Page 2

Chapter 2

Aiden

Tearing my eyes from the girl in my rearview mirror, I focus on the road ahead. The campus zips by in a blur as I speed toward the entrance. I refuse to harbor any guilt from leaving her trapped in the cold rain.

After what she did to me, it’s the least she deserves.

Yet, my conscience still teases me, reminding me that despite all the shit that turned me into the heartless monster I am, deep down, the old me still exists. The guy who believes that people are good and there’s no such thing as an ulterior motive. No one’s out to get me. No one knows my secret and if they do, they’d never use it against me.

‘I swear to God, Aiden. It wasn’t me.’

The old me was naive. The old me would’ve been sucked in by those beautiful blue eyes, believing every word, ready to challenge anyone who said otherwise. New Aiden? Nah . I don’t believe in coincidences, especially when I saw her that night. No one else.

I remember sprinting past her near the parking lot, in too much of a hurry to enquire why she was standing there all alone at nine o’clock. Not only did my anger at the Wolves override my concern for her welfare, Scarlett and I weren’t exactly the best of friends. Scratch that. We weren’t friends. She hated my guts. After that incident in Calculus III last year, she probably wished I was dead.

Perfect reason for fucking with my chances at making it to D1 semis, right?

Yes, Scarlett can deny it all she wants, but she made that phone call. Because of her, the entire team got punished for slashing our rival’s bus tires after an emotional game that left our water boy with a serious injury. Disqualification from the semis . I’ve never been so devastated in my life. What pissed me off was the fact that I wasn’t even involved. I was simply trying to stop the team from making a mistake.

Scarlett ruined the biggest opportunity of my life and I’ll never forgive her for that.

My foot presses down on the gas, quickly putting distance between me and Hempton College. She can fucking catch a cold for all I care. Fuck my conscience and fuck her, too.

In my anger, I almost run the red light. Rainwater splashes on both sides as the car screeches to a halt as I slam down on the brakes, breathing harshly. I hate that the simple thought of her riles me up, that she gets under my skin so easily. The frustrating thing is that she’d been under my skin even before that awful night.

The green light flashes and I go off, zipping past the trailer park community before heading to the nicer part of Rosedale. The gates of my parents’ estate swing open as I approach, triggered by the sensor on my car. I cruise down the long driveway, past the wide front lawns and gazebos, then pull to a stop in my private garage. Shifting the gear in park, I sit for a while, staring out the windshield, willing my anger to fade before I head inside. It’s hard, when the source of my anger lives rent-free in my head.

It’s hard, now that I suspect she’s not done fucking with me.

My anger rises again. I throw the car door open and it swings on the hinges with a creak. There’s only one cure for this anger; making it to the finals, and having Jeff Ross, coach of the New York Sabers, see me play and signing me to his team. My ultimate career goal, one that got denied last season.

But not this time.

We’re getting to Nationals and nothing is going to stand in my way.

Instead of taking the elevator to my private wing, I enter the side door that leads to the main living room. My quarters are equipped with everything to my comfort except for home cooked meals. Our housekeeper Melinda, who has been with us since I was a kid and is like family, is the best chef I know and from the pleasant smell coming from the kitchen, she’s been cooking up a storm.

“Did you take a stroll in the rain or something?” she exclaims when I lean in to plant a kiss on her cheek. “Get out of those clothes before you catch a cold.”

“One serving of paella and I’ll take a hike,” I promise, reaching into the overhead cupboard.

“You might want to put a pause on that,” Melinda says softly, her voice now filled with concern. “She’s crying again.”

I freeze. My heart takes a nosedive. So does my appetite. “Goddamnit.”

The plate smashes as I slam it down on the counter. Melinda gasps, then immediately reaches for my hand, examining it like she’d done when I was eight and took a tumble on the stairs. “It’s fine,” I assure her, gently pulling my hand from her hold. “I’m not hurt.”

“You need to handle that anger, Aiden,” she says a tad firmly. “Get some help. Talk to someone—”

I squeeze her shoulder with a forced smile. “For the last time, Melinda, I don’t need a therapist.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, you have hockey to channel all that energy. I’ve been hearing that for years and you’re still angry. Maybe you should try something else. At least, another sport.”

I probably would, if that was my reason for playing Division 1 hockey. My folks think I’m simply involved with an extra-curricular activity but it’s my career goal. At the right time—when the Wolves finally win the title this season—I will drop that bomb.

Oh, my dad will be pissed, but considering all the shit he’s been up to, blindsiding him is the least he deserves.

“I’ll think about it,” I reply, jerking my head toward the arched kitchen entrance. “Let me go see about Mom.”

“Get those clothes off first!” she calls after me. I wave in reply.

Taking the grand staircase, I walk down the long hallway to the right wing that my parents occupy. At my sharp knock on the master bedroom door, I hear her faint command for me to enter. Mom is curled up in bed, reclined against huge pillows that make her petite figure even smaller. She’s still wearing the flowy dress that she left the house in this morning. Mom never gets in bed while still dressed in what she calls her outdoor clothes, so whatever happened to make her cry like this, it’s major.

Then again, it’s always major.

It’s always that one thing.

It’s always him .

Mentally subduing my anger, I kiss her forehead, then sit on the edge of the bed.

“Are you wet?” she asks, frowning through her tears.

Ignoring her question, I fire back one of my own. “What did you find this time?”

My question triggers a round of sobbing that I patiently wait to subside while massaging my temples. My dad is quite aware of the damage he’s caused, but he doesn’t care, so long as his needs are being satisfied.

He’s the main reason I’m not looking to settle down anytime soon. Maybe never. The second reason has been calling my phone all day.

“She’s a brunette. A little older than you. He leased a penthouse downtown and she’s living there,” Mom finally says, sniffling and reaching for a towel by her side, then dabbing her wet cheeks.

Jesus Christ. They’re getting younger and younger. This is what; the fifth mistress this year? It’s barely October, for fuck’s sake. Incensed, I rise from the bed. “You can’t keep letting him get away with this. Divorce him. You’re entitled to half of everything.”

Mom shakes her head sadly. “I love him, Aiden. I want my marriage to work.”

“Well, he clearly doesn’t share the same sentiments, Mom,” I snap, and she flinches. Regretfully, I sit back down. “I’m sorry.”

“Your father loves me. He has lost his way, that’s all,” she says tearfully. “Can you believe he said I have nothing to offer him anymore?”

“ He said what ?”

“Aiden please. I don’t want you to confront him like the last time, okay? I have a plan. I’m going to prove that I’m the only woman good enough for him.”

I stare at her, feeling pity for the woman who was once a fascinating attorney on the rise before Dad swept her off her feet twenty-five years ago. She quit her career and helped him build Hunter Energy from the ground up. Now, she’s content with being the housewife, the woman on Dad’s arm when he wants to put up a united front to impress his peers. I love my mother to bits, but if I should ever be crazy enough to settle, I could never be with a woman like her.

I’d want a woman with a backbone.

If I wanted to settle down.

“How are you going to prove something he should already know?” I ask. “You’ve been married for twenty-four years.”

Those words trigger another flood of tears. Moving to the top of the bed, I throw her towel over my wet shirt, then pull her into my arms. “Mom, I hate to tell you this, but there’s nothing you can do. He’s set in his ways.”

Mom shakes her head wildly, pulling back. “I don’t believe that. Adrian has gotten bored with me because he thinks I have no more worth. If I prove that I do, he’ll come running back with open arms.”

I pull her back into me, sorrow canceling my anger. I pity her, knowing she’s only getting her hopes up for Dad to send them crashing down. Pointing that out won’t change her determination to make things work between them. I inherited her stubbornness, after all.

Again, she pulls back, staring into my face earnestly. “I’ve been thinking of a plan. Hear me out.”

‘Hear me out’ means I won’t like it one bit. “What is it?” I ask warily.

“It involves Casey,” she begins, and I ease off the bed at once.

“No.” Just the mention of my ex’s name resurrects my boiling anger.

“Aiden, just hear me out, please.”

I stare at the ceiling for a moment, then with a conceding sigh, I turn back to face her. “Go ahead.”

“You loved her once. I was thinking—hoping—you’d fall in love with her again,” she begins.

“Why the hell would I want to do that, Mom? In case you’ve forgotten, Casey cheated on me with a threesome,” I say curtly.

“For heaven’s sake, Aiden. She was drunk.”

“Not too drunk to drive home and call me crying about it,” I throw back, trying—but failing to smother the bitterness. “Not too drunk to remember every detail.”

Mom shimmies out of bed. “You’re my son and I love you, but you went too hard on that girl. Breaking up for a one-time mistake was so uncalled for.”

“Was it?” My eyes narrow at her. “I give her a pass one time, then guess what? She’d do it again and again. Sound familiar?”

Her entire face goes red. “Don’t be a jerk.”

“I’m being realistic, Mom. Forgiveness, second chances… they are a load of crap.”

She sighs, then rests her hand on my cheek. “I keep forgetting I’m not the only one affected by what your father has been doing. Honey, please don’t let his actions shape your life. You’re going to lose a good woman if you do.”

It’s ironic that this is the same woman who was pissed when she learned what my ex had done. “Casey’s not a good person. She’s a liar.” What should’ve been a study session at her best friend Daphne’s, turned into a threesome at Daphne’s boyfriend’s house.

“Oh come on, Aiden. You’re not exactly a saint now, are you? I’ve gotten glimpses of the handful of women you’ve taken upstairs.”

“ After Casey and I broke up,” I clarify. “Besides, I’m not dating anyone exclusively.”

“Aren’t you?” She tilts her head, a slight smirk making her green eyes sparkle. “That crazy chick who broke your car glass last year; wasn’t it because she thought you were cheating on her?”

“Keyword: crazy,” I point out. She was just a one-night stand I’d met at the club. I didn’t even remember her name. Not my finest moment, but hey; hurt people hurt people.

“The fact remains—”

“What is your plan, Mom?” I came upstairs to comfort her, but it’s an obvious waste of time.

Her eyes scan my face, a tentative look embedded in those sea-green orbs. “You already know of your father’s plans to expand Hunter Energy,” she begins, and I nod. I also know of his plans to have me take over one day, but he’s in for a rude awakening.

“Well, he’s been having some issues getting past the red tape. There are some rumors that a competitor with connections might be responsible for this. I’m not sure, but what I know is that Casey’s dad runs that office. If you’re dating Casey, we could invite her family for dinner, thus getting close to her father…” Her voice trails as I scrub my face with exasperation. “You see where I’m going with this, right?”

“You’re literally pimping me out.” It’s not a question, but she shakes her head vigorously, reaching for me as I back away.

“Sweetie, no. I’m merely fighting to save my marriage—”

“No, what you’re doing is making Dad more powerful, more attractive to other women. He will never—” I pause abruptly as she bursts into tears again, pressing her face into my shirt. My arms wrap around her slender form and I take a deep breath, smothering the remaining words, the ones she cannot handle.

He will never love you, Mom. Not when he only loves himself.

Mom soon pulls back, wiping the tears. “Adrian promised this expansion to the shareholders, and he can’t go back on his word without losing value on his stock price. Imagine if I—we—could come through for him. He’ll see my value again, Aiden.”

She sounds so positive that it breaks my heart.

“Honey, I’m not asking you to sell your soul or anything. You loved Casey once and quite frankly, I think you’re still in love with her. You’ve been so angry and frustrated since that breakup and it worries me.” She reaches for my hands. “Take her back so we can both be happy again. Please.”

“Won’t her dad find it weird if you invite him to dinner now, when you’d never acknowledged him before?” I ask. My parents have a thing for only befriending people with more wealth than they have. Dad explained that smooching with the one percent is for motivational purposes, but they’re just stuck up.

Mom shrugs. “He won’t, if he thinks you’re serious about Casey this time.”

“Which I’m not.”

“Aiden, please—”

“I’ll think about it, Mom.”

She sighs gently. From that displeasure on her face, it’s definitely not what she wants to hear, but it’s all I can give. Whatever I still feel for Casey isn’t strong enough to make me want to be with her again.

I kiss Mom’s cheek before leaving. She crawls back into bed and her sobbing follows me down the hall, thankfully fading as I take the next flight of stairs to the third floor. Not for the first time, I wonder if I made a mistake staying at home instead of boarding at Hempton, although it’s only twenty minutes away. Here in the left wing, there are three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living and dining space, plus a huge balcony that gives me a view of our vast orchard, yet, I don’t feel at home here.

Especially these days.

I should be studying for an exam next week, but it’s hard to focus when so much has happened today. Especially running into Scarlett—well, it was the other way around. Either way, that little run-in disturbed me. As I peel my damp shirt off, I realize it’s more than my suspicion that she purposely wanted to trip me.

It was how my heart skipped a beat when she almost fell hard on that cold concrete.

It was the fear I saw in those big blue eyes.

It was my body’s response when I pulled her against me.

The way it’s responding now.

I stare down at my cock tenting my pants, wondering what the fuck is wrong with me. This isn’t high school, for fuck’s sake. I’m not a fifteen-year-old virgin getting aroused from a girl’s simple touch. I shouldn’t be getting rock hard from the simple thought of Scarlett’s soft curves molding into my body.

I shouldn’t be thinking of how perfect it felt.

I shouldn’t be wanting more.

Cursing my crazy—and wildly inappropriate hormones, I dump the shirt into the laundry basket and my pants soon follow. It was crazy, that feeling. And hot. So fucking hot. Just for a moment, spreading across my stomach, making me want to hold on for a little longer.

Definitely crazy.

Scarlett Pierce is the enemy. I have no business imagining her on her knees, my hand fisting that luscious hair, her mouth ready for every inch of me. I should be watching my back, ready for her to strike again.

And she will. Her sneaky attempt to run up on me had confirmed it. My instincts know it’s only a matter of time.

But she’s in for a disturbing surprise. It’s not like back in March, when she caught me off guard and almost ruined my life. This time, I’ll be ready. I meant what I said earlier: if Scarlett ever crosses me again, she’s going to wish for a time machine.