Page 93 of Veiled

Over the next few hours, I tell Aiden all about Matt and the role he’s always played in my life, about my mom leaving, and several examples of my dad's abuse.

I recount finding ways to hide the bruises every time I stepped out of the house, and the real reason I thought something was up with Greg. I tell him about the final night at my dad’s, about jail and our sentencing, and even about the nightmares, night terrors, and dissociation responses—skipping the incident with Korr after Aiden had left the course, I don’t need him feeling guilty about something that he had no control over.

I cycle through almost every imaginable emotion as I bear my soul to him, and all the while he listens and holds me. He goes through his own wave of emotions as he gently asks questions. Some of the time he’s relaxed, some of it he’s pulling me into him as if I might disappear, and other times I think his jaw is clenched so tight that he’ll crack his teeth.

And now that I’ve said everything, he’s just lying here in my bed, holding me.

I wake up over an hour before my running alarm is set to go off, the glow of the moon providing the only light. Aiden is still here, still holding me with his arm slung over my waist like it’s been there for years instead of hours. For a couple of minutes, I just watch him. The peace he finds in his sleep makes me envious, but as I lie here in the wake of all I exposed last night, his steady breath becomes an anchor for me.

Then his hand twitches, tightening around me. “You’re staring,” he murmurs, voice rough with sleep.

“No, I’m not,” I whisper back automatically.

His mouth curves into a sleepy smile without opening his eyes. “You definitely are, but it’s ok; I like staring at you too.”

I sigh, but it comes out as a laugh. “You were snoring. I was—making sure you weren’t choking to death.”

He finally opens one eye, mock-offended. “I don’t snore.”

“Oh, you totally do,” I tease, rolling onto my back. “Little huffing noises. Like a grumpy bear.”

He chuckles, the sound low and warm, “Well, you were talking to me in your sleep,” he pulls me back against him and rubs my stomach the same way he had on the beach, “calling me husband and asking what we are going to name our baby girl when she gets here.”

My face heats instantly. “Liar.”

“Swear on my life.” His grin widens as he nuzzles into my hair. “Cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Clearly, he had been having some wild dreams.

For a long, quiet moment, neither of us moves. The night before lingers in the air between us, the things I told him.

“You sure you’re okay after last night?” he asks softly.

I nod. “Honestly, it feels like a weight lifted off me. I’ve never told anyone all of it. Matt obviously knows most of it, but I didn’t always tell him when it was happening because I didn’t want him to feel bad for not being there.”

“You can always tell me,” He brushes his thumb over my hand. “I want to be your safe place, Ana.”

I smile into his chest. For the first morning in a long time, I don’t feel like I have to run to find a sliver of peace.

“Can we go back to sleep now, Honey? The sun isn’t even up yet.”

I should be nice and say yes. Cuddle up and go back to sleep, but since I’ll never be able to tell him how much I appreciate what he’s given me in the last twelve hours by merely listening, there is nothing more that I want than to show him, right now.

“Yeah, you can go back to sleep,” I say as I roll so I’m facing him, then I lightly trace each of his abs with the tip of my finger before moving slowly below his belly button until my hand disappears beneath his waistband to find his velvety cock.

“What are you doing, Ana?” He groans and slowly thrusts his rapidly hardening dick further into my hand.

“You’re tired, Ace. Go back to sleep,” I tease.

“You know that’s not going to happen. Now, take off my shirt so I can say good morning to your gorgeous nipples.”

It takes me a second to remember him pulling one of my oversized shirts off of me before taking his own off and helping me put it on.

“Only if you take off your underwear,” I bargain because, truthfully, trying to get them down without his help would be an awkward endeavor, sure to ruin the mood, and I took the opening when I saw it.

Sitting up on my knees, I let him watch me pull the shirt off, slowly revealing that I had taken off my sleep shorts when I’d gotten hot overnight.

“Gods damn me, you’re absolutely perfect.” He says as he traces my curves with his hands, and I kick one leg over him until I am straddling him, his dick standing at attention against my ass.