by Ash, Leela
“ … in the early hours of this morning discovered unconscious in the middle of Main Street,” the reporter was saying as the sound came up, “Both men are refusing to cooperate with police questioning and are being held on bail. Police ask for anyone with any information to please come forward …”
The reporter turned to the side and a new camera angle, as he shifted gears to another story having to do with some local sports rivalry or other.
Laurie was stunned. Seeing it on the news brought the reality of the night before rushing back into her mind. She turned on her heel and went back to her table. When she sat down she put her head in her hands. She had to get out of there. Even though she felt safer knowing that those men were behind bars, the place felt forever tarnished for her. She felt dejected at the loss of the purity of one of her happiest childhood memories. Now whenever she thought of that summer it would be clouded with what had just happened the night before. The waitress came to the table and poured her a large mug of coffee.
As she drank it she looked out of the window and saw again for the first time in years what the town looked like when it was alive. It was exactly how she remembered it and she wished she could just erase everything from the night before. She knew she had to leave, but she also had a nagging at the back of her mind that she had to find the stranger and at least say thank you properly now that her mind was a little clearer. She was vaguely aware of a tiny silver lining in all this. At least all this had taken her mind off of Brad.
She went back to her room and packed her things. She had an hour before she had to check out and even though she didn’t want to be wandering around the streets of Blakestone Ridge, she felt as if she owed it to him, and to herself, to find out what had happened once he had left her. She needed to thank him for being so kind and for making sure she was alright. She probably wouldn’t find him, but at least she could try.
As she went out into the sun and walked down the street she passed a lovely little row of shops. Some of them sold bric-a-brac and some had local produce, but they were all unique and she loved the fact that there wasn’t a single chain store. They were all independently owned and everyone seemed to know one another. It was almost enough to help her forget the incident the night before. She had been thinking maybe she should go to the police, but she just wanted to get out of there at that point. Seeing a convenience store she forgot her musings and went inside. She had felt tempted all morning to buy a packet of cigarettes. After what she had been through, she really didn’t feel she needed an excuse. She stood a moment looking for her brand behind the cashier but instead of asking for any, turned and went to the drinks refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. As she was walking back to the desk to pay, something caught the corner of her eye. It was the smiling face of someone familiar. She turned to the magazine rack and her jaw almost hit the floor. She couldn’t believe it.
There on the front cover of one of the glossy magazines on the shelves was her mysterious stranger. He was the epitome of dark and handsome and his blue eyes pierced her all over again. He was standing straight and tall in an immaculate suit. Laurie crept forward and picked it up. Surely it couldn’t be…?
It was a business magazine and it was most certainly him. She flicked quickly through to the article and scanned it furiously. Her eyes picking out specific words as she went.
Aiden Cooper… International businessman… Risk taker… Billionaire…
Laurie lowered the magazine and swallowed hard. If this wasn’t the man who had come to her rescue the previous night, then he had an identical twin running around. An identical billionaire twin. She shook her head and laughed. She looked at the cover again, not believing her eyes.
“Did they get my good side?” came a voice from right behind her.
She spun around, her heart jumping up into her throat. It was him. She was starting to feel like she had stepped through the looking glass like Alice. His beautiful eyes drilling holes into her soul. He looked down at the magazine with an uncomfortable and slightly amused gaze. Laurie sheepishly lowered it before replacing it on the shelf entirely. It felt somehow like she was snooping or spying on him, although that was obviously not the case at all. It had been right there in front of her. Anyone would have been more than intrigued.
“I don’t even know what to say…I was just…I mean I wanted to…” she began.
“How about we get a cup of coffee,“ he said simply. There was a warmth and caring about him that lit her up inside. It was starting to light her up in other ways too, she realized.
5.
They sat opposite each other in a small café a block down from the hotel. Laurie couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was exactly as amazing as she had remembered and she realized she was both excited and nervous just to be around him. Along with what seemed like his innate sensitivity to her needs, there was something about him that screamed power and danger, and even after all she had been through, she found the combination intoxicating.
“Last night…” he began, “Well, this morning when I woke up, I knew I had to make sure you were okay.”
“I’ve felt better,” she said, “but I’m not as stunned and in shock as I was last night.”
“I was worried,” he looked down, “I shouldn’t have left you but I thought you’d been through enough without some strange man hanging around. I just wanted to give you an opportunity to rest up a bit and get grounded again.”
“If it wasn’t for you, who knows what would have happened to me…” She then filled him in on the details that led up to his appearance.
“Well, from what you are saying they were basically just a couple of idiots. Maybe even dangerous idiots, but still just idiots,” he shook his head.
“Well, still, if you hadn’t gotten there when you did,” she shuddered. “What did you do to them when you went back anyhow?”
“When I got back to them they were still pretty out of it, but I had some choice words with them about what their futures would look like if they ever came within a hundred miles of Blakestone Ridge again. Then I knocked them out again and left them for the police to find.” He looked amused. “I didn’t hurt them too much. No need to worry… well, apart from the broken noses I didn’t hurt them.”
A wave of relief washed over her. She did feel safe with him. She had not even realized how unsafe she had felt before.
“So, who are you, Bruce Wayne waiting for an opportunity to play Batman? Do you just hang around dark alleys in the middle of the night looking for damsels in distress to save?” she joked and smiled genuinely for the first time in days.
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” he smirked. “What are we having for breakfast?”
They ordered fresh fruit and pancakes and they had been talking for almost twenty minutes before Laurie realized they had never had a proper introduction, although by now she knew his name, of course.
“Aiden Cooper, at your service” he smiled, “And I already know yours as well, Laurie Miller.”
She looked at him and studied every inch of his face. He was deadly serious.
“How do you…?” she began.
“The hotel,” his face cracked into a smile, “I didn’t tell you last night, but now that my mild mannered cover is blown… I actually own it…”
“’It’s not the best, but it’s not the worst?’ ”, Laurie laughed, quoting him from the night before.
“At least I’m honest,” he winked.
She looked into his amazing eyes again and although she could have sat there with him forever, she knew she still had to leave. Now she wasn’t just on the run from crazy Brad, she wanted to be out of Blakestone Ridge before the two men were released from jail. She felt as safe as she could with him, but she just felt rattled by the past few days. She needed some time to get her bearings.
And what about the animal I told you about? I mean it was nothing I have ever heard of before. I like I said, I didn’t get a good look at it, but I heard it. I m
ean, it was huge! Have you heard anything about something like that around here before?”
“Ah, who knows, probably a wolf or a dog…or maybe you somehow used you magical powers to call your spirit animal to save you.” He was smiling and laughing as he said it, but there was that amused glint in his eye again as well.
“I wish,” she laughed. “I hate to cut this short,” she added, genuinely disappointed, “But I can’t stay in this town, I need to get going.”
“I’m going to have to say ‘No’ ”, he grinned leaning forward, “I would like to convince you to stay and, furthermore, I would like to ask if I can take you out for dinner tonight, just to make sure you’ve fully recovered of course,” he said with a playful wink.
“I can’t,” she shook her head, “I’m due to check out in five minutes and after last night I’m just too nervous to stay around here…”
“Did you not hear me, I own the hotel… and not only that, but those guys won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, and if they do, trust me, they’re not going to come looking for you.”
He reached across the table and lay his hand on top of hers. His touch was like fire, the heat coming from his skin was electric.
“Trust me…” he said again.
Laurie knew that after all she had been through, this was the last thing she should be doing, but it wasn’t every day she got asked out by a heroic billionaire who seemed genuinely desperate to spend time with her. She thought back to how she had spent the past year being degraded and treated badly. Her confidence had hit an all-time low and there she was with this brilliant, sexy man… and she was going to turn her back on him and walk away? She stared into his eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. The warm blue of them was so endearing she knew there was no chance she could pull herself away. Definitely not today and maybe not ever.
“Lunch,” she said, doing her best to hedge. “I don’t want to be out too late.” She cocked her head and returned a playful wink of her own.
“As you wish,” Aiden bowed congenially.
“And nothing too fancy,” she smiled, “I didn’t exactly bring a huge string of outfits and you know what us girls are like…”
“No problem,” he squeezed her hand before signaling to the waitress for the check.
6.
Aiden walked her back to the hotel and spoke to someone behind reception. He arranged for her to stay another night free of charge and waived the fees for the previous evening as well. She was beyond grateful for his kindness. It was helping to take the edge of the previous day’s events, and then some.
When she got back to her room she couldn’t believe her eyes, there was a bouquet of flowers waiting on the dressing table. She walked over to them and touched them. The petals were like silk. Blood red roses. She picked one up and breathed in its lovely scent. There wasn’t a card, but she knew who they were from, of course. She smiled to herself. Twenty-four hours earlier and she had still been trapped in a horrific life with a man she had grown to hate. In such a short space of time so much had happened, she had met someone new and seemed to be in the process of being completely swept off her feet. Of course she didn’t want to get too far ahead of herself. She had to keep her head.
She turned to the wardrobe and pulled her bag out from the bottom so she could hang up her clothes. She was going to have to drag out the iron for sure if she was going to look anything near presentable.
She had told him nothing fancy, so she settled on a pair of denim cut off shorts, a bikini top with a white t-shirt over the top and a pair of sandals. It was a pretty small town after all, and there weren’t exactly any super fancy restaurants they could go to anyhow. She retouched her make-up and shook up her hair so it was bouncy and full of volume. She looked at the clock on the wall and realized she only had ten minutes before he was picking her up in reception. She grabbed her purse and headed for the door.
“Okay Laurie,” she said to herself, “Time for an adventure.”
7.
As she walked into the cool, sleek, modern reception, her eyes fell instantly on Aiden. He was leaning against a red leather arm chair, his dark hair falling delicately down around his eyes. Her heart pounded as she saw how incredible he looked. He wore a pair of scruffy jeans that hung low on his hips and a tight black t-shirt which showed off his huge, muscular arms and abs. The only thing giving him away as the billionaire she now knew he was, was the huge flashy Rolex adorning his wrist. She realized she had stopped to take him all in. Aiden raised his head and smiled at her from across the room.
He held out his arm like a gentleman as she walked over to greet him, wrapping her arm through his.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered as they walked towards the door of the hotel. “I’m glad you decided to stick around. Despite the circumstances I am very glad I got to meet you, you know.”
Laurie knew she was blushing and as they stepped out into the street she turned her face to meet his and said, “Thank you for the flowers.”
“You don’t have to say thank you,” he grinned, “Beautiful flowers for a beautiful girl. But, you know, it is not just your looks that I like. I mean, I do like them,” he laughed. “It’s just that I like the way I feel when I am with you.”
Her heart pounded as she got the feeling he was going to kiss her. She felt shy though, and turned her face away, concealing a broad smile on her face.
“Well, they were stunning flowers,” she said.
“And I find you to be a stunning woman,” Aiden squeezed her arm with his other hand.
“So where are you taking me?” Laurie said playfully.
“Well,” he slowed and pointed across the road, “I thought we could head out to the lake and go out on the boat.”
“Oh, that sounds perfect!” she said, “I’d love to.”
Aiden unhooked her arm and took hold of her hand, leading her across the road to his Red Z06 Corvette, which he had parked across the street. He opened the door for her and she slid in. When Aiden started the engine the car practically jumped to life.
“How did I not hear this coming last night?!” Laurie laughed over the sound of the 650 horsepower that issued from under the hood.
“I wasn’t in this last night,” he said mysteriously as he flashed her his amazing smile and pulled out into the slow trickle of traffic winding its way down Main Street.
As they drove around the quiet country roads, Laurie found herself recognizing some familiar spots from her childhood visits. There was Larson’s Grocery on the corner, just as it had always been there. The familiarity and good feelings she had once associated with the place were beginning to come back, and she began to relax even more. The sun was shining brightly overhead and the shadows from the trees cast patterns across her skin. She couldn’t take her eyes off Aiden and his strong hands gripping the wheel. She thought about what it would feel like to have them gripping her. It had been such a long time since she had been with a good man, or even with any many with such strength. Even before she had gotten together with Brad, she hadn’t been with anyone for a couple of years. She had become so disillusioned by men that she had simply lost interest in them all together for a time. Until Aiden had burst into her life and made her think about sex again, she had assumed another sexual ice age was upon her. She bit her lip as her eyes ran down his torso to the bulge in his jeans. She felt her heart flutter and a heat beginning to build underneath her own jeans.
“Just around this corner,” he smiled, turning to her. Even in the shadows cast overhead by the trees his eyes still shone brightly blue.
They pulled off the road and into a clearing in the forest. Laurie could see the lake ahead and recognized it instantly. She had definitely been there before.
“I know this place,” she said, looking up to Aiden. “I’m sure this is where I stayed when I was younger.”
“Really?” he smiled. “Well my place is on the other side of the lake but my boat is moored here.” He pointed into the distance
and she could just make out the tip of a boat’s nose sticking out from behind the corner of a large group of trees.
They walked to the water’s edge hand in hand as Laurie took in the incredible view. It was a stunning lake.
“Wow,” she smiled. “I forgot how nice it is to be out in nature, I’ve lived in the city all my life and it’s been so long since I’ve felt free like this.”
“Me too,” he said.
“So you don’t live here?” Laurie asked, confused.
“No, not full time anyway. I have the house here and maybe once or twice a year I get out here to relax. I discovered I have a need to be out in the woods from time to time though. I used to try to fight it, but now I embrace it.” he said enigmatically.
“Oh,” Laurie said, embarrassed, “I guess I ruined that for you this time. I mean the relaxing part.”
“I’d hardly say you’ve ruined it,” Aiden smiled, “Actually you have been the highlight. You’ve definitely made it a lot more interesting.”
She felt butterflies for the first time in years.
“Come on,” he said, easily jumping across the gap onto the side of the boat. She had not realized how graceful his movements were, especially for such a big man. He held out his hand and she took it. He pulled her up to meet him and they were pressed right against each other again. Laurie’s heart pounded and she knew that this time she couldn’t and wouldn’t look away. Aiden leaned in and kissed her, dipping her back and wrapping her up inside his big, strong arms. She felt like she could melt. This man was like no one she had ever known. Everything about him was different from anyone before. Even his skin was filled with an intense heat that made her feel alive when he touched her. It was like he was just more alive than other men, if that made any sense. They kissed on the side of the boat and Laurie felt a tingle between her legs. God did she want him to take her right there and then. Of course she couldn’t just throw away all of her morals. Or maybe she could, she thought. He was a good man. She felt it. His lips skimmed hers and he kissed her slowly one more time before wrapping his hand into her hair and smiling.