I slipped quietly out of bed and went for a run. I didn’t care who spotted me. Let the town talk; I knew what I was doing. That was all that mattered.
Running in the morning was to me the equivalence of drinking coffee. The fresh air and working my muscles cleared my thoughts.
With every step, I worked through the anger and fear I’d felt. I hadn’t reacted well in the face of Evan’s hostility. Never again. If he came at me, he would need either heaven or hell to save him if he tried to hurt me again. I smiled at my resolve, feeling better. I circled back and found I enjoyed the view of the mountains in the morning. Dad and I had hiked there many times over the years.
My steps faltered when I was almost back to Aiden’s house. What would Dad think of me? How would he feel about my budding relationship with Aiden?
I didn’t have to think too hard about the answer. The words in his letter replayed in my mind. He trusted me to make the right decision.
When I walked in, Aiden was downstairs in the kitchen. “Morning stranger.” He winked. “Coffee?”
Damn him for being so darn sexy. “Soon. I’ll have water first,” I said, and ran a hand over his hair before kissing his cheek.
He grinned and moved to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water, handing it to me. He then opened a cabinet and grabbed two mugs. I found myself memorizing where to find things.
“Any plans today?” he asked, having caught me watching him.
“Funny enough, yeah.” A notification had popped up on my phone. “I scheduled a haircut over a month ago.” I laughed at the startled look on his face. “It’s just a trim.”
“It’s your hair. No matter what, I’ll still find you the most beautiful woman in the world.”
I pursed my lips in good humor. “I bet you say that to all the girls,” I teased.
“You’d be wrong. I’ve only ever said that to you.”
The water not only cooled my throat, but it also helped keep the fire that raged inside me. “What are we doing here?” I asked. My heart was getting tangled up in him, and I needed to know where his head was.
He stopped and turned to face me. He leaned back on the counter as I found the wall at my back. Several feet separated us, but there was an electricity that crackled between us.
“That’s all up to you,” he said.
“I feel like I’ve liked you my whole life,” I admitted.
“Same here.”
“I’m afraid.” When he said nothing and didn’t look like he’d breathed, I added, “I’m afraid if things don’t work out between us, I’ll lose an important friend.”
“I’ll be honest and say I don’t want to be your friend, Emma. I’ve waited most of my life not to be your friend.”
“So what do we do?” I whispered.
“Take things slow, very slow.”
I nodded, but I kept the honesty going. “I don’t think I can keep sleeping in your bed and not want you inside me.”
His eyes either darkened or dilated. Whatever it was, the intensity of it pinned me. The flutter of butterfly wings vibrated in my belly.
“You can’t say things like that and expect me to keep things slow,” Aiden said.
“I don’t want to ruin things.” Evan’s words about my lacking in bed, as much as I’d pretended to discard them, had stung. If I went there with Aiden, would he find me lacking too? It was part of the reason why after Aiden had gotten me off at the cove, I’d run afterwards.
“Me either.” He pushed off and stalked over to me. His calloused hand cupped my cheek before he bent down and placed a tentative kiss on my mouth.
He pulled back and I bit my lip before saying, “I should go. I have an early appointment.”
“Wait.” He checked the time and held up a finger. He took out his phone, pressed a few buttons and put it to his ear. “Has our guest left?” he asked the person on the other line. I couldn’t hear the response, but he nodded. “Okay, thanks Bess.” When he got off, he said, “Evan’s not out yet. I’d like to follow you to your appointment before heading to the station. But I need to grab a shower first if you have time.”
“I was actually going to go home first to do the same.”
He kissed me again. “I like you in my bed.”
“I like waking in your bed.”
“You really need a change of clothes and other things here, so you don’t have to go home in the morning.” His gaze burned into me.
“I thought you said slow.” My checks were a raging inferno as I felt his arousal against me.
“This is slow. Otherwise, I’d pick you up, put you on the counter and screw all the rules I’ve given myself when it comes to you.”