Make You Stay

Rolling my shoulders, I pad into the kitchen, pulling out a glass of wine. Sue me, but I’m not entirely done for the evening. Then I flip on the radio and settle into one of the armchairs Aidan bought me for Christmas. They are truly amazing pieces of furniture, fitting perfectly into the reading nook that’s ninety percent finished.

“Can I join you?”

I glance over my shoulder. There, with a freshly shaven face, is Aidan, wine bottle in hand. “Sure.”

He pours himself a glass before walking into the nook, his eyes dancing over the shelves he constructed. “It’s coming together.”

“You do amazing work. It’s hard to believe you’re self-taught.

You’re a true artisan.”

“A person can do anything they put their mind to, but you already know that. Hop up.”

“Why?”

“Just hop up.”

With a grunt, I stand, an exasperated scoff flying from my mouth when he sinks into my recently vacated chair. “Are you serious?”

Sending me that sexy emerald stare I know and love, Aidan takes my wine glass and sets it on the table before pulling me onto his lap. I should fight him on this, but I’ve had a few cocktails, and my defenses are down.

Besides, inside his embrace is my favorite place in the world. Even if I’m still really, really angry with the man.

His hands glide along my thigh, inching me closer to his chest. “Enid said you two had a good time.”

“We did. She had two rules. Couldn’t use the ‘c’ word and had to be served by the hottest guy in the place.”

“How’d that work out for you?”

With a sexy smirk, I pull a piece of paper from my pocket. “I got his number.”

Aidan’s eyes widen. “What the hell do you mean?”

“Our server gave me his number.”

“What are you going to do with it?”

I shrug because, honestly, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Call him, maybe? Crazy idea, I know.”

“Give me that.” Aidan rips the piece of paper into tiny bits before tossing them into the fire. “You’re not calling him.”

I stare at the flames as they destroy any evidence of the server’s digits. “Did you seriously just rip up the hot guy’s number?”

“You’re not going to be with him, even if it sounds like a good idea. It isn’t. It’s actually a terrible idea. The worst.”

My glare swings to his handsome face. He is not taking this stance. “Really? What’s a good idea, then? Being alone?”

“Being with me, being with my girls.”

Gripping the chair arm, I squirm in his arms. I need to escape—now. “You’re the one who pushed me away, remember? No, I can’t discuss this. We can’t discuss—”

Aidan’s lips capture mine, ending any argument as he sweeps me into a blistering kiss. He holds nothing back as his mouth claims mine, our tongues slicking together, growing more brazen by the second.

A low groan rises from Aidan’s chest as his fingers knit in my hair. I’ve known, since our first kiss, how talented Aidan is with his mouth, but I’ve never felt him so desperate before.

Such intensive longing in every breath.

It’s too much for my heart to handle, and my body has already surrendered.

When I try to pull back, he tightens his grip on my hair, deepening the kiss until all I feel is him and his hunger surrounding me.

Aidan stands with me still in his arms, his lips fused to mine.

He finally grants me some breathing room as he walks us through the house. “Where are we going?”

“Upstairs.”

That single word reverberates through my lust-filled haze. Planting my hands on his chest, I shake my head. Trust me, I want to have sex with Aidan. I’ve got a pleasant buzz going, and this man plays my body like the finest instrument. His mouth and hands should be gilded—they’re that good—and don’t even get me started on his cock.

But that’s not the point.

He broke my heart, and a quick romp is not the way to fix this problem.

“Besides the messy emotional state of our lives, we can’t have sex.”

“Why?”

Let’s try logic. Maybe that will work. “I don’t have any condoms here. Do you have some?”

Aidan shakes his head, but he hasn’t stopped moving toward the stairs.

“Where are we going?” I repeat.

“I told you. Upstairs.”

“And I told you we don’t have—”

“We don’t need one.” His green eyes spark as they hold my gaze, the desire raging in their depths.

“Did you get a vasectomy while I was gone?” Considering his current behavior and desire to throw caution to the wind, it’s a distinct possibility.

“Of course not.”

My eyes widen as I struggle to appear unaffected by his demands. “It’s not a safe time of the month.”

More logic, which apparently, Aidan has no qualms with throwing out the window.

A slow smile breaks across his magical mouth as he dusts kisses along my jaw. “Do you have any more obstacles you’d like to throw out there, or can I take you to the bedroom now and make love to you all night?”

Words I would have given anything to hear a few weeks earlier are now a mocking reminder of how we ended things before I left for New York.

“What are you doing, Aidan?” The false bravado has long since fled, leaving only uncertainty in its wake.

“Showing you that what you want, I want it, too.”