Chapter 145

Layla

I couldn’t remember the last time I slept so soundly.

My body was sunk well into the mattress and I was graciously surrounded by the fluffy warmth of the blankets...And something else.

What the hell is that? An arm? Oh, wait...

It gradually began to register in my mind that I hadn’t gone to bed last night. After Aldo and I had spoken in his office, I’d agreed to stay in our bedroom. It wasn’t as though anything majorly significant had occurred.

We both got ready for bed and the moment my head hit the pillow, I’d fallen right to sleep. Sometime in the middle of the night, I must have swiveled closer to Aldo. Not only was his arm wrapped around my waist, I was practically under him.

Safe. Secure. I wanted to stay there for the foreseeable future.

My cheeks flushed while a dull ache nudged within my chest.

Slowly, my eyes peered open to find the room still partially dark. I had no idea what time it was, only that there was a fairly good chance that the majority of the house was still asleep.

I tried to wriggle myself from under him and was immediately met with a harsh grunt and the constriction of his arm, tightening around me.

“Stop moving,” Aldo grumbled.

I felt the heat of his voice against the shell of my ear. It sent hundreds of chills down my arms whenever his voice would come out that low and raspy in the mornings.

“Aldo,” I whispered. “I need to get up.”

“No, you don’t.”

He was right. I really didn’t. But I knew that there were a few serious things that I needed to take the time with myself and deeply consider. Honestly, I was glad that Aldo and I took the time to speak with each other.

Tip-toeing around each other was as difficult as purposely distancing myself from Eli. Our family life may not have been entirely in shambles, but I knew that it was going to take some serious time to heal.

I tried moving again and was swiftly met with a stern, steely gray pair of eyes.

“Stop. It,” he said. “I’m not letting you slip away so easily.”

My heart jumped into my throat as I raised my hands to press against his chest. Aldo snaked his arm up from around my waist; his hand leisurely skimmed the hem of my shirt before slipping beneath it.

I needed to focus. There was still a lot we needed to discuss. I should have tried to push him away but I couldn’t—I didn’t want to. Amongst the ongoing tension and strangled feelings between us, I deeply missed him. I missed feeling and being this close to him.

My breathing staggered from the rhythmic feel of his fingertips playing over my bare chest. My inner muscles tensed and I was arching into his touch.

I bit the inside of my cheek as my eyes fluttered shut.

“Ah, ah,” he tsked. “Look at me.”

I opened my eyes to find Aldo’s gaze had turned heated.

“I can’t take any more of the cold shoulder,” he said. He cupped my breast and gave them a tentative squeeze. An eager moan slipped from my mouth. “I know that we have more that we need to discuss but right now...Right now, I need to feel you.”

I nodded my head, already in a deep daze.

“Yes,” I whispered.

Aldo leaned down and captured my lips in a hot, searing kiss. His tongue swept along the seam of my mouth, stealing every last sound I let out.

He led a long trail of kisses down my cheek, neck, and all across my collar. His devilish fingers circled and pinched at my nipples till they became stiff peaks. From there, he lowered his hand down my stomach and toward the waistband of my panties.

His hand slipped beneath the material and over my mound. My mouth fell open when he finally reached my slick, aching center.

“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he hummed.

“Aldo,” I gasped.

He slid his dexterous finger through my slick folds while stopping to press the pad of his thumb against my clit. My back arched off the mattress, wishing for more. God. He knew exactly how to set off every last nerve in my body.

“How’s that, love?” he asked against my neck.

“Stop teasing,” I hissed.

Already I had begun to feel that familiar I felt him shift beside me, letting me feel the noticeable hardness brush against my thigh. I nearly cried when he pulled his hand away. But I knew he needed the use of both of his hands in order to get himself situated.

Aldo briefly pulled back to remove his pants. I took the moment to toss my own shirt over my head and slip out of my underwear. He wasted no time to settle back between my legs. I felt the hardened tip of his cock brush my soaked core.

With a single meaningful push, he thrusted deep. I felt him twitch as my inner walls clenched around him in need.

Aldo cursed under his breath as he slowly began to move. His set a slow, almost agonizing pace. My hands gripped tightly at the sheets, fighting to withstand the stunningly torturous friction that was building at the lower base of my abdomen.

“Ahh...F-Faster,” I groaned.

Aldo pulled himself onto his knees. He snagged one of the calves and hooked my knees over his shoulder. He quickened his pace and began putting a bit more force behind his thrusts. He’d found that special spot and kept repeatedly hitting it with each press of his hips.

“Oh my God!”

My breathing grew too erratic and before I knew it, I was beginning to see spots in my vision. That simmering euphoric heat was too much to stand. My whole body tightened and shook from the ongoing sparks of pleasure that cascaded through me.

Aldo watched me come undone and needed just a few more thrusts to claim his own release. The two of us were utterly spent and just as tired as when we first fell into bed.

Aldo carefully slid out and dropped down beside me. He slid his arm back around me and held me close.

“Go back to sleep,” he said softly. “I love you so much, Layla.”

My eyes were becoming too difficult to keep open and before I knew it, I had fallen back asleep.

“I love you too,” I whispered.

The second time I woke up that morning, I was far more alert and aware than before. As was Aldo.

Although he remained silent, I knew he was awake just as I was.

“Perhaps a break from everything going on here isn’t such a bad idea,” he said suddenly.

My brows raised. “You think so?” I asked. Aldo nodded. “Well, now that you mention it, I was thinking about what Eva and Stasia suggested.”

I felt Aldo go stiff beside me.

I could immediately sense the tension in his voice. “You mean, you’re seriously thinking about leaving with the two of them?”

“It would only be for a few days,” I said.

I turned my head to find him wearing a solemn look, yet he remained silent.