Chapter 12 #2
Her eyes began to adjust. The chair and table were darker forms against the night. Rising, she walked carefully to where Aiden stood by the window. Heat from his body radiated toward her. Pressing her hands to her side, she fought the urge to touch him.
The streetlights were dark. The stores were filled with gloom. A single car drove down the street. The headlights’ beams shone through the sheets of rain.
“Any idea when this is supposed to let up?” she asked.
“I can find out.” Aiden pulled a phone from his pocket and hit the home button. The screen winked to life and shone on him from below. The light accentuated the angles and planes of his face, and her mouth went dry. God, he was handsome.
He shook his head. “It looks like the thunderstorm is going to last a while.”
“What’s a while?” she asked.
“Another hour. Maybe more.” He put the phone back into his pocket, plunging the room in darkness. “But according to the weather app, the rain will stick around all night.”
She shouldn’t have taken her grandfather’s car. The truck was good in any weather. “Maybe if I leave now,” she said, thinking out loud, “and drive slow, it’ll be okay.”
“You can stay here.” He turned from the window to face her. His features were lost in shadow. “At least until the storm lets up.”
“I should text Grandpa Rusty. Tell him that I’ll be late. Otherwise, he’ll worry.”
“Do it now,” he suggested. “There’s no way to recharge your phone if your power runs out.”
Lucy stepped away from the window and pulled her phone from her pocket. She opened her texting app as Aiden brushed past her.
In town. Stuck because of the storm. Will leave when safe. Don’t wait up.
She hit Send and the message left her phone with a whoosh.
Her grandfather replied immediately.
Are you sure that you’re okay?
She responded.
Positive. I just don’t want to drive in the rain.
She sent a second message.
How’s everything at the ranch?
He texted her back, answering her last message first.
Rainy and windy here.
And then, he sent another text.
Be safe. I’ll see you in the morning.
From the kitchen came the sound of cabinets opening and closing.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“I’m looking for candles or something,” he called back.
Lucy turned her gaze back to the window. The street was still dark. The rain still fell. The wind still blew. There was a clang as a gust knocked over a garbage can. Pushed by the gale, the receptacle tumbled down the street.
Aiden emerged from the kitchen, holding two jar candles, one in each hand.
He was surrounded in a golden glow. He set one candle on the table under the TV.
“Sorry I don’t have anything normal. These were both from Matilda.
She’s my youngest sister. I’m not sure what she was thinking giving me scented candles. ”
The faint smell of sugar cookies filled the apartment. “Your sister got you cookie-scented candles?”
“Brown sugar and vanilla,” he said, setting the second candle on the end table.
The flames danced and flickered, filling the room with soft light. The sweet smell from the wax wafted through the apartment.
Lucy watched the storm. “I used to love thunderstorms when I was little,” she said. “My mother and I would sit on the porch and watch it rain. We would count the seconds from a flash of lightning to the boom of thunder.”
“Hold that thought for a minute,” said Aiden.
He disappeared into his bedroom. When he returned, he carried two camp chairs. He slipped them out of their protective sleeves and unfolded them both. “Here you go,” he said, scooting a chair closer to her.
She sat into the seat. The nylon fabric shifted. Aiden dropped into the chair next to hers.
Outside, a fork of lightning struck, making the empty street as bright as midday.
“One. Two. Three. Four.” Aiden counted.
There was a rumble of thunder.
“That means the center of the storm is four miles away,” she said.
For a moment, they were silent. Lucy was keenly aware of Aiden. His hand dangled over the side of his chair. If she wanted, she could reach out and touch his pinkie finger with her own. She looked up at him. He was watching her. Heat crept from her chest to her cheeks.
“What?” she asked.
“I like looking at you,” he said. “You’re beautiful.”
There was another strike of lightning. Thunder followed a few seconds later.
What was she supposed to do with that compliment? Looking back at the window, she said, “The storm is getting closer.”
A blush still warmed her face. She turned back to the window. The rain fell so heavy, she could see nothing but water.
“What happens then?” he asked, his voice a whisper. “When the storm arrives?”
“We wait for it to pass.”
“Then you can go home.”
Was there a longing in his voice? “You must really be trying to get rid of me,” she joked.
“Not at all,” he said. “I like having you here.”
“Even if all we’re doing is watching it rain?”
“Especially since all we’re doing is watching it rain.”
She let her fingertips graze the side of his hand. He reached for her, twining his fingers through hers. For the first time in more than a decade, Lucy was content.
Yet, she wanted more.
She shifted in her seat and glanced at him. He was watching her still. She felt his gaze on her like a lover’s touch. And that’s exactly what she needed. To have his hands on her, to feel his lips on hers, to have his mouth on her skin.
Lucy held tighter to Aiden’s hand, bringing them together.
He leaned toward her. His breath washed over her skin.
She closed the gap between them and brushed her lips over his mouth. It was a quick kiss, over as soon as it began. Aiden moved closer. Without a word, he kissed her again. His lips were an intriguing combination of strong and soft. He reached for her shoulder, pulling her closer.
She moved to his chair and sat on his lap. Her legs draped over the arm rest, and her feet dangled above the floor. His musky scent surrounded her. She pressed her breasts against his chest. He was solid and strong and everything a man should be.
“Oh, Lucy,” he sighed the word into her mouth.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he grabbed her hips.
His fingers dug into her skin with a delicious pain.
She kissed him again, harder this time. He pressed his tongue against the seam of her mouth.
She parted her lips, and he slipped his tongue inside.
His kiss held the same intensity as the storm outside.
A bolt of lightning lit up the sky. It was followed by an immediate rumble of thunder.
And now, Lucy was in the middle of the storm.