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My feet stop moving when I take in what’s before me. “Wow! You weren’t kidding about the view,” I say in awe. Stretched out before me is a one eighty degree uninterrupted view of the mountains and a river snaking through in the valley below. “It’s… magnificent!” I whisper as I step up to the handrail.
Aiden comes up behind me, placing his hands on either side of me on the railing, boxing me in. He looks over my shoulder, sighing appreciatively. “Yes, I’m a very lucky man.” His voice is deep and gravelly. Is he as aroused as me?
Having him so near, my heart rate is going through the roof, and the damn butterflies…argh!
My throat goes dry and I dare not move. Aiden’s chest is visibly rising and falling in my peripheral vision, and the most obvious sign of his arousal is poking me in the bum.
“No hanky-panky,” I murmur, pushing back against him, wiggling my behind for good measure. “But here’s an appetizer.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ella
Aidendisappearsinsidefora quick shower, and I take my first real breath since he opened the door, then let it out slowly.
Calm the heck down, Ella.
I glance around and take in this deck. Oh my god, I realize only now that I didn’t even glance at the house when I rocked up. I was so nervous, my mind obsessing over seeing Aiden again.
How remiss of me, because what’s before me here is fantastic. But what does the front look like? It’s not a huge house so I march to the front door and open it. Stepping back outside, I walk away from the house until I can take in its entirety.
Oh my. Do I like what I see.
It’s a log cabin… though, cabins aren’t usually very big, are they? Aiden’s home is a two-story, no, make that three-story building. It’s built on a slope, so only the first two stories are visible from the driveway. The large sloping roof suggests that the upper level is much smaller than the ones below. At least with a steep angle like that, the snow should just slide off in winter.
In my opinion, it’s the perfect size, not too big and not too small. When I walk back inside and take a quick look around, it looks basic but very comfortable. Everything is timber—timber-clad walls and lots of exposed beams are visible in the open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area. And I was right, the upstairs area is more like a mezzanine level with probably only a bedroom or two up there.
There is no clutter or excess. Everything has a touch of warmth and seems chosen with care and… love.
What he told me about his time in the ashram comes to mind.Everything was done with love and devotion—it speaks of that here. I instantly feel at home.
Oh! That’s dangerous.
I can’t help but compare Aiden’s home to Tiero’s mansion in Sicily. It couldn’t be more different. While Tiero’s home was magnificent, it wasn’t homey. It was too large and too impersonal, cold even. This here… it’s the complete opposite.
Did Tiero even pick out one piece of furniture himself? I try to picture him in a bedding store surrounded by other customers picking out a new mattress… yeah, that would never happen.
There’s a sideboard by the window with a few frames on it. I step closer and study the pictures. There is one of Aiden with an older woman, who I presume is his mother. They’re smiling at each other in a candid shot, and their bond is visible. It makes me smile. I like that he’s close to his mom.
Then there’s a photo of him having his arms around two young women. The family resemblance is astonishing, and I know those must be his sisters.
The third frame captures my attention the most. It’s a picture of Aiden, Ethan, and Axel somewhere in the woods, tall trees surrounding them. They’re in full army gear, with guns and helmets and armor.
This picture screams of friendship, of brotherhood and trust. They have their arms slung around each other, and their smiles are big and genuine. Three peas in a pod… I don’t know why that expression pops into my head. Sometimes the ways of my mind are mysterious, I laugh to myself.
“That picture was taken a few months after we were accepted in the Green Berets.” Aiden’s voice comes from behind me. Was I so engrossed in my own world, or rather his, that I didn’t hear him approach?
“We were so thrilled, so excited. That was a good time in my life. We felt like we had purpose and were making a difference in the world.” He sounds a little melancholic, making me want to reach for him. He stares at that picture, a forlorn expression shadowing his gorgeous face.
“You guys were making a difference. You still are… you’re helping people be safer and more equipped to deal with difficult situations,” I say, stroking his arm. His eyes eventually focus on mine. They are incredibly sad. I can’t stand it. I wind my arms around him and pull him close, putting all my love and comfort into this hug. Aiden’s arms wrap around me in response and he drops his head, resting it on my shoulder.
After all the times he’s comforted me, it feels good to give something back to him, to hold some of his weight and lighten his load… even if it’s only for a moment.
We stand like this for some time. While initially soothing, the energy quickly transforms between us into something way more erotic.
We stand close, his hard chiseled chest presses against me, and I feel his heartbeat against my skin. It’s racing, matching my speed, making me hyperaware of him.
The muscles under my fingertips move, each little twitch charging my desire. My stomach tumbles into overdrive as my senses register his freshly showered alpine scent. It might as well have a direct line to my arousal center. The heat between my legs increases, my panties growing damper.
