Aiden’s footsteps were at the door. He paused, and I could hear him breathing, but I didn’t think he came into the room. I kept my eyes closed even though I was facing away from the door. A minute later, I heard him head back down the hall.
“No,” his soft voice echoed. “Just checking on something.
Alarm!
I wrapped my arms around myself as my breathing returned to normal. What was all of that? Was he actually threatening to kill someone? Two someones? Why? What was complicated, and did it actually have anything to do with me?
What had I gotten myself into?
I had to be hearing things wrong. There was no way to tell when you only got one side of a conversation. There was no way for me to know exactly what he meant, and trying to figure it out without knowing even the general topic at hand was impossible. The alarms in my head were premature at the very best. I had no idea what he was talking about, and it wasn’t any of my business.
I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to imagine there was anything sinister about the man who had bought me a dress just to go out for dinner and treated me so nicely. I didn’t want to believe he was anything other than how he seemed when he was around me. Despite everything that I had heard, I couldn’t deny how much I still wanted Aiden Hunter.
I still had to pee, but there was no way I was going to get up and go to the bathroom now. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to forget everything I had heard.
And with that, denial took me into sleep.
NINE
Day four with Aiden, and again, my sleep was restless. Every time I woke up, Aiden wasn’t there. I considered going out to find him but didn’t want to hear any more of his late-night conversations. Ignorance was said to be bliss¸ and I was hanging on to that notion.
When I woke in the morning, Aiden was wrapped around me for once instead of the other way around. My back was to his chest with his arms coiled around me. I couldn’t recall ever waking up in such a position, and for a moment, I just lay there and felt.
He was warm but not too hot. His cheek was against the top of my head, and his arm was bent to allow my head to rest on his bicep. Our knees were slightly bent, with his legs curled up against the back of mine. His arm was around my waist, and his hand was resting on the mattress next to my stomach.
I supposed this was what people referred to as a classic “spooning” position.
I looked down the arm wrapped around my middle, trying to get a better look at the tattoos there. There were stars and a dollar sign as well as the image of a basketball player. The phrase 80’s Baby was in red, right in the center of his arm near his elbow, and a long-stemmed rose swept over his forearm.
I remembered what I had overheard on the phone. Frankly, it had scared me a little. If I really thought about it rationally, I’d probably pack up and get the heck out of here. That was the thing, though—I wasn’t thinking rationally.
Despite his words on the phone, I still felt safe in his arms.
Why was that? Was it simply a reflection of his strength? Were human women really biologically programmed to seek out someone who was able to protect them physically? If he weren’t so muscled, would I still be attracted to him?
That was the crux of the whole thing—I was attracted to him and not just a little. I’d hardly been able to keep my eyes off of him the whole time I had been here and had even dreamed about him.
Aiden shifted in his sleep, pressing his body closer to mine. His elbow bent as his hand moved up to my shoulder, and his grip tightened. There was no doubt in my mind what I could now feel pressed against my ass.
It was long and hard.
I went from warm to hot in a matter of seconds. My thighs and ass clenched involuntarily as I took in a breath and held it. He wasn’t grinding into me or anything, but it was still very, very noticeable.
Morning wood.
Like spooning, it was something I’d heard a lot about but never really experienced. When Zach had slept over, he’d always been up before I was. He also wasn’t one for cuddling in bed, so it had simply never been an issue.
Is that what it was? An issue?
As I closed my eyes, my mind went a little wild. I couldn’t help but have thoughts of him waking, shoving my pajama bottoms down my legs, and pushing inside of me. I could almost feel him kissing my neck as he rocked into me slowly.
The thought made me wonder if he would even be that way—slow and gentle, the same way all my past lovers had been. It didn’t seem to fit, and my fantasy quickly switched to him rolling me to my stomach and pounding into me from behind.
I could feel sweat beginning to collect behind my neck and under my breasts. I really had to get out of this position before he woke up. Well, before the rest of him woke up.
He didn’t make it easy.
The man had a death grip on me. Trying to move his arm off of me was darn near impossible. He just wouldn’t budge. I ended up slithering out from under him, nearly getting my head trapped in the crook of his elbow in the process. Eventually, I fell on my knees at the edge of the bed.
Aiden’s face scrunched for a moment as he reached out his hand at the empty mattress. He rolled to his stomach and rubbed his head against the pillow before letting out a long sigh. I remained motionless for a moment until I was sure he was completely asleep, and then I tiptoed over to my suitcase, grabbed some clean clothes, and made my way to the bathroom. I spent a little extra time on my hair. The humidity wasn’t doing anything for my curls, and I had been fighting frizz since I had arrived. It was a good distraction.
He was still sleeping when I was done, so I headed off to the kitchen to make coffee. Rain was coming down in sheets, darkening the sand and blocking out the sound of the waves. After the first cup was empty, I decided he wasn’t going to wake up any time soon and that I should just find my own breakfast.
Going through someone else’s refrigerator was a little nerve-wracking. I wasn’t sure if it was as much of a guest faux pas as it was to check out someone’s medicine cabinet, but it had to be up there on the questionable etiquette list. It seemed better than going through the cupboards though, so I just made quick work of finding the carton of eggs and some milk.
Scrambled eggs and toast were actually a more elaborate breakfast than I usually made for myself at home but seemed sparse after a couple of days of Aiden’s cooking. It didn’t taste as good as his, either.
I ate and watched the rain come down, had another cup of coffee, rinsed off my dishes before placing them in the dishwasher, and then sat down at the kitchen table to stare at the rainy beach some more.
Aiden continued to sleep most of the morning. I peeked in on him a couple of times and could only assume he’d been up really late. With the rain pouring down even harder, I couldn’t walk along the beach, so I sat at the kitchen table and looked out at the grey sky. Even with the bad weather, it was still beautiful.
I ended up turning my phone back on and playing games. I was down to about a quarter of my battery’s power but still considered checking my email. If I were being honest with myself, I would have admitted that I was afraid to check it. I really didn’t think giving such short vacation notice would get me fired, but I was also pretty sure Chia Head would have something to say about it. However, Mom’s comments about not doing anything rash were echoing in my head.
I played more games. I looked in on Aiden and then made another pot of coffee.
The phone beeped to tell me I was down to twenty percent, so I switched it back off and listened to the wind howl. I picked up Aiden’s red baseball cap and fingered the worn inside edge, wondering how long he had had it and if he had ever worn it the right way before placing it back on the kitchen table. Eventually I had to acknowledge that I was running out of options to keep myself occupied.
Boredom got the better of me. Though I felt a little sneaky about it, I started wandering from room to room, just to see what was there. I hadn’t had any kind of house tour, but I didn’t think it w
ould take long to just peek inside the rooms I hadn’t been in yet.
On the other side of the living room was a short hallway with three doors. The first two doors were open, and I found a bathroom behind one and Aiden’s weight room behind the other. I recognized the treadmill and a weight bench with a lot of dumbbells lined up in a rack, but there were a couple of machines I couldn’t identify. One had a bar running through the middle of it and heavy weights lying beside it, and the other was tall with a barbell at the bottom and handgrips up at the top. There was also a mat on the floor and a free-standing punching bag.
If I hadn’t noticed from his physique, this room definitely put him in the serious bodybuilder class.
The door to the last room was closed, and I was pretty hesitant to open it. I was prying—there wasn’t another name for what I was doing—and that was ultimately rude. Still, I didn’t know what else to do with myself while I waited for Aiden to wake up.
Maybe he already had.
I silently slipped back to the master bedroom and looked in. Aiden was on his back and snoring slightly. He didn’t look like he’d be waking up anytime soon.
I went back to the closed door and placed my hand on the knob.
I shouldn’t be doing this. All the other doors were open, so why would he keep this one closed unless it was to hide something behind it? What could he have in there? Did he hide his drugs in this room? Weapons? A dead body?
Alarm!
There was only one way to find out. With a deep breath, I turned the knob and pushed the door open.
Boxes.
Labeled boxes.
Piles and piles of them.
I almost laughed at myself. I wasn’t sure what I was really expecting, but I probably should have realized that this was what I would find. He had said numerous times that he had never had a chance to unpack. It was no wonder he had a room like this. The only room that seemed fully in place was the kitchen.
Just as I was closing the door, one of the box labels caught my eye.
“Cayden’s clothes”
I paused and pushed the door open a little more. There were several boxes labeled the same way. Right behind those were cartons that simply read “Cayden.” Some of the other containers had more distinct labels.
“Cayden’s bike”
“Cayden’s books”
“Cayden’s toys”
Toys?
A slight noise from the direction of the kitchen caused me to jump. I shut the door quickly and stumbled out of the hallway and into the living room, sure I was caught. I wasn’t, though. The living room and kitchen were empty. I looked around to find the source of the noise when I heard it again—coming from outside. The wind had knocked over one of the patio chairs, and it was now blowing over the stone tiles.
I sighed and sat my ass back down at the kitchen table. My coffee had gone cold, but I drank it anyway.
Who is Cayden?
I wasn’t completely sure if Cayden was a boy’s name or a girl’s name. It sounded like something you would call a boy, but it could also have been unisex. I didn’t know any Caydens and had no frame of reference.
I didn’t think it was a girl he used to date. Lo said his last girlfriend was Megan, and I didn’t even want to think about what kinds of things might have been in a box of women’s toys. There was really only one logical answer.
Aiden had a child.
Maybe a boy or maybe a girl but definitely a child. Who else would have a bike and toys in boxes?
Aiden hadn’t mentioned a child. In fact, he had said he had no family except his mother, and he didn’t speak to her at all. What kind of person neglects to mention they have a kid?
And I was back at square one. What kind of person, indeed? I’d certainly gotten to know a lot about Aiden Hunter over the past few days, but I couldn’t say I actually knew him. This was insane. I was insane. I had no business being here at all.
“Hey there.” Aiden’s voice nearly startled me out of my seat. “Sorry I slept so late. The rain does that to me sometimes.”
“That’s okay,” I replied automatically.
“I hope you haven’t been too bored. Did you at least find yourself something to eat?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” I sat up in the chair a bit and held up my coffee cup. “There’s still some coffee in the pot if you want some.”
“Fantastic,” Aiden said with a yawn. He poured himself a cup and sat down across from me. “Has it been raining all day?”
“Yes,” I said. “Windy, too. The patio chairs have been blowing around.”
Aiden glanced out the window and surveyed the damage with a nod.
“What have you been up to?” he asked.
“Not much,” I said, hoping I wasn’t giving away my privacy-invasion activities with my blush. “I’ve been watching the rain and playing on my phone.”
“What did we do without smartphones?” Aiden mused.
Snooped around in other people’s houses?
I didn’t reply. I was feeling really guilty about what I had done. It was so out of character for me to do something like that, and I didn’t know what had come over me. Curiosity, I supposed, but that was no excuse.
“You okay?”
I looked up into Aiden’s eyes.
“I’m fine,” I replied. I wondered if he could tell I’d been doing something I shouldn’t have been doing.
“I hope you aren’t too pissed off about me sleeping in,” Aiden said. “I mean, you could have woken me up if you wanted to. I should have set an alarm or something.”
“Not at all,” I said. “I figured you had…well, I thought you must have worked late.”
“Yeah, I did.” Aiden took another drink of his coffee and stared out the window. “Shitty day to do anything outside.”
“It is,” I agreed. “Then again, I think I’ve had more outdoor excitement this week than I have had my whole life.”
Aiden smiled, and his eyes twinkled at me.
“Was it worth it?” he asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” I said. “I’m still trying to convince myself I jumped out of a plane.”
“Fucking fantastic, wasn’t it?” Aiden’s eyes widened with his smile.
“It really was amazing. I just can’t believe I did it.”
“Are you glad you did?”
“Yes,” I said after a moment’s thought, “I am.”
“Would you do it again?”
I shook my head.
“I think once was enough. I don’t want to press my luck.”
Aiden chuckled as he stood to refill his coffee. After asking if I wanted anything, he made himself a couple of waffles in the toaster oven and smeared them with peanut butter and jelly.
“That’s a little less elaborate than what you have been making,” I remarked.
“Well, I’m pretty hungry and don’t want to wait,” he replied. “Besides, cooking isn’t as much fun when it’s just for me. I’ll have to think of something more interesting for dinner. I could make a stew in the crockpot. Do you like stew?”
“Stew sounds good,” I said.
“I was planning to grill out, but I don’t think the weather is going to cooperate.”
Another patio chair blew over then, right on cue.
“I’d better pull those in,” Aiden said. He tossed the half-eaten waffle down on the table and ran out to the patio. He pulled the chairs up close to the side of the house, getting himself drenched in the process.
I ran to the bathroom and grabbed one of the large towels hanging over the shower. Aiden was dripping in the doorway when I got back to the kitchen. His muscle shirt clung to his body and showed his tattoos through the thin fabric.
Wet T-shirt contest, we have a winner!
“Thanks,” he said as he took the towel from my hands. “I’m not sure it’s going to be enough though.”
“Do you want another one?”
“Nah, I need to jump in the shower anyway.”
Aiden dr
ipped his way over to the bathroom, leaving his waffle on the table. After I heard the shower start, I wiped the water off of the floor. I was still feeling guilty about poking around in his house and figured the least I could do was clean up a bit.
I also didn’t know what to think of the labels on the boxes. I was sure it meant that Aiden had a child, but why wouldn’t he mention something that important? Did he think I might not like kids? Was he a deadbeat dad who didn’t properly provide for his child?
That didn’t seem right. I might not have known Aiden very well, but he did seem like someone who liked to take care of people. He liked to cook for others, and he’d taken me to do all these wonderful things. It didn’t seem to fit that he wouldn’t take care of a child that was his.
So why would he hide it?
Maybe I was completely wrong, and Cayden wasn’t his child. Maybe it was his dog that remained with a pet boarder while I was visiting.
Dogs don’t read books or ride bikes.
Oh, yeah.
Aiden reappeared with dry clothes and slightly damp hair. There were water droplets glistening around his neck, encouraging me to think about licking them off. Similar thoughts ran through my head as he pulled out a crockpot and began slicing up vegetables for a stew.
“All right,” Aiden said when he had all the ingredients in the crockpot, “what are we going to do today? A motorcycle ride is definitely out.”
“I think you are right there,” I agreed, glad to have something to think about other than the way water danced around on Aiden’s skin. “What else do you have in mind?”
Aiden contemplated for a moment and then suddenly snapped his fingers.
“I’ve got just the thing to do!” He jumped up and headed down the hallway I’d been poking around in earlier. He came back a minute later with a large black box in his hands. “Xbox! I haven’t played this since I moved here.”
“Video games?”
“There’s nothing like blowing up a bunch of shit on a rainy day!” he announced. “Team Fortress 2, here we come!”
For the next couple of hours, we sat on the floor in front of the couch, and Aiden showed me how to work the controls to play the game. We ran virtual characters around on the screen, blowing up members of the other team and burning things down. It was insanely violent and a ton of fun.