“Me, neither.” Aidan shrugs. “Never have I ever had sex in a moving car.”
“Wow, you have a one-track-mind, you know that?” She took a sip. “Oral counts, right?”
“Damn, Roxie. You’re more adventurous than I gave you credit for.”
“Used to be. I’m drab and boring now.”
“Could’ve fooled me the other night.”
Her face flushed with heat. He was paying her a compliment, but it all went back to this crazy idea he had to prove he was attracted to her. He hadn’t said as much, but she didn’t need to be brilliant to figure it out. She was a challenge now, and she didn’t think Aidan turned down a challenge. “Okay, my turn. Never have I ever…had pity sex,” Roxie said.
“Wow, pity sex?” He studied her. “Is that what you think that was?”
“Drink.”
“No. That’s nothing at all like what happened. Give me your cup.”
“Why? We’re playing a game.”
“Drink up, because we’re going to play something else now and you might need something to take the edge off.”
Roxie took a big gulp, letting it burn her throat as it slid down to spread like fire in her belly, out to her fingers and toes. He took the cup from her, and put them both on the ground out of the way.
“So, now what do we do?”
“Now we play Truth or Dare. I’ll go first. What’s your poison?”
“Truth.” She didn’t quite trust him with a dare.
“Why did you agree to go rafting, camping, and everything with me?”
She couldn’t tell him, not really. She didn’t want him to look at her with pity. “Let’s just say I very much needed to get out of the house.”
That was like the truth—she only left out the reason she needed to get out. “How about you? Truth or dare?”
“Truth.” He leveled his gaze at her, so intense it made her want to squirm. “Go ahead, ask me.”
“Why did you sleep with me?” She couldn’t not ask. She hoped he could tell her something that would put her mind at ease.
“Because I’ve wanted you since I saw you in the café. Your lips make me crazy. You’ve got a banging body, but more than any of that, you intrigued me. And you didn’t disappoint me. That was the most arousing sex I’ve had… well, in a long, long time.”
“Oh.” Did she let herself believe him? Did he mean all of it? The game was truth or dare, so she supposed lying was out.
“Your turn.”
“Right. Okay, fine.” She picked up her bourbon and took another sip. “Dare, I suppose.”
“I dare you to kiss me.”
Aidan leaned closer, a hand on her neck, and pulled her to him. She went, willing, and he devoured her mouth.
When he pulled back, Roxie looked him over. His chest hitched with breathing, hard and rough, like his kisses. She wasn’t sure how he could want her, but she did know he was excited right now. That much was obvious.
“That was really more you kissing me. Let’s try this again.” She got up on her knees and edged closer to him.
*
Roxie put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself and gazed into his eyes.
What was he doing? Was he really going to keep this going on a dare?
No, because that’s not all it was. He wasn’t doing this because she was a challenge, or because he wanted to prove something. He cared about Roxie.
Before he could think, decide how he felt about that, her lips fluttered against his. Her eyes slipped shut as her tongue slid into his mouth and his balls grew heavy with want.
He let his hands roam her back, pulling her tank up, away from her waistband, and sliding them underneath. Her skin was silky smooth under his fingertips. He wanted to pleasure her, to possess her, to mark her as his own. He wanted to make her so crazy with desire, she never wanted another man’s touch.
He lifted her shirt up and over her head.
“Aidan,” she protested, her voice soft and husky.
“Let me touch you, Rox.”
He dipped his head down, sliding kisses along her collarbone, down over the curves of her breast, to her stomach.
Her fingers threaded in his hair, tugging gently.
“Sit back.” He gave a slight push on her shoulders and she shifted to her bottom, her legs splayed on either side of him. “Better.”
He tugged at the waistband of her sweats, exposing one perfectly rounded hip. He let his mouth wander there, nipping at her skin.
A moan escaped her and he wanted more of that. He wanted to drive her out of her mind.
“Take it off. Take it all off,” he demanded as he helped her, slipping the sweats over her ass and down her thighs. He tossed them aside and watched, mouth on her stomach, as she unhooked her bra and set it down on the canvas tent floor beside her, like she wanted it within easy reach.
She felt vulnerable, he decided, and yanked his own t-shirt off so she’d feel more comfortable with her nakedness. Lifting her foot, Aidan let his lips trail over her instep and up her calf. She tasted like simple soap, clean and fresh.
Their shadows jumped on the nylon walls of the tent and Roxie stretched over and switched the electric lantern off.
“I was enjoying looking at you.”
“Your eyes will adjust. I’d rather people walking by not see what we’re up to in here.”
“Wicked, wicked things.” He glided his mouth up the inside of her thigh and she whimpered, so softly he almost didn’t hear her.
His eyes were adjusting to the moonlight streaming in the plastic windows and he watched her face as he spread her legs, opening her up before him. He found her with his mouth, and slipped two fingers in her. The slick walls inside of her clamped down as he laved her clit.
She raised up on her elbows and their gazes met, then she threw her head back and groaned his name.
“What do you want, Rox?”
“Please,” was her only reply.
He pumped his hand slowly, moving his fingers in and out as he traced her labia with his tongue. “Please what?”
“Oh, God.” She lay back, hands going to her head. Her hips bucked gently under his attention.
“Say it. Tell me what you want.” He froze, waiting for her answer.
“I-I want to come.”
He resumed, circling her clit with his tongue as his fingers dove inside her. He pressed his fingers forward, searching for the spot that would push her over the edge. “Then come for me.”
Cries erupted from her, as her muscles milked his fingers. He could even feel it against his tongue as he pushed her further, harder, and she lifted her ass off the ground. Her whole body went stiff then collapsed on the floor of the tent.
He slid up her, letting his erection drag over her thighs and press into her stomach. It was both pain and pleasure. His balls were heavy as he nuzzled her neck.
She lifted her arms to take him in an embrace. “I want you so much.”
“You’ve got me.”
“I want you inside me. Right now.” She dipped a hand down to his waist and unbuttoned his jeans. Aidan pulled a condom out of his pocket, then helped her take his pants and boxers off.
She took him in her hand, squeezing his cock in her fingers. “What do you want, Aidan?”
“I want to bury myself in you. I want to look into your eyes as I take you.”
“Yes,” she said, drawing it out.
Aidan rolled her onto her back beneath him, slipped on the condom, and readied himself at her entrance. He watched her face, as she took him in, inch by inch. She was slick with arousal and felt like a velvet vise around him.
Once he was fully seated within her, he paused. “You feel so damn good.”
She cradled his face in her hands, pulling him down into a hot kiss. He moved his hips away then thrust back into her, over and over, taking his time, as their tongues and lips tangled together.
An edge settled over him, a need he had no words for, and he lifted himself up on h
is elbows so he could see her face. He began to pump harder. As his own orgasm built, she tightened around him, and shook beneath him.
She began to moan, softly at first, but growing louder. He should’ve silenced her with a kiss, to make sure no one heard them, but he couldn’t think of anything right now but experiencing this moment with her alone.
Her nails scratched down his back, her hips moving in rhythm with his. They were pushing one another closer and closer to the edge.
“Kiss me while I come,” she said, her words a pant.
At some point her hair had tumbled from the precarious bun and spread out behind her. He dug his fingers into her locks, tugging her face up to his. Their mouths met as the pleasure hit him, coursing through his body in waves.
She arched her back, moaning into his mouth as pleasure overtook her as well.
Breathless, he collapsed on top of her, still aware of the planes and curves of her body pressed into his. He didn’t think he’d ever come that intense, that hard, in his life. There was something about Roxie that drove him mad with desire.
After a minute, he grabbed his jeans, and disposed of the condom in the garbage. He’d wanted to claim her as his own, which surprised him now. It also scared him, but more than any of that, he wanted to keep her happy. He liked a happy Roxie.
He climbed back into the tent and she was as naked as he’d left her, but she’d curled up on her side, a hand under her face.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Shh. Can’t talk yet.”
He chuckled, slid out of his pants, and slipped onto the sleeping bag beside her. He pulled the other on top of the two of them. “Go to sleep.”
“You’re bossy in bed.”
“You love it.” He pulled her tight against him.
“I sort of do.” Within moments, she was asleep. He put his face against the back of her neck and sniffed her hair. The scent of sugar cookies wafted over him. It smelled like Roxie, and he was growing very attached to her scent. To the woman.
Chapter Ten
In the morning, they woke up naked and tangled together under the puffy sleeping bag. He kissed her, playing with the hair spread out on the floor of the tent.
Before he knew it, he’d retrieved his last condom and they were making love as morning sunlight streamed into the tent through the plastic windows. When she came, he fell that much harder for her.
How was he ever going to get her out of his system? He disposed of the condom and went back into the tent to get dressed and gather up their things.
“Can you handle packing up the tent while I start putting things in the truck?” He needed a few minutes alone to think about his next move.
Roxie nodded, but grabbed him in a kiss before he left that made them both breathless.
“I’m going to go pack up the truck or we’ll never get out of here,” he said and backed out of the tent.
It was a little like experiencing a magic spell unraveling. Once they climbed into the truck, it would be back to real life. And, in real life, he couldn’t just enter into a relationship. What if something happened to her? What if she got sick, like Miley? He couldn’t live through that again. Never mind he was definitely starting to fall for her—that only made things worse. More intense, more concerning.
He grabbed the cooler by the handles on either side and hauled it to the truck bed. Deciding what to do next…the hard part wasn’t the easy choice—that would be to break things off before he got in too deep. The hard part was that he couldn’t even begin to define his feelings. He more than liked her, more than cared for her. He was crazy about her. So… what the hell did that mean?
Had he already fallen for her? Was he really considering trying this whole relationship thing again, finally? He finished loading up the truck as she came out carrying her backpack, stuffed full of clothes, and one of the rolled up sleeping bags.
“I think I’ve got everything packed up. Help me carry it to the truck and we can tear down the tent.”
“We don’t have to tear it down. Just disassembling it will be fine.”
She chuckled and rolled her eyes at the joke, dropping her things into the truck. “Yeah, well, you know what I mean.”
They worked well together, taking down the poles, folding the tent up, and fitting everything into to the canvas bag that stored it all. They were a good team—that much had been obvious since he took her rafting. He loved that she was game for whatever he threw at her. Not just the fun stuff, like rock-wall climbing or hiking, but the jobs that made those things work. She was a practical woman, and a man like him needed that in a woman. He needed her.
Shit, he hated where his thoughts kept taking him. And he hated that he felt awkward around her now. He hadn’t spoken to her for the last fifteen, twenty minutes.
When they climbed into the truck, he started it and she turned to him, a frown puckering her brow. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Of course not. You’ve been perfect. Why?”
“Because you’ve been really quiet since we started taking the camp apart. Is something bothering you?”
I might’ve screwed up and fallen for you. But, he couldn’t say that. He still didn’t know what to do and he didn’t want to lead her on. Wasn’t that what he’d been doing, though?
The first time they made love, it just happened. But, after that? He’d been actively pursuing her since then, trying to seduce her, to prove to her he wanted her.
Even though it would make him a lousy human being, he wished he could say it was because she’d presented him with a challenge. But that wasn’t it at all, no matter what he’d tried to tell himself.
He glanced over at her. “Nothing wrong here.”
Reaching over, he switched on the radio and they listened in silence for the better part of forty-five minutes.
They’d be at her house soon. She sat on her hands, looking down at her feet. She looked uncomfortable, and that was his fault. He hadn’t said a damn thing to her the whole way home.
When they arrived at her parents’ house, Aidan climbed out of the truck and fished her backpacks from the back of the truck.
“It’s fine. I can carry those,” she said.
“I’m taking them in for you, Rox. No arguments.”
“But… then I’ll have to introduce you to my parents.” She glanced back at the house, then back at him, shuffling her feet.
“So, let’s go. What’s your mom’s name?” He started up the concrete walk leading to the front porch, expecting her to follow.
“Meredith.” She hadn’t moved.
“What are you waiting for?”
“An act of God. Earthquake, volcano. A lightning bolt or something showy.”
He went back to her, put a hand on the small of her back and gave a nudge. “Come on. What about your dad?”
“Oh, you can’t meet my dad. Like, literally. He doesn’t talk to me, so if I take you in there, plant you in front of the TV and say, ‘Daddy, this is Aidan, the man I’ve been sleeping with,’ he’ll nod and say, “Uh-huh.’ There’s no point.” She stopped halfway up the walk.
“Why doesn’t your dad talk to you?”
“It’s complicated. He doesn’t know how to handle me being depressed. So, he… doesn’t handle it at all.”
It wasn’t that something seemed off here, it was all a little screwy. Like he wasn’t seeing the whole picture, just bits and pieces. He took her by the arm and tugged a little. “I’m carrying your backpack inside. Let’s go.”
“I carried it out of the house without your help when we left.”
“You weren’t my girlfriend then.”
She stopped, and even him pulling on her arm didn’t budge her. “So, I’m your girlfriend now?”
He inhaled, ready to deny it, to say he’d misspoke, but the words didn’t come. His lungs deflated like a balloon. Yeah, that’s pretty much where things stood. And maybe that wasn’t so awful. Maybe it could even be a good thing. “I… Let’s just get yo
u inside. I want to meet your mom.”
Just then, an older woman stepped out on the porch. She looked like Roxie, with the curls and the green, almond shaped eyes. “Come on in, you two. You’ve been creeping up the sidewalk for ages.”
Roxie’s legs started working again, and Aidan followed her up on the porch. Her mom wrapped an arm around Roxie’s waist and pulled her close.
“Aidan, this is my mom, Meredith. Mom, this is my friend, Aidan Craig.” He couldn’t help but notice she didn’t call him her boyfriend. He should’ve talked to her before declaring them in a relationship, he knew that.
Meredith held out a hand to him and he shook it. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Fisher.”
“Oh Lord, don’t call me that. Meredith is just fine.”
“Meredith.” He gave a nod and a smile, while he berated himself internally. Why had he called Roxie his girlfriend? Because that’s what they’d been acting like, maybe. They’d made love again just hours ago. In a world where he hadn’t lost his wife, where he hadn’t sworn to never become involved with anyone again, he’d be happy to call her that. Now, it made him happy, but it also scared him.
“I’m so thankful to you for spending so much time with Roxie. She needed a friend in the worst way.”
“Mom, stop.” Roxie left her mother’s embrace, stepping away to lean on the porch railing, her face flushed pink.
“But, it’s true. She’s been holed up in the house for six months. Her father and I, we’ve been worried sick. You know, we lost her sister this way.”
“I’m sorry?” What the hell had she just said? Was there something serious wrong with Roxie she hadn’t told him about?
“Mother, Aidan doesn’t need to know about all that. And, if he does, I will tell him.” She crossed her arms, eyes flashing in anger.
Meredith had her hands clasped in front of her. Aidan looked between the two women. “Well, someone tell me something. My condolences on your daughter, but… lost her to what?”
Exactly Like You: A Cupid Cafe Story Page 11