‘The real question is, what are you going to do now there’s nothing to stop you?’
I don’t know where the words come from, but I feel them in my core. Almost as if they were always there. Aiden wastes no time analysing, closing the final gap and locking his lips perfectly on mine.
Kissing Benji was a process. It took effort and brain power, and made me have to think and try, but kissing Aiden’s not like that. Not even close. Kissing Aiden feels like diving. Kissing Aiden feels like home.
We engage in a perfect conversation without words. He moves as I move, his mouth working with grace and passion as it comes together with mine. It requires no thinking, no instruction or verbal communication.
I grip the back of his head, desperate to feel more of him– we’re as close as we can physically be, but it’s still not enough. I need every part of him pressed up against me, and I know he needs it too with the way his hands are sliding over me. I moan softly into his mouth, giving him all the consent he needs to cup me, first gently and then with far more intention. The butterflies soar in my stomach, their wings flapping triumphantly.
Aiden tries to pull me closer– I try to get there too, but the car’s stupid gearstick is in the way. I emit a huff of frustration as I knock it with my knee, which prompts him to chuckle lightly into my mouth. He pulls away, much to my dismay, but my anger dissipates instantly at the sight of his face.
‘We are going to be late to Evie’s,’ he says, punctuating each word with a light kiss.
He’s smiling softly at me, looking past my eyes and straight into the depths of my soul. He thinks he’s lucky. Thathe’sthe lucky one becausehegot to kissme.
I sigh, reluctantly crossing my arms. He’s staring straight ahead now, preparing to leave the car and switch places, but he can’t stop grinning. Neither can I. It’s infectious. It’s all I want to do.
‘Since when have you cared about punctuality?’ I tease him, still breathless from the kiss.
He shakes his head fondly. ‘What can I say? You’re rubbing off on me in more ways than one.’
He lifts my chin with his hand and leans in once again, our lips continuing where they left off. I feel fire course through my body, settling at my core and begging for more.
‘Seriously, we do have to go,’ he says, thumb tracing my lips as I pout back at him in disappointment. ‘Don’t make me move you out of my seat.’
‘Do it.’ I reach out to run a fingertip over his biceps. ‘I’m sure you could lift me, easy.’
I can’t lie, I’ve thought about it. I’ve thought about it more times than I care to admit. I blame Devi and her constant commentary on the size of his arm muscles.
He struggles for a second, the brazenness of my actions almost tempting him past the point of no return. But instead, he resists, which makes me just as proud as it does frustrated. Iguess one of us has to be the sensible adult, even if it leaves us both high and dry.
We switch places again and get back on the road towards Evie’s, just as we were less than an hour ago. Except this time, his left hand is planted on my knee, creeping further up with every road sign that we pass.
Nudge 28
The Overnight
‘After you.’
Aiden grins with pride as he holds open my door, beckoning me out of the car. My heart is still racing, more so when I look him in the eyes, but I try to stay cool. It’s too early to show my cards.
‘Cute,’ I say plainly. ‘Probably would have been cuter if you hadn’t made me wait here while you ran around to let me out.’
He tuts. ‘Whatever happened to “thank you”?’
‘Whatever happened to efficiency? We could have both been inside by now.’
I square up to him, standing as tall as I can to at least meet him eye to eye. The fire behind his pupils burns bright, flashing and sizzling before coming down to a deeper, more intense simmer.
‘Are you trying to rush me inside?’ he asks, pulling me close until we’re pressed chest to chest.
I breathe in his scent. Rich and powerful. One more sniff and I’ll melt.
‘We don’t have to. . .’ I say, bluffing, my breath heightening.
‘Oh, but we do.’ He traces the curve of my lips with his eyes. ‘It’s a crime that we’re not already upstairs.’
His head dips down to meet mine, hand cupping my chin as he teasingly hovers millimetres from my face. I close my eyes, waiting for the inevitable brush of our lips. But it doesn’t come. Instead, he breaks us apart, snatching our bags from theback seat and leading as I chase him to the house. There’s an undeniable spring in his step as he resists all urges to break out into a run. He stops at the front door, looking me up and down with an unbridled lust and a glimmer of concern.
