Page 119 of Beneath the Quiet

“I just have a feeling that you’d like it.”

I crunch the bacon and swallow, then pull the bowl with eggs closer to me. Aidan rounds the island and pulls out the barstool next to mine, putting his hand on the lower part of my back as he sits down.

We eat in silence for a couple of minutes, and even though it should be awkward, having him in my cottage without us having sex, it feels effortless…intimate.

I glance up to find him staring intently at my feet, a crooked smile on his lips . I tap my toes on the lower part of the barstool.

“I like your socks.”

“Thank you. Franny knitted them and gave them to me as a thank you present.”

His eyes crinkle at the corners. “What did you do?”

“I shared some of Roísin’s baked goods with her and her knitting club weeks back.” I wave a hand. “It was nothing.”

He leans closer, his eyes flickering down to my mouth. “Look at you, putting down roots.”

I lick a crumb away and try to ignore his breath hitching. Instead, I need to bring us back from the edge that we seem to have gotten closer to, despite my best intentions to keep us away from it.

I rub my hands on my legs. “Thank you again for staying with me.”

“You’re not upset?”

“No. Why would I be?”

“Because you made a list of rules, and I just broke two of them.”

“Oh. That.” I blow out a long breath. “I think I’m okay with you breaking the rules just this once.”

“So, we’re good? No hearts involved, right?”

“Oh, no.” I shake my head, my pulse racing from the intensity in his eyes. “I mean, I’m starting to really like you, or I wouldn’t let you give me so many orgasms, but…”

“Right. And I feel the same way about you. But there’s no danger of me going beyond the I like you stage.”

I shake my head. “Pfft. Definitely not.”

His smile falters, and my cheeks turn pink. I put a hand up to try and hold the towel in place when it starts slipping, but it’s too late, and it falls to the floor, my hair falling wildly around me. I gather it in a low bun and pull a band from around my wrist to tie it with, but Aidan’s hand on my thigh stops me.

“I’ll take care of it.”

I open my mouth to ask what he means, but he’s already pushed away and jumped from the chair. He slides his fingers through the wilderness that is my hair and combs his fingers through it. I worry my lips between my teeth, my back ramrod straight, and take a deep breath in an attempt to ease the tension.

“You’re strung so tight, Mae. Relax.”

“I’ll relax if you swear that you know what you’re doing.”

“I used to braid Katie’s hair all the time,” he murmurs. “Trust me.”

I close my eyes and try to do as he says, still breathing deeply, but the moment is fast becoming too much. It’s too intimate. He’s too close.

“Tell me about Tierney,” I whisper.

His hands still in my hair, and I hold my breath, waiting. He braids my hair again, surprising me.

“What do you want to know?”

I shrug.