Partners (Fire & Lies - One) by Lilliana Anderson Page B

from my face for a
moment. A discomfort settles between us, and I feel like I should
explain but I doubt he’d understand. His priorities have always
been different to mine.
    “Listen, I’m
not saying that I’m going to help you. But I will seriously
consider it. But this is going to cost you big, Chloe, and from
what I can tell, you can’t afford what you were promising.”
    “Help with the
job and the contents of those boxes is all yours. I just want the
documents. I don’t give a damn about the rest of it.”
    “Maybe I don’t
want money anymore.”
    “Then what do
you want?”
    That half grin
of his that I always loved, curves up the side of his face and my
fingers itch to reach out and touch the scar that runs down his
cheek.
    “I’ll do
anything to make this work, Aiden. Name your price and I’ll pay it
gladly.”
    “I’ll remember
that,” he says with a nod as he heads toward the door. “I’ll check
out my schedule and call you with my definitive answer in a few
days. Can you wait that long?”
    “Of course,” I
say, as I watch him open the door and leave. The moment the front
door clicks shut, Leah reappears at the bathroom door. I’m sure
he’s been listening in.
    “So how did
you get him interested? You obviously didn’t go around there and
fuck him last night. He’s still looking at you like a man
starved.”
    “I didn’t need
to,” I reply, reaching down to put the lid back on the archive box
before I lift it up. “The facts speak for themselves.”
    He narrows his
eyes at me. “You cried in front of him, didn’t you? Fuck you’re
good, Chloe.”
    Shaking my
head, I roll my eyes and return the box to my cupboard for
safekeeping and Leah follows behind me. “I didn’t cry and I didn’t
fuck. He agreed to listen and I told him what he needs to
know.”
    “If you say
so,” he says like he doesn’t believe me. “He’s in love with you,
you know.”
    I push my
cupboard doors closed as a heaviness lands in my chest and I turn
to face him. I love him too. “I know.”
    “Just be
careful, girlie. Love can just as easily become hate. I doubt Aiden
is the kind of guy you want gunning for you. You know where we’re
headed with this.”
    “I know!” I
snap, immediately regretting my tone and softening my voice. “I
know. Nothing changes. I know what I’m doing, ok?”
    He nods once
and leaves my room, pulling my door closed behind him. The moment
I’m alone, I lean against my cupboard and slide down to the floor,
burying my face in my hands as I allow myself to sob quietly,
hating that my life has never been mine. Hating that I was groomed
for a destiny I didn’t want. Hating that all of my work and all of
my sacrifices ended up being for nothing.
    But most of
all, I hate myself for not being strong enough to go my own
way.
     

Chapter
Twelve

     
    JULY, three years ago
     
     
    STRONG BUT
gentle fingers slide up the length of Chloe’s back, sending chills
through her body as the fingers pause at her shoulders and make
their way back down, sliding over the curve of her backside and
then all the way back up again. It was soothing and exciting at the
same time.
    “ Are you
feeling tired yet?” Aiden asked, lying beside her, gloriously naked
and propped on his side as he continued the gentle movement over
her skin. She pressed herself against his body, feeling sated and
sore, a gentle throbbing between her legs from their night of
passion. Aiden was an aggressive lover, and she’d revelled in his
strength, and possessiveness, and the ache of her flesh from where
he’d gripped her with his need to consume her. And she felt
thoroughly consumed.
    “ Yes. But I
don’t want to sleep. I want to stay right here and never
move.”
    He kissed her
forehead, his hand coming to rest on her arse as he pulled her just
that little bit closer.
    “ That could
definitely be arranged. I don’t want you in any bed other than
mine.”
    She lifted her
head, brushing her lips over the rough