Holy. There are no words.
“Breathe, Bella.” Before I can stop him, he’s turned me so that my back is against the door. “I can’t kiss the shit out of you if you don’t take in oxygen.”
I inhale. I exhale. And then Ayden’s mouth is on mine.
Hard and urgent like he’s been waiting for me forever.
And his lips…as good as I remember them feeling, this is so much better. Because back then we were kids. And now…now we’re adults. Having an adult moment.
And oh shit, was Ayden Wild worth waiting for.
His lips are soft and probing as he kisses every inch of my mouth. “You taste so good,” he murmurs as his tongue runs along the seam of my lips, asking to be let in.
And I open for him. My tongue tangles with his, and I let out a moan. Ayden wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me flush against him.
He lets out a sexy groan as he pulls my leg up so his hardness rubs against my center. I press fervently against him, my hands tugging desperately at the short strands of hair below his baseball cap.
He grips my hip harder, urging me to move. I buck my hips, my leg wrapping tighter around his waist, and he shifts his hot mouth to my neck where he trails kisses down to my collarbone. His body drives me wild, especially in my core where all I can feel is a pulsating need for more. More Ayden, closer to me, inside me, as far and deep as he can go.
He’s bringing me closer, closer, closer. I writhe against him, the need in me so intense that I barely remember we’re in public. I’m halfway to orgasming on my front step when my neighbor’s car pulls into the driveway next door. With no stand of trees or a privacy fence, the Scotts are getting quite a show.
With a gasp, I drop my leg and rear back. Ayden holds me steady so I don’t tip over onto my head.
“Sorry.” He clears his throat. “I’m not usually like that.”
“Like what?” Sexy, hot, perfect?
“Out of control.” The blue of his eyes sears into me. “You make me forget everything but you, Bella.”
I fumble for the right key on my chain. “I should go inside. And you should…”
“Go get ready for my cousins.” He nods. “I know. I’ll pick you up tomorrow?”
Right. His father’s memorial party. And then…Ayden and me. Sharing a tent. When I almost just had sex with him in full view of the street? Sharing a tent won’t be a problem at all. Right.
“You can tell your cousins about my mom,” I say quietly. “And whoever else is with them. Colton’s wife and Jasalie—it’s all fine.”
“Are you sure?” Ayden cups my cheek with his hand. “I don’t have to tell them anything at all.”
“I know. But I’m really okay for you to. I think it will be easier for me if they know when I see them.”
“Okay.” He kisses me gently. “I will then.”
I nod before I turn and open my front door. I’ve closed it behind him when I hear him call out softly, “I’ll miss you, B.”
“Me too.” I slide down my door until I’m sitting on the floor of the hallway. My legs feel too weak to hold me up. Ayden Wild’s kisses are fire. And I’m burning up with my need for him.
My phone rings and I pull it out of my pocket.
“I figured you’d be calling,” I say to Tari with a laugh.
“Bella! Peter said you and Ayden were in a compromising position at our house! And then you left and I didn’t want to interrupt anything, but give a girl a break and fill me in already!”
“You’ve been very patient, Ms. Tari,” I say with a smile. “And you’re going to like what I’m about to tell you.”
She’s screaming before I’ve even finished describing my kiss with Ayden.
“I’m assuming this means you’ve given up on your dares?”
“Ayden said to me that I’m his forever plus one and I always have been,” I tell her. “And the thing is, he’s the same for me. I don’t know why it took me so long to admit that, but it’s the truth.”
“Oh. My. God! Ayden is so romantic with you, Bella! I’ve never heard him talk like that with anyone before. I can’t wait to see you guys together tomorrow.”
“But don’t make a big deal about it!”
After we hang up, I call my parents’ home line.
When Dad picks up, I’m so flustered I nearly hang up on him.
My father doesn’t answer his home phone. Ever. He’s far too busy answering his work line.
“Bella?” he says. “Hello? Are you there?”
“Y-yes. Hi, Dad.” I clear my throat. “I wanted to check in and see how Mom’s doing.”
“Very well,” he says. “She’s sleeping right now. I just looked in on her. The nurse moves in first thing tomorrow morning. Ellie’s already set up the guest wing for her.”
“That’s great.” I freeze. “Oh, what about the new pills? Is the nurse going to keep them somewhere Mom can’t find them? You know, in case…”
“Yes,” Dad says smoothly. “They’re already in a locked cabinet and only the nurse and I will have the code to access it. I’ll give you the code as well, of course.”
“That sounds…much safer than before.”
“It is.” His voice softens. “Bella, I want you to take the next two days off.”
“I do have those days off from work. I requested tomorrow due to Ayden’s dad’s memorial, and the next day is July fourth.”
“No, I mean I want you to take those days off from us, Bella. Don’t call or come by. If there’s a problem, I promise I will reach out to you right away.”
“But…” I clutch the phone in my hand. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you deserve a couple of days off. Okay?”
I swallow. “Okay, Dad. Thanks.”
Ayden
A few hours and a bunch of beers later, I’m sitting at Lucky Bay Bar with Brayden, Cam, Jenson, and Peter. Dylan and Colton politely finish up taking selfies with a few fans, and then we’re left alone. Jasalie and Sky, clearly lying because they wanted us to have “guy time” as Colt affectionately says, told us they were too tired to come out, so they’re back at my house.
Brayden and Cam are joking with Peter about his love-hate relationship with the Red Sox, but I’m barely listening. The taste of Bella is still on my lips, and I can’t get the image of her out of my head.
Colton lifts an eyebrow. “So, Ayd. You and Bella. How’s that going?”
Well, I just kissed her like I’ve been fantasizing about for years, and my dick can’t stop twitching at the memory. My lips can still feel hers, and my tongue…I didn’t want to have even a sip of beer because I didn’t want to lose the intoxicating taste of her.
Colton’s watching me closely. “Holy shit.”
Peter chuckles. “They were nose to nose when I last saw them.”
Cam calls out for a round of shots.
“We’re not drinking a shot about Bella,” I say. “This is between me and her. In other words, stay out of it.”
“Well, what’s up?” Brayden asks me. “Are you two…”
“We’re still…working some things out.”
Dylan taps his beer to mine. “Did you invite her out to L.A.?”
I give a quick nod. “Like I told you earlier, she’s got a lot going on right now. Too much. So don’t try to persuade her.”
Peter nudges Dylan. “Bella’s into it. She just doesn’t know it quite yet.”
“She’s into it—or him?” Cam asks as everyone but me breaks into laughter.
Bella and I are wading into new waters, and I don’t want to fuck things up with her. I can’t fuck things up with her. But that kiss is taking over my brain, and all I want is to taste her again. Everywhere.
Colton assesses me, and like he always does, he finds a way to rein in the Wilds when we need it. In this case, he uses the art of deflection.
“Why don’t you tell everyone about your plans, J?” he says to Jenson.
Jenson runs his hand through his blond mes
s of hair. He may be the only one of us who’s not technically related by blood, but he and Colton, who met as kids at a football camp and have been best friends ever since, are as close as cousins. “Not a big deal. I’m leaving Pittsburgh.”
“Where to?” I say.
“Back to my hometown. Just outside Philly.”
“Tell them why,” Colton prompts him.
Jenson looks pointedly at the nearly-empty beer bottle in Colton’s hand. “Maybe I need to cut you off, Wild.”
My eyes lock with his, and even though I don’t know what the fuck is going on with him, some kind of understanding passes between us.
“Something about a girl?” I say to him in a low tone.
He just looks at me. “Something like that.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The next day, Jasalie and Sky surprise me by showing up at my front door. Jasalie and I scream and hug each other, and then spend a fun couple of hours catching up. She and Sky are so sweet and they brought me flowers to “brighten up my difficult last couple of days” and it felt great to have company. Although my mind is constantly on Ayden. My body wants more of him, and our kiss last night still has me so turned on I struggle to concentrate.
Once they leave to go get ready for the memorial party, I spend the next two hours pulling potential dresses out of my closet.
I change my outfit three times. I can’t understand why I’m so nervous, but I want to make sure I’m dressed appropriately for something that’s so important to Ayden.
When the doorbell rings, I take one last look in the mirror. I decided to wear my hair down in loose waves, and I have on my favorite silver studded earrings with a matching necklace and bracelet. I like my sleeveless aqua top although I’m worried the long black skirt clings just a little too much to be conservative. At least my black sandals are cute and comfortable.
I open the door, and Ayden is standing in front of me. His eyes match his tie—they’re blue and clear, and they’re focused only on me. He lazily scans my body from head to toe, causing my stomach to turn over with butterflies.
“Hey, B. You look beautiful.” He kisses my lips lightly, and just that bare touch is enough to give me shivers.
His lips brush mine for a second time, and I grab at his suit jacket and take a step back.
My eyes travel the length of him. With his navy coat and pants, white shirt and blue tie, and no baseball hat on his head, he looks so grown-up, so much a man. Not that he hasn’t been looking like a man for some time.
But something about him standing on my steps just now—God, he looks gorgeous. By the time I lift my head back up to lock eyes with him, his expression is amused.
“Checking me out?” He grins. “How’d I do?”
I swat at his arm. “You know how hot you are. Let’s get going.” I grab my dressiest purse off the couch, stuff my keys into it, and make sure to pick up my backpack with my change of clothes for the beach afterward.
Before we can get outside, I trip, this time on an errant sneaker.
I go flying, and Ayden’s attempt to stop me has us both landing on the living room floor together, me on my back and him on top of me. Ayden looks down at me, his eyes piercing. He leans down and kisses me on the cheek.
I put my arms around his back and pull him closer with neither of us saying a word. I can hear him breathing though, and I’m sure he can hear my little gasps.
I start rambling. “I just want to get this out there. I know when we kissed, we broke the silly pact we’d made as kids. And I don’t regret it for a second. Maybe I should, but I don’t.”
“Neither do I.” Ayden kisses my nose. “Not even a little bit.”
“But after everything that’s gone on the last couple of days, things have been pretty intense. Maybe it pushed things too far, farther than you want. I guess I’m saying that if you just want to be friends now, that’s totally fine. I don’t want you to feel like you have to protect my feelings, Ayd.”
Ayden’s face is millimeters from mine. “What happened between us has absolutely nothing to do with your mom,” he murmurs. “I told you Bella; you’re my forever girl. I just don’t want to screw this up with you. I can’t screw this up with you.”
He brushes my lips with his. I curl my hand around his neck and pull him closer.
“Ayd,” I say between kisses. “We should go…we’re going to be late.”
He wrenches himself off of me and helps me up.
As we make it the door successfully this time, he nibbles at my neck. “I love this outfit, but the truth is I want to take it off of you right now, Bella.”
Oh God. I let out a gasp but keep my hands fisted at my sides, determined not to make us late.
“Later,” I manage to get out. “Right now, we have a memorial party to get to.”
Ayden wraps his arms around me from behind and starts walking us out the door. “We’ll get there,” he promises.
My mind is already imagining other meanings to that promise. I lean my head back against his chest and let him guide us down the walkway to his car.
As soon as we step inside the banquet hall, photos of Ayden’s father and the rest of his family greet us. They’re placed next to dozens more photographs of the other deceased fishermen and their families. It’s an overwhelming feeling to walk right in on them all like that, but Ayden marches right past without so much as a glance. I follow him as he searches for his mom.
Before we get more than a few feet, a man with curly gray hair stops us in front of the framed photograph of Ayden, Michael, and their father. “Ayden Wild,” he says, extending his hand. “I was hoping to meet you tonight.”
Ayden looks at him as he shakes his hand. “I’m sorry, sir, I don’t know who…”
“In a rat’s ass I am.” The man laughs. He has a dirtiness to him that makes me step back. His breath smells like whiskey and his eyes are bloodshot. “Nathaniel Gates. I was on a different boat that same night. We were the lucky ones.”
I look at Ayden and my heart drops. His face has turned pale and he’s clenching his jaw.
“Oh.” Ayden puts his hands in his pockets. “Well, good to meet you, sir. If you’ll excuse us…”
Nathanial steps closer, blocking our path to the door. “Call me Nate. Please. I was a great admirer of your dad. Good man. In fact, he helped me out of a few jams over the years. Lent me some money once after my first wife left me…”
“Ayd!”
I look past Nate as Michael and Anna approach us.
“So I’d like to offer you a favor,” Nate concludes. “Take you and your girlfriend here out on a ride on my boat. Got my own skipper these days.”
“Um, Ayden doesn’t go on boats…” I start to say, but Ayden cuts me off.
“No, thank you, sir.” He takes my arm and starts to lead me around Nate.
At that same moment, Colton, Sky, and Cam come through the front doors. Colton and Cam take one look at Ayden and head toward us.
“You don’t owe me anything,” Nate says, his voice rising. “It’s a favor to your dad. I can show you the ropes of commercial fishing if you’d like.”
Oh, God. Ayden’s jaw clenches, and I wait for the explosion. Michael has now made it into the conversation, and he quickly tries to intercede, saying something about being a fisherman himself so Ayden knows all he needs to know from him already.
“Oh, you don’t know everything, Michael,” Nate says, reaching into his pocket for a flask. “You’re lucky you weren’t out on a boat that night, but if you were, and you’d survived it like I did, you’d realize some things. I want to show Ayden here some of what I learned.”
He takes a swig of his flask as Colton and Cam flank Ayden, their faces hard as stone. I turn toward the door as Jenson, Brayden, and Dylan hurry toward us and stand behind Ayden. Jasalie finds Sky and they both look on with concerned faces.
“I don’t need to learn from you.” Ayden speaks quietly, but it feels like he’s spitting the words out.
&nb
sp; Nate takes it as a challenge. “Boy, you need to be taught some manners. Not having a daddy around may be the reason? I could teach you some manners.” He swings out his arm to hit Ayden, but he misses badly.
Michael tries to pull Ayden away, but Nate just steps closer. “Let’s see how brave you are, son. I want to take you out on that water. You think your father was braver than me because he died that night? I wish it’d been me sometimes you know. I wish I could’ve just felt the darkness for good rather than those cold waves brushing over the bow and me ducking down like a coward, crying for a God to save us…and then the Coast Guard found us. Just in time. We were the last ship rescued that night. Your daddy wasn’t lucky like I was—we said their boat was cursed, and God help me—”
Ayden turns back now to swing at Nate, and I gasp, but Michael’s got his brother in a death grip. The Wild men, along with Jenson, edge in closer behind Michael and Ayden as the level of tension in the hall rises to the ceiling.
“Stop,” Michael says as Anna puts her hands over her face and begs for the fighting to stop.
“Ayd! Stop,” Michael says again as he pulls him back.
“You need to get out on the water, boy!” Nate’s face is red and he’s spitting as he shouts.
“Ayden doesn’t need to get on your fucking boat!” I hear myself shout back.
Anna begs me to calm down. But I push closer to Ayden. I get in between him and Nate as I say, “Ayden understands plenty, and he’s braver than anybody in here!”
Two strong arms wrap around me from behind, and I’m carried back a few steps.
I twist my neck and make eye contact with a grim-faced Colton.
“Let Ayden and Michael handle it, Bella,” he says in my ear.
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