Shane
Chapter three
It won’t fit!
~ Three Days Later / December ~
I haven’t gone to see Aubrey in three days, wanting to give her some space to think about everything that’s happening between us.
I’ve wanted nothing more than to kiss her again since, but once the high died down, I started doubting myself.
I wondered if maybe I had pushed her too quickly, if maybe she thought I only kissed her because she told me she had never been, and I don’t want her to think I was only doing her a favor.
Kissing Aubrey has been my greatest desire from the very first moment I met her, but now I don’t know what to do.
I’m afraid that if I do kiss her again, she’ll think I only want her for that, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I want her heart and soul before I even think of wanting her body.
But tomorrow we’re leaving for four days. Which means four extra days without seeing her, and I don’t know if I can wait that long. I guess that’s why at eleven-thirty at night, I leave my house and rush off to the bakery, hoping to catch her as she finishes.
At five to midnight, I park right in front of the bakery and get out of my car. The lights are off in the front portion of the store, but her office at the back is lit, which means she’s still here. I lean against the side of my car, ankles crossed and hands in my coat pockets.
There’s a small flurry falling from the sky, dusting the pavement with little white dots.
We don’t normally get snow so early, but this is already our second snowfall since last week.
The sound of the door being pushed open regains my focus on the shop, and I see Octavia walking out first, followed by Aubrey.
“Oh look, boss. Your boyfriend’s here.” Octavia grins when she spots me, and I can’t help but smile along with her at the term she used.
Aubrey’s cheeks take on a shade of pink as her eyes widen. “He’s not… It’s not…” She shakes her head and sighs. “Goodnight, Tavie.” She then takes a step toward me but slips and crashes right into my body as I push off my car and catch her just in time.
“Woah, there.” I straighten her, keeping one arm around her body as I brush her hair away from her face. “You okay, Angel?”
She looks up with her big, beautiful, breathtaking eyes and says, “Yes,” in a breathy voice.
“Oh God, this is like straight out of a romance movie. I’m so jealous,” Octavia mumbles beside us.
I chuckle when Aubrey groans and hides her face against my chest. “Do you live far from here, Octavia? I would offer you a lift, but there’s not much room in my car.”
“As much as I’d love a ride in that beautiful beast, my car’s right there. But thank you.” She points to a rundown red Corolla. “Goodnight, guys. Have fun.” She winks, then giggles when she hears Aubrey groan again from her spot against my chest.
Without even realizing it, I’ve been stroking the back of her hair. God, I wish I could have her in my arms like this all the time. It feels like she fits perfectly there, like this spot was made only for her.
“Goodnight.” I smile at her friend as she heads over to her car.
A few seconds later, Aubrey peeks to the side. “Is she gone?”
“Yes, she just started her car.”
She lets out a sigh of relief and unsticks herself from me as I fight every nerve in my body not to pull her back.
“Good, I love the girl, but I couldn’t take any more embarrassment.
I feel like my face was literally about to catch on fire.
” She rubs at her cheeks that are still a slight shade of pink. “I hate how I can’t control it.”
“I like your blush,” I tell her.
She looks up at me with hopeful eyes. “You do?”
I nod and smile. “Very much so. I find it makes you look even more innocent.” Clearly not the right choice of words because she frowns instantly.
“I wish I didn’t look so innocent,” she whispers, looking away.
I take her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with looking innocent, Aubrey. What I meant is that it gives you this angelic appearance.”
“Is that why you call me angel?” She searches my eyes.
“Part of it, yes. I just think you look like one. Or at least what I imagine an angel would look like. With your pale blonde hair and the way you walk around with such grace. You also have the softest voice I’ve ever heard.”
Aubrey’s voice is like a constant hard-on.
It’s so smooth and delicate, yet extremely sensual.
Every word that leaves her perfect lips puts you in a trance, and you can’t help but hold on to everything she says.
I can only imagine what she’d sound like when she’d moan my name or cry out. No, Jefferson. No going there. Not now.
She blushes harder. “I don’t even know how to respond to that.”
I chuckle. “You don’t need to. Just know that I find every aspect of you beautiful, Aubrey.” I reach out, taking a strand of her hair between my fingers and marveling at its softness.
“Thank you, Shane,” she whispers back, then goes quiet for a few seconds as we stand here, in the middle of the sidewalk.
I can tell her mind is working out things, questions forming in her head, and I give her time to verbalize them. “Why is it that we’re able to have normal conversations now? I don’t think we’ve ever talked this much before. At least not without either rambling or stuttering.”
I laugh because she’s right. Over the years, we were a mess every time we spoke to each other. “I think it was all the nerves and pressure from everyone around us. Also, a lot of those conversations were practically forced on us, so that didn’t make it easier.”
I release the hair I was still playing with and cup her cheek. “But now, it’s just us. No pressure, no one watching. Just you and me, being real with each other.”
She nods slowly, her face leaning into my touch. “I think that helps, not having everyone’s eyes on us.”
“It definitely does.” I grin down at her.
Her slender hand reaches up to my face, one finger tracing over my dimple as her eyes follow the moment. “I like these.”
It makes my smile spread wider, making them even more visible. “Yeah?”
She bites her bottom lip, her finger slipping lower over my jaw until her hand settles at my neck. “Mhmm.”
The hair at the back of my neck stands at attention, as well as a certain body part that shouldn’t be. Aubrey’s never touched me like this, and the things she’s doing to my body are making it hard to breathe.
Swallowing, I drop my hand from her cheek and take a step back. “Let’s get you home, Angel. It’s cold out here.”
I need to get us out of here before I do something crazy, like push her up against the door and press myself into her as I claim her mouth once more, before I think about inviting her back to my home and never letting her leave.
Her hand falls to her side, and a tiny frown appears between her eyebrows. “Oh, okay. Yeah.”
I hate that I placed that look on her face, but a man only has so much control. Certainly, after years without any action, where his every waking moment was taken up by daydreaming about the woman who now stands before him. I turn to my car and pull open the passenger door.
“Oh, we’re taking your car?” She looks inside with surprise.
“Yes. I agreed to walk last time, but not anymore. It’s only getting colder, and your boots are far from good enough condition to walk on icy pavement.” I eye them with disappointment. Not toward her for not having a better pair, but at the boots in question for not doing a better job.
She smiles as she takes my offered hand to help her into the car, then I shut the door when I see her reaching for the seatbelt and walk around the hood to the driver’s side.
When I climb into my seat, I hear her soft giggle fluttering through the cab.
I look over and find her fingers pressed to her lips and a beautiful blush at the top of her cheekbones.
“I’m sorry, I just always wondered how you even fit in this car.” She drops her hand and sucks in her lips, trying not to laugh.
“Yeah, it’s a pretty tight fit.” I laugh as my head basically touches the roof. “But I love her. I have other cars that I use when I know I’ll be driving for a long period of time. Anyway, I was planning on putting her in storage tomorrow morning; she’s not really made for winter.”
“How many cars do you have?”
“Five.”
Her mouth drops open as I pull away from the curb and head over to her condo. “Five? Why would someone have five cars!?”
“That’s a good question.” I chuckle.
“Do you even use them all?”
“I do. Not every day, but I try to drive them all at least once a week. And when I’m away and can’t do it myself, my housekeeper does it for me.”
“You have a housekeeper?” she asks next.
“Yes. Marianne comes in every two days.” Before I know it, I’m already pulling up in front of her condo, hating that our time is up.
She looks forward with a hum as I park the car, not making an attempt to get out. “I didn’t know coaches made such a high salary. I mean, I know you played hockey too, but…”
“But I didn’t play long,” I finish for her, opening a subject a lot of people tend to avoid bringing up. “It’s okay, you can say it.” I glide my fingers through her hair, cradling the back of her head as she tilts it to the side to look at me.
“You’re right, we make money, but not necessarily enough to own five cars and have a housekeeper. I did earn quite some money with hockey too, but my wealth comes from my family. Have you ever heard of Andromeda Jewels?”
Her eyes widen as the dots connect in her pretty little head. “Oh my God… That belongs to your family?!”
I nod. “My great-great-great-grandfather was the founder. And now that my parents have retired, my oldest sister has taken over.”
“Wow… That’s… So, you’re like… Rich, rich.” Her eyes are so wide right now; it makes her look even more adorable.