Inseparable Strangers Page 6

  When I turned back around, he had already gobbled up his breakfast before his coffee finished brewing. The way he inhaled his food told me I was right about him not eating in possibly days. “I can make more if you’d like. The bacon is actually turkey bacon. I prefer the ready to eat kind rather than the fattening stuff that shrinks up to hardly anything after it has been fried to death,” I said, handing him his fresh cup of coffee. I wasn’t sure if he preferred cream or sugar, so I placed both in front of him in case. Nonchalantly, I watched him as he picked up the mug to take a sip. Steam swirled around his face as his lips pressed against the ceramic cup. I imagined what my reaction would be to him if I’d met him in different circumstances. There was no lying about it; he was attractive in an unusual way. Unusual for me anyway. He wasn’t exactly my type, but there was this strange pull I had toward him. He carried this mysterious aura around him. He interested me.

  “Do you want to ask me something else?” he asked, breaking my train of thought.

  My brows stitched together in confusion. “No, why do you ask?” Actually, I had many other questions for him but I wasn’t prepared.

  He sat his cup down, but didn’t remove his hands from the warmth. “You were looking at me like you had something hanging on the tip of your tongue.”

  Oh shit! I’m so busted.

  As he wiped the hair around his mouth with a napkin, a wave of nausea hit me when a small piece of egg crumbled further into his beard.

  “You…um…,” a dry heave hit me, “some…egg,” another heave, “in your…beard,” I heaved again, pointing to his face. I ran to the bathroom and doubled over the sink as my stomach wretched again. My mouth flooded with saliva. Spitting repeatedly in the sink, my tummy started to settle as I focused on the new boots I’d purchased the other day.

  Luckily, I was able to keep my breakfast down. There was no question about it, his beard was going to have to go. The thoughts of pubic hair on a face with food in it nearly sent me to the sink again.

  A knock came at the door. “Lennox, are you okay?” His voice was soft with concern.

  The water rinsed away the remnants of my near miss. “Yeah, I think I’ll survive. Sorry to inform you but, if you’re planning on staying here until your wounds heal, that beard is going to have to go,” I instructed from the other side of the door. “You don’t have to shave it completely, but it has to be cleaned up.” There were two benefits from my ultimatum: one, I would be able to keep my food down; the other, I would finally get to see the man hidden behind that hairy mask.

  When I opened the door, he was leaning against the wall. His vibrant green eyes warmed over me as I walked out. It was odd, but strangely pleasant. Everything about him was peculiar, indifferent, but it didn’t send warning signals to my brain like it should. His presence almost seemed to immobilize my brainwaves.

  ~~~

  Now that Aaron was clean, I allowed him to sit in the entertainment room and enjoy the TV. I’d told him his limits in the house. He could roam amongst the house just as long as he never stepped foot upstairs or in the basement. Those two sections were closed off. That was my “safe” place. Although he’d gained my trust by the hour, I still couldn’t let my guard down completely.

  I had a hair appointment in thirty minutes and this meant I was going to have to leave Aaron alone in my home. Zoila came every Wednesday to clean the house and she was due any minute. Normally I would scold her for showing up a minute late but today I was hoping she wouldn’t show up at all. I really didn’t want anyone knowing I was hoarding a homeless man in my home. If my dad found out, he would lose his shit. I was a daddy’s girl through and through, and if he thought I was in any sort of danger, he would have the cops here within seconds. A slew of cop cars parked outside my house was just the perfect headline to make the Sunday’s paper in this small town.

  “Aaron, I have a few errands to run. Do you think you’ll be okay while I’m gone?” I asked while I sent Zoila a text explaining to her to not be alarmed when she found a strange man in the house. All I told her was he was a friend of mine. It wasn’t her business who he was and why he was here, and she knew better than to ask.

  He glanced up at me, those eyes locking onto mine. “I’ll be fine. Thank you for asking.”

  As a test, I decided to leave Aaron home alone for the rest of the day. His mobility had improved tremendously from yesterday. If he was legit, everything in my house would remain untouched and he would carry on as he had been. I texted Zoila to let her know I wouldn’t be home until later, and under no circumstances was she to tell him. I also told her to make sure he had something to eat since I wouldn’t be there.

  While I was in town, I decided to swing by JC Penney and pick up some clothes for Aaron. This wasn’t a store I normally shopped at, which was good. If I stepped into my regular boutiques, the attendants would become suspicious. After shopping there for years, they knew exactly what size my dad wore. As I walked in, I was surprised to find the store wasn’t as thrifty as I’d assumed. Maybe next time I bought for Zoila, I would buy her something from here.

  By the time I pulled in the garage, the time on my watch read a quarter after nine. All the lights outside the house were off and an eerie feeling rushed over me. The lights were set on a timer, and unless Aaron or Zoila purposely turned them off, something was terribly wrong.

  I killed the engine and sat a few minutes in my car with the windows down, listening for any sign of life in the house. White noise filled the garage. After listening to nothing for too long, I got out of the car and cautiously walked in the house. The lights inside matched the ones outside — not a single one was on. Complete blackout. I silently crept into the kitchen, placed my purse on the floor, and grabbed a butcher’s knife from the knife block.

  I quietly walked down the hall towards the bedroom Aaron was using. A bluish glow flashed from beneath the door, and I inhaled a deep breath as I was relieved to realize he was watching TV. Softly, I knocked on the door. I kept the knife pointed down in my right hand. You could never be too careful, especially when you were housing an abstruse stranger.

  “Come in,” Aaron called out.

  My eyelids closed for a split second in relief. Suddenly, I wished I hadn’t brought the knife with me. He was going to be freaked out. He might even think I had some crazy plan of killing him.

  As I opened the door, with my eyes focused on the shiny weapon in my hand, I felt compelled to explain. “Don’t freak, but I have a knife in my hand. I don’t have any intentions of hurting you, but when I saw all the lights off inside and outside the house, my security alarms started ringing in my head.”

  The next thing I knew, I was standing with my eyes wide open, hands fisted around the knife in front of me. A blood curdling scream erupted from my mouth when I saw someone who wasn’t Aaron lying on the bed. My natural instinct kicked in and I lunged at the man with the knife.

  He gripped both of my wrists, stopping the knife from piercing his chest. “It’s me, Lennox, Aaron.” The voice matched but not the person. The man standing in front of me had short, brownish hair. His face was cleanly shaven, but his glowing green eyes were the same.

  “Aaron?” I whispered in disbelief. “Turn the lights on so I can see you better.”

  “You turn the lights on. I’m not releasing you until you drop that knife.”

  His hands were tight around my wrist. If he put any more pressure on them, I was going to lose my hold on the knife’s handle. “I’m not dropping this knife until I can see you better. You might sound like Aaron but I can’t be sure you’re him,” I said, knowing he had the upper hand in this situation. He was strong enough to take the knife from me if he wanted to. I just prayed he didn’t.

  I was hyper-aware of how close we were, and it made me uncomfortable. It wasn’t because I didn’t like it, it was because I felt this strange pull to him. And the way his eyes drank me in made it even more difficult.

  “Okay, I tell you what, we’ll walk over to t
he switch just like we are, and we can flip the switch together,” he suggested. “Does that sound like a plan?” he asked, his eyebrows raised as if it was a brilliant idea.

  What the hell. Did I have a better idea?

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  We walked simultaneously over to the light switch with our arms above our heads looking like a couple of fools. “You know we look ridiculous don’t you?” I held back a giggle as I got a visual in my head.

  “I’d rather look ridiculous than be decapitated,” he said seriously. “Imagine how stupid I would look without a head all because I let my guard down for a split second.” Those green eyes didn’t reveal a hint of laughter.

  Damn, dry much?

  If he was this guarded, then he must’ve really felt threatened by me. Maybe he didn’t have the upper-hand after all. A touch of smugness formed on my lips.

  Gracefully, we managed to turn the light on without either one of his getting harmed in the process. When my eyes adjusted to the light, the knife quickly slipped from my grip. He was beautiful. I know you’re not supposed to say a man is beautiful but he was. His light brown hair was cut short around the sides leaving the top long enough to run your fingers through. And that was exactly what I wanted to do. The braid was gone too.

  My eyes focused on his mouth as he spoke. His kissable lips had just the right shape for his strong angular jawline. They weren’t those overly large lips you find on many models, and they weren’t so thin that you couldn’t find them.

  His hands released my wrist and the air felt cool where his heat had just been. It was strange; I was slightly attracted to him. I knew what he was and what he looked like before he cleaned up so where was this attraction coming from? Why was I mesmerized by him? Blinking rapidly, I came out of my trance. Did he ask me something? From the way his emerald greens were assessing me, I’d say he was waiting for an answer. Shit. I wasn’t paying attention.

  “Huh?” That was a safe enough response.

  “Do you believe me now?”

  I nodded, unable to stop the electrifying stare going down between us. What was happening? He had complete control of the situation that wasn’t happening between us.

  “I think it’s my bedtime,” I said so soft, I wasn’t sure if he could hear me.

  He nodded once then turned to climb back on the bed.

  Right before I closed the door behind me, Aaron once again grabbed me without touching me. “Lennox.” I paused in the doorway, not turning around to face him. “Sweet dreams.” And with his goodnight wish, I closed the door behind me without acknowledging him. If you only knew, Aaron.

  Is he playing mind games with me? How is he making me lose control of myself?

  Chapter 7

  A hand scanted along my thigh leaving a hot sizzle in its path. A gasp passed through my lips as fear trickled up through my chest. My eyes flashed open, but I was unable to see who was drudging up a desire from my core.

  His calloused finger pressed over my lips. “Shh… it’s okay. It’s me,” he whispered, his breath tickling my neck.

  He didn’t have to say who it was; I knew his voice well by now. After all, he’d invaded my life and I seemed to have lost all control over my mental state.

  Aaron was hovered over me with both arms stationed on each side of my head. The moonlight streamed through the curtains generating enough light to illuminate the shadow across his face. His eyes stared at me hungrily with lust. I reached up to skim my fingertips over his injured ribs and found his skin bare. His eyes widened along with mine as I realized his entire body was bare.

  A tingling sensation seized my core and I lifted my hips in seek of relief. That was all it took for Aaron. He lowered his head and his mouth was on mine, stealing my breath, my sounds, my sexual thirst.

  Taking his knees, he pushed my legs apart and his toned quads pressed down between my thighs. The feeling of skin on skin was exhilarating. I could feel his hardened length graze along the top of my inner thigh, teasing the sensitive lips below. My breathing became shallow with need.

  His lips descended along my jaw, down to my neck, leaving tender kisses along the way. His tongue darted out, licking a trail along the swell of my breasts, then he closed his mouth over my cami, pulling the nipple up gently between his teeth. His hot breath teased the sensitive peak. I arched my back. I wanted more.

  When his mouth released my breast, the wetness he created chilled me to the bone, and my nipple peaked as it hardened. He took turns, giving each one attention until I thought my pussy would explode from all the foreplay.

  A low rumble vibrated against my breast, and I was sure he knew what kind of sexual frustration he was building up in me. To my relief, he began to kiss along the same trail he’d made from my breasts to my mouth. As soon as he reached the top of my chin, his mouth ravished mine in one clean sweep. The heat from his tongue singed my lips as he slipped it through to explore the depths of my mouth.

  It felt good, and I couldn’t stop the moan that roared in my throat. This seemed to bring him pleasure as he reached down to grab my ass cheek. He squeezed the hot flesh as he deepened the kiss, plunging his tongue further into my mouth.

  He pulled away leaving my mouth craving his taste.

  His moves were primal like a wild animal. He nipped my earlobe then scraped his teeth along the skin in slow motion. “Are you ready to be fucked?” he whispered, then graciously licked the shell of my ear.

  No sooner than my brain registered what he’d just said, my legs were positioned against his chest with my ankles resting on his shoulders. He plowed into me with one hard push and his long moan was overshadowed by my scream of pleasure.

  His movements were relentless, and I absorbed every thrust he punished me with. Laying my hands flat on his chest, I studied every hard curve and ripple of his stomach until I reached the thickened cock moving within my wet heat. My fingers branded the contours of his body to my mind.

  He continued a steady rhythm that hit every delicious spot in my core. Drops of sweat fell from Aaron’s face landing on my lips. I licked the salty drops, tasting his desire on my lips. Before I knew it, I could feel a gradual build of my orgasm, and with one flick of my clit, an explosion of juices derived from my pussy followed by my cry of ecstasy.

  The top half of my body shot up from my bed. My brain was muddled with confusion as the awareness of being alone in my room hit me.

  When I opened my eyes, there was no one there. Something from my peripheral vision caught my attention, but it disappeared before I could get a better look. Still confused and trying to figure out if I was dreaming or if my act of intimacy was real, I flipped my covers off. My sheets were soaked with sweat, but my body was covered in chills, and wisps of hair were matted to my face. When I scooted off the bed the cool, wet sheet alarmed my heated core. My panties were gone. Holy shit! What the hell just happened to me?

  Without taking the time to slide my panties back on, I dashed out of my room as quietly as possible. I needed to check on Aaron. I needed to see if he had taken advantage of me while I was sleeping. Tiptoeing downstairs at an excessive speed, I reached the bedroom Aaron was using. I didn’t want to allot him any time to feign sleep. If he was in my room moments ago, he would be naked, breathing heavily, and probably still sporting a hard-on.

  Gently, I opened the door, peeking in as it widened. He was lying in bed with his back facing me. It wasn’t clear if he was asleep or not, so I lightly padded over to the bed and bent down by his head to listen to his breathing. It was slow and steady. Very easily, I lifted the comforter to sneak a peek of his body. He was wearing a dark pair of boxer briefs. That was two things indicating the person I thought I saw walking out of my bedroom wasn’t him. I didn’t take a chance on looking to see if he had a boner. I felt like I had enough proof already.

  Without any disturbance, I walked back to my bedroom dazed and confused. I was also relieved to know Aaron didn’t take advantage of me in my sleep. How could everything have f
elt so real but not be? Even my panties were off. Did I take them off in my sleep? Was the dream so intense it caused me to break out in a sweat? I was completely baffled, and rightly disturbed. Unconsciously, Aaron was getting to me more than I realized.

  Tomorrow morning was going to be difficult. Facing him, looking at him eye-to-eye, the knowledge of what happened between us in my dream was going to be challenging. The worst part was even though I found him appalling, I now had this unexplained desire for him, too. I just hoped he wouldn’t be able to read my body language while around him. The indescribable feeling I was having toward Aaron didn’t feel like something that was going to disappear anytime soon.

  I crawled back into bed and hoped the remainder of my night ended uneventful. As I shuffled around to get comfortable, I was still able to feel damp spots on the sheets. My mind began racing again as I replayed my dream over and over in my head. Knowing there was no way I would be able to fall back asleep, I glanced over at the clock and saw that my night had already ended. It was a quarter after five and within the next hour the sun would be coming up.

  Normally when I had a sleepless night, I would veg out on the couch and watch reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but not tonight. Tonight I was staying in my room. My bed might’ve been where the scene of the crime happened but it also served as my safety net.

  Since I couldn’t go back to sleep and I didn’t have a TV in my room either, I decided to organize my closet. Two hours later I had created three piles— one was clothes I hadn’t worn or would never wear again. The second, an endless quantity of shoes. And the third, a collection, or for better words, obsession of purses. I probably had every color and style of every high-end brand possible.

  Normally when I cleaned my closets out I would drop them off at the local consignment shop. Not that I needed the money for them, but I saw no reason to take them to the Goodwill. My stuff didn’t belong in a store like that.