Cautiously, I looked up. The eyes waiting for me didn’t look like they were interested in tasting my homemade drink. No, those stormy grey eyes looked hungry for something…more.
Just dinner.
“I wasn’t totally honest with you before,” Aiden said.
“Y-you weren’t?”
He shook his head. The muted musk of his cologne curled around me when he edged closer. He tucked my hair behind my ear and ghosted a kiss on the spot just beside it. Bristly beard and warm breath lingered on my neck.
“I want to make love to you,” he whispered.
Longing sighed through me, the ache twisting a confession from my lips. “I want that.”
“Do you?” He seemed to like nuzzling the spot beside my glasses. “Have you thought about us? Don’t be shy. Tell me.”
“Y-yes.”
“I’ve thought about you.”
“You have?”
He groaned against my skin. “Too many times…”
Dinner was almost impossible.
Our knees knocked together under the tiny table. My nervous chatter about books was pointless, and neither of us seemed interested in eating. Every time my fork rattled against the plate, and I darted up a look, Aiden’s eyes were already waiting. He insisted on helping me wash up, murmuring his appreciation in my ear more than once. But I was the one who laced our fingers together and led him to the bedroom.
Antique brass creaked as I sank onto the bed. The scent of fresh linen and the slide of cool cotton along my thighs did nothing to settle my nerves.
Thiswasn’tjust dinner.
The mattress dipped, and a soft kiss found my cheek.
“Let’s take these off…” Aiden murmured, slipping off my glasses and carefully placing them on the nightstand.
The world blurred, just out of focus, but it didn’t matter. When Aiden’s lips found mine, I followed without thinking, onlyfeeling.More—that was what I needed. An insistent grab of his shirt and his weight pressed me into the sheets.
Aiden chuckled. “I’m not sure if this bed is made for someone my size.”
No, it wasn’t. The leg he hadn’t thrown over mine dangled off the edge.
“Do you want to try somewhere else—”
“God, no,” he said. “I’ve dreamed about you on these pink sheets. We’re staying right here.”
Smiling, I arched up, capturing his lips for more of his kisses. My heart couldn’t keep up with so many new sensations. I loved being with Aiden—kissing him, the warmth of his big body stretched out against mine, holding me close but far less greedy with his touches than I was.
I knew the names of all the muscles and tendons bunched under my fingertips, but medicine was the furthest thing from my mind. I trailed my hand down his chest, lower… lower… My fingertips snuck under the bumpy white cotton, hitching it up just a little. He sighed against my cheek but took the hint. He’d barely peeled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor before I got my hands on his bare chest.
“Oh,” I sighed. “You’re so…”
Perfect.
Aiden was broad, so strong, but he wasn’t like the guys obsessed with going to the gym. My fingers brushed over his defined shoulders and solid arms, the rugged ridges of muscle on his chest, all covered with a bit of extra padding—he did seem to love his food—and patches of dark, crinkly fuzz in just the right places.
“I like your little hands on me,” he whispered.
Good.
