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The quiet property was beautiful. There were mature trees beginning to fill out with spring buds, and I could hear the faint squawks of seagulls from somewhere. Salty air filled my nostrils, and I sucked in deep lungfuls of it. By the time I rounded the side of the house to see the view of the ocean, the remainder of my tension dissipated in the peaceful surroundings.
The view behind the house was spectacular. A weathered gray wooden bannister indicated a set of stairs leading down to the beach at the end of the lawn, and a deep bench sat perched among the shrubs next to it. I approached the bench and took a seat. The waves were an opaque green-gray, but they were calm and steady, despite the evening hour. The beach was damp halfway toward the water’s edge, which indicated the tide was moving out, and I wondered how far out it would go before returning its crawl back to shore.
I closed my eyes and listened. Salty breeze on my skin, rhythmic waves crashing in my ears, the faintest hint of pine sap hitting my nose. All of it seemed to ground me in a way I hadn’t experienced while living in the city. There was no telling how long I stayed there like that for, but when I finally opened my eyes, I realized I was no longer alone. Aiden sat silently on the other end of the bench with some kind of folded quilt resting between us.
“Hi,” I said quietly, hoping my voice didn’t break the spell.
“Hi.” It was a breath even softer than mine. His cobalt eyes seemed to be drinking me in the way mine had done with the ocean view earlier. I couldn’t help but lose myself in them. There was something about locking eyes with Aiden Vale that held me entranced. The pull of him, the lure of his arms and the knowledge of just how soft those lips were… like so many times these past few weeks, I wondered why I was still working so hard to keep him at arm’s length. Despite our arguments about money, Aiden hadn’t even hinted at wanting to control any aspects of my life. I knew he was worried about my safety when I was out and about without him, but he hadn’t insisted on escorting me everywhere or tracking my phone or having me call or text regularly. He’d given me exactly what I’d wanted.
Freedom.
So what was I really waiting for? What exactly would send me the message that it was okay to go after what I wanted? Was I really going to let Billy and my past mistakes take this from me too? I wasn’t the same person I’d been four years ago when my world had fallen apart. Starting something with Aiden would be because I’d chosen it, not because I felt obligated or was too afraid to be alone.
I could tell by the tension still in Aiden’s face that he was worried about our earlier quarrel. He seemed torn about it— still frustrated or unsure about what to do when he felt so strongly in opposition with me. I knew deep down his arguments were because he wanted to protect me and give me the independence I’d been craving. It was ironic because he was giving me exactly what I wanted— the financial means to get my own place sooner. If he’d truly wanted to control me, he would have taken every penny I’d given him, because it would take me that much longer to save up enough money to get my own apartment.
As if the emotions we brought out in one another weren’t enough, there was still this other thing between us— the longing. The need. The absolute, gut-wrenching lust for one another. I could feel it coming off him in waves just as clearly as I could feel it throbbing throughout my entire body.
He cleared his throat. “Ash, I’m sorry, I—”
I shook my head. “Not here, okay, Aiden? Let’s leave all that stuff back in the city and we’ll deal with it when we get back. I just want to spend this time with you.” I looked around the gorgeous beach before returning my attention to him. “I want to hear more stories about what it was like coming here every weekend when you were a kid. I want to know what made you want to go into public relations. I want to know about the first boy you kissed. That’s what I want this trip to be about, okay?”
Aiden seemed relieved, and he nodded. I took a chance and shifted so I could sit closer to him. My knee caught on the edge of the quilt and I glanced down at it. “What’s this for?”
He swallowed as if to clear the daze he was in. “Oh, I… I thought maybe you were cold. I was going to put it around your shoulders but didn’t want to disturb you. You looked so peaceful sitting here. I almost left you alone altogether.”
