Excitement ripples through me. Color rises on my cheeks, not from embarrassment, but from sureness. From selfishness, finally doing something for myself.
I’m going to get to touch Aiden, and he’s going to touch me, too. He’ll probably be methodical and take his time, torturing me and shredding my self-control to pieces. I’m invigorated, spilled oil waiting to go up in flames, and Aiden is the one holding the match. I’m ready to welcome the heat.
“Hey,” Aiden says. His voice is soft, and he’s turned his back on the rest of the crew, shielding me from their eyes. It’s just us, a private conversation. I’m protected and safe. His hand taps my elbow, fingers resting on the crook of my arm. “Are you sure? We can tap out.”
“Doyouwant to tap out?” I ask.
Something dark flashes across Aiden’s face. “I definitely do not want to tap out, Maggie, but I want to make sure you’re okay with this.”
We’re delaying the inevitable. Either we touch each other here, in front of the cameras, or we touch each other when we walk outside. It’s going to happen, an undeniable chemistry growing and building to a symphonic crescendo. I can feel it. He can feel it. Everyone watching us can feel it. It’s been too long, and I know with absolute certainty it’s Aiden Wood I want. I want him to run his hands up my stomach. I want his fingers to tug on my hair. I want him to make me feel like I’m the only one in the world, if only for a little while.
“I’m positive.” My hand rests on his chest. Under my palm, I can feel his heart racing, the beat faster than a metronome. “I want this,” I say with finality.
He cups my cheek, exercising care and consideration in the tilting of my chin, the thumb running down my jaw. “I want this, too.” His protective timbre shifts to husky seduction. “Want me to go first? There’s nothing good hiding under here, anyway.”
I laugh, a tiny exhale of air. “Be my guest.”
Aiden takes a step back, and my hand falls waywardly to my side as I force my gaze away. He pulls the sweater over his head. I hear the cable-knit land on the floor with a softplop. “You can, uh, watch. We’re going to be on a mattress together in a few minutes, so you might as well.”
I let myself look. I drift from his face to his neck and chest. The skin previously covered by clothing is pale; a lighter complexion than the bottom half of his arms that see more sunlight. Freckles dot his shoulders and his chest, giving way to a trail of hair covering his stomach. He’s made of soft skin, lines not hard and defined but smoother around the edges. I notice a lack of abdominal muscles, a little bit of weight around his middle where a cut V on other men would reside. It’s nothing substantial or unhealthy, just less toned and more…human. When my attention catches on the scar extending from his hip bone to halfway up his torso, Aiden taps it with his fingers.
“Appendix removal when I was seven. Surgery went wrong, and I ended up with a nasty infection. It’s one reason I wanted to go into the medical field,” he explains. “In hopes that no one else would have a reminder of a poorly done job.”
“Isn’t it funny how such an infinitesimal moment can change the trajectory of your life?”
“Yeah.” Aiden’s eyes flick to mine. “Remarkable, really.”
“Any tattoos?” I ask, further investigating his body.
“One. You can’t see it unless I’m…” He trails off, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Naked.
The disyllabic word taunts me, a mocking of how it knows, but I don’t. My hands want to grab the rest of his clothes and yank them off so I can find out. A hunt I’m ready to embark on, a treasure chest waiting for me at the end.
“Cool,” I say, voice coiled tight.
Aiden kicks off his boots and pulls down his black socks. His fingers fumble with the button of his jeans. “Might as well keep going.”
All I can offer is a pathetic nod. He unfastens the silver clasp, bringing the denim over his thighs and down his calves. The pants pool at his feet and he steps out, nudging them to the side. He’s left in gray briefs that cling to his quads. There’s definition to his legs, meticulously carved out from hours of standing on his feet. From climbing stairs at the hospital, I imagine, and kneeling to speak to young patients, dropping to their level so as not to appear intimidating.
The pretenses of privacy have vanished as I unabashedly stare and soak in the sight of him. They leave little to the imagination, clinging to his body like a second skin. His full length is outlined through the cotton and spandex materials, every vein and ridge of his shaft on display.
“Right.” Heat pools in my stomach. “For what it’s worth, you’re wrong.”
“Wrong about what, exactly?”
“There’s plenty of good under there. Great, I’d even say.”
His focus drops to the space between my jeans and my top where a tiny tease of skin shows. The heated gaze is an invitation to join him. I take off my shoes first. My hand shakes as I duel with the buttons on my shirt. It’s impossible to separate the plastic from the satin.
“Do you need some help?” Aiden’s voice is rough, a coarse piece of wood yet to be sanded. I nod and he steps nearer. The tips of his toes nudge against mine, announcing his arrival. His scent engulfs me, and I cocoon myself in the smell of cedar and pine. “Going to touch you now.”
I nod again, words escaping me. I’m powerless as I note the pause of his touch as he patiently awaits my approval. When I grant it—Aiden is going to touch me—he smiles.
His deft fingers make quick work of the task. A button snags on a loose thread, and he brushes against the skin hidden beneath my clothes. I inhale sharply, the heat of his body mingling with mine, skin on skin contact. My top opens, baring my upper half to him. His large palms push the shirt down my shoulders until it falls, hitting the floor. I use his arm for balance as I step out of my jeans, shucking them out of sight.
The air is cooler without a layer of clothing to protect me from the draft in the room. I shiver, left standing in a tasteful forest green lingerie set. I’m covered, but the illusion is there. My breasts almost spill out. My nipples are barely concealed. If I stretched my arms behind me, the material would slip, revealing all of myself to him.
