by Liz Gavin
Still, Aidan’s smile haunted her as she pulled her oversized t-shirt down her body and climbed into bed. Following her doctor’s advice, she didn’t wear panties to sleep a couple of nights a week.
Sleep didn’t come, and images of Aidan tempted her. It would be so easy to forget conventions for a couple of hours and jump his bones. She didn’t doubt she’d enjoy that. But, after all was over, what would she do?
She rolled over her stomach and buried her head under the pillow.
Useless. The X-rated images became more vivid as she shut her eyes tight.
“Shit.”
She rolled back and sat upright against the headboard. She adjusted the pillows behind her, then opened the top drawer in her nightstand to get her vibrator. She hadn’t used it for a while, so it wasn’t a surprise to find out the battery had died.
She mumbled as she closed the drawer. “Great.”
Moira could ignore the urges and wait for sleep to come. She had done that in the past, every time Bob had left her hanging.
Except, this time it was different.
Her body craved Aidan with an intensity that surprised her. She had never felt anything like that. Her sex pulsed at the memory of his full lips, smiling at her, tempting her.
She caved in. “Ah, what the hell?”
Slipping her butt down, she lay on her back, flattened her feet on the mattress, and took matters into her own hands. As she gasped, biting her lower lip to contain her moans, Moira envisioned Aidan’s chest rubbing hers, his thighs prying hers open, and his cock pounding her until she came.
And she did, like she hadn’t in a long time.
Muscles relaxed, heart beats decreasing, she curled around the body pillow, and smiled. She’d better not wonder how the real thing would make her feel.
As slumber claimed her consciousness, muting her brain, Moira’s heart dared to dream.
9
Aidan - 2016
Aidan checked his watch for the third time and wondered if it had broken. Then the display lit up, indicating he had received a new text message on his cell phone. The damn thing was working. Why the heck time didn’t go by fast enough? He used to be a patient man. That was before meeting a certain blonde siren who had stolen his heart and wrested control of his brain. And that was just the G-rated list of the parts of his body in which Moira had been reigning since they first met a few weeks before.
He crossed his arms again over his chest. His butt was getting numb from leaning against her car for over an hour, but there was nothing he could do about that. He glanced around the parking lot behind the restaurant. It was packed full of customers’ cars who had arrived for dinner. He snapped his head up when the backdoor squeaked open. His heart skipped a couple of beats, then deflated like a pierced balloon when he recognized Ana. She sauntered toward her car, parked beside Moira’s, as he found out when she stood in front of him.
Hands fisted on her hips, almost as tall as him, the red-haired waitress didn’t wear a friendly expression in her amber-colored eyes. Their hue was close to Moira’s, but the effect they had on Aidan was light-years apart. “Moira is one of the best people I know. I would hate to see her suffer more than she had already endured. You may be a great guy. I don’t know you, so forgive me if I speak out of turn.” Ana stepped into his personal space, something common with Brazilians, but her squinted eyes and thinned lips left no room for doubt that her intent wasn’t to be affable. “If I spot Moira shedding so much as one single tear over you, run. But, consider yourself warned. I will hunt you down and make you suffer.”
He bit the inside of his mouth to contain a smile. Not out of disrespect for Ana. On the contrary, he was touched Moira’s friend watched over her like that. It confirmed his gut feeling that Moira was an amazing person. The smile stemmed from the fact that Moira’s friend had no reason to fear.
“I believe you would. I’ve got only the best intentions toward your friend. You don’t need to worry.”
The formidable waitress eyeballed him before relaxing her shoulders. Aidan could see why she had stolen Noah’s heart. Too bad his friend was blind to his own feelings. Ana’s features softened, and a smile graced her lips, like the sun after a rain cloud passed in front of it. “I believe you too. You be good to her then, but you might consider being a little naughty from time to time as well.” Her wink was captivating as she opened the door and climbed in, then drove out of the lot.
Noah was a lucky son of a bitch. Aidan had witnessed his interactions with Ana, and he didn’t understand why the couple thought they were just friends. How could two smart people be so dense?
Tristan parked his roaring M4 at the spot Ana had just vacated and killed the engine. He hopped out of the convertible without opening its door. “Hey. Moira hasn’t come out yet?” Aidan shook his head. “I’ll tell her you’re waiting for her.”
“She doesn’t know I’m here.”
Tristan’s expression darkened. “So, why are you here? I thought you two were going out.”
“I was hoping to convince her of that.”
The American knitted his eyebrows, then clasped Aidan’s left shoulder, and lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’ve known Moira for a few years. I care for her like a little sister. Life has dealt her a bad hand, but she’s aced it. She’s a hard-working, single mom, who doesn’t need more grievance. You get my drift, right?”
“Loud and clear. No need to worry.”
“Good. I’d rather not have to explain to the police why I had to rearrange your features.” He winked and let go of Aidan’s shoulder.
Pumping the fist that Tristan held up for him, Aidan smiled. “I wouldn’t like that either.”
“Hey, boss. Bye, boss.” Moira’s lilt sparked delicious reactions on Aidan’s skin and muscles, but when Tristan got inside the restaurant, she scowled at him. “Tell me you’re not waiting for me here in the parking lot of my place of work, leaning against my car as a freaking stalker.”
“You stopped replying to my texts and wouldn’t pick up the phone.”
“I’ve got to work, take care of my house and my family. Texting you every ten minutes isn’t a priority for me.”
Aidan heard in her voice the smile she was struggling to contain.
Hope was still alive and well.
Praying the charm of the Irish would work on Moira, he filled his eyes with as much warmth and tenderness as he could summon. Then, tipped his head to the left and lifted her chin until their stares met. She had been talking to his chest, and he wouldn’t have any of that. Their eyes locked, and there was no mistaking the spark he witnessed in her whiskey eyes before she dropped her lids down.
“Please, don’t hide from me. I need to know I’m not crazy.”
She dragged her eyelids up.
Electrifying.
The fire in her stare matched his own, setting his soul ablaze. His cock strained against his jeans. Aidan bent down until his lips were at level with hers. He watched her throat bob up and down with her swallow. A thin vein throbbed on her temple, a thick one beat under the skin of her neck. Her lower lip twitched, but she didn’t move.
She didn’t try to escape, but she didn’t encourage him either.
“I’m going to kiss you now.” He waited. Her eyes fixated on his mouth made blood rush down to his crotch. His hard-on twitched against the rough material of his zipper. “If you don’t want me to kiss you, you’ll have to stop me.”
He moved a couple of inches closer and stopped again to give her time to react. She glided the tip of her tongue over her lip, and it undid him. Barely containing the urge to plunge his tongue inside her warm mouth, plundering her sweetness, Aidan rubbed his open mouth against hers. A light caress, a tentative touch to gauge her reaction.
When he withdrew his mouth, intending to angle it better, Moira buried her fingers in his hair, pulling the long strands, then laced her fingers behind his neck and crushed her curves against his body.
Thank God I was right.
His cock twitched again when Moira ran her nails down his back.
He let go of her lip and pulled back just enough for their eyes to meet. “I could do this forever. You’re sweeter than I had imagined.”
“Except nothing has changed in the last couple of days since we last spoke. I still have a complicate life with two children who depend on me and nobody else. I cannot do this, Aidan.”
“My feelings haven’t changed either, Moira. I’ve told you I’m not going anywhere. I’d love to help you and your kids. Just say the word, and you’ll get whatever you want, whatever you need.”
“If only it were that simple.”
“Give me a chance to prove it can be simple.”
She cupped his face and he closed his eyes to soak in her warmth. Her thumb traced his lower lip, and his pulse spiked. “You’ve no idea how tempting your offer is, but I have to say no. I’ve made bad choices in life, but I owe the consequences. I’ve got this. Plus, I’m ten years older than you.”
“That’s just a stupid number.” He interrupted her, but she put her index finger on his lips, and he stopped talking.
“Soon, you’ll become this huge rock star, with groupies and top models throwing themselves at your feet. Then, this number won’t be so stupid. I gave my heart once to the wrong man, and it cost me the best years of my life. I won’t make the same mistake again.”
“I’m nothing like your ex-husband. But, you’ll never know it if you don’t give me a chance. Give us a chance.”
Moira’s smile was so sad, it gutted him. He wanted to scream and punch something. Mostly he wanted to find Bob Mathias and punch him to a pulp. Those feelings were foreign to Aidan, though. He had always been the peacemaker, the moderator. Then again, his feelings for Moira were also new to him. He had never felt so protective of another human being.
She whispered, “I don’t doubt you’re better than Bob. I don’t doubt you think you’ve got feelings for me. Now. But, what happens in a couple of months? In a year? You’re young, away from home, from your family. Your feelings may be true, today but, will they last? This is all too soon, Aidan. I don’t believe in love at first sight. I’m not sure I believe in everlasting love either.”
His heart ached for her sadness, her lack of faith. Words would not convince her. That much he had learned in the last weeks.
“I hear you. And I respect your concerns. You’re also considering your kids, and I couldn’t agree more. I will give you the space you need to process whatever it is that connects us. That much you can’t deny. There is a connection here.” He touched his palm to her chest, then to his.
She nodded, her eyes glued to his face.
“The only thing I ask you is that you don’t shut me out. I will always respect your boundaries; our relationship will move as fast or as slow as you choose. But, if you shut me out, there will be no relationship, right?”
A reluctant smile curved her lips, allowing his heart to hope. “What am I going to do with you? Did you hear anything I just said?”
“Oh yeah. Did you? You worry I might trade gold for glitter. I would never do that. When I find something I want, I stick to it, no matter what. But you don’t know that about me. Yet.”
She gazed into his eyes, but said nothing for a while, until she grinned, and his world turned brighter. “You’re not joking.”
“I am not.” He grazed her lips. “And I will prove it to you, no matter how long it takes.”
She crossed her wrists behind his neck when he stooped to claim her lips again. His mischievous side flared, and he stopped, a hair’s breadth away from her expectant mouth. He thrust his hips forward, imprinting his hard-on on her soft belly. He wanted Moira to know how she made him feel. “Please, don’t let it take too long though. I’ll be fighting finger cramps until you let me love you.”
She plunged her tongue inside his mouth, moaning against his lips, tearing at his long hair. And he never felt more alive. He returned her passionate kiss in kind.
Moira didn’t know it yet, but she was going to be his and nobody else’s. Aidan was sure of that. Not because he was a creepy stalker, but because his heart was hers and nobody else’s.
Aidan just needed to prove it to Moira.
10
Moira - 2017
Mrs. Oliveira handed Moira a cup of coffee, the steam swirled up and filled Moira’s nostrils with the fragrant aroma. “Thank you. I love your coffee.”
“It’s the secret ingredient, you know.”
Moira gulped a mouthful of the precious black liquid before asking. “What’s that?”
“Love.”
“That makes sense.” She smiled and opened her calendar to coordinate with the neighbor the times for her kids’ activities in the upcoming weeks.
Mrs. Oliveira blindsided her, though.
“Speaking of which, how’s your friend Aidan doing? I haven’t seen him around for a while?”
“He’s doing fine.”
“When are you putting the man out of his misery?”
“How do you mean?” Moira played dumb.
“I have yet to babysit the kids for you to go out with Aidan, so I figured you haven’t given the man much of a chance to…, well, you know.”
Moira eyeballed her neighbor. The elderly lady was sharp, she had to give her that.
“We’re just good friends.”
“Because you’re stubborn. You both want more than friendship, I can tell.”
Moira considered Mrs. Oliveira’s words and couldn’t refute them. She had fought her attraction for Aidan for months. He had respected her, followed her lead, but he had also taken every opportunity he got to show her how he felt. Her self-control was hanging by a thread, a hair’s-breadth thread.
“He’s too young for me.”
“How much?”
“Ten years.”
“Your ex-husband was twelve years older than you. He was forty and you were eighteen when you got married. Did you consider that wrong?”
Her question shocked Moira into silence.
When she recovered, she stated, “I never thought about it that way. I want to say yes, but I’d be lying. On the other hand, I’ve never considered myself a conformist. I’m torn.”
“You’re not a conformist, Moira. However, society does influence us, sometimes in ways too subtle to be detected. My point is that in both cases the relationship is between two consulting adults, regardless of what their birth certificates state. Nothing wrong in either case, as long as love is involved. Now, if you tell me you’re afraid if you give your heart to another man, he’ll smash it into a million pieces, I totally understand. That is a valid concern based on your past experience. Is that the case?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” Moira hung her head.
Mrs. Oliveira patted Moira’s back. “Don’t beat yourself up, sweetheart. You’re in the eye of the storm. It’s hard to see the rainbow, but it will come. Remember, when all else fails, hold on to love.”
Moira gazed into Mrs. Oliveira’s black eyes. Unable to find words to express her appreciation, Moira flung her arms around the good-hearted woman’s neck and squeezed her tight. “This is the best advice I’ve gotten in ages. I don’t say this enough, but I’m so grateful I’ve got you in my life. I’ d be lost without your good sense and big heart.”
Ever since Moira’s parents and brother perished in a car accident, months after her wedding, she had found a surrogate family in Mr. and Mrs. Oliveira.
“There, there. It’s just an old woman’s rambling,” the woman muttered into Moira’s hair. Then, she straightened her spine and opened her calendar on the table. “Let’s do this. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday. It’s my annual appointment with the oncologist for a check-up.”
&nbs
p; Moira glanced on her calendar, and her stomach dropped. The appointment had slipped her mind, but she didn’t say anything to the other woman. It wouldn’t be right. “That’s right. You mentioned your appointment a while ago. Please keep me posted about the results.”
“Will do. You said you had something you needed to coordinate with me. Is it about Dani’s performance with her Drama class?”
“Yes, sure.” Moira pretended it was.
When they finished going through the kids’ events, Mrs. Oliveira saw Moira to the door. “I don’t want you to worry about me and my health. You’ve got so much going on. However, I don’t want to spring a decision on you, if I get to making it.” She paused, her eyes left Moira’s and stared into space. When she refocused her attention on Moira, she resumed talking. “If the cancer has returned, I’ll move to São Paulo, to live with my daughter’s family so that I can get the best treatment available.”
“That would be the smart thing to do, infra-structure in São Paulo is top-notch. I’ll keep my fingers crossed it doesn’t get to that.
By the time she got to work, Moira had been mulling over Mrs. Oliveira’s words to the point of desperation. Her mind kept hopping from her non-existent relationship with Aidan to the neighbor’s health to the tight spot she would be in if the woman moved away. Then, her mind went back to the beginning of the vicious cycle. When she got to the restaurant’s parking lot, she was exhausted, but still had her shift ahead of her.
She rested her forehead on the steering wheel.
She wanted to curl up and cry.
She shot her head up and sat straight on the driver seat.