn't twisted your offer. I'm sorry."

I brushed my hand down his face and took a deep breath. "There's nothing to be sorry about. I offered you me. My heart wasn't part of the deal, but like most cocky doctors... you just assumed it was all yours."

He laughed and squeezed my ass before tucking his face against my neck. "And I want it all, but can we start with the reverse cowgirl stuff first?"

I laughed and swatted at him. "Anything you want."

"There's my girl. Get up here and remind me why I'm going to shower you in everything I have for the rest of our lives." He gripped my hips tightly as I moved up to straddle him.

"Because my ass is cute?" I glanced over my shoulder to watch him put on a new condom.

"Because you're everything I want, and far more than I deserve." He pulled me back to take him in. "I'll always be right here behind you, supporting you, loving you, needing you."

"And fucking me?" I rocked my hips as he sat up and moved his fingers to play between my thighs as the world lit on fire.

"Always fucking you. Every time you let me." He kissed my neck as I closed my eyes and lost myself in the feeling of his touch.

There wouldn't be an every time, but an
any
time. I was his, and he could have anything he wanted. Whenever he wanted it. Wherever he wanted it.

He was my future, and I was fully invested.