by J. L. Farey
“What the...”
Aiden turned the picture over. Written in ink so faded it was gray were the words, Dillon & me – 1969.
He flipped it back over, his eyes going straight to the girl. The hair, the lips, but most importantly, the eyes...even in an old photograph, there was no mistaking those eyes.
It was Laurel. He’d bet his life on it.
Since he himself was a being with unique abilities, Aiden knew there were any number of possibilities to explain how Laurel could look exactly the same now as she had forty-eight years ago. But that didn’t keep him from being intrigued. So much about her was a mystery, yet he was drawn to her, as if he belonged with her.
He had an overwhelming desire to protect her. Since he didn’t know where she lived, he did the next best thing. He shifted the truck into reverse, backed out of the parking spot and exited onto the street.
“We’re going to my house.”
3
Someone had put her head in a vice, and her body on a very comfortable mattress.
Putting her fingers gingerly to her temples, Laurel was relieved to find no torture device whatsoever on or around her skull. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the light coming in through the window.
Laurel sat up in the bed and looked around. Clean, floor-to-ceiling curtains hung at the window. A few nature prints hung on the beige walls. The head and footboards of the bed were crafted from dark wood, sanded to a satin finish. It was very nice, very tidy, and very much not her bedroom.
What had happened last night?
She remembered meeting Pandora at Howlers. They’d had a few drinks and talked about Nocturne Falls. Pandora had pointed out... oh no. Aiden Morris had been there. And Laurel had been more than a little forward.
The details were fuzzy, but she remembered sitting next to him. His heart beating. And that kiss. She’d have to suffer from total amnesia to forget that kiss. But what else had she done?
A pair of bedazzled flip flops were on the floor beside the door. Those were hers. She looked down at herself and sighed with relief. Her clothes were still on. Then, from behind a closed door to the left of the bed, she heard something. Or rather, she stopped hearing something. It had been like white noise in the background, but now that it was gone, the silence was unmistakable. It must be a bathroom, and someone had turned off the shower.
“Hello!” Not knowing what else to do, she called out. She immediately regretted it as the throbbing in her head increased.
There was a muffled response, but she couldn’t make it out. A minute later, the door opened, letting out a fair amount of steam and one half-naked, wet man.
With a striped brown and white towel wrapped around his waist, Aiden was more modestly covered than most men you’d find hanging out at a public pool. Still, the way droplets of water rolled down his chest, emphasizing the cut of his muscles, seemed far more intimate when she was looking at him from the middle of a bed.
“You’re awake.” He grinned as he rubbed another towel over his wet hair, making it stand on end. “How do you feel?”
“Confused. Why am I here?”
“You asked me to take you home last night.”
She frowned and snapped before he could say anything else. “This isn’t my home.”
“I know.” His voice was tinged with amusement. “You passed out in my truck before you gave me the address. It was either bring you here, or let you sleep it off in a holding cell back at the station.”
“Oh.” She vaguely recalled being in his truck. “In that case, you made the right decision.”
“I thought you’d agree.”
“Then we didn’t...you know...” She wagged a finger at herself, then at him.
It took him a second to get her meaning. “No. I swear, nothing like that. I carried you in and put you to bed and took your shoes off. That’s it.”
“Then why are you standing there...like that?”
He draped the towel he’d been drying his hair with around his neck. “This is the only bathroom and I needed to get ready for work.”
“And I’m screwing up your schedule. Sorry.” Laurel scooted to the edge of the bed, doing her best to ignore the persistent headache.
He held his palm out to her. “Slow down. No need to rush.”
He went back into the bathroom and fussed around for a moment. When he came back out, his hair was brushed and a plush, blue bathrobe concealed the majority of his body. Laurel was both relieved and disappointed. But mostly disappointed.
Aiden grabbed some things out of his dresser and a shirt and pants from the closet. “Go ahead and freshen up. Take your time. When you’re ready, I’ll give you a lift back to your bus.”
He left the bedroom, pulling the door closed behind him.
Laurel sighed. What a mess she’d created. And all because she wanted to experience the touch of skin on skin again. Still, that kiss...
It had almost been worth the consequences.
She took a few minutes in the bathroom to finger-comb her hair and swish around a gulp of mouthwash. She was about to leave when she had a second thought and gave one underarm a good sniff. Yuck. Hopefully, Aiden wouldn’t mind if she borrowed some deodorant, too. She grabbed the stick and swiped the green solid across her skin. As she put the top back on, she caught the spicy, musky fragrance and realized she might have made a mistake.
“Great. Now I smell like him.”
There was no way to fix it, short of taking a shower, and there’d been enough bare, wet skin in that room for one day. She’d just have to live with the reminder of Aiden until she could scrub it away in the privacy of her own home.
When she opened the bedroom door, she was greeted by the heavenly aromas of fresh coffee and bacon. Aiden must have dressed in the living room, because he stood, fully-clothed, at the cook top.
He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “I hope you like your eggs scrambled, ‘cause that’s the only way I know how to make them.”
“You really shouldn’t go to all this trouble.”
“I never start the day without breakfast. It’s no trouble to whip up enough for one more.”
There was obviously no point in arguing with him. And frankly, she was too hungry and the food smelled too good for her to try.
“If you want coffee, the mugs are over there.” He pointed with a wooden spoon. “You are a coffee drinker, aren’t you?”
“Does a bear do his business in the woods?”
He coughed, then cleared his throat, then coughed again. “From what I understand, yeah.”
She poured her coffee and held the steaming mug in both hands, taking a moment to enjoy the heat and smell of it. Leaning back against the kitchen counter, she watched Aiden as he worked. There was something incredibly sexy about a man who could cook. Laurel chuckled. She had a feeling she’d find something sexy in just about everything Aiden Morris did.
“Something funny?” Aiden scooped eggs onto a plate, added a healthy pile of bacon on the side and handed it to Laurel.
She set the mug down so she could take the plate. “The only thing funny is that you think I can eat all this food.” He opened a drawer of flatware and she took out a fork. “Thank you, though. It looks delicious.”
They took their loaded plates to the table, and after one more trip to the kitchen for her coffee, Laurel sat down. The first bite of flaky eggs and melted cheese elicited a moan of satisfaction and confirmed just how hungry she really was. She’d barely swallowed before shoveling in another forkful.
“Nobody’s going to take the plate away,” Aiden said. “You can slow down.”
“It’s just so good.” She put her hand in front of her mouth to keep the eggs where they belonged. “I don’t know why I’m so hungry.”
“I have an idea.” He picked up a piece of bacon and bit off the end. “You burned a whole lot of calories last night.”
Laurel rolled her eyes, but she was glad he was keeping the mood light instead of getting
all heavy and emotional. It was much easier for her to handle.
This time, she swallowed before talking. “I don’t care how great the kiss is, it doesn’t burn that many calories.”
“Your memory seems to be a little hazy, so let me refresh it for you. That wasn’t just a kiss. That was kissing. Epic kissing. Burned at least a thousand calories.”
She took a sip of coffee and looked at him over the rim of her mug. “Is that so?”
“Oh yeah. And then you threw up.”
She almost dropped her coffee. “I what?”
“You threw up.” He sat back in his chair and puffed out his chest. “I have that effect on women.”
“Don’t take it personally.”
“Kind of hard not to, since I was the only other person there. Then again, you’d had more than a few drinks, so we can probably blame it on that.”
Laurel picked up her fork, then set it down again. She wasn’t quite as hungry anymore. “Did I do anything else embarrassing?”
“You hugged a tree. But that was cute.”
The tree. That, Laurel remembered. “Then we went to your truck.”
“Right. I helped you in, and you said something was wrong. I was afraid you were going to be sick again, but you passed out instead.”
Something’s wrong. Like a bolt of lightning it all came back. The whole night. The kissing, which had indeed been epic and something she’d want to think more about later. But feeling sick, throwing up, hugging the tree. It hadn’t been because of the drinks, it had been something far worse. Something had been wrong with Horatio.
She jumped up from the table, pushing the chair back so hard it hit the wall. “I need to get home. Now.” But she couldn’t because her bus wasn’t there. “How long will it take to get back to the bar?”
Aiden’s forehead wrinkled with concern. “About twenty minutes.”
She didn’t want to wait that long. For all she knew, Horatio could be dying. It was unlikely, since she felt fine now, but that feeling last night had been so strong.
Aiden was still talking. “We’re kind of off the beaten path. And the road out to the main drag is gravel, so we can’t speed through like–”
“Gravel?”
“Yeah.”
She looked around the room. The open floorplan had seemed familiar, but she hadn’t given it a second thought. What were the chances another house would be so similar to hers and be accessible by a gravel road?
Laurel ran out the front door onto a porch much like hers, only this one was freshly painted and had a wicker rocking chair in one corner. There was Aiden’s truck. And there were the trees, surrounding the cabin, just like she remembered.
“Are you all right?” Aiden came out behind her.
“Where’s the lake?”
“Uh, that way.” He pointed. “Why do you want to know?”
Sure enough, there was a trace of sun glinting off water winking at them through the trunks. If she was right... Laurel squinted, examining the area between them and the water. There it was. The top of the roof and the chimney blended into the background so well, she never would have noticed if she hadn’t been looking for it.
She whirled around on Aiden. “You’re not going to believe this, but we’re neighbors. That’s my house, over there.” She flapped her arm in the direction of the cabin while Aiden looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “I’m sorry to be so rude, but I have to go.”
“Okay,” said slowly.
The man was befuddled. He looked down at her with those gorgeous eyes, like two pots of honey, and for a second, she was torn between her responsibilities at home and staying with him. Responsibility won, but not by much.
“I’ll explain later.” She bounced down the porch and started down the path. Then she turned, ran back to the porch and threw her arms around him. “I’ll probably regret this later.” She drew his head down to hers for a kiss. Not nearly as epic as the night before, but absolutely memorable.
His hands were on her back and he pulled her to him, but she ended the kiss before they got carried away.
“Later.” She left the porch and backed down the path a few steps. “I promise.”
Then she turned and ran. She had a tree to take care of. And a dog to feed. And then she needed to get her head examined.
* * *
She was his neighbor?
Aiden sat on the porch step, watching Laurel run away from him. Her arms pumped and her flip flops kicked up rocks and dirt and leaves as she went. She tripped at one point and almost went down. She was going to regret running in those shoes. He sat there until she was completely gone from view. Then he sighed and stood up.
Back in the house, he got to the menial task of clearing the breakfast dishes. But even as he scraped eggs into the trash can and put leftover bacon in a plastic storage bag, he kept thinking about Laurel.
She was his neighbor. How had he missed that? Of course, he knew the other cabin was there, but it had been vacant for so long, he’d forgotten about it. And she’d only been there for a day. So, the question wasn’t really why didn’t he know she was his neighbor. The big question was, what was he going to do having a woman like that within running distance?
After putting the rinsed dishes in the washer, he closed the door but didn’t turn it on. There weren’t enough yet to run it. If he had Laurel over again, that would help.
“Way to go, Morris,” he grumbled at himself. “Now you’re looking for excuses to get her back.”
Work. He needed to stop thinking about Laurel and get to work.
He stalked into his room and went straight to the closet. A small safe was tucked away in a corner of the top shelf. He punched the combination into the keypad and it unlocked with a soft click. Grabbing his gun and badge, he went over a mental checklist of things to do once he got to the station. Considering the low crime rate in Nocturne Falls, it was a small list. So he added to it.
Check in on Jason.
Mingle with the tourists.
Follow up on the security schedule for the Zombie Prom.
He shut the closet door and his breath caught in his chest as his eyes zeroed in on the bed. Laurel had straightened the covers before she left, but Aiden wasn’t seeing it that way. He saw the comforter pushed to the side, the sheet twisted, and Laurel sitting in the middle of it. She was completely dressed, her hair wild, mascara smudged around her eyes, not a trace of lipstick, and she was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
Work. Get to work.
Trudging through the house and out the front door, he wondered if the sheets still smelled like her. If they did, he might never change them.
Work. Get your mind in the game.
Wade had been talking about expanding the mentor program. This would be a good time to address that. Aiden knew of a gargoyle in town who’d be perfect. He’d run the idea by Wade.
Aiden was doing pretty well keeping his thoughts on the straight and narrow. But when he climbed into the truck and shut the door, it all fell apart. There she was in the passenger seat, eyes closed. He remembered looking for her wallet and all the other things he happened to see and feel in the process. That tattoo. The image changed. Laurel was back in his bed, but this time all she wore was a sheet wrapped around her body like she was a Greek goddess. He could see her tattoo, peeping out over the top of the sheet. She looked over her shoulder and flashed him a wicked grin.
“Like what you see?”
Squeezing his eyes closed, Aiden shook his head, demanding the image go away. What the hell? Being infatuated was one thing, but this was insane. He wasn’t just thinking about Laurel, his mind was creating scenarios so vivid, they were almost hallucinations.
He was out of control, and when a man like him lost control, people got hurt.
He needed to put an end to it right now. He shouldn’t see her again, but avoiding her would be difficult. At its heart, Nocturne Falls was a small town. They were bound to run into each other. Besides that, she lived less t
han a mile away. And he had to find a way to get her vehicle to her. He groaned as he looked at the console between the seats.
“And, I still have her wallet.”
It wasn’t a good idea to leave it in plain view, so he tossed it in the glove compartment. He definitely needed to return it, and there was also the matter of the picture he’d found. That was a mystery he’d still like answers to.
So...he couldn’t totally avoid her, but he could limit their contact. The last two days had proved he couldn’t resist her on will power alone. He needed the magical equivalent of a constant cold shower. Luckily, he lived in a town where magic wasn’t all that hard to come by. He’d stop by Illusions and talk to Willa. Maybe she had a ring, a pendant, something in her store to help a man ignore his animal lusts.
It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was better than nothing. Aiden revved the engine and hit the gas, spraying a bit of gravel as he drove off to work and away from Laurel.
4
By the time Laurel reached her house, her head was pounding, her mouth was dry, her once-adorable flip flops were ready for the garbage pail, and she was pretty certain Horatio had pulled a fast one on her.
As strong as the bad vibes had been the night before, she expected to find the tree half-dead and dropping leaves faster than a Vegas stripper drops her clothes. But there he was, standing tall in the big wooden tub atop the trailer looking no worse than when she left the night before.
“Hey, what gives?”
The leaves shimmied. Horatio seemed to be laughing.
Laurel stepped onto the trailer and leaned against the side of the container. Stretching her arm, she put her palm against the tree’s bark. Just as she thought.