Walking backward towards the bed, he gently pulls on me to follow. I willingly do, unsure of what's next but not wanting to think too far ahead. I just want to live in this moment. Savor it. And never forget it.
He sits on the bed and sets me down on his lap, his warm gentle kisses extending down my neck. He goes to lift up my sweater, then pauses, like he's waiting to see if I'll stop him.
When I don't, he lifts the sweater up and over my head. I'm wearing a t-shirt underneath, a white fitted v-neck. I wait for him to remove it but he doesn't. He lowers his mouth to mine, and I feel his hand cup my breast, gently squeezing, sending more sparks through my body.
"Aiden," I softly moan, my head tipping back as he touches me.
"You are so beautiful," he whispers, his lips brushing over my ear. My body shivers at the sensation left behind. It's so much more than I've ever felt with anyone else.
I feel his lips slowly drag down my neck as his thumb rubs over my nipple with just the right amount of pressure. I moan in response, noticing how every time I moan, he does more, quickly learning what I like.
I'm startled when he suddenly lifts me up, shifting me on his lap so my back is against his chest. He moves my hair aside and kisses the side of my neck. His hand returns to my breast while the other one slides between my legs. He deepens his touch, adding more pressure, more friction as my clothes move with his hand. It's so much sensation all at once it's almost unbearable. I feel it building but try to hold back, not wanting this to be over. But after a few minutes I can't take it anymore. I need a release. I suck in a breath and lean back into Aiden as pleasure pulses through me.
I try to turn towards Aiden but he holds me in place, his arms wrapped securely around me.
"Just stay here a minute," he whispers by my ear.
I lay back on his chest, feeling his warm breath by my cheek.
"That felt so good,” I whisper, a lazy smile on my face.
"I'm glad." He kisses my cheek. "I like making you feel good. If you let me, I'll be doing it a lot more."
"I want to make you feel that way too."
"It doesn't have to be tonight." He kisses my head. "Like I said earlier, all I want is more time with you, even if all I'm doing is holding you in my arms."
That's a first. Any other guy would be pushing me to have sex. I know Aiden wants it, but he's willing to wait, and maybe we should. He just broke up with Celine and I just broke up with Tanner. It seems too soon to take that next step.
"I'd like that," I say, looking up at him.
"What?"
"You holding me in your arms." I turn to him. "As much as I want to do more, I don't know if now is the right time. Are you really okay with us waiting?"
"Of course." He turns me so I'm sitting sideways on his lap. "Sophie, I need you to understand this isn't like relationships I've had in the past. Our relationship is so much deeper than just a physical attraction. It's why I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. And why I had to drive up here and tell you how I feel. Of course I want to be intimate with you but it doesn't have to be tonight, or next weekend, or some arbitrary date in the future. Right now all that matters to me is getting more time with you. Getting to know you more. The other stuff can wait until you're ready."
"I'm ready now but I don't think it's a good idea. You just got out of a serious relationship. I don't want to rush into doing this and then regret it."
"Trust me, I wouldn't regret it," he says with smile. "But I understand where you're coming from, and I have no problem waiting."
I get up from his lap. "So what do you want to do?"
"We could watch a movie."
"There's no TV."
"We could watch one on my iPad."
"Maybe we could just go to sleep. It's been a long day."
He gets up and goes over to the chair in the corner where his leather duffle bag is sitting and pulls out a pair of navy blue pajama pants. "It's hard to believe this place doesn't have a TV or wifi and yet people still want to stay here."
"I personally love that they don't have that stuff. It's like going back to a simpler time when people weren't attached to their phones."
He starts to lift up his sweater, then stops. "You mind if I change?"
"Go ahead. You want me to give you some privacy?"
He chuckles. "You're fine. We're dating now. That means you're allowed to see me without clothes."
"Are we? Dating?"
"Well, yeah, I thought that was clear." He takes off his sweater but not the t-shirt underneath.
"I guess it is, but when we're the only ones who know that we're dating, it doesn't feel official."
He walks over to me. "We're dating. It doesn't matter if other people know." He leans down and kisses me, just a quick one but it still stirs something in me. "You want to go get something to sleep in?"
"Yeah. I'll be right back."
I go in my room and straight to the bathroom to take off my makeup. For a moment I consider leaving it on, knowing how plain I look without it. But I doubt Aiden would even notice. He doesn't care if my eyelashes are thin or my cheeks are pale. I know because I wasn't wearing makeup that day we went hiking and yet he looked at me like I was the most beautiful girl in the world.
I return to his room with the t-shirt I brought to sleep in. "Can I use your bathroom to change?"
"Yes, but you don't have to hide in the bathroom." Aiden's stretched out on the bed, his long legs extended, his muscular arms folded behind his head. He's even handsome in pajamas. I can't believe he's mine. I've dated guys who are smart or good-looking or funny, but not all three. Aiden is all that and more.
"I'm not sure I want you seeing me naked yet."
"Then go ahead. Bathroom's yours. But if you think about it, what I did to you a few minutes ago was more intimate than me seeing you naked."
I feel my face getting warm. "I guess that's true." I hold up the shirt. "This is all I brought to sleep in."
His brows rise. "And why is that a problem?"
"It's not, except that I'll be kind of exposed."
What is wrong with me? I sound like a naive teenager. I'm a grown woman. I could sleep naked if I wanted to. I think I only made that comment because I don't trust myself. Being in bed wearing only a t-shirt and panties is going to tempt me to do more with Aiden. At least he's wearing pants.
Aiden chuckles. "It doesn't quite work that way."
"What do you mean?"
"Having your legs exposed doesn't mean we're having sex. We have to actually decide to do it. I admit it's more tempting when clothes aren't in the way, but I have a good amount of self-control." He pauses. "Or is this about you?"
"Me? No." I shake my head, even though it is most definitely about me. I totally trust Aiden not to try anything. Me? Not so much.
Aiden checks his phone. "What time do you need to be there tomorrow?"
"Eight, but check-in is at seven forty-five." I turn away from Aiden and take off my shirt and bra. I slip on the oversized t-shirt, then quickly yank off my leggings. I'm wearing plain, boring, cotton underwear. If I'd known Aiden was going to show up this weekend, I would've worn something sexy with lace.
"It's a good look on you," Aiden says as I turn around. His flirty tone and sexy smile are making me want to do so much more than sleep. But I really think we should wait, at least another week.
I go over to the bed as Aiden gets up from it, pulling the covers back. "Any particular side?"
"Either one is fine. How about you?"
"Same. I don't have a side." He points to his shirt. "Are you okay if I take this off? I don't usually wear a shirt to bed."
"You can take it off."
As he does, my eyes drop down to his chest, then his abs. I want to touch them, run my hands over the ridges, feel the hardness of his muscles.
"What are you waiting for?" he asks with a hint of a smile.
I get into bed, embarrassed he caught me staring. He gets in next to me and turns off the li
ght. We're both on our backs. I'm staring up at the ceiling, trying not to think about the things I told myself we wouldn't do.
Aiden puts his arm out. "Come here."
I turn to him, resting my head on his chest. His skin is warm and smooth and has just a hint of his cologne.
His arm closes around me. "Goodnight, Sophie."
"Goodnight."
He kisses my head and I smile, loving this moment. It's almost too perfect to be real. I've fallen so hard for Aiden, and every moment I spend with him, I fall for him even more. I might even be falling in love with him.
In the morning I wake up and realize I'm in Aiden's bed. It wasn't a dream. It was real.
"Aiden?" I ask, patting the bed but not feeling him beside me.
"Over here."
I turn and see him setting something on the table by the bed. "What's that?"
"Coffee. Tom said you like it with milk. I hope I made it okay."
I sit up. "Tom knows we spent the night together?"
"No. I told him I knocked on your door to make sure you didn't oversleep. If he asks, that's the story, and that I offered to get you coffee."
I take a sip. It's just the way I like it.
"Lois has a tray of pastries set up but I wasn't sure what you like." Aiden sits next to me on the bed, already dressed in jeans and a button-up shirt. "I have a lot to learn about you."
I smile. "I like those flaky pastries with the cream cheese filling."
"They have those. You want me to get you one?"
"I can get it myself." I shove the covers back and get out of bed, clutching my coffee so it doesn't spill. I take another sip. "Why are you all dressed up?"
"I'm wearing jeans."
"With a dress shirt."
He stands up. "I'm meeting with Tom this morning and his accountant. We're going over the profit and loss statements from the past few years. I'm hoping they’ll help me convince Roger to make a move on the offer."
"I thought Tom wasn't ready to sell."
"He might be if he gets an offer. And he really doesn't have a choice. He needs to sell the place."
"Why? Does he need the money?"
"That's part of it." Aiden walks over to the window and yanks open the drapes. "Ready for your first day of community service? At least it's a nice day." He turns back to me. "What do they do if it rains? Do you still have to work?"
"I don't know." I set my coffee down and pick my jeans off the floor and put them on. "Hey, if Tom decides to sell, will your company make a lot of changes? I know you said they'd fix stuff but what else? Would they add TVs to the rooms?"
"I'm guessing they would. Why?"
"It makes me sad knowing it won't stay this way. It's a historic building. Does it really need to be modernized? Can't people go a night or two without TV or an internet connection?"
"They could, but most people don't want to, especially young couples and families. If we want to keep people coming here throughout the year, not just in tourist season, we need to give them what they want, and what they expect when staying at a hotel."
"But this isn't a hotel. It a historic inn. I bet people would stay here if there was more to do, and I don't mean watching television or playing on the computer."
"Then what do you mean?"
"Parties. Events. Concerts. As an event planner I could think of a million ideas that would be better than turning these rooms into just another basic boring hotel room." The alarm on my phone goes off. "I have to go get ready." I run up to Aiden and give him a kiss. "Thanks for a great night. And the coffee."
As I turn to leave, his arm goes around me and he pulls me back. "Not so fast. What about tonight?"
"What about it?"
"Don't go. Stay with me. Another night."
I smile. "Okay."
He kisses me. "Now you can go. You need a ride?"
"No. I'll take the rental. Bye.”
I go to my room, feeling lighter and happier than I have in years. My life is a mess right now but I don't care. I'll worry about that later. Today I just want to think about Aiden and how happy he makes me.
Even cleaning up trash doesn't bother me. Seven hours into it, I've picked up dirty diapers, slimy banana peels, used condoms, and tons of cigarette butts. It's a disgusting job but it doesn't get me down. Whenever I'm feeling a moment of self pity, I think of Aiden and it instantly brightens my mood.
As I stab a chip wrapper with the pokey stick, the tool we use to pick up trash, I notice a car slowing down beside me. I smile when I see it's Aiden.
He rolls down his window. "How's it going?"
"Great!" I say, laughing. "What are you doing here?"
"Just wanted to check on you. I got us dinner reservations for tonight at a place downtown. I thought we'd mix it up. Try something new."
"Good idea. You think Tom will be upset we're not eating at the inn?"
"He's the one who suggested the place. You're done soon, right?"
"Yeah, at five. I'll need a long shower to get all this stuff off me before we go."
"That's fine. Dinner's at seven. It's close so I thought we'd just walk there."
"Ms. Chambers!" the supervisor yells. "Back to work!"
"I have to go." I roll my eyes. "See you later."
Aiden drives off as Bess walks up to me. We're around the same age. She's a mom of two and lives here in town. She got community service for having too many unpaid parking tickets.
"Who's the hottie?"
I smile. "That's Aiden. My boyfriend."
My heart's bursting being able to call him that. It's the first time I've actually said it. I can't wait to say it again. I want to tell everyone I know, but that'll have to wait. I just hope it won't be too long.
Chapter Seventeen
Aiden
I knock on Sophie's door, excited to be getting another night with her. We'll have a nice dinner, stroll down Main Street so she can see the lights, maybe have dessert back at the inn, and then go up to my room. I'll spend the night with Sophie in my arms, feeling her soft skin against mine, listening to her soft breaths as she sleeps. Morning will come before I'm ready, and then I'll have to tell her goodbye.
I'm already dreading being apart from her. I've considered sneaking over to her apartment to see her but one of Celine's friends lives in Sophie's building. I can't risk her seeing me with Sophie and telling Celine. And Sophie can't sneak over to my place because Celine hasn't given me her key back. If she showed up unannounced, she might catch me with Sophie.
So for now, my time with Sophie will be limited to our weekends in Vermont, which is why I want to make the most of every minute.
I knock again. "Sophie, are you in there?"
She opens the door. "Sorry, I was on the phone."
She's dressed in jeans and a hoodie, her hair up in a ponytail. The restaurant we're going to is kind of fancy. I thought she might wear a dress, or at least a nice sweater. I have on dress pants with a dress shirt and sports coat.
"Oh, I can't go," she says, noticing me looking at her clothes.
"What do you mean you can't go?"
"I need to drive back to New York. I'm really sorry, but if I don't go back I risk losing any chance at this promotion."
"When were you planning on telling me this?"
"Just now. I didn't know about this until a few minutes ago. I was dressed and ready to go to dinner when she called."
"Who?"
"Celine."
"Celine called you?"
"She's completely freaking out about the client dinner. She said her father wasn't happy with the menu and now she wants to meet tomorrow morning to go over other options."
"That's ridiculous. She can just serve what we always serve. We do these client dinners all the time. It's always either steak or lobster, or sometimes it's both."
"Really? Celine made it sound like it's different every time."
"Because she wants to make you work harder. She likes people waiting on her. You're new so she
knows you'll go along with it."
"Bianca goes along with it too. She does whatever Celine tells her."
"By new, I mean the company you work for. Celine knows your boss wants more business from her so she's going to make you work for it. But not this weekend." He gets out his phone. "I'm going to call her."
"Aiden, no!" I grab his hand before he makes the call. "She'll know something's going on with us."
"How?"
"I don't know, but there's no way she's letting you change her mind. She's insisting I go back there for this meeting. She wants to present new options to her father first thing Monday morning." I sigh. "Aiden, I don't want to do this. I want to be here, with you. I was so excited for tonight. I've been looking forward to it all day. But I can't lose my job."
"I understand," I tell her, but I'm beyond disappointed. And I'm angry at Celine. She's completely unreasonable. She could've scheduled this meeting for later in the day but that would interfere with her Sunday afternoon yoga class followed by Sunday dinner with her parents. I know calling her wouldn't change anything but I'm desperate for more time with Sophie.
"Give me your bag," I say, motioning to it. She hands it to me and I set it down, then bring her in for a hug. "I get why you need to leave. I'm just sorry to see you go. I really wanted us to have another night."
"Me too," she says, sounding just as disappointed as me.
"At least we'll only be apart a few days. We'll meet here again on Friday."
She looks up at me. "I won't be here. Next weekend's the dinner. I have to stay in New York."
"That's right. I forgot about that. So two weeks? That's a long time."
"You can text me, right? And call me?"
"I can, but I'll need to be careful. I don't want my text popping up on your phone when Celine's around."
"I'll change your name in my phone. I'll give you a fake one. You could be Bart."
"Bart?" I laugh. "Why Bart?"
"It's the first name that popped in my head. I'll come up with something else. Aiden, I really need to go."
"Don't you mean Bart?"
She smiles. I'm going to miss that smile. "Bart, would you mind walking me to my car?"
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