Completely Captivated Read online

  “What’s going on here, guys?” Christa asked, breaking the silence and getting straight to the point.

  Aaron took her hand in his. “Jen was just putting me in my place. Letting me know what I have to look forward to if I hurt you.”

  “I can always count on the Millers to take care of me,” Christa replied jokingly. “Now that that’s out of the way, can we all be friends?”

  “Sure. I think we’re all clear,” Jen answered with a smile that Aaron returned.

  Once they’d finished their coffees and the ladies agreed on a girls’ night out in the near future, Jen said her goodbyes and left the café. As soon as she got in her car, she called Jared.

  “Hey, sis. What’s up?” Jared was distracted, and Jen heard the distinct sound of papers shuffling and falling in the background. “Shit!”

  “Sounds like you’re having a good first day on the job,” she deadpanned.

  “Yeah, just great. Shit, is that really the time?”

  “Afraid so, big brother. I’m on my way home. I’ve been at The Sweet Spot with Christa—”

  Jared interrupted her before she could finish. “And? Did you find out anything?” She suddenly had his full attention.

  “I did, Jared. She’s seeing this guy, Aaron, and he came in while I was there. They are crazy about each other. I saw them together. I think…I think you need to stay out of it, Jared. She’s happy,” Jen emphasized.

  “Well…” He paused. “There’s no reason we can’t still be friends. Right?” Jared asked.

  “Jared.” The warning in her tone was unmistakable.

  “We’ve always been friends, Jen. We’re still friends now,” Jared rationalized.

  He knew it was a stretch, but he wasn’t giving up on Christa completely. Staying in her life meant being there when the chips fell, helping pick them back up, and being the one she could depend on. He’d let her down too much while he was away at school, and he had too much to make up for to turn away now.

  * * *

  Another week passed by before Jared made his way back to The Sweet Spot and back to Christa. His new job was the definition of the tenth level of hell, and demanding didn’t begin to describe his caseload. He’d expected somewhat of a shitty caseload when he first started—that was just how it worked out for the new guy on the block. Starting out already late on several cases had severely hampered his plans to spend more time with Christa. That day, he left work on time and drove straight to see her.

  Walking into the café in the late evening, Jared knew it wasn’t going to be the reunion he planned to have. His feet stopped in mid-stride when he saw her sitting in another man’s lap, leaning in close to him and sharing an intimate joke. Christa looked up when she heard the bell.

  “Jared!” she exclaimed, but Jared noticed she didn’t move from the man’s embrace. “Come on in. I want you to meet someone.”

  She sounded so happy and sincere, Jared didn’t have the heart to tell her he had no interest in meeting the man who was trying to take her away from him. Except, she wasn’t his. He’d left her behind more than seven years ago, and he had no claim to her then or now. His head knew that. His heart and his ego argued the point, though.

  Jared crossed the café to join Aaron and Christa. As he watched them together, he felt like a third wheel, completely unwanted and out of place in their intimate setting.

  “Jared, this is Aaron Rivers. Aaron, this is Jared Miller, Jen’s brother. Jared and his family were like my own family growing up. He’s practically my brother.” Christa finished the introductions with a beaming smile that tore Jared’s heart out.

  A brother.

  Aaron and Jared shook hands, each man silently sizing the other up, identifying the potential threat the other posed. Jared saw a flash of recognition in Aaron’s eyes, like he’d seen Jared before, but he quickly dismissed it. Knowing they’d never crossed paths, Jared thought no more of it and moved on to bigger issues. Like how to get Aaron out of Christa’s life.

  “Good to meet you, man,” Aaron said with a smile, shaking Jared’s hand but still holding Christa with the other arm.

  “Likewise,” Jared responded.

  “Can I get you anything, Jared? Coffee? Sandwich?” Christa asked, ever the hospitable host.

  “I don’t want to interrupt you two. I just wanted to stop by and see you. It’s been a long time.” Jared spoke directly to Christa, never moving his eyes to include Aaron in the conversation.

  “It’s no problem. It’ll only take me a minute. Have a seat here with Aaron, and I’ll be right back.” Christa rose from Aaron’s lap and extended her hand to the other seat at the table.

  She left the two men alone while she played hostess. Aaron and Jared sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments before Aaron spoke.

  “So, I met your sister, Jen. She’s very protective of Christa.”

  “Yes, we all are, actually,” Jared replied, his threat lying just under the surface of his words. “My parents love Christa—my mom, especially. They’ve been close for a long time.”

  “Yeah, Christa told me you two were friends, but you’ve been away at college for, what was it, a little over seven years, right? She said she didn’t see you much during that time.” Aaron indirectly challenged him in return.

  The tightening of Jared’s jaw muscle was obvious, and Aaron knew he’d hit a nerve. Aaron kept his face neutral so as not to give away his satisfaction at putting Jared in his place.

  Christa arrived with Jared’s dinner just in time to avoid a confrontation. Jared had to force it down, though, as he watched Christa take her seat back in Aaron’s lap. Her arm was around his neck, and both of Aaron’s arms were wrapped around her waist, claiming her as his own. Jared noted that Christa looked genuinely happy, just like Jen had described. He wasn’t happy about it, but he decided, for Christa’s sake, he wouldn’t cause any trouble between them.

  When he finished eating and talking with Christa and Aaron, Jared got up to leave, and Christa walked him to the door. Aaron kept his seat but also kept a watchful eye on them—mainly on Jared. He hugged Christa and thanked her for the dinner.

  “Don’t be a stranger, Jared. It’s good to have you home,” she said sincerely.

  “You seem happier, Christa,” Jared replied, inclining his head toward Aaron. “Does he have anything to do with that?”

  “He does, Jared. He’s been really good to me. We haven’t been seeing each other long, but it just feels…right,” she explained. The words crushed him inside, but outwardly, he somehow maintained his smile, for her sake.

  “He’d better be good to you. Or he’ll have to deal with me,” Jared warned.

  Christa laughed and swatted his arm. “You’ll have to get in line behind Jen. She’s already warned him enough for both of you.”

  Jared kissed her cheek goodbye, waved to Aaron, and left the café. He sat in his car for several minutes before driving away, thinking about what could have been, what should have been had he not been so self-absorbed all those years. Had he not just assumed she would wait for him to come home.

  After Jared left, Christa returned to her seat with Aaron. “So, what’d you think?”

  Aaron had anticipated this very question. “He seems like a good guy. He looks familiar. Is that him in the picture in your apartment?”

  He’d already known the answer before he asked, but he wanted to open the dialogue to get her talking. He wanted to find out as much as he could about her previous relationship with Jared. The man was protective of her. Hell, the whole family was protective of her. But there was a different look in Jared’s eyes when he looked at Christa. And Jared couldn’t hide how he felt or what he thought when Christa sat in Aaron’s lap. The man was jealous with a capital green.

  “Yes, that’s him.” There was no hint of hesitation in her voice. “We were so young then—or I was anyway. Jared’s a few years older than I am. Anyway, I had gone to his family’s BBQ one weekend, and all the kids had a three-legged
race. I was paired with Jared, so you can imagine how that worked out with his long legs and my short ones. We were getting beaten, very badly, so I hopped on his back just before we crossed the stream and he ran the rest of the way to the finish line. His mom was laughing so hard she could barely take that picture.”

  Christa’s laughter increased the more she talked about that weekend. Aaron immediately noticed she wasn’t reminiscing about Jared as much as she was the whole family get-together. The partial confirmation that there was nothing more than friendship there made Aaron feel a little more relaxed. That, and she made no secret about their relationship in front of Jared. When she’d sat back down in his lap in front of Jared, Aaron had felt invincible. And his little sweetheart had no idea she was breaking hearts.

  Aaron stayed after all the customers left and helped Christa clean up the kitchen, get breakfast items set up for the morning rush, and walked her to her car after they locked up. He kept his hand on her lower back, enjoying the contact and intimacy it implied. Just as they reached her car door, he moved his hand to her arm, lightly gripping her elbow and turning her to face him. Aaron gently stroked her cheek, leaned in, and placed a dry, chaste kiss on her lips.

  Once wasn’t enough, so he closed the gap again, taking her mouth with his, using his tongue to gain entry. He lifted her up and sat her on the hood of the car. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding tight and pulling himself to her core. The kiss became urgent, fueled by desire, and the fire only grew hotter. His hands covered her face, cradling it as he devoured her, tasting her with a fevered frenzy. His hips surged forward, the evidence of his arousal pushing into her through their clothing.

  Christa’s breathing hitched, and she moaned softly into his mouth. Aaron’s hands rapidly moved across her body, leaving a trail of fire in their path. Christa pulled him closer to her, pressed her chest firmly against his, and her tender nipples rubbed against the hardness of his muscled chest. His thumb found her already erect nipple and lightly rubbed it in circles. The sensation shot straight through her body to her core, igniting her nerve endings and sending a delicious shudder through her.

  As much as Aaron wanted to continue this very public display of inappropriate affection, he didn’t want to get Christa arrested for indecent exposure. And while a big part of him, mostly the part below his belt, wanted to continue this erotic dance in the privacy of her apartment, or even her car, the other part of him wanted something more. He’d always had one-night stands, or sometimes, a couple of nights, but never more. No real connections, no real feelings, and no real future were ever possible.

  With Christa, he already wanted more of everything—more time with her, more getting to know the real person, more intimacy, and more connection. He showed more restraint and self-composure than he knew was humanly possible when he slowed the kiss until he could pull away from her. Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated, and her breaths were heavy and fast. He found little consolation in knowing she didn’t want their impromptu display of public affection to end any more than he did. It only made him want to take her even more.

  Aaron put his hands back on her face and kissed her lips softly. He kept his kisses controlled, smooth and sensual. Her natural taste was so intoxicating he couldn’t get enough. With a deep sigh, he put his forehead to hers and moved his hands to interlace their fingers together.

  “You should get going. It’s late. Can I follow you home—just to make sure you make it safely? I don’t like you walking in alone at night.” Aaron’s voice was low and possessive.

  Christa’s heart melted at his words. She couldn’t believe she had found someone who cared enough to go out of their way to make sure she got home safely.

  “You don’t have to, Aaron. You must be tired.” She offered him a way out of his offer.

  “Christa, I can’t rest without knowing you’re all right. I won’t try anything, I promise. I just need to know you’re safe.” His tone pleaded and commanded at the same time.

  “Okay.” Christa gently stroked his stubble. At that very moment, she could honestly say she was falling hopelessly head over heels in love with Aaron.

  Aaron followed her into her apartment, checked to make sure everything was secure, and kissed her good night at the door. Christa closed and locked it behind him and then floated on cloud nine to get ready for bed. Everything in her life was finally looking up—her new business was picking up, she had big plans to expand her catering, and her love life was definitely getting better and better.

  * * *

  June

  * * *

  Over the following month, Jared buried himself in his work and stayed away from Christa and her café. And her new boyfriend. The thoughts of her with another man were killing him, but he wouldn’t be the one to cause her any more pain than she’d already suffered at the hands of her family. His long days spent working the extra heavy caseload the senior associates had piled on him were starting to pay off. He had managed to settle several cases out of court, creating lucrative deals for both the firm and the clients. He’d also spent most of his evening work hours with another junior associate, Faith Wells. She wasn’t Christa, but she was nice and she helped fill the lonely hours.

  It was when he was home alone after work when the thoughts invaded his mind relentlessly. He tortured himself thinking about the sounds Christa must make, how good it must feel to hold her, and what it would feel like to wake up with her in his arms. Not to mention the dreams he had almost nightly. The ones where she writhed underneath him, calling his name as he buried himself deep inside her. He woke every morning with the thought he was too damn old to be having wet dreams. He was right. He just woke with an unresolved erection that couldn’t be fully satisfied without her.

  Jared had never had a problem in the getting a date department, and Faith made it obvious she was interested in him. He decided maybe it was time for him to spend some time outside of work with her and see how it progressed. He hadn’t heard from Christa in the past month, so he reasoned he wasn’t as important to her as he thought he was.

  This must be exactly how she felt all those years I treated her the same way, he thought solemnly.

  The next evening after they finished with more of the case files, Jared asked Faith to go to a local jazz bar to have a drink with him. She readily agreed, and they left in separate cars, agreeing to meet at the club.

  The dimly lit room matched Jared’s feelings. Even though his brain told him to move on without Christa, his heart hadn’t quite followed suit yet. Jared and Faith found a small table away from the crowds and quickly ordered their drinks.

  “So, I thought you’d never ask me out. What took you so long?” she asked brazenly while smiling seductively. He cringed inwardly, instantly comparing her to Christa and noting that Christa would’ve never been so bold.

  “Just been busy, I guess,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulder, not wanting to tell her what he honestly thought.

  After a few drinks loosened him up, he felt a little better without Christa on his mind every second. Faith laughed and flirted with him, touching his arm and moving her chair closer to his in her obvious attempts to draw him into her.

  After a couple more shots, he was past the point of caring that she wasn’t really Christa or that he wasn’t really that attracted to her. She was a warm, willing body, and he had already decided he would use her body in any way she wanted.

  A cab ride and a stumble through the door later, he grasped her hair in his hand and covered her mouth with his. His tongue slid in with no resistance; she matched him stroke for stroke. Her hands found his belt, and within seconds, his dress pants were on the floor, and she was stroking his growing erection through his briefs. Faith pulled away from Jared and dropped to her knees, freeing his cock as she knelt. Without warning, she’d taken him into her mouth, working him with a hurried frenzy. Jared closed his eyes and held her head in his hands.

  When she slowed, he gripped tighter, jerking his hips
quickly in and out of her mouth while moaning loudly. Faith relaxed the muscles in the back of her throat, allowing him deeper penetration. Jared groaned one last time as he lost the battle with control. She took all of him and stood with a knowing smirk on her face. Jared quickly tugged her pants down to her ankles, bent her over the back of the couch, and fucked her from behind after quickly sheathing himself with a condom. No foreplay, no words of affection—just the fast, hard pounding she so obviously wanted.

  Faith cried out when he thrust inside her the first time. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Didn’t you want me to fuck you?”

  “Yes,” she hissed back.

  “That’s what you’re getting.” Jared continued to surge into her, over and over, until she was screaming, her fingers gripping the cushions while her pussy gripped his cock. He growled loudly as he came. “Fuck, Christa!”

  Jared immediately stepped away, looking for the bathroom to clean up, when Faith stood from her bended position.

  “My name isn’t Christa.” Her voice dripped with venom and disgust, aimed at him.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Jared asked with a furrowed brow and confusion etched on his handsome features.

  “Just now, when you were fucking me, you called me Christa. My name is Faith.”

  Jared gave a half shrug. “I know your name. I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must have misunderstood me.” I just wanted you to be Christa.

  She gave him a hard look, as if she were trying to decide if he was lying or not. He didn’t really care, but he knew it would make their working relationship more awkward, so he hoped she believed she’d just misunderstood what he’d said.

  “All right, if you say so. Do you want to take a shower with me?”

  “Sure.” No. What the hell have I done?

  Showered and dressed, Jared used the excuse of not wanting to leave his expensive car parked anywhere overnight to get out of Faith’s apartment. On the cab ride back to his car, he envisioned his new working relationship with Faith. She wasn’t the one he wanted, but the only one he wanted was in the arms of someone else. If he shunned Faith now, how would that affect his career? If he didn’t, how would that affect his career?