Chasing His Rejected Wife

I followed him meekly, feeling like a kid whose parents had been called to the principal's office. Outside, the temperature had fallen drastically and I shivered again, huddling close to Anna and Claire for warmth.

Aiden walked in front of us, his long legs eating up the distance as he crossed the parking lot, headed to a gray convertible parked at the far end. I hovered behind, unsure if I would be going home with him or if he expected me to find my way home. My car was still parked at Anna's bar and so was my bag and money.

"You can come home with me if you want." Anna, who had sensed my turmoil, said softly. She motioned to where Aiden stood by the door, speaking on the phone, while Claire hovered, casting anxious looks between us. "He's in a temper and with all that's happened today, you shouldn't stress the baby any more."

I rubbed at my aching tummy and bit my lips. Anna was right, but at the same time, if I avoided Aiden after all the trouble he'd gone through on my behalf tonight, I'd be an ungrateful loser.

"I should go with him." I murmured, still indecisive. "It'd be cowardly to run away now, and anyway he's going to scold me, so might as well get it over with and also explain my side of the story."

"You don't owe him any explanation." She told me, placing a hand on my shoulder for emphasis.

"I kinda do." I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "It's okay, Anna. I'll be fine. But how will you get home?" Even though the station was a fifteen minute walk from her place, the route passed through some rough alleys and I couldn't help but worry. "I texted Kel," she held up her phone, showing me a chat box with active conversations. "He's on his way."

"Are you guys back together?" I asked, surprised at the mention of her ex boyfriend. I knew their breakup had been pretty bad, so the fact that they were texting buddies was news to me.

"Nah, I'll tell you about it later, it's....complicated." She grimaced and put away her phone.

We heard the roar of an engine and turned around just Aiden pulled up beside us, Claire in the back seat.

"Get in." The clipped command left no room for refusal. I exchanged looks with Anna, who looked sympathetic at my plight, then opened the front passenger door and got in.

Warmth from the heaters enveloped me, easing the chill in my bones as I sank down into the plush black seat, the smell of leather and pine washing over me.

"That includes you." Aiden said with a pointed look at Anna.

"Nope. I've got a ride already." Anna's tone was equally as frosty. She shut my door with a little more force than was necessary, her gaze locked with Aiden's in a battle of wills. At the door slam, Aiden's knuckles tightened on the wheel and he looked suitably pissed which satisfied Anna.

With a smirk, she leaned down and pointed at me. "Do not stress my girl out or you'll answer to me."

"As opposed to you getting her locked up and assaulting people?" Aiden shot back, an eyebrow raised.

"Anna," I shook my head at my friend, silently begging her to stop. She frowned, but stepped away from the car.

"I'll come by in the morning and pick up the rest of my stuff." I told her, having to lean out the window and shout since Aiden had already begun moving. She gave me a thumbs up sign and I sat back, bracing myself for the ride ahead. With practiced ease, Aiden steered the powerful sports car with one hand, the other resting on the gear shift. I found myself studying that hand, slender and nimble with long fingers tapering off into elegant well trimmed nails. The veins underneath were just visible, running up the arm something I had always found incredibly sexy. What I would give to have those hands play me like an instrument, explore over my body, trace a fiery path from my neck down to my breasts, my stomach, one long finger to dip between my legs and -

I forced myself to look away, drew in a deep breath and pressed my thighs together at the unexpected surge of arousal. I kept firmly staring out the window, silently berating myself for feeling like a horny teenager, especially for a man who had cheated on me.

The silence lasted until we'd dropped Claire off and even though I was reluctant to have this conversation, I knew I had to.

"Thank you." I said softly. He took his eyes off the road to look my way and I tried not to flinch under his scrutiny. When he turned away, I continued. "And I'm sorry. I know you're upset because I put your reputation at risk with my behavior, but I assure you that I'll make sure this stays away from the press."

At that he looked at me again, this time with a frown. "You think that's the reason I'm upset? Because of my reputation?"

“Well, yes.” I tucked my hair behind my ear. "Isn't it?"

He pursed his lips and looked back at the road. "No."

I waited for him to elaborate, but he remained silent, leaving me in the dark. What other reason could there be? He didn't care enough about me to worry over my well being, he didn't know about the baby, so that was out too.

Or maybe he just wanted to make sure I remained hale and hearty until the divorce was finalized to avoid further delay.

Okay, I knew that idea was ludicrous, but I couldn't come up with anything else.

"What possessed you to fight with a man twice your size?" He suddenly demanded, the clipped anger in his tone, so different from a minute ago, took me by surprise.

I stared at him, the illumination from the passing streetlights, casting his face in hard, sharp angles. "He was going to hurt Anna."

That got me a derisive laugh. "Anna? You were protecting her? The same girl who used to make a living in the fight arena? She is the one that needed protection?"

I bit my lower lip and caught myself wringing my hands. "She hasn't been in a competition in years."

He gave me a sharp glare, mouth set in a grim line. "Don't evade the question. My point is your dear friend is more than capable of taking care of herself and actually did do so when the brawl started, so why did you - with less experience, choose to fight with that guy? He could have injured you."

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Well, that was highly unlikely, but considering that Aiden knew very little about my time in college, I let him continue to think I had been in any real danger. "You're right, I shouldn't have gotten involved."

He sighed and propped an elbow on the window, rubbing at his temple. "I owe you an apology too."

"What for?" I asked. I had an inkling what he wanted to apologize for and it brought back all the painful thoughts I'd held at bay for the past few hours. My heart gave a pained lurch.

"I accused you of deliberately trying to hurt Elisa." His grip on the wheel tightened and a muscle ticked in his jaw. "I reacted badly and threatened you in the process and for that, I apologize."

You're not going to apologize for cheating on me and getting her pregnant? I mused bitterly, turning my face away so he wouldn't see my tears. A weight pressed in my chest, making it difficult to breathe properly and I drew in a shaky breath. "You really believed I could push her down those stairs?" I murmured, struggling to keep my emotions in check and failing. "Am I that evil in your eyes that you would rather assume the worst about me before finding out the truth?"

"Jess -" He began, but I wasn't done yet. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, really. After all, for the past two years you've done nothing but paint me as the villain, a woman incapable of feeling and selfish."

By this time tears and snot were running freely down my face, but I couldn't care less. My voice broke every second word, but I forced out the words that had been eating up at me.

Aiden cursed and abruptly steered the car to the side of the road. He cut the engine and turned to face me fully, startled to see me in full mental breakdown.

"Jess," He reached out to touch me but drew back when I recoiled from his touch.