His phone dings several times, he becomes engrossed in it for a moment before looking up at me.
“Thanks for the lift.” I look back and smile as I climb out of the car.
“No bother,” he calls after me. I turn into the garden and make my way towards the front door. “Katie?” Aiden hops out of the car and quickly catches up to me. “Are you sure you’re alright? You don’t need me to bring you to the doctor or anything?”
I shake my head and reassure him, “I’ll be fine, just a little sore. Thank you for everything.”
Aiden nods, half turns to his car, and pauses. “Do you have anyone down here? Family? Friends?”
“My friend Becky lives in the next estate over.”
His brow furrows. “That’s it?” He turns his attention to my house, looking over everything from the roof to the windows and front door.
He doesn’t ask permission; he simply takes my phone from my hands and starts dialling a number.
I hear his phone ringing in the car as he holds mine up to his ear, and then hangs up.
“What are you doing?” I demand.
“Taking your number,” he hands my phone back to me without breaking eye contact.
I glare at him. “You could have asked.”
He shrugs. “You could have said no,” he steps closer, running his fingers up the gooseflesh on my right arm. “You’re cold.”
“I’ll be grand once I’m inside.”
He pulls off his hoodie, revealing a well-toned physique underneath. “Here, take this,” he says, handing me his hoodie. “It’ll keep you warm.”
Oh yeah, because the half-naked man in my garden is not going to have the neighbours talking.
“I don’t need it.”
“Take it.”
“No.”
“Take it.”
“You’re fucking mental,” I turn for the door.
Aiden grabs me by the hips and pulls me against him, myback to his front. “Put it on, Katie.” His warm breath tickles my ear. He holds the hoodie out for me to slide my arms into. Reluctantly, I give in; his strong arms wrap around me as he zips it up. “Good girl.”
“Can I go in now?”
Aiden chuckles lowly, releasing me from his grip and stepping back. “Make sure you lock your doors, Katie. You never know what kind of psychos are out there.”
“Like you?” I throw over my shoulder as I put the key in the lock.
I risk a glance back. AJ Quinn is standing in the middle of my front garden, half-naked and grinning like a Cheshire cat. His sculpted muscles glisten under the winter sun, highlighting the intricate details of the tattoos covering his arms and chest.
“I thought you had to be a bit shorter to be this angry.” His feet are fixed to the concrete slabs; he just smiles and stares, like a vampire waiting to be invited into the house.
He waits for me to go inside before he gets into his car and pulls off.
My phone rings almost immediately. “Hello?”
“You’re safe, right?”
