Instead of asking if I was all right, Chip's first response was to regard Aedyn with a speculative glare then blurt out, "Who's this?"

"This is Aedyn Cumberland. Do you remember him from high school?"

Chip's eyes darted from Aedyn and then to me. His jaw was set tightly. "Aedyn." He nodded a terse greeting.

I closed my eyes, took a breath, opened them and said, "Aedyn, this is Chip-my boyfriend."

Aedyn raised his eyebrows and then brushed the back of his hand across his nose. I had failed to mention this to Aedyn in our long conversation at the diner. Whether subconsciously, or purposely, who knew anymore, I said nothing about a boyfriend-of four years-who I wanted to marry.

"Of course, Chip Harrison. I remember," Aedyn said graciously.

I watched as the two of them shook hands, though I surmised the handshake was not a sincere gesture, at least not from Chip's perspective. They exchanged a few stilted pleasantries, an unwelcome tension growing between them. Chip sounded sarcastic and on the verge of being downright rude and my nerves tensed even further. He was annoyed that Aedyn was here. That was no great revelation.

Chip suddenly paused and asked, "So, Aedyn, why are you here?"

"I saw the accident and called the ambulance," he replied. "I'm really sorry, Lauren. I saw the guy coming out of the bar. I knew he was drunk and I should've stopped him. He was walking so I didn't know he had parked behind the bar. I thought he was hoofing it home or heading to the park. I'm really sorry."

Chip's jaw shifted like he was grinding his teeth and his eyes narrowed while Aedyn fumbled with the button on his jacket.

"It's fine. Aedyn. You couldn't have known. It was just my unlucky day."

I expected Aedyn to excuse himself and say he needed to go, but he just stood there. He had no idea what he was mixed up in here. If he knew what was good for him he should just go. The tension in the room was increasing with frightening intensity and the presence of Chip and Aedyn in front of me at the same time wasn't helping the knot in my stomach or the pounding in my head.

Aedyn looked to the ceiling and then his blue eyes pierced me with a look I'll never forget. He ran his tongue over his upper lip and said, "Lauren, you didn't mention you were in a relationship." He looked so betrayed; you would've thought I stabbed him in the back with a knife. Not only was my head pounding out of my skull now, but I couldn't breathe either. What did he care? He was just in town for his father's funeral, not for me.

Without waiting for a reply Chip, pinned him with a hard look. "Well, she does. And I'm the one. So you can leave now, Aedyn. Thank you for your help, but goodbye." He definitely saw Aedyn as a threat.

Aedyn stepped back and walked to the foot of my bed and turned. I thought he was going to say good-bye, but he just stood there for a moment. I thought for sure this would be when Chip exploded into a rage, but he didn't. Instead, a smirk appeared on his face and he moved closer to me, sitting on the edge of my bed as he spoke with a cool authority. "Lauren, sweetheart, I came as fast as I could. Rob called me, told me he'd just worked an accident you'd been in. I was frantic, rushed over here and find you with another man?" I bit down hard on my lip and lowered my eyes under his glaring disapproval.

"You look white as a sheet, dear." Chip said, and reached out to touch my face. "You hit your head pretty hard. I'm here now though and everything's going to be better. I'm sorry about how I behaved before. I just get crazy at the thought of not having you. When Rob told me you had been in an accident, well, the thought of losing you... I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Chip whipped out a small black velvet box. My eyes turned to saucers and my mouth went bone dry. I glanced at the box, then at Aedyn and then at Chip. There was only one thing that came in a box like that.

My emotions rolled through me like a runaway train. Why did I look at Aedyn? This was it! The moment I'd been waiting for my whole life. I should have been all eyes on Chip and the little black velvet box hovering in the air in front of me. I was sure Chip had noticed. He must have. He was right in my face, he couldn't have missed seeing me glance in Aedyn's direction, as if checking for-what?

I sat up straight in the bed and put on a show worthy of an Oscar, acting surprised and elated. Overjoyed.

Chip was very intense. He opened the box dramatically, took out a beautiful engagement ring with an exquisite halo setting and a huge sparkling diamond in the center. Then he proposed to me. Right there in the hospital bed.

I held my breath while Chip held the ring up, waiting for my answer, poised to slip it on my finger. He was confident I would say yes.

He had played me well.

Chip's eyes darted up and to the right, as if he were waiting for something other than my answer and then it came. The door clicked shut behind Aedyn as he left and Chip focused his eyes back on me and the ring.

"That's right." He said with a cool tone in his voice. "Now say what you've always wanted, Lauren. Tell me you want to be Mrs. Chip Harrison."

My throat was dry, my tongue frozen in place. Then he said it, the words I needed to hear. "I'll always take care of you. I'll always cherish you. I'll make you the happiest woman in the world if you say yes."

My heart stuttered in my chest, wanting to believe those words so badly. Desperate for the life I'd always imagined.

"Yes." It was a simple word that managed its way from my lips. I said it again, almost like a test. "Yes, I'll marry you."

I smiled. This was what I had wanted. It was finally coming true. With this I'd get what I had longed for, had convinced myself was the perfect life. With this ring, things would be better, we'd trust each other and create a secure future. I could quit work, make a home... become a mother. At least one girl and one boy.

I had decided I'd do whatever it took, better to fake it than to risk losing the dream.

"I'll take good care of you, Lauren." Chip said. He slipped the ring on my finger and kissed me softly on the lips.

Chapter Fifteen.

Lauren A shower of brilliant purple-blue rainbow of colors sparkled across my lap as the light from the sun shining through my window hit the center diamond on my ring. I held my left hand strategically into the sunlight, twisting it to make the colors dance across my hand. I hadn't stopped admiring the torrents of fiery colors since Chip slipped it on my finger, hoping that if I stared at it long enough my heart would feel the beautiful love it represented. An engagement ring was supposed to symbolize the radiant love that went with it. But now, after the initial excitement of accepting the ring wore off, deep down, I wasn't sure that was ever going to happen.

I had hoped Chip's proposal would have been a more romantic one. I had envisioned him getting down on one knee while on a picnic at the park, or have the words "Marry Me," written in the sand on some exotic beach. Not a proposal in a hospital bed. Not with his bruises on my arms and Aedyn hovering nearby. I hadn't wanted a proposal spurred by jealousy.

Was it too coincidental that Chip just happened to have a ring in his pocket? That's not usually the kind of thing one carries on their person at all times. Had he been told a mystery man had assisted me and was at my bedside? That he had insisted he ride with me in the ambulance? But still, he must have already purchased the ring sometime.

Now, here I was with a ring on my finger and doubts in my heart. Aedyn had turned my head, but more than that, I realized I really did deserve more than I was getting. Yes, I was scared. Yes, I wasn't sure what to do. But there was a tiny spark building inside me wanting more.

I hadn't anticipated the emotions Aedyn had stirred in me and I was just as confused as to where those feeling had even come from. A person in love shouldn't be feeling desire for another. I thought I was happily in love with Chip until Aedyn stepped out of that limo and into my life.

I shifted restlessly on the couch. The memory of how Aedyn looked at me as I lay in the hospital, his sexy blue eyes connected with mine made me shove my hand back into the shadows. I was sure that my own eyes had betrayed me in front of both Brandon and Chip. I felt like he could see what was going on between Aedyn and me.

Stop it, I nearly scream to myself. Stop all this crazy talk right now.

Fuck! I'd seen the man three times in the last ten years and here I am imagining him as my knight in shining armor, sweeping in to save me from a fucked up life. True, there had been a spark, an absolute connection when we touched, but we hardly knew each other anymore. I didn't even know his hopes and dreams.

I sighed, my anger fading into sadness and guilt. I know it's wrong to want Aedyn. Wanting him now is breaking all the rules. He filled a space in my heart that Chip couldn't reach, or maybe it was a hole that Chip had created by taking away a part of me with his abusive behavior.

I was so confused, torn between the two. Part of me said, forget Aedyn. It's a gamble with him. He might not even feel the same way about me anyway. I should just stick with Chip and try to work out our problems. I had accepted the ring, but that was for two very different reasons. One, I was caught off guard, hurt and in the hospital; the pain and medication ensured I could barely think straight. Two, I had been wanting Chip to propose for so long, it was what I'd been dreaming of. So when it finally happened, I automatically said yes.

Then there was the other side of me that wanted to run into Aedyn's arms while I told Chip to take his ring and stuff it up his ass. But that side was the long shot, the bet I was sure to lose. The way Aedyn looked at me when I'd confessed to having a boyfriend told me that.

I sighed with a deep groan and tossed the bride's magazine aside. I'd been sitting there staring at the same page for so long I didn't even know what I was reading anymore. I was supposed to be resting from the accident, but if truth be told, I didn't need to recuperate any longer. My head stopped hurting and I seemed to be fine, only some aches and pains from the experience. The car had barely touched me. I could remember it now. It had hit my leg and scared the shit out of me. I freaked out, jumped back and fell. Maybe I had a little of my old cheerleader spring left in my leg muscles. I don't know how I did it. It's crazy how the human body works. It must have been some kind of survival mode driven by all the adrenaline shooting through my system. I don't remember having a conscious thought about jumping out of the way; I just did it, like a reflex and then hit my head when I landed.

The next thing I knew, I was down on the asphalt, still holding my purse at my side, like I was out for a stroll. Or maybe I was hit by the car and the explanation that I must have jumped out of the way was my brain trying to make logical sense of the event. Sometimes I block out information I don't want to acknowledge.

The doorknob jiggled with the sound of metal scraping against metal, pulling me out of my reverie. I wasn't alarmed. I knew it would be Chip coming to check on me during his lunch break from work. He'd had a key to my apartment for over a year. He said it was to check on me, but I wondered if it was really just another way to gain control. He was still keeping a close eye on me and seeing Aedyn at my bedside at the hospital probably increased his need for vigilance.

"Hey honey. How are you feeling?" Chip tossed my apartment key onto the coffee table.

"I'm feeling pretty good actually."

Chip sat down on the couch, glanced at the magazine and chucked it onto the coffee table. "That's good to hear."

"It was just a little bump on my head, really. Why is everyone making such a big deal about it?"

"Head injuries are serious stuff. You need to take it easy."

I smiled as he stroked his hand through my hair, looking into my eyes. It was nice to see the old Chip again.

"What've you been doing all morning? Looking at wedding dresses?" He tipped his chin toward the magazine.

"Yea, there's one I like... the one on the page the magazine was opened to is my favorite so far, but I'm still looking. I think I want something with lots of beadwork on the bodice. Or I could go with a retro look, like from the 1950's. I don't know." Actually, I couldn't make a decision about a dress because my heart wasn't in it.

"You'll look beautiful in any of them." He touched the back of my head lightly and said, "How's the head?"

I pushed his hand away, wincing. Truth be told, it was still sore to the touch and I wouldn't mind a few more days off from work. I decided to play on his sympathy. I didn't relish the idea of lying on this couch with nothing to do, but I'd take that over going into the office.

"Still a little sore, but I suppose I should go back to work tomorrow."

He titled his head and peered into my face. "No, I think you should take an extra day, what the hell, take two." He smiled. "I'm sure the boss won't mind. You can spend the time making wedding plans. There's a lot to prepare. We'll have to sit down and talk about the specifics when you feel better. Right now, just do the fun girl stuff you women like to do, flowers and the bride's maid dresses, you know, the stuff guys don't care about. I'll tell you the details of my plans for the wedding when you're up to it."

"You're the boss." I plastered on a smile.

Maybe a couple more days of sympathy would also ease his fly-off-the-handle temper. It seemed to have a positive effect on him so far. He was being really tender.

He moved closer and trailed his fingertip down my face, down my jaw and all the way to the center of my breastbone. I knew what he wanted. I saw it in his eyes, his look was dark and hungry and suddenly, surprisingly I wanted him too. Chip could be charming and sexy when he wasn't consumed by anger. If he could be this way all the time, maybe I'd forget about anyone but him.

I sucked in a breath and gave in to fate, leaning into his kiss. His lips crushed onto mine and his tongue thrust into my mouth. I was swept up in a wave of sensual heat as my body reacted instinctively to years of his familiar touch. I barely realized it when he pulled me up off the couch. My body was so filled with excitement I barely noticed the pang of apprehension in my heart. His kiss, the touch of his hands gliding over my body. I didn't want to fight with my emotions right now. It was easier to just brush them aside and believe that Chip would be like this forever.

When the kiss finally ended, I found myself standing at the foot of the bed. He pulled my top over my head, then wiggled my shorts down over my hips, panties and all. Our eyes locked as he placed his hands on my waist and lowered me until I was sitting, with my legs hanging over the edge. I removed my bra and watched him unbutton his shirt and remove all of his clothes.

This was the man of my dreams, I reminded myself. Maybe my accident had been the turning point in our relationship, after all.

With that thought, I smiled as he eased my knees apart and stepped closer, wedging his hips between my thighs. His cock was already hard and standing high; I wondered what Aedyn's would look like. Oh shit. A flood of warmth rushed to my core. What was I doing thinking about Aedyn's cock, wondering what it would be like with him. Stop it. I was with Chip. He was my future. I forced myself to erase that thought from my mind and focus on the present situation. I repeated, "I love you Chip" over and over in my mind.

He caught my wrists, gathering them into one hand and pinned them behind my back, with his hard cock grinding against my hot spot. My body responded whether I liked it or not, partially from the grinding and partially from the image I let slip back into my mind. I seemed to be on a path to self-destruction.

First, I have dreams about him while sleeping next to Chip and now, a burning image of Aedyn's body rubbing against me instead of Chip's, came to mind. Damn it. I had to stop this. Every time I closed my eyes I had to fight my unfaithful imagination. It was wrong to do this, but once I'd allowed the thought the first time, just that one tiny peek, it was like Pandora's Box had been opened and I couldn't stop it. And even worse, I didn't want to.

He cupped my breast with his free hand, then ran it up my neck, and grasped my jaw. My head tipped back and he crushed his lips on mine. It was a hard kiss, untamed, like he was claiming me as his own. My head was spinning and my face heated, but not because of him. I prayed that he couldn't possibly know what I'd been thinking.

He released my wrists and pulled back, the hot male hunger in his eyes deeper than before. He licked his lips and said, "Now suck me and then I'm going to fuck you, my little bride-to-be." He put his hand on the back of my neck and pulled me toward him. I opened my mouth and closed my eyes, feeling the bulk of his manhood enter my mouth. He was rock hard and fiercely erect. I wrapped my fingers around the base of his cock, but he protested. "No hands. Just your mouth."

He used his hands to guide my head, being careful not to touch the sore area. I curled my lips around his shaft. He moved his hips and I moved up and down his length until held my head stilled and I heard him sucking in air between his teeth. He pulled out and put a hand on my shoulder, pushing me back onto the bed. At the same time his hand passed down over my breast, then stomach, all the way down until he slid his finger into my fold. "You're wet," he growled.

My inner muscles clenched at his first touch. We had a routine, and my body knew it. I couldn't stop myself from responding if I'd wanted. And I should want to enjoy sexual pleasure with Chip. He was my fiance, but my mind was too flooded with pleasure impulses to have a debate now.

I closed my eyes again and wiggled my hips as he worked his finger over my clit, circling and rubbing then thrusting it inside me to stroke my other pleasure spot, moaning in response to his touch. Chip was good in bed. He knew how to please me. He knew all the right places and the right amount of pressure. In my estimation, our love life was fairly hot and steamy, the best I'd had although I didn't have a lot to compare it to. Then my devious mind started to imagine Aedyn on top of me, kissing me and pleasuring me... stop it.

Chip's fingers had done their job and I was wound up to the top of my orgasm. It had been days without a release and I was ripe for a big one. I pulled his hand away and grabbed his hips. "Fuck me, Chip. Now." Maybe that would knock the images of Aedyn out of my mind. I knew this would send me over the edge and I wanted this to be over before my wayward thoughts did me in.

With one swift move, he hooked his hands under both of my legs and pulled my ass to the very edge of the bed. With my knees bend up practically to my ears, he drove his cock into me, sliding through my dripping wetness with ease. He hunched forward over me with a deep groan and I grabbed a fist full of bedspread to keep my place. We rocked together, and he slammed into me, each stroke going deeper. My orgasm peaked in no time. I let out a long grunting exhale as I let myself go, and everything crashed into one big delicious sensation. It flowed out over my entire body, washing away any thoughts about my previous dilemma. One last deep thrust and Chip climaxed with a hard gasp.

After a moment, he pulled out of me and leaned over me, placing both hand on the bed next to my head. I felt his cock rub against my inner thigh as he moved his body up to kiss me. It was wet and still semi-hard. Chip's appetite was such that I knew he'd want to go again. The traitorous part of my mind was hoping there wouldn't be time since he'd stopped by on his lunch break.

His lips found mine and he gave me a quick kiss. He rolled off of me and to the side to lay on his back and pushed both hands through his hair. "I have to get going."

"Okay," I answered flatly as I laid there on my back, staring at the ceiling, knowing my heart wasn't in what I'd just done. Having sex with Chip should have helped me settle my feelings toward him, but in reality I found myself more confused than ever.

Chip rose up on his elbows and turned to say, "To be continued tonight," with a smile and then jumped up out of the bed to get dressed.

I got up and pulled on my top and shorts and walked him to the door. He leaned over and gave me a kiss then said, "I'm glad you felt good enough to pleasure me, babe. At least your accident didn't hurt that part of your body." He laughed and I plastered on a smile.

When the door to my apartment clicked shut, I noticed he'd left the key on my coffee table where he'd dropped it on his arrival. I was relieved that he no longer had a copy and couldn't burst in unexpectedly. I walked over and picked it up, suddenly feeling dejected, wondering if he had left it on purpose.

He seemed rushed and I wondered if the real reason he'd come by on his lunch was to have a quickie. Like his real concern about my injuries was to make sure it didn't interfere with him getting what he wanted. He'd barely glanced at my ideas about a wedding dress and didn't seem interested in hearing my thoughts on the wedding plans.

I glanced at the engagement ring on my finger. It was only seconds ago that I was in Chip's arms, yet thoughts of being with Aedyn had flooded my mind the entire time. And why was that? Maybe because Aedyn seemed to really listen to me when I talked with him at the diner. Staring at his deep blue eyes, and looking at his handsome face over coffee had ignited something inside of me and it shouldn't have. A chance meeting of an old friend? How could that spark something so quickly? It seemed too sudden, but it was like a door had been opened and something beckoned for me to follow a new path. Something magical and enticing, sparkling with the promise of... what? A better tomorrow? Possibly. But at what risk?

I picked up the key and shoved it in the pocket of my purse then scooped up the magazine I had been reading. I dropped it into the trash on my way to the bathroom and a hot shower. Twenty minutes later, I was out the door.

I was devising a plan, an excuse to go into town and look for Aedyn. If I couldn't get him out of my mind even while in the arms of my fiance, then I'd go face him. Maybe seeing him would quell the confusion in my mind, or at least allow me to explain why I hadn't told him I was in a relationship. At least I owed him that much.

I texted Jules to see if she was available to meet me for lunch. That would be my cover to go to town. I figured I'd look first and then tell Jules what time to meet me so it wouldn't be a total lie when I had to explain to Chip where I was. Aedyn still had to settle his father's estate matters so he might be stopping by the realtor's office, or maybe the bank to close his father's accounts. Either way, I was hoping to find him at one of the businesses on Main Street.

Chapter Sixteen.

Lauren Once in town, I parked in the lot behind the stores so as not to be so conspicuous. After all, Chip's insurance office was in town also. Then I made the rounds to the bank, the realtor's office, the diner and the local thrift shop, all the places I anticipated Aedyn might need to go. I even passed by the dry cleaners and the funeral home. No luck. There was no sign of Aedyn's gorgeous face in any of these places.

Standing in front of Red's Place with my cell phone in hand, I resigned myself to text Jules to meet me for lunch. Although Red's Place was a bar, it was also known for its fantastic Italian sausage sandwiches made with a super fatty sausage from a local Italian meat market. If nothing else, I could drown my sorrows in animal fat. I shook my head as I entered. Searching for Aedyn had been a foolish idea anyway. At least it kept me busy and not brooding.

Just minutes after my eyes adjusted to the darkness inside, I spotted Aedyn sitting at the bar eating lunch and having a beer. The mere sight of him warmed me from across the room and my face brightened. I walked over to where he was.

"Lauren, what are you doing here?" Aedyn sputtered, gaping at me over the rim of his beer glass. "You just got hit by a car yesterday, shouldn't you be taking it easy? You're out and about so soon?"

"Didn't you know I was Wonder Woman?" I said, smirking at his reaction. "I'm sure I hurt the car worse than it hurt me."

"Sorry, I mean how are you feeling? I just... didn't expect to see you again seeing that you're engaged now." His words were edged in sarcasm and I wasn't sure how to take his remark.

"Yea, about that..."

"Funny you didn't mention a boyfriend at the diner... when we talked... for over an hour. That's the kind of thing most people would bring up in a conversation when they hadn't seen each other in years."

I dripped my chin to my chest and picked at the trim on my cell phone case.