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Her gaze zeroed in on his hands and she brushed her fingers over her mouth. He fought a grunt as blood rushed swiftly to his groin. Leaning in and inhaling Cora’s spicy scent, he winked. “Best you stop looking at me like that. I do need to concentrate.”
“Right. We’re serious. All business.” She folded her arms, even if her eyes gleamed, sassily. “Admire later. Gotcha.”
That moment kept his cock hard for a good half hour, but the day went by with a picnic by the natural spring and a long hike into the Hilltop campgrounds. By the time Aidan set up the tent in a remote part of the campground, far away from anyone else and private, dusk had settled in.
He placed a blanket out on the ground near the fire pit and Cora dropped down on it, sitting cross-legged. With languid movements, he turned to the branches and logs he’d gathered on the
ir hike. He placed the thinner pieces he’d cut with his small ax in a tepee shape within the fire pit he’d made with stones from the forest. As he grabbed his lighter from his pocket, he said, “Ask me any question you want.”
“Pardon?”
Her sharp voice lifted his head, and he smiled. “You heard me.” His only intention tonight: changing the dynamics of their relationship. From what he’d seen of her and Porter, she could share her thoughts—she just hadn’t with Aidan. “I asked you to open yourself up to me and you pointed out that I don’t share myself with you. That has to change. Ask away.” He allowed her the time to process and placed the fire stick in the middle of the wood, then he flicked the lighter and the flames rose.
She giggled.
With the burning wood crackling and a comforting aroma engulfing him, he looked to her with raised his brows. “Something funny?”
“I’m surprised you didn’t start the fire by rubbing two sticks together.” Her mouth twitched, as if fighting her smile. “You know, ‘I am Dom. Me caveman, build fire.’ ”
Aidan barked a laugh. “Common sense leads me to a lighter.”
He joined her on the blanket and his face ached from their laughter throughout the day. He enjoyed spending time with Cora. In fact, he liked hearing her talk, watching her smile, and learning about all the random thoughts she had in her mind. As he settled next to her, his thigh pressed against hers, causing his groin to tighten. “All right, stop stalling.”
She looked to the fire and nibbled on her lip. Then she brought her legs up and rested her cheek on her knee. Her pretty eyes held his, as if she read right into his soul. “Are you happy?”
He hesitated. “Happy?”
The light from the fire cast an orange hue along her face, detailing the gentle lines. “I mean, do you wake up every day glad to be alive?”
“Of course,” he replied without hesitation.
Her stare remained fixated on him; her attention was focused, intent, and almost stern. “Liar.”
“Come again?” He frowned.
She glanced to the fire with a deep breath through her nose. “Exactly what I said, I don’t believe you.”
His thoughts stuttered. While he had opened the door to talk, he hadn’t expected her to take this direction. Perhaps foolishly, he’d thought she’d ask about his favorite movie or a random question, not something so personal.
He leaned back on his arms, stretching out his legs. The heat from the crackling fire warmed his shins. “Well then, do tell, what do you think I’m doing?”
“Coasting.” Her gaze cut to him and her eyes widened with her smile. “Oh my God, I’m analyzing, aren’t I?” She gave a dismissive wave of her hand and shifted against the blanket. “It’s a bad habit from the job. Ignore me.”
Her blushing couldn’t sway him. He remained stuck, infatuated with her statement. “It’s all right. I told you we could talk. This is what you want to talk about. Please continue.”
A long sigh fell from her mouth, and she turned to the fire. “To me, it sort of seems like you coast through life; doing the right thing, saying the right thing, and being the right man in every situation. But you don’t do it for yourself or because it makes you happy.” She peered at him through her thick lashes and gave a halfhearted shrug. “Today, out here …” She tilted her head back, glancing to the starry sky. “You were different. More comfortable. Free, almost.”
“Because of that you don’t think I’m happy?” he asked.
“I think you coast on the edge of totally letting go, because if you stop coasting, you’ll crash.” She peeked at him a moment, then quickly looked away. “I understand why you do it. It’s safer to live and do for others. It’s scary to face what would truly make you happy and the chance it might be taken away.”
Aidan watched Cora, his mouth dropping open. He found himself unable to form the words to respond; she had him pegged all wrong. Christ, no wonder a barrier remained between them. His stomach knotted with the knowledge of her impression of him.
The fire crackled, sending an ember near Aidan’s leg as she added, “I see you, you know.” His gaze remained locked on her when she turned to him with a soft smile. “I see every flaw and every imperfection.”
He snorted, lowering his head and looked to the ember sizzling out. “That’s a pretty picture.”
His heart banged in his chest as she scooted a little closer and said, “It makes me lucky.”
