Chapter 13
Lucy kissed Aiden harder and deeper. She was starving and he was her banquet. His hands were still around her waist. He gripped her tighter, pressing her to him, and she melted into him. His hands skimmed her back, sending a shiver of anticipation up her spine.
His touch traveled to her shoulders and down her arms, lacing his fingers with hers. Aiden kissed her mouth, her cheek, her ear, her throat. She was on his lap, and beneath her, he was hard. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Another flash of lightning was followed by a rumble of thunder.
But even as Aiden’s kisses blazed a trail down her neck, to her throat and the top of her chest, she asked herself if she wanted him as a lover.
She wasn’t a virgin. There had been a boy during her sophomore year in high school.
He was a junior and would come to the ranch and help her father, grandfather, and Derek with the chores.
After, he would walk around the property with Lucy.
They’d kissed and rubbed against one another, the denim of their jeans chafing. Finally, they’d had sex.
Then, he never came by again.
Derek had teased her that the guy didn’t want to hang around because she was a prude.
Lucy knew that wasn’t the problem. But she told nobody.
The year after Derek’s death, she had dated one of his friends.
They were both heartbroken and found solace in each other.
But there was nothing keeping them together beyond their shared grief.
He went to college—the University of Wyoming, if she recalled.
She had no idea where he was or what he was doing.
But now, she was with Aiden. As his lips blazed a trail across her skin, Lucy wondered if she had somehow lived in suspended animation since her brother’s death. She didn’t have the same experiences as people her age, and honestly, she didn’t know what came next.
Pressing her hands against his chest, she pushed Aiden back. “I’m not sure how far I want to take this,” she said. “I like you. I’ve had a fun evening. You are a great kisser.” He was actually an amazing kisser. “But…”
“But kissing is all you want to do,” he said, trying to finish her thought for her.
That wasn’t it, either. A flash of lightning struck outside, filling the room with bright light. Aiden looked at her. In his gaze, Lucy felt beautiful. Desirable. And seen. “I just want to take it slow.”
“You can set the pace,” he said. “We can stop now, if you want.”
“That’s not what I want at all.”
Thunder rumbled, rattling the windows and stopping whatever else she might have said. She shifted on Aiden’s lap. Beneath her, he was harder than before.
“I think it’s getting worse,” he said.
How had he known what she was thinking? “Umm.”
“The storm,” he said, “is definitely getting worse.”
“Then, we’ll just have to find something else to keep us busy.” She placed her lips on the side of his mouth.
“Only if you’re sure,” he said.
“Positive. It’s just I’m not sure where the line is or will be.”
“You have the right to your body,” said Aiden. “But I appreciate you being honest from the start.”
He kissed her again, tentatively this time. It was as if he were dipping a toe into a pool to check the temperature. She kissed him back, slipping her tongue into his mouth, urging him to jump in all at once.
A growl came from deep in his chest. His lips moved from her mouth to her throat to her chest. He stroked her breast through the silk of her shirt and the fabric of her bra. Her nipple hardened under his touch.
“Oh, Aiden,” she said.
“I want to touch you,” he said.
“Yes.” She was breathless with want. “Yes.”
He unfastened the first button. He placed a kiss on her exposed skin. The next button. Another kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer. He opened another button and reached into her shirt.
He traced her areola. Then, he twisted her nipple between his finger and thumb. She sucked in a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “We don’t have to do anything else.”
Holding his face in her hands, she kissed him hard. “Don’t you dare stop.”
Aiden unfastened all the buttons, and he peeled open the front of her blouse. The cool air kissed her skin and gooseflesh rose on her belly. Lucy knew what she wanted. It was to take Aiden as her lover. But should she? They weren’t in a relationship. This was only a first date.
Outside, the rain beat at the window like an army storming a castle.
This moment was so far removed from her life at the Five Steers Ranch that she felt like a different person. With Aiden, Lucy was confident. Funny. In his eyes, she was beautiful.
Tonight was meant for living.
Tomorrow she could worry about everything else.
“Jesus,” he whispered, tracing the swell of her breasts. “You’re so beautiful. Like a work of art.”
“Kiss me,” she said.
“Where?” he asked, his word washing over her stomach.
Her mouth went dry. She wanted to be touched by Aiden. Tasted by him. She needed his kisses to make her forget everything that was wrong in her life and only celebrate what was right. Could she really ask for what she wanted? “Everywhere,” she said.
Still holding her in his arms, he stood. She was cradled against his chest as he walked to the sofa. The flickering candlelight washed over Aiden. She’d been wrong to think of him as a superhero. Without question, he was a god.
He set her on the cushions, and Lucy lay back.
The sides of her shirt pooled around her body.
Aiden situated himself between her thighs and hovered above her.
He kissed her on the mouth again, softly.
Then, his kisses trailed down her throat.
To her chest. To the cleft between her breasts.
He pulled back one cup of her bra and licked her areola.
Then, he did the same to her other breast. He ran his teeth over her nipple.
Desire rushed through her veins, making every part of her body alive with want.
She grabbed the back of his head, pulling him closer.
He slid down her body, planting kisses as he went. Aiden unzipped Lucy’s pants. She lifted her hips, so he could tug them down. He pulled off her panties as well.
Aiden tossed her clothes aside. “You said you wanted me to kiss you everywhere.” He lifted one foot and kissed her instep. “How’s that?”
She curled her toes. “It tickles.”
“Let’s try this,” he said, placing his lips on her ankle. “Or this?” He kissed her calf.
She relaxed, sinking farther into the sofa. “It’s nice. I’ve never been kissed there before.”
“Never?”
“Not ever.”
“How about here?” he said, placing his mouth above her knee.
“Not there, either,” she said. “And that tickles, too.”
“What about here?” He kissed her inner thigh.
She was wet with want and her skin tingled with anticipation. “Not there, either.”
“Can I…” The whisper of his breath skimmed over her sex. “Kiss you everywhere.”
“Yes,” she said, her voice husky.
He licked her inner thigh, and then, he traced a line to her sex with his tongue. He opened her and sucked at the top of her sex. A wave of pleasure crashed down on Lucy, pushing her so far into the depths that she forgot how to breathe.
“Oh, Aiden,” she cried, grabbing the fabric of his shirt.
“Do you like that?” he asked, letting his finger trail over her inner thigh.
Like it? That was the understatement of the year. “Yes,” she said. “Oh, yes.”
He kissed her sex again as he slipped a finger inside of her. Her muscles tightened around him. He slid another finger inside. It was a pleasure that bordered on pain. Aiden kissed her sex as he moved inside of her.
Pressure built in her middle. Outside, thunder rumbled. Winding her fingers through Aiden’s hair, she cried out with her orgasm.
He kissed her thigh again. “How was that for being kissed everywhere?”
“That was magnificent,” she said. “You are magnificent.”
“You’re pretty amazing, too,” he said. He shifted, so he was above her again. “What else do you want me to do?”
Lucy knew without hesitation what she wanted to do with Aiden. “Everything.”
He blew out the candle on the end table, as if making a wish. The sweet scent of sugar and vanilla mingled with the smoke. After rocking back to the floor, Aiden stood. Holding out his palm, he said, “Come with me. I have condoms in my bedroom.”
Lucy placed her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet.
Aiden snuffed out the other candle and pulled her behind him. Clad only in her silk shirt and bra, she followed him through the dark apartment. His bedroom was at the rear of the unit. The curtains were drawn, making it dark as a cave.
“Take two steps forward,” he said, his voice coming out of the darkness. “You’ll find the bed.”
Still holding his hand, she shuffled her feet forward. Once. Twice. Her shins connected with a box spring and mattress. She let go of him and leaned forward, pressing her hands onto the bedspread. Bent at the waist, her sex was exposed.
As if he could sense her pose, Aiden sucked in a shaking breath.
He stood beside her. She could feel the heat from his body and hear his breath. There was a rustling of fabric, the zip of metal teeth unlatching. The soft plunk of his clothes being dropped to the floor.
Now he was naked. Lucy peeled off her silk shirt and unfastened the hooks on her bra. She let them both fall.
“Where’d you go?”
“I’m right here.” His voice was next to her shoulder. There was a scraping sound as a drawer opened. The rustling of papers being shifted. Then, the sound of the drawer closing. “I had to get a condom.”
Lucy had been put on birth control years ago to control her heavy periods. But she knew there was more to worry about with unprotected sex than getting pregnant. “Thanks for taking care of both of us,” she said.
“Is that a yes?” he said, gripping her hips. “Do you want me inside of you?”
Lucy wanted him so badly that she could taste the desire. “Yes,” she said. “I want you.”
“Put your knees on the bed,” he said. “Open your thighs.”