AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Aaron always waited until he knew a woman better before becoming intimate with her, no matter how attracted he was to her. Sometimes it was easier than other times. But nothing like tonight. Rather than spend time getting to know Juliette the person, he wanted to lay her on the floor by the fire, strip her naked, and get to know her body better. Then worry about getting to know everything else about her later.
Food. The topic saved him earlier. Maybe it’d help him out again. “It’s even better heated with some vanilla ice cream.”
“Or maybe whipped cream.”
An image what else might be delectable covered in whipped cream popped up as he met her eyes. The camping lantern on the table provided sufficient lighting, and her expression hinted that she knew exactly where his thoughts had gone.
Is she trying to torture me? Before he suggested they get out a can and use it, he gulped down the rest of his wine. “Ice cream is much better.” He refilled his glass before adding more to hers.
“Next time we have pie, we’ll have to try both and then decide.” With a smile, she took a sip from her glass. “Since you’re not going into Boston this week, does that mean you’re free at night?”
“Mondays I usually stay here with Tiegan while Candace is at class. But I don’t have any plans for the rest of the week.” He didn’t have to stay with Tiegan on Mondays either. His mom could do it, but unless he was traveling for work like earlier this month or in Boston, he handled Monday nights, and his mom covered Wednesdays.
“Good. Then maybe we can do something on Tuesday.”
She’d rented all the available cottages and, as far as he knew, hadn’t ventured even into the grocery store. He might be wrong, but that told him she didn’t want anyone to know she was in Avon. If they went to George’s Diner or the movies, it wouldn’t be long before everyone knew she was visiting town. She must know that. Then again, as soon as Caryn Ferguson started showing her homes, half the town would know Juliette was staying at the campground anyway. Caryn might be a top-notch real estate agent, but she liked to be the center of attention, a trait the agent had passed on to her daughter, a woman Aaron had known since preschool. Telling everyone she’d not only met but was helping supermodel Juliette Belmont find a home would provide Caryn with the limelight, if even just for a little while.
“Yeah, sure.”
If possible, the smile she gave him brightened the room more than the lantern on the table.
“When we’re done eating, if you want to call it a night, I’ll get you some blankets from upstairs. If you’d rather use my bedroom, you can, and I’ll sleep on the sofa. I can go up and change the sheets, but it won’t be as warm as the living room.” He had a fourth unoccupied bedroom upstairs; however, it lacked a bed. Instead, his sister used it as a place to study.
“Down here is fine. But I’m not ready for bed yet. We haven’t finished our chess game.”
Chess took a certain level of concentration, something he didn’t have. After the way they’d kissed earlier, he hoped she didn’t either. If she did, he’d done something wrong and needed to rectify the situation.
Securing his arms around her, he moved onto his back and brought her down on top of him. “Let’s finish it tomorrow.” Tonight he wanted to focus whatever brain activity he had left on her.
Chapter 9
Opening his eyes, Aaron stared at the ceiling, momentarily confused by why he didn’t see the ceiling fan above him. Then the reason for the missing fan came to him. He was in the living room, not his bedroom. More specifically, he was in a sleeping bag on the living room floor.
He could’ve gone upstairs last night and spent a far more comfortable evening in his bed. If he’d been alone, he more than likely would’ve done that after putting out the fire in the woodstove and then rekindled it in the morning if he needed it. And if his usual housemates had been there, he would’ve slept on the sofa so the fire in the woodstove wasn’t unattended while they retreated upstairs and slept in their beds and benefited from the heat rising to the upper level of the house. But last night he hadn’t been alone, and his niece and sister weren’t the ones keeping him company. Although he’d never had any issues with the woodstove, he didn’t want to leave a fire going while he went upstairs, and Juliette remained down here. If it had been his sister on the sofa, he would’ve considered it. Candace had grown up using the woodstove, and more importantly, he knew how she’d react in case of an emergency. For all he knew, this was the first time his current guest had ever used anything but central heating for warmth. Rather than take any unnecessary risks, he’d dug his sleeping bag out and slept downstairs on the floor. Not surprisingly, his dog slept in one of the overstuffed armchairs rather than join him. Aaron didn’t blame him. And if there’d been any way for him to fit his entire body on a chair, he would’ve too, because the chair was far more comfortable than the hardwood floor.
Is the power back? He hoped so. He enjoyed the outdoors and camping as much as anyone, but going without electricity when you chose to sleep in a tent was one thing. At times like this, it was altogether different. Not to mention the fact that his niece hated the dark, and she’d be home tomorrow. Every night, she slept with a nightlight, the brightest one he’d ever seen, turned on. And since they’d moved in with him, they hadn’t lost power for more than an hour or two, and never when it affected Tiegan going to bed. If bedtime rolled around tomorrow night and she couldn’t use it, he didn’t know what she would do. Then, of course, there was his current house guest to consider. She hadn’t complained yesterday, but it’d been clear she wasn’t used to roughing it in the least.
Rather than get up and find out if the lights worked, Aaron readjusted the pillow under his head and turned his thoughts to the previous evening—or, more specifically, to what had transpired starting at dinnertime and ending before he climbed into his sleeping bag.
If someone had told him he’d find himself on the sofa with his lip pressed against hers and Juliette’s hands under his shirt caressing his skin, he would’ve laughed in their face. But he’d spent a portion of his night in just such a position. When their lips hadn’t been touching, they’d talked. He didn’t recall all of their conversations, but he remembered her telling him more about her plans to purchase a home in town and open a dance school. He didn’t know if she’d go t
hrough with it. She might spend some time looking at property and realize she couldn’t handle spending more than a few weeks in Avon. If she did, he couldn’t blame her.
He loved the town, but once in a while even he found it too small and, well, dull. And he’d lived here much of his life. Juliette lived in New York City, arguably one of the busiest cities in the world. Regardless of the time or the day of the week, a person could find something to do there. Here, even at noon on a Saturday, it could be tough to find a way to occupy your time, especially during the cold winter months.
Whatever happens, happens. Juliette might wake up this morning, turn in her key to the cottage, and head back to New York, especially if faced with another day of no hot water. If she did, he’d have some pleasant memories from last night, and his life would go on.
Thud. Aaron bolted upright at the sound, and all thoughts of what Juliette might do vanished.
“Ouch.” The word quickly followed the sound.
“Are you okay?” He’d left his flannel pajama bottoms and T-shirt on when he climbed into his sleeping bag last night, so he didn’t need to worry about pulling on clothes after he stood. Even still, Clifford reached her side before he did.
“Yeah.” She moved into a sitting position on the floor and scratched the dog near his collar.
In his thirty-four years, he’d never been jealous of a dog until now. Instead of giving his dog attention, he wanted her to be giving him some more of the attention she’d given him yesterday. “Are you sure?” He knelt on the floor next to her.
“I fell off the sofa, not Mount Everest. I’m fine. Really.” She blew some hair away from her face and moved back to her original location on the sofa. “I’m used to having a little more room at night.”
