by J. H. Croix
He liked to have a plan, and he had none. He was completely winging it. He’d almost decided against stopping by, but he couldn’t quite bear it if he didn’t see her once more before she was gone for the month.
“I was planning to call you,” she blurted out. Her cheeks flushed, and she took a step back, gesturing for him to come in.
As he stepped through the door, a voice called out from down the hall. He glanced over his shoulder to see a young man hurrying down the hall with several pizzas in hand. Aidan caught Becca’s eyes. “I think your pizza’s here.”
“Oh right.” She stepped around him and quickly paid. “Thank you!” she called as the delivery guy handed over a pizza and turned away.
She closed the door and walked to the couch, setting the pizza on the coffee table. Oscar leapt off the couch and ran to greet Aidan. Aidan knelt down and ruffled Oscar’s neck before standing again.
“How’s he doing?”
“Great! He’s so easy to have around. I’ve always loved dogs, but figured I worked too much to try to have one. Ellie convinced me it would work if I set him up at one of the nearby doggie daycare places when I have long days at work. He’s hard to say no to though. I mean, look at his face.”
Aidan glanced down at Oscar who sat between them, his tail thumping on the floor, his tongue hanging half out of his mouth, and his friendly gaze bouncing between them. “He’s damn near irresistible. Ellie’s thrilled you’re giving him a chance. I hope it works out because…”
Becca waved him off. “It’s already a done deal. I know I told her we’d give it a month, but there’s no way in hell I could let him go anywhere now. I guess I should call her and let her know,” she said with a wry grin.
“You’ll make her day if you do.” He paused and nodded toward the pizza. “Don’t mean to interrupt your dinner.”
She shrugged. “It’s okay. Are you hungry? There’s plenty.”
“I can always eat.”
She grinned. “Have a seat. I’ll grab some plates.”
She hurried through the archway into the kitchen while he stepped to the couch and sat down. Oscar immediately jumped up at his side. “Okay for Oscar to be on the couch?” he called out.
“Of course!”
Moments later, she joined him. She set two plates on the coffee table, a bottle of wine, a beer and two glasses. “Wasn’t sure if you’d want beer or wine, so I brought both,” she offered with a shrug.
The benign conversation that followed eased the tight feeling in his chest. They ate pizza with the television news rumbling on low in the background. Oscar was clearly quite interested in their food, although he was polite enough not to beg. Once they finished the pizza, Aidan stood and moved to take Becca’s empty plate from her.
“You don’t have to clean up.”
“Hey, you let me in for an uninvited dinner. Least I can do is clean up.”
She handed over her plate and leaned back while he carted their plates, along with the empty pizza box into the kitchen. He quickly rinsed the plates and put them in the dishwasher before returning to the living room. Oscar rested against Becca’s leg as she idly stroked him. Aidan’s tension returned as he considered what to say. They’d somehow managed to get through dinner pretending like nothing was different. In reality, a lot was different. Beyond the fact that they’d had not one, but two, mind-blowing sexual encounters, Becca was leaving for a month and they hadn’t managed to talk about anything that had happened between them. He generally prided himself on being a direct person, but he had close to zero experience in navigating conversations that involved his emotions.
He took another swallow of beer before setting the bottle down on the coffee table. He’d spent years racing into dangerous situations when he was a Navy SEAL, yet he felt entirely unprepared for the fear knotting him up right now. He couldn’t have guessed it, but trying to talk to Becca set his nerves on edge in a way nothing had before. He steeled himself before he spoke.
“So, uh, Ellie passed on the news you’ll be taking off to Alaska for the month.”
Becca caught his eyes and nodded. “I can’t believe I’m doing it, but I am. I thought I’d just stick it out and do the admin thing at work, but I hate it. The part of my job I love is being able to prosecute cases that matter. I put up with all the paperwork, but there’s no reward if all I’m doing is paperwork. I’ve got personal leave coming out of my ears because I hardly ever take a vacation. To be honest, Ellie made me think about it.” She shook her head with a wry grin. “I’m not gonna go all spiritual about it, but she’s right the universe just handed me an opportunity. I figure I might as well take it. I always wanted to see the Inside Passage, so I’ll take the ferry from Bellingham up to Alaska and then drive the rest of the way to Diamond Creek.”
“When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow morning.” Her words came out soft, just above a whisper. He glanced over, keeping a firm grip on his emotions. Her eyes were bright and tinged with uncertainty.
“Good for you. Gage and Garrett will be glad to have you up there.”
She nodded. She was quiet for a beat before she spoke. “Look, I was going to call you tonight. I made this decision kind of fast. I don’t really know where we stand or how you feel, or…” She paused and nervously fiddled with a bracelet on her wrist.
When her silence continued, he forced himself to speak. “We haven’t really talked since before, well, before anything happened. You said just once, but it’s already been more than that. I was hoping…” He paused and ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I don’t have much experience with talking about this kind of thing, so bear with me.” When he glanced her way, he took a small measure of comfort that she looked as nervous as he felt. He steeled himself again and continued. “I guess I was hoping maybe we could try something more.”
He couldn’t quite bring himself to tell her he’d wanted a chance with her for years. He’d stuffed those hopes and fantasies so far down inside, he hadn’t adjusted to considering the possibility something more could come of the white-hot passion that flared between them. Unable to explain further, he waited.
“More?” Her question was so soft, he glanced her way, uncertain what she said.
“What?”
“More?” she asked, her voice strong and clear this time.
Ah hell. She wants you to explain. Get your nerve up, man. You can’t be a wuss about this. You’ve faced situations a hell of a lot more stressful than this. Just tell her what you want. Right, as if it’s so damn simple. On the heels of his internal wrangling, he looked up into Becca’s expectant eyes. Emotion slammed into his chest. He wanted too much, too fast. He wanted to be past all this uncertainty and, at the least, know she was willing to give them a chance. But for now, he needed to try to explain what ‘more’ meant.
“More than just once or twice. More than me just being the guy who replaces Kyle as your last lover. Not that I minded—at all—but like I said before, I wanted to kiss you for too damn long. Now that I have, I know this thing between us isn’t nothing, it’s something.”
She held his gaze, her cheeks pinkening. Still fiddling with her bracelet, she opened and closed her mouth. She glanced away and back again. “Okay,” she said softly.
“Okay?” What the hell did she mean by okay? If he could somehow get through this conversation, he was going to need a stiff drink by the end of it. His chest was tight and his brain was spinning in circles.
“Just that we can see what happens. My whole ‘just once’ thing already blew up in my face, so I can admit that was silly. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but we can play it by ear after I get back.”
His chest loosened slightly. He’d braced himself for anything but this. He hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until it came out in a slow whoosh. He met her eyes, his body instantly tightening. He made an abrupt decision. An entire month yawned ahead of him. If she wasn’t putting him off, he wasn’
t wasting this night. He stood and held his hand out.
She glanced up, a question in her eyes.
“We have just tonight before you go.”
Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. She bit her lip and glanced down at Oscar who was sound asleep and snoring softly.
He nodded to Oscar. “Not in the mood for an audience.”
She placed her hand in his. He led the way to her bedroom.
Chapter 15
Aidan’s hand curled around hers, strong and warm. He gave a subtle tug, and she stood. Her pulse rocketed. Heat blazed through her as he led her to the bedroom. She’d left a lamp on by her bed. It cast a soft circle of light leaving the rest of the room in shadow. Though she could hardly think over the beating of her heart, she managed to close the door behind her. He stopped at the foot of her bed and turned, her hand still in his. He was so tall, he filled the space in her bedroom. His black curls were mussed, the blue of his eyes darkened as they coasted over her. His thumb brushed across her wrist. The touch sent acute sparks of pleasure along her skin.
Without a word, he exerted a soft pull, and she stepped closer until she was inches away. His hand eased from her wrist and rose slowly to cup her cheek. The space around them compressed, laden with desire. She couldn’t break away from his gaze, although the intimacy there was almost too much to bear. His thumb dusted across the pulse fluttering in her neck as he slid his hand into her hair and fit his mouth over hers.
The embers inside flashed into flames that whipped through her. Aidan’s kisses sent her into a pleasured chaos. They were hot, wet, deep and sense-stealing. Want, need and longing surged through her with every stroke of his tongue. He tore his mouth from hers. His stubble scraped her neck as his lips traveled down. She arched into his touch, feverish with need. His hand slid out of her hair and down her back in a slow pass, caressing the curve of her bottom and tugging her into the cradle of his hips. The heat of his arousal was like a brand against her. Her hips rolled against him, a moan escaping. His lips coasted across her collarbone and down into the vee of her blouse. She was desperate to feel his skin against her and shoved her hands up under his shirt.
He took a step back, reached his hand behind his head and lifted his shirt up and off in one quick move. He paused and met her gaze, his eyes like hot embers on her. In slow, deliberate motions, he set to work on the buttons of her blouse. As each button was freed, cool air washed over her heated skin, serving only to ratchet up the heat coursing through her. When her blouse finally fell open, he pushed it off her shoulders where it fell, joining his shirt in a rumple on the floor. His eyes coasted over her before he stepped closer and slid his thumb under the clasp of her bra. With a flick, it fell open. The straps slid down her shoulders, and she shook her arms free.
Her breath hissed out when he curled his palms around her breasts, thumbing her nipples. Need arced higher and higher as he closed his lips over a nipple, licking, stroking and nipping. He gave the same attention to her other nipple as his palm stroked down her abdomen and flicked her jeans open. In the blur of the following moments, she found herself panting and gasping for more as he teased her nipples and slowly pushed her jeans down. She kicked them free and pushed him back, tearing at his jeans. He toed his shoes off, kicking them to the corner. His jeans followed hers. She started to yank at his briefs, but he moved swiftly and lifted her, stretching her out on the bed and immediately laying beside her, his palm coasting over her belly to cup her mound.
He proceeded to drive her mad by slowly dragging a finger back and forth over the thin cotton of her panties while he mapped her body with his lips. Just when she thought she could take no more, he hooked a finger over the edge of her underwear. In seconds, she kicked them free. She curled a palm around the hard ridge of his arousal. His breath hissed, but he broke free, moving between her knees, his palms sliding up her calves in slow motion. Heat notched higher and higher inside. His mouth followed the path of his palms. Slow, hot, teasing kisses marched up her thighs, the pleasure building and building. Anticipation arced so high, she almost sobbed in relief when his mouth landed on her sex. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, he pushed her further and further. He explored her folds, his tongue coasting across the nub of her desire as his fingers stroked into her channel. Her core drew tight as pleasure spun her tighter and tighter. With a stroke of his fingers and a swirl of his tongue, she cried out as her orgasm crashed through her.
He slowly pulled away. Boneless in the aftermath, she watched him stand and kick his briefs off. Naked—he was a sight to behold. Pure muscle, every inch of him hardened and scattered with scars. She knew he’d lived hard as a Navy SEAL, yet she could only guess at the source of some of his scars. He snagged his jeans, pulling a condom out of the pocket. His eyes on hers, he stepped back to the bed, rolling the condom on swiftly. The bed dipped under his weight as he leaned over her.
The heat of his body came over hers. His elbows bracketed her face. Again, she couldn’t break free from the blur of his blue gaze. The head of his cock rested against her. Her channel throbbed with every beat of her heart.
“Aidan…”
His name fell from her lips without thought.
“Becca.”
When she arched against him, he dragged the head of his cock back and forth through her folds. He dipped his head down and dusted kisses along her neck, his lips, teeth and tongue striking sparks everywhere they landed. Hot shivers coursed through her. In moments, with the slow nudge of him against her and his lips driving her wild, she was frantic to feel him inside of her.
“Now. Please…”
At her soft plea, he finally surged inside her, seating himself deeply. She moaned in relief. He started to move slowly, the pull and slide of his strokes quickening the need within. His eyes never broke from hers. Heat twisted inside her with each thrust. Tremors began to build within as he kept up his steady pace. He stroked his hand into her hair as her channel began to convulse around him. Her climax moved in slow motion through her, rippling from her center outward. When he surged into her once more, calling her name as he threw his head back, pleasure pierced through her.
His head dipped forward, falling into the curve of her neck. He rested against her as pleasure eddied through her, soft shudders running from head to toe. When her breathing slowed, she felt him lift his head and dragged her eyes open to find his waiting. He brushed a kiss across her lips and slowly untangled himself from her and stood. Once again, he held his palm out to her. She pushed up and placed her hand in his. He tugged her up and led the way into the bathroom. With nothing other than the nightlight on, they showered quickly.
Aidan was quiet, which suited her because she didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t expected this—this intense feeling, this intimacy that overtook her with him. She needed to think her way through it, but she couldn’t think with him so close. She fell asleep curled up against him, his heartbeat strong and steady under her palm.
Chapter 16
Aidan stroked his palm over the soft curve of Becca’s hip. She was sound asleep against his side, her legs tangled with his. She was all lush curves and warmth and so damn tempting. The gray light of dawn filtered through the curtains. He guessed it was another misty morning based on the quality of light. He lifted his head to glance at the clock. Becca’s ferry left Bellingham at ten this morning. It was just past six. He let his head fall back onto the pillow. He had all kinds of feelings about her leaving for Alaska, but he needed to keep them to himself for now. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t try to keep her from going because his sole reason was selfish—he wanted her here, close to him. He needed to count the small blessing she offered last night. She’d said aloud that her whole ‘just once’ idea hadn’t worked out and seemed open to the possibility of more.
He rolled his head to the side. In sleep, Becca’s face softened. Her dark hair was rumpled around her head. She shifted against him, the curve of her breast brushing a
gainst his ribs. His body was on edge, as it always was around her. Her alarm suddenly beeped loudly, and she woke with a start. She reached blindly to the nightstand and roughly turned it off. With a groan, she pushed her hair away from her face. She slowly turned her head and opened her eyes. In the unguarded moments of dawn, her blue eyes were open and free of their usual shutters. He simply looked at her, his eyes memorizing her face—her heart-shaped pink mouth, the subtle angles of her cheekbones, her porcelain skin and her bright blue eyes.
Her palm rested on his chest. She idly traced a circle with her index finger. He wondered if she could feel the pounding of his heart. After several quiet moments, she leaned up on her elbow. “I have to get up.” Her voice was raspy with a tinge of rue.
He nodded. “You do. You said you wanted to leave before eight.”
She brushed her hand through her hair and eyed him. “Wanna stay for breakfast?”
“Definitely.”
Her smile was slow, but it was like the sun coming out. His heart clenched. He leaned up and caught her lips in a kiss. He forced himself to pull away. If he let loose the reins of his control, she’d miss her ferry this morning. Her eyes held his for a long moment before she sat up and kicked the covers off.
She snagged a blue robe hanging on the back of her bedroom door. She tossed it over her shoulders and tied it as she looked down at him. “Salty or sweet?”