“I’m not sure I can even walk, I’m so full,” she groaned. “You’re going to have to roll me back to the truck.”
“Fine, as long as I’m driving,” he replied.
“I can drive us back,” she protested, but he held up the keys and raised his eyebrows at her.
“You’re going to have to fight me for them.”
He settled the bill, insisting on paying for it himself, and then they headed to her truck outside. She hadn’t actually expected him to make her fight for her keys, but when she went to take them out of his hands, he held them high up over his head.
“I told you, I’m not letting you drive,” he reminded her.
Her mouth fell open in surprise. “Aaron, it’s my truck!” she protested, but she couldn’t help but giggle. There was somethingabout him when he was goofing around like this that just made her happy. He was normally so serious, or he had been back when he’d been at the station, apart from pranking the rookies. Knowing she got to see this side of him, this side he didn’t seem to let many other people see, sparked something inside of her.
She stood on her tiptoes to grab the keys, but he was so much taller than her he could easily hold them over her head. She swiped for them, but she couldn’t quite reach.
“You’re going to have to do better than that,” he teased her.
“Hey, no fair!” she argued, still giggling. He was acting so ridiculous, it was hard not to. And there was a spark in his eyes that reminded her of the old days—the days she had thought they had long since lost—but here he was, standing in front of her, looking at her like nothing at all had changed.
“I’m injured, this is practically bullying!” she continued, reaching up again.
He jingled the keys just out of her reach. “I’m sure you can handle it,” he replied. “Besides, you shouldn’t be driving on your injured leg, you know that.”
“I can manage it,” she told him, and he switched the keys from one hand to another, making it even harder for her. She hobbled around him, but it was too late. He was moving too quick for her, and it was clear from the look on his face that he was enjoying her struggle.
Or maybe just enjoying how close the two of them were to each other right now. Finally, he had lowered them just enough that with one more stretch she managed to lock her hands around the keys, and snatched them out of his grip.
“Got them!” she exclaimed, but as she lowered back down on to the balls of her feet, she was suddenly distinctly aware of how close the two of them were standing. Practically nose to nose, his eyes pinned to hers, the smile on his face shifting to something else as he looked at her. The warm light from the restaurantspilled out onto the sidewalk they stood on, the leaves blowing in the light breeze the only sound nearby.
She remembered, all at once, what he had said to her the other day, about how he had wanted her—and only her. Her old feelings, the ones she had tried to push down all this time, were starting to rise up again. She couldn’t deny them any longer. He could feel the shift, too; she could tell by the look on his face as he stepped even closer. The chemistry was practically burning in the air between them, impossible to ignore.
He dropped his hand down to her face, and grazed his fingers along her chin, tilting her eyes up to meet his. Her heart hammered inside her chest as she looked up at him. How many times had she imagined exactly this? How many times had she longed for him to look at her the way he looked at her now? She couldn’t count. But it was real, it was happening.
His eyes softened as he gazed at her, like it was the first time he had ever seen her. “You look so beautiful right now,” he murmured.
Her breath hitched in her throat.
“I’m so sorry for everything, Bailey,” he told her. “I never thought I was going to see you again, but I… I never stopped thinking about you. Not once. And I’m so glad you found your way back to me.”
“Shut up,” she said, a smile turning up her lips. “And just kiss me already.”
And without any hesitation, he finally did.
Chapter Twelve
Aaron stared at the ceiling, listening to Bailey’s breath settle back to normal again. A sheen of sweat on his brow spoke to the exertion they’d both just thrown themselves into. Even now, he could hardly believe it had happened.
From the moment their lips had touched back at the restaurant, he had known how he wanted this to end. He wanted to take her to bed, just like he had craved all those years ago. The desire and need were so strong he could hardly breathe, only this time, she wasn’t his rookie. There was no reason to deny himself any longer.
They had driven back up to his cabin, his hand on her leg, the anticipation crackling in the air between them. How long had it been since they’d first met? And how hard had he worked to keep his feelings to himself? To finally do something about it felt electric, especially when he had never expected to see her again after what had happened between them.
They had stumbled through the door of his cabin and fallen into bed together, bringing to reality all the fantasies he’d had about her over the years. It had been so needy, so desperate, so full of all the built-up passion that they’d never been able to do anything about. It felt so damn right he couldn’t believe it had taken them this long to finally make it happen.
He looked over at her, grinning, and she flashed him a smile. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks flushed, but she had never looked more beautiful to him.
“Good?” he asked her, reaching over to brush her hair away from her face.
“Oh my gosh, yes,” she breathed, and she leaned over to plant a kiss on his lips. He couldn’t get over how good they felt together, as though they had been made for each other. He knew he could never have done this when she was working as his rookie—it would have put both of their careers at risk. Besides, all that mattered was that they had this now. She was finally his, the woman he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about, even after all these years.
