by Sylvia Day
“We’re putting the top up,” she muttered as she dropped into the driver’s seat, imagining stopping at a red light and the stares Aidan would elicit.
“You’re being silly.” He stilled her hand when she reached to engage the automatic soft top.
His mouth was a breath away from hers. He paused there, caging her in, making her wait. She could lean forward just that little bit and press her lips to his, but the need for answers and her growing unease were strong enough to hold her back.
Aidan hid his mounting frustration as Lyssa held out, her tongue darting out to wet her lips, but otherwise making no move to close the gap between them. He caught the seat belt, pulling it across her lap and snapping it into place. Then he gave her a quick buss on the lips, walked around the front end, and slid into the passenger seat.
She waited a moment, staring at him with those dark eyes that told him everything she was thinking. It was one of the many things he adored about her—the lack of guile. With her, he could just be. There was no mask to wear, no rigidity to maintain.
The relief of that was like a deep sigh after holding one’s breath too long, but the new wariness he felt in her made his entire body tense. Needing to hold her to him, Aidan reached out and laced his fingers with hers.
“You’re trouble with a capital T,” she murmured with a sigh.
“Wait until I’ve got you back in bed.”
He felt her shiver through their handclasp. Sweet Lyssa with the open-book smile did have some secrets, like her hidden desire to be ridden hard and put away wet. He couldn’t help but wonder if any other man had taken the time to learn that about her. He would have eventually, even had he not been privy to her thoughts in her dreams. He was grateful, however, that he didn’t need to wait to find out. Their strongest tie was the desire her body remembered. He wouldn’t let her forget it.
In the meantime, they had to make it through the day, which so far had worked against him every step of the way. But he would get Lyssa alone, and he would tell her everything, just as soon as she slowed down long enough to listen. Needing his explanation to be both clear and believable, Aidan leaned his head back and closed his eyes, absorbing the feel of the morning air rushing over him.
It was a bit chilly, as she’d warned, but the warmth he felt inside from Lyssa’s repeated heated glances kept him comfortable. Beneath his left hand, he felt the books he’d brought from the Twilight. He hoped they would give him the answers he needed to keep Lyssa safe. Something, anything that could prove without a doubt either that there was no Key or, if the Elders were correct about its existence, that Lyssa wasn’t it.
Aidan cursed the fact that he hadn’t paid more attention during history lessons, but he had been young and randy. Ready to fight and fuck to his heart’s content. He hadn’t been mature enough to consider the future in all its many facets. He certainly hadn’t known that one day he would find someone who would remind him that he had deeper needs than carnal ones.
Lyssa kept her silence, making him wish he could read her thoughts as he had been able to do in the Twilight. Her conscious mind was understandably confused, but her subconscious remembered him. He could only hope that would be enough to carry them through his explanations. He was going to sound like a madman.
“Talk to me,” he said in a low voice, just loud enough to be heard over the wind.
“Why don’t you do the talking?” she retorted. “Tell me how you know so much about me.”
He sighed. So that’s what she was thinking about.
Where to begin? Did he start with the part explaining he was an alien? Or did he begin with her being the prophesied destruction of two worlds?
Either way, she had to understand who he was and what he was doing, before common sense overrode her gut instincts and urged her to kick him out. He didn’t want to kidnap her or force her to do anything against her will. But he would, if doing so saved her life.
The Roadster pulled to an abrupt stop, ending that train of thought. Lifting his head and opening his eyes, Aidan saw the back door to the clinic just a few feet away. When Lyssa hopped out of the car, he leaned over and grabbed her wrist. “Can you get out of here early?”
She pursed her lush lips a moment and then nodded. “I’m going to try.”
“Hey. What’s going on?” a voice called out.
Aidan kept his gaze trained on the woman of his dreams as guilt and confusion clouded her lovely features.
“Shit,” she breathed. “It’s Chad.”
Lyssa stared down at the half-naked wet dream in her passenger seat and told herself, Wake up wake up wake up…
Talk about a nightmare in broad daylight. How the hell was she going to explain this, when she had no idea what was going on herself? She had damp hair. Aidan did, too, and he was bare-chested. They looked guilty of everything they’d done.
“Uh…hate to interrupt, but Mrs. Yamamoto is starting to get pissy.” The sound of Stacey’s voice coming from the rear door of the clinic was such a relief, Lyssa decided to give her a raise. “She and her cat have been waiting almost twenty minutes.”
“I’m coming in now.” Taking a deep breath of courage, Lyssa tugged free of Aidan’s grip and faced a scowling Chad.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his gaze looking over her shoulder and then rising above her head as she heard the passenger door open and shut behind her.
“Chad, this is Aidan. He’s a…friend of my mom.” She adjusted her stance to see both men at once, and then cringed when she saw their aggressive postures. “Aidan, this is Chad.”
“Hi.” Chad thrust out his hand. “I’m Lyssa’s boyfriend. Nice to meet you.”
The tensing of Aidan’s jaw was audible, but he reciprocated the gesture.
When Chad pulled his hand away he was flexing it, and Lyssa could only imagine how crushing Aidan’s grip had been.
“Well…” She cleared her throat nervously and caught up her purse. “I’ve got to get to work. Chad, did you need something?”
His gaze narrowed on her face. “I was in the neighborhood and wanted to see if you’re free for lunch.”
She nodded violently. “Yes. One o’clock, okay? I’ll need to catch up before I can leave.”
“Yeah.” Chad looked at Aidan again. “I’ll see you at one.” Then he dipped his knees and kissed her. Full on the mouth. With a soft swipe of his tongue across her lips for good measure.
Lyssa couldn’t look at Aidan as Chad walked back to his Jeep. Like a coward, she slammed her door shut, hit the alarm, and nearly ran to where Stacey waited with wide eyes.
“Holy shit!” Stacey hissed, as she passed her. “You are so fucked.”
“Noticed that, did ya?”
Unable to help it, Lyssa looked over her shoulder and saw Aidan coming after her, his long-legged stride even and rhythmic, almost a stalk. Hunter after prey. When she saw the flaring nostrils and smoldering eyes, she knew if she waited for him to get to her, she was going to be in big trouble.
“Which room is Mrs. Yamamoto in?” she asked quickly.
“Exam Two.” Stacey whistled, her gaze riveted and filled with a wholly feminine appreciation that made Lyssa’s teeth grind. “Would you look at the abs on that guy? Talk about sin on a stick. He’s delish.”
“Damn it. Get a lab coat for him. And bring me one, too.”
She went straight to Exam Two, purse and keys in hand, and got to work. Sometimes avoidance had its usefulness.
It took until a quarter to one to get caught up on her patients. The first few times she’d been forced to run past her office, Aidan had been waiting with wide-legged stance, crossed arms, and intimidating scowl. She had tried to look cool and collected, but she couldn’t forget that he was commando under those sweats. It did strange things to her nervous system just to think of it. Later he’d been seated at her desk, studiously poring over his books. And now that she needed to clean up for lunch with Chad, the door was closed.
All morning long she’d deba
ted what to do about her predicament and had finally come to have some confidence in her decision. Regardless of what happened with Aidan, Chad wasn’t the guy for her. She’d always known it. She just hadn’t wanted to admit it. Breaking it off was the obvious answer, but guilt weighed on her heavily. In a perfect world, she would have ended things with Chad before hooking up with Aidan. But life wasn’t perfect, and she’d have to make amends as best she could. She hoped, in the end, they could remain friends.
But she hadn’t yet decided what to do with Aidan. All she knew was that every time she had caught sight of him today, her pulse rate picked up. Even with that grumpy, scowling face of his, he still drove her nuts in the best possible way.
So she would take care of Chad, wrap up the workday, and then listen to whatever Aidan had to say. She hoped like hell it would fill in the gaps of her memory and remove all the doubts she had.
Resolved, Lyssa caught the handle of her office door, and velocity took her to the center of the room before she realized it was empty.
Oh god, had he left?
Her heart racing, she turned to yell for Stacey……and found Aidan leaning casually against the closed door. The lab coat was hung on the rack beside him, leaving him once again bare from the waist up. Her gaze lifted to meet his, and she found a gleam in his eyes that told her he knew what the sight of his bare chest would do to her.
“Jesus!” she cried, her hand lifting to her chest. “You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing hiding behind the door?”
“I wasn’t hiding,” he said dryly. “I was about to hunt you down when you barged in. I barely got out of the way in time.”
“Oh.” She moved the short distance to her antique reproduction desk and leaned her butt against it. “Chad’s going to be here in a few minutes.”
“I know.” He crossed the room with a sultry stride that made her mouth water. It wasn’t blatant, like a swagger. It was simply predatory and sexually charged. Setting his hands on either side of her hips, Aidan caged her to the desk and nuzzled his lips against her neck. “I’m going to miss you.”
Beneath her palms she felt warm, silken skin stretched over hard, flexing muscle, and she melted inside. She groaned inwardly when his teeth nipped her earlobe.
“Tell me I have no reason to feel jealous,” he ordered gruffly.
Leaning back, Lyssa met his gaze. It was impassive except for the muscle in his jaw that ticced. “There’s no reason,” she assured him softly, appreciating him more for his honesty about his feelings.
He caught her close so that his big, hard body was literally wrapped around hers, his large hands holding her so sweetly. She knew how strong he was, yet he held her with such tenderness.
“Aidan,” she whispered, her nostrils filling with his scent. There was no other scent in the world like his. It was spicy and exotic. Foreign. She loved it, craved it. “I won’t be gone long.”
“A minute is too long.” His voice was dark as sin, his accent thick and delicious, a vocal caress.
Then Aidan kissed her with tightly restrained passion, his tongue gliding along hers expertly, reminding her of how good it was with him. The best. A rough, edgy growl rumbled in his chest as she melted into him. Just from a kiss.
She hugged him back with all the strength she had in her. There was so much she wanted to say, to ask, to know. But there wasn’t time, and she hated that. Over his shoulder, she could see the clock. It was five minutes to one.
“I need to go.” She pressed her face into his shoulder, feeling guilty as sin.
Aidan couldn’t figure out what to do with his desire to snatch Lyssa up and take her far away.
A knock came to the door just as Lyssa slid to her feet.
“Yeah?” she called out, her voice husky.
“Chad’s here.” Stacey’s voice through the door was more serious than any Aidan had heard from her today.
Lyssa breathed in sharply. “How do I explain to him,” she asked plaintively, “when I don’t know what’s going on myself?”
He caught her chin and urged her gaze to meet his. His chest ached at the sight of her. She was pale, her dark eyes tormented, her lower lip worried between her teeth. “Tell him the truth. An old flame showed up and you have to reevaluate.”
She nodded, but looked shamed enough to set him on edge.
Her hand came to rest on his bare shoulder, and his eyes closed a moment in pleasure at her touch. She moved then, her fingers sifting through his hair.
“Are you okay?” Lyssa asked, her voice filled with concern.
Aidan nodded. Inside him, something vibrated anxiously, making his stomach clench tight. “I hate this. I don’t want you to go.”
“You’re awfully possessive for a guy who walked out of my life at some point,” she said dryly.
He stilled, conveying the truth of his words with a steely stare. “I’ve looked for you my whole life.”
All these years he couldn’t figure out what he was missing. He’d searched for answers in an attempt to calm his restlessness, and he still wanted them. But what he’d needed was Lyssa and the connection he found with her.
She shook her head, her lush lips drawn tight. “You say the corniest shit, but it never sounds corny coming from you. You could give lessons on how to make the worst pickup lines in history work.”
Reaching for her purse, Lyssa set her keys and some money on the desktop. “Get some clothes. I don’t carry much cash—I’m a debit card girl—but there should be enough here for some jeans, shirt, and boxers. Talk to Stacey, she’ll tell you where to go.”
Aidan caught her wrist before she turned away. She lifted her gaze to meet his. They stared at each other, questions and confusion filling the air.
“I have to go,” she said finally.
He caught her then, his hands fisting in her hair, tugging her head back, his mouth taking hers. Taking it, completely, his tongue gliding deep and thrusting. Drinking in the taste of her, leaving his flavor in return. Her hands clutched at his back, her knees weakened, her body sagged with the weight of her desire. Only when she was whimpering into his mouth did he release her.
His nostrils flared. “Make it quick, or I’ll hunt you down. You won’t like what happens if I do.”
She swallowed hard and nodded, backing away slowly. Dazed.
As the door closed with a click of finality behind her, Lyssa released her pent-up breath. There was no denying it. She was head over heels.
But she still had to deal with Chad.
“Shit.”
The last time she had felt this torn was when she’d made Jenna Lee cry in college because of a thoughtless comment. Chad deserved someone who was really crazy about him. That bit of knowledge was the only thing that kept her from hating herself completely.
Lyssa lifted her chin and moved down the hallway to the rear clinic door. She could do this. She could.
Then she stepped outside, saw the handsome man leaning against his Jeep, and began to cry.
It wasn’t that she regretted what she had done with Aidan last night; she didn’t. But she should have handled this entire situation better. Add in the events of the last twenty or so hours and her overwhelming feelings for Aidan, and she was reduced to an emotional wreck.
“Hey,” Chad said softly, coming up to her and holding her close. “It’s not the end of the world. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”
Lyssa leaned into him, grateful that he was letting her off the hook. After years of hoping for a great guy to come along, she somehow ended up with two at the same time.
She was letting go of one. She prayed like hell she didn’t lose the other.
Chapter 10
“Who the hell are you?”
Aidan glanced at Stacey, who stood in the doorway of Lyssa’s office, and raised his brows. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. What do you want with Lyssa?”
He settled back against the desk and crossed his arms. He knew Lyssa cared a lot about her fri
end Stacey, and it appeared Stacey felt the same in return. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“Sure it is.” Her gaze narrowed. “Chad’s a nice guy. He’s good to her.”
“I’m a nice guy. I’m good to her.”
“I don’t call what you’re doing good for her. You left her before, and you don’t look like you’re planning on sticking around this time, either.”
There was nothing he could say to that. He didn’t know what his next move would be. In the last forty-eight hours, he hadn’t had much time to think about it. Even when Lyssa had been busy with her patients, his thoughts had been more on the rift between them than it had been about the days ahead. He needed to focus. “My work keeps me away.”
“What is it you do? Lyssa said you’re Special Forces or something.”
Clever. “Or something.”
Her foot tapped. “Don’t you think it’s a little selfish to just drop in when you feel like it, especially when she’s got someone steady?”
“I tried to stay away, Stacey,” he said softly. “I really did.”
She studied him for a long moment, then said, “I’m withholding judgment for now.”
“Thank you.” And he meant it. If Stacey took sides against him, it would make an already uphill battle worse.
“In the meantime, we need to get you some clothes.”
“That would nice,” he agreed. Looking “normal” was one way to soothe Lyssa’s nerves.
Taking a second to put the precious books away in the top desk drawer, Aidan snatched up the keys and cash, and gestured for Stacey to precede him out to the parking lot. He was having a hard time feeling so helpless. It was a state of being he’d never experienced before, and it definitely didn’t suit him. He needed to get Lyssa settled, then he could concentrate on the ancient texts in earnest. The day was half over. The evening would be upon them soon. Then sleep, when Lyssa would be most vulnerable.
Time, something he was used to having in endless quantities, was running out.