Airen turned her head into my shoulder. Her hair covered her face as she whispered an apology to me. “I’m sorry, Aiden. They’re like two old hens, a’cluckin’ away.”
My fingers tightened briefly against her hip in response. “I think the term is hardheaded. Well, in this case anyway.”
Airen’s mom was having none of it. She was clearly mad, but I had no idea why until she opened her mouth and unleashed her next words. “And what do you mean by taking advantage of Airen like that?”
“I don’t understand…” I had no idea what she meant. I hadn’t done anything but keep from crushing Airen when we fell.
“She means,” Airen said, straightening up, but not moving out of my hold, “that Aunt Brenda told her ye saw me naked. Well, no naked, but ye ken what I mean.”
The picture of Airen in the bathtub. That was what had her so upset? I didn’t have it in me to fight with Airen’s mother.
“Brenda, I think you better explain,” I said, trying my hardest to give her a stern look, but failing miserably. It was hard to do with a dull thud rattling inside my head.
Brenda moved out of the way when I pulled Airen closer and stepped forward, intent on getting the both of us to the couch without falling over. Airen moved beside me, against me, as if she were a part of me.
I got Airen to the couch, helping her sit before I plopped down beside her. Brenda handed her a pillow. She tossed it on my lap, laying her head down and closing her eyes.
“Poor lass. Ye finally met someone with a harder head then ye, I dare say,” Brenda said, smoothing back Airen’s hair from her face. “And ye’ll have a nice wee lump for show.”
I didn’t have time to think about the fact that Airen’s head was in my lap. Okay, I did, but it wasn’t anything to get excited over with the wave of nausea rolling through me. I needed a few minutes of silence and darkness, neither of which would happen with Brenda clucking over the two of us and Airen’s mother hissing and glaring at me.
I caught Brenda’s hand in mine. “Can you get us both a cold cloth? I don’t know about Airen, but I’m about two seconds away from puking my guts out.”
As if on cue, Airen rolled over and vomited on my boots. I grimaced, but I kept hold of her so she didn’t roll off the couch. That sent Brenda and Airen’s mother in motion.
“I’ll get the cold compresses; ye get the cleaning supplies. Aiden, we’ll get yer shoes off in a minute. Hang in there, kiddos, we’ll have ye right as rain in no time.”
“Turn off the light, would ye?” Airen gasped as she moved back to put her head on the pillow.
The room went dark and two sets of feet shuffled out, leaving a blissful silence in their wake.
I took slow, shallow breaths to keep the bile from rising further up my throat, but it did no good. Lucky for Airen, I was able to slide out from under her and make it to Brenda’s trash can before I threw up.
I could hear Airen gagging in response, retching up what sounded like painful dry heaves. There wasn’t a damn thing I could do but empty the rest of the contents of my stomach.
The only thing that could have been worse in that moment would be Robert de Fleur showing up. If he did, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it.
That pissed me off. Enough so that I forced myself to ignore the fact that I probably had a minor concussion as I unlaced my boots and toed them off. Holding the trash can in one hand and my boots in the other, I made my way out of the office into the hallway, wincing against the light. There was no way in hell I’d let anyone clean up after me.
In the bathroom, I cleaned out the garbage can, gagging the entire time, and dried it with a handful of paper towels. Setting it down on the floor, I bent over the sink and stuck my mouth under the running water, swished, and then spit to get the horrid taste out.
I felt a little better after that and bent to the task of cleaning up my boots and rinsing my socks. My pants, however, were splattered with vomit and would need to be changed.
Rolling the bottom of my jeans up, I made my way to the car and grabbed a new pair of pants, socks, and my tennis shoes.
By the time I’d made it back to Brenda’s office, they’d cleaned up the floor and had Airen stretched out on the couch.
She looked awful. Her face held that clammy look of someone violently ill. I winced when I looked at her, knowing she was in for one hell of a night.
Concussions sucked. First-time concussions were the worst, because you had no idea what to expect. I’d had my fair share of them, and I knew I’d feel better by the next day. Airen probably felt as though she were dying.
Ignoring both Brenda and Airen’s mother, I walked over and knelt by the side of the couch, pitching my voice as low as I could so as not to hurt her head even more. “Take slow, shallow breaths through your mouth and keep that rag over your eyes. You’ll feel better tomorrow, I promise.”
Her answer came in the form of a soft sigh and her hand came up, bumping against my cheek as her fingers slid along my jaw.
I caught her hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze as something inside of me warmed.
Behind me, someone’s breath caught. I didn’t know who’d done it, and I didn’t care. Airen was seeking comfort; I was just the one who’d provided it. That was all. They could think what they wanted, because if they knew the truth, they wouldn’t think very highly of me and would probably curse my name.
A pang of guilt raced through me, settling in somewhere over my heart. My hand came up automatically, rubbing against it as I laid Airen’s hand back down on the couch and stood.
She deserved better than me. I had nothing to give her, save the protection I could offer until Robert de Fleur was removed from her life.
When I turned around, Brenda was right behind me, her hand lifting to my head as she brushed my hair back, running her cool fingertips against the bruise forming.
I shifted, allowing the light behind me to illuminate her face, and saw a glittering of tears in her eyes.
“Do ye feel well enough to help get Airen in the car, lad? I’ll drive us home, but I canna lift her.”
Airen’s mother hissed from somewhere to my right. “She shouldn’t be moved. Look at her!”
Airen’s mouth pulled into a frown, clearly aggravated from not only the tone of her mother’s voice, but the loudness of it as well.
“Mina, we canna stay here, and Airen would be more comfortable in her bed,” Brenda whispered firmly.
“Her bed…” Mina answered, pitching her voice low enough as to not bother Airen, “is waiting for her at home.”
I clamped my lips firmly together as Brenda stiffened, bracing herself for what seemed to be an old argument. “Ye were ready to leave not even an hour ago.”
They were both dead set in what they wanted. The only reasonable decision was to keep them all together. It would be the only way I could keep a close eye on them. “Maybe the best solution to the problem at hand is to keep everyone together. Brenda, do you have an extra bedroom for Mina to stay with you?”
She smiled, nodding along. “Aye, that’s a good idea. Mina, we’ll stop by yer house and ye can pick up a few things for now. And don’t tell me no, ye ken as well as I do that Aiden is right. We’ll do much better staying together. And ye’ll be staying with us as well,” she said, poking her finger in my direction. “We’ll be needing a good, strong lad around.”
Mina made a grumbling sort of noise that said she wasn’t at all happy about the situation, but that she would keep what she thought about it to herself.
I could tell there was a lot of history there between the grunts, finger pointing, and overall unspoken words between the sisters. Something so old that it had been ongoing for a very long time. I could only hope they’d put it aside while under the threat of Robert de Fleur.
With that settled, I handed the keys to the car over to Brenda. Squatting down, I gently moved my arms under Airen, careful not to jostle her too much. Her muted cry of agony broke my heart.
I carried Airen out of the shop, waiting as Mina opened the back door of the car, wondering how I could put her down without hurting her, only to have to pick her back up and hurt her again.
Fuck it, I’ll just hold onto her until we get to Brenda’s.
With the decision made, I got us into the backseat as Brenda slid behind the wheel.
Mina opened the passenger door, giving me an odd look before she sat down and closed it with a dull thud.
“First stop, Mina’s. And then home,” Brenda said as the car was put in gear and rolled forward.
The slight motion had Airen turning further into my embrace.
My arms ached by the time Brenda pulled up alongside a set of row houses and parked.
“I’ll come in and help ye,” Brenda said as Mina made no move to get out of the car.
Mina looked back at me. Concern etched along her brow as her eyes went from Airen to me. “And what about them?”
“They’ll be fine. We’ll only be a minute or two, and I dare say neither of them are up to getting out of the car right now,” Brenda replied, nudging Mina to open her door.
“And what if he…?”
Brenda opened her door, halting with one foot out. “He won’t. Let’s go.”
Mina got out of the car with a huff, but she refrained herself from slamming the door behind her.
As soon as the door closed, Airen seemed to relax.
“Are you okay?” I asked, shifting both of us to a more comfortable position.
“I’d be better if I were in bed,” she said, and then stiffened once more at what she said.
Having her in my lap, I understood why. “You have the boniest ass. Did you know that?”
She tried for a snort and groaned. “Don’t make me even think about laughing right now. My head might explode.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“Don’t apologize, Aiden. If anything, it should be me doing it. I’m the one lying here like an invalid, forcing you to keep hold of me.”
“No one’s forcing me. Trust me, I know how you feel right now.”
“Smacked a lot of heads, have you?” A tinge of humor laced her words.
“You could say that.”
THE SOFT RUMBLE OF AIDEN'S voice was soothing. His steady heartbeat under my ear helped keep my mind off the ache resonating in my head like a drum. His voice, soft and sweet like warm honey, dulled my senses.
For a moment, I let myself feel something for the man holding me in his arms, running his fingertips over my arm in soothing circles.
Feeling the pinpricks of awareness roll through me, I wondered if he even knew he was doing it. It settled me. It made me want more. It made me realize just how much I craved the touch of another. It scared me to know that something as simple as the comfort of Aiden holding me could also be my undoing.
If I allowed myself to feel anything for him, he’d surely shatter me when he went away. And he would go away. Selfishly, for that moment, I’d live in it and carry it with me for the rest of my life.
“Back when I was in high school, I had my bell rung a few times during football season,” he said, continuing on, unaware of the feelings he’d coaxed to life.
“You’d think after the first time, I’d never let it happen again,” he said, keeping the conversation one-sided, as my only replies were soft noises I made in my throat.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to him. It was just that it hurt to hear the sound of my own voice rattling out of my mouth. I was sure he knew it too.
But still, I’d cracked his head just as hard as I’d hit mine. The only strength I had was enough to lift my finger up to his lips, pressing against the softness of them firmly. Talking had to have taken its toll on him, and he needn’t keep talking to appease me.
His lips moved, and I swear I could feel the tip of his tongue touch my finger before my hand fell back against his chest.
He kept silent after that. Only the heavy thud of his heart echoed against my hand in response. It hammered harder than before for a minute, but settled into its regular cadence not long after.
He shifted again, moving me as if he tried getting both of us in a more comfortable position.
I settled snugly against his chest with a sigh of contentment as my eyes flickered closed, and something like sleep settled over me.
I felt it all—my body relaxing, his body relaxing, and the staggered breath that came out of me as if I’d fallen into a heavy sleep, but I hadn’t. His chest rumbled as his arms shifted ever so slightly, his hand sliding down to my backside and his arm settling over the outer length of my thigh.
There was a certain thrill that came with innocent touches in a shared moment of privacy. It painted a flush to my skin. A flush I haven’t felt before… not until that very moment. The intensity in the air filled my soul with an odd kind of hunger I couldn’t ignore.
He inhaled, exhaled, and moved carefully until he was leaning his back against the door. I felt him give over in that moment, seeking the solace of me in his arms, the same way I had earlier.
The sound of bags being loaded in the trunk woke both of us up from our not-quite-sleep trances. Aiden’s hand moved from my backside to my hip as he righted himself slightly against the door.
Outside the car, Aunt Brenda and Mum bickered. I silently pleaded for the two of them to be done with their argument before they got back in the car. I wasn’t sure I could handle another argument between the two of them, even if they did it in hissed whispers.
I felt Aiden turn slightly to look out the back window. “Are they always like that?”
“That,” I said, emphasizing the word, “is nothing compared to what they’re capable of. You’ve no idea what ye’ve gotten yerself into.”
His chest moved with silent laughter. I wanted so badly to laugh along with him, but the humor he’d found in what I’d said made me groan with every movement of his chest.
His silent laughter died immediately. “Sorry,” he said, almost breathlessly.
“Ye make a great spot to lay my head, but I’ll be glad for my pillow, aye?” I forced the words past my lips and sucked in a sharp breath.
“I’ll get you into bed as soon as we get home.” He stopped with a slight shake of his head and hurriedly corrected. “I mean, I’ll carry you to bed as soon as…” His words died off with a short, nervous laugh as he finished. “Damn it, you know what I mean.”
It killed me, just about broke my head in half, but I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped while he fumbled for words.
“Don’t laugh. You’ll probably vomit on me, and then it will stink the whole car ride back to Brenda’s.”
The thought of that made my stomach roll. “Aye, to be sure.” I kept my mouth shut, resolving to keep myself from doing just that.
Aunt Brenda and Mum got back in the car with an enormous silence bubbling between them. I knew what that meant. As soon as I felt better, there would be one hell of an argument that would surely send Aiden running for the hills.
We made it to Aunt Brenda’s without further incident… and none too soon. Aiden slid me off his lap when Aunt Brenda opened my door. As soon as I saw grass, my stomach dumped itself inside out and squeezed.
Aunt Brenda got hold of me, keeping me from falling on my face as I leaned the majority of my weight against the car.
“Aiden, lad. If ye keep breathin’ in like that, ye’ll pass right out in the drive, and I’ll have no way te get ye in the house,” Aunt Brenda said as she patted me absently on the back.
I could hear him then, taking deep, sucking breaths from somewhere on the opposite side of the car.
“Maybe he canna stand the sound of her retching,” Mum said as her shoes came into view.
“I’m fin
e,” Aiden answered as the view of his legs blocked out Mum. “Brenda, if you’ll get the door, I’ll get Airen settled.”
He picked me up slowly, careful not to jostle me like he’d done before when he’d lifted me off the couch. My head settled back on his chest, and I closed my eyes. I didn’t care how I got to my bed, so long as I got there.
Cradling me close to him, Aiden made it up the stairs and managed to get my covers peeled back before laying me down gently. “I’ll have your mom or Brenda come up to help you change. Just remember, slow and easy. Okay?”
I was going to answer him, but then he did something that stole the breath from my lungs. Leaning forward, he ran the tips of his fingers over the knot on my forehead and then down my cheek, tucking my hair behind my ear.
“Get some rest,” he said, stepping back from the bed and walking out, leaving me blinking back a rush of tears that flooded my eyes. My head throbbed double time with the extra pressure of trying not to cry.
Closing my eyes against the dull light coming in from my window, I willed my emotions to settle.
THE SKY WAS DARK WHEN I woke, but I could see Aiden’s silhouette as he stood off to the side of my window, leaning with a shoulder against the wall, looking out. Hearing me move, he turned, giving me a smile. “How ya feeling?”
I had to think about it for a second. My head, while still attached, felt like a hammer-struck anvil, but I could at least move without feeling like I’d be physically ill. That was at least something. “Better than earlier.”
He walked over, sat down on the floor next to the bed, and leaned back, turning just enough so we could see each other. “Did you know between your mom and Brenda, I feel like I’ve been through the Spanish Inquisition?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on his face and the thought of the two of them tag teaming him as they questioned him about his entire life. “Aye, the two of them are right nosy.” Laughing, while barely doing much of it, hurt like hell. I gasped and put my hand to my head.
If Ever I Fall: Book 3 of The Six Series Page 9