Chapter 29

ARIA

“Okay, I think that’s the last box, Grandma,” I say as I bring the last box from the entryway into the bedroom of her brownstone.

She pats my shoulder. “Thank you, sweetheart. You don’t have to help me unpack; I can handle it from here.”

“Nonsense. We might as well move you the rest of the way in so you can just relax,” I say as I open her closet and start hanging up her clothes.

Grandma opens another box and begins folding clothes and placing them in her tall dresser.

“So, have you heard from Manny yet?” she asks. Her tone is tight, but I can tell she’s trying to push her personal feelings aside.

I sigh. “Unfortunately, no. I just don’t get it. I know dinner wasn’t exactly comfortable, but I didn’t think it was ~that~ bad,” I say.

“It ain’t you, honey. You did everything to welcome and embrace him,” she says quickly. “He’s just a user.”

“If that’s true, then wouldn’t he be trying to use me? I mean, disappearing from my life doesn’t really make sense, does it?”

“I can’t tell you why people do the things they do, love. All I know is it was nothing ~you~ did,” she says.

Suddenly, she stops unpacking and sits on her bed. “Aria, I know it’s been hard for you to grow up without a proper family, but try to focus on what’s in front of you.”

I stop and give her a small smile.

“I will. I am,” I say as I look around the freshly painted room. “I’m so glad we could finally make some much-needed updates to these walls.”

Grandma smiles as she looks around. “I was skeptical, but it is beautiful, isn’t it? I can’t thank you enough,” she says.

I wave my hand and go back to hanging up clothes. “Please, it’s the least I could do.”

“So…will you be moving back into your place?” she asks.

I can’t help but smirk and roll my eyes even though my back is turned. Grandma always gets straight to the point.

“Um, we haven’t talked about it, but I imagine I will,” I say.

“Really?” she says. “It just seems like you two were enjoying living together.”

“We are. I mean, I am, but I don’t know if we’re ready to move in together permanently,” I say.

“You haven’t talked about it?” she asks.

I shake my head. “No, but I suppose I should. I think Jett will say he wants me to stay but… I dunno.”

“You aren’t ready?”

“I don’t know. So much of my life and livelihood are wrapped up in Jett’s. He’s my boss—and my boyfriend. Moving in with him permanently feels like I’m giving up the last thing that’s ~just mine~.”

“I understand you’re nervous to take a chance on someone but, well, I think he’s a good man. And he clearly adores you,” she says.

I hang the last piece of clothing, then sit on the bed next to her.

“Sounds like you approve of him,” I say.

“I wasn’t sure I’d ever think anyone was good enough for you, Aria, but Jett is a good man. And he obviously feels the same way,” she says.

“I guess you’re right,” I say. “Well, I think that’s the main stuff. Wanna play a game of cribbage before I head home?”

She smiles wide, grabs my face, and gives me a big kiss on the cheek.

“I’d love that.”

***

Jett hooks his arms around my thighs and lifts me up, pinning me to the cold tile wall in his shower. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him ravenously.

He plunges his tongue into my mouth again as he positions his hard dick at my entrance. With one swift motion, he slides into me, filling my already wet pussy to the brim.

A moan escapes my mouth as Jett kisses down my jawline, neck, and collarbone. Then he starts to pump in and out of me while he rests his forehead on mine.

Hot water flows over both of our bodies as I look down at Jett’s biceps, flexing as he holds me and thrusts in and out of me.

I lean my head back against the tile, giving him access to my breasts. He leans down and sucks one of my nipples into his mouth, then the other, making them harder against his warm tongue.

When he sets my legs down so he can grab my breasts, I prop a leg up on the shower bench so he can get even deeper.

After several more thrusts, he pulls out of me and spins me around, bending me over the bench. He smacks my ass, then slides into me from behind, providing a different intensity.

“Oh fuck, that feels good,” I moan.

Jett responds to my words by smacking my ass hard, then grabbing the still-stinging flesh and squeezing. I whimper, which just eggs him on, and he smacks it again.

He starts thrusting harder and faster, grabbing my hips in his bruising grasp for more leverage. “Your…pussy…is…mine,” he says between thrusts. “Say it.”

“My pussy is yours,” I say, shuddering at his command.

“Yes, baby,” he growls.

Suddenly, I feel his body clench as he releases inside me. He stands me up and spins me around, pulling me into him as he kisses me deeply.

Then he pushes me down to sit on the bench of the shower and kneels in front of me. He pulls my body to the edge of the bench and spreads my legs open. Then he looks up at me with dark desire in his eyes as he leans forward and starts to lick my pussy.

I lean back on my hands, enjoying the now-familiar feeling of Jett working his magic tongue between my thighs. As his mouth hits my clit and starts sucking, he slides a finger into me. His tongue swirls around the bundle of nerve endings as I start to feel my orgasm build.

I grab the back of his head as I feel his licking and sucking pick up speed—his fingers thrusting in and out of me.

“Oh, Jett, I’m gonna cum,” I whimper.

He pulls his face off me and sucks my nipple into his mouth as his fingers start circling and rubbing my clit.

“Oh yes, baby, right there,” I declare as he puts more pressure exactly where I want it. I grind on his hand as he gives my nipple a small bite just as I start to cum.

Jett wraps a hand around my body and grabs the hair on the back of my head as his hand continues to stimulate my clit.

I let his arms hold me up as I submit. I know he likes to watch my orgasm pulsate through my body, and I give him a full view as I moan—lost to the sensations rippling through me.

I open my eyes just as he pulls his hand away and slides his fingers into his mouth. Then he grabs me and kisses me, encasing my body in his arms as my pulse finally starts to slow.

I never tire of the way he plays with my body. He likes it when I narrate and ask him for what I need, but he also seems to know, as if my frazzled thoughts are flying out of my head in a readable font.

After Jett holds me under the water for a few more minutes, he gets out and wraps a towel around his waist before grabbing a white terrycloth robe to wrap me in.

He sits in a chair in the corner of his room, scanning the emails on his phone as I get ready for our workday.

Even though Jett has seen me naked regularly, I slide my panties on underneath my robe and face away from him while I put my bra on. I pull my pencil skirt up and zip it, then turn around.

Jett has put his phone down and is watching me with a smirk on his face. I tilt my head at him.

“What?” I ask.

I expect a smart remark, but he just gently shakes his head. I saunter over to him and sit on his lap.

“What is it, ~sir~?” I say and watch his pupils dilate.

“Don’t tempt me, naughty girl.” He grabs my chin and growls in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

He grabs my sore ass cheek, making me yelp as he guides my mouth to his. Our kiss deepens just as my phone rings from beside Jett’s bed.

I get up and cross the room, answering the call from an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Aria James? I’m a reporter with E! News. Would you like to address the rumors that you are pregnant with Jett Abrams’s baby?”

“Ugh, no comment,” I say as I slam my finger on the end call button and toss my phone on the bed.

“What’s wrong?” Jett asks.

“Fucking reporter. I’ve changed my number twice. How do they keep finding me?” I ask. “She asked me to address rumors that I’m pregnant with your baby.”

I sit on the edge of his bed and drop my face into my hands. “When is it going to end?”

Jett gets up and crosses the room. He grabs my wrists and pulls me up to stand, then wraps his strong arms around me.

“Unfortunately, it may not—they’re relentless—but what if we change the scenery for a bit?” he asks as he rests his head on mine.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Let’s get away for a while. I’m thinking Italy. Have you ever been?”

I laugh into his chest. “Jett, that sounds amazing, but you just acquired a new company, I just started to get back on track with DYAD, and you have a new assistant. Now is not really the time for a vacation.”

“Aria, I’m the owner; I can do whatever the fuck I want. Though I do find it amusing that ~you~ are trying to get ~me~ to work more,” he says. “After all, you’re the reason I pulled back on our schedule.”

I sigh. “I just don’t want to mess this up. I worked hard for my career; I can’t just throw it in the garbage for a guy,” I say.

Jett takes his head off mine, and I look up to see him smirking with one eyebrow up.

“What?!”

He chuckles. “Well, you have a new manager starting at DYAD this week, right? Spin them up for a week or two, then we can work from the road for a few weeks. We’ll keep things running and get some much-needed time away from the city. Deal?”

I smile. “Okay, sounds good.”