Chapter 8
Aurora
I made my way into Sip and Stir on my way home and grabbed a cinnamon scone and muffin. I sat down at an empty table and pulled out my notes from my last class.
I split the scone in half and took a bite and was about to open my notes and go over them when I caught sight of my brother. He pulled the door open, walked in, and went straight to the counter. After he’d placed his order, he glanced over his shoulder, surprise lining his face as he smiled. He thanked the girl and made his way over to me.
“This is a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?” he said, sliding into the booth across from me.”
“Shouldn’t I ask you that? It’s not normal for you to be out here on the island.”
“No, it’s not. I have a work meeting not too far from here in about thirty minutes. So, I thought I’d come over a little early, stop at a couple of places, and then grab a coffee before I went.”
“A work meeting? Something going on?” I questioned.
He chuckled. “You know I can’t tell you anything about it.”
“I know.” I sighed, letting out a yawn.
“Everything alright? You look a little more tired than usual.”
I shrugged. “Everything is fine. I guess it’s just been a long week.”
I thought back to dinner the other night, when I’d first re-encountered Dylan. I didn’t even need to try hard, and I could still feel the same tension in my body when I’d met Dylan that night at Mom and Joe’s. I was sure everyone in the room had noticed it, even though I’d silently prayed for days that they hadn’t.
“Anything bothering you?” Walker questioned, looking at me with concern.
I shook my head and took another bite of the cinnamon delight, hoping I wasn’t giving anything away. Most of my life, Walker had read me like a book, so I didn’t know why I wasn’t just telling him the truth. “No, everything is great. Why do you ask?”
“I don’t know. You seemed funny the other night at Joe’s. Especially when Dylan arrived.”
I could feel a surge of heat run through my body. He had noticed, and now I wanted to die.
“What do you mean?” I questioned, trying hard to act like everything was completely normal.
“You seemed, I don’t know, weird. Almost like you knew him.”
I leaned back in the booth and sighed. There was no use keeping it from him. That statement right there told me he had already figured it out. Besides, we never kept secrets from one another.
“Okay, fine. Don’t freak out.”
“Why would I freak out? So you knew the guy, probably from Lorelai, no doubt. I mean, you two normally hang out at her brother’s house, so it wouldn’t surprise me you’d met him there.”
“No, I didn’t meet him through Phil. I met Dylan when we were in Mexico. We didn’t exchange names or anything. We just spent the night together on what I’d call an idiotic and irresponsible night on my behalf.”
“You’re shitting me?” Walked asked, looking up at me, his coffee halfway to his mouth.
I shook my head. “No, I went on a mission to be more like Mom. I wanted one night to get over Greg. It was dumb and stupid and something that never ever should have happened. Anyway, you can imagine my surprise when I saw him again.”
“You mean to tell me you didn’t recognize him?”
“Why would I? I don’t watch hockey.”
“No, but Lorelai does. Did she not recognize him?”
I shrugged. “She said he looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Then she got a bad sunburn and basically was of no use to anyone for the rest of the trip. Anyway, you can imagine my shock when I saw him.”
Walker chuckled. “You might be right. Perhaps you really have the worst luck of anyone you or I know. Look, I got to be going or I’ll be late. Try not to stress over it. It’s in the past.”
Walker got up and dumped his cup in the garbage, waved, then laughed again and made his way out the door of the coffee shop, leaving me sitting there alone. He did not know how badly I wished he were right and that the events of that night were truly in the past.
* * *
I lay on my bed,staring at my textbook. I’d come home, ate half my dinner, then came into my room. I needed to study, but I couldn’t stop thinking of Dylan. In fact, I’d barely stopped thinking of him since he followed me into the bedroom on Saturday night.
“You’d better snap out of this mood you are in and get ready to have a good time tonight,” Lorelai said, coming into my room and dropping her books on my desk. She sat down on my favourite reading chair and spun around to look at me. “Sophie and Mila will be here in a couple of hours.”
I dropped my pencil and rested my head on my arm. “What if I don’t want to go out tonight?”
“It’s Friday, why wouldn’t you want to go out tonight?” Lorelai asked, giving me a funny look.
I let out a sigh and tried to come up with any reason that made sense, but I couldn’t think of anything. The only thing I could come up with was because I wanted to stay home and drool over someone I was trying not to want.
“See, you really want to go out tonight,” she said, getting up and making her way over to my closet. She opened the door and began skimming through my clothes, trying to find something to wear.
“No, I really don’t.” I pouted.
Lorelai stopped what she was doing and made her way over to where I lay on my bed. She plopped down beside me and studied me. “What is it?”
I rolled over and stared up at the ceiling, not sure what to tell my best friend. I’d kept the events of the Saturday-night bedroom encounter all to myself.
“If something is bothering you, you know you can tell me.” she said, waiting for me to break down and share with her. “You have been weird since the party, so I’m going to guess something happened between the time I went to the washroom and then helped your mom in the kitchen. Didn’t it?”
Lorelai was like a mind reader. It was something I found so fascinating about her. She could always tell when someone was having trouble. She always said she was more in tune with other people than with herself, and that was why she always got hurt so badly.
I nodded. “You’re right.”
“Well, why don’t you tell me what happened? Maybe I can help you sort through the issue.”
I literally wanted to die. I was so ridiculously attracted to Dylan that I did not know how to navigate the things I was feeling. He was my new stepbrother. There shouldn’t be any type of attraction to him now that our families had joined. He should have been just as annoying to me as Walker could be. Instead, every time he looked my way or was near me, my heart instantly sped up and I got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. His actions on Saturday night had blown my mind, and I hated my body for responding the way it had.
“You like him, don’t you?” she questioned.
I ran my hand over my face and nodded. “Yes.”
“Then why are fighting it so hard? I mean, it’s not like you are cousins or something.”
I shrugged. “What will people think?”
“People don’t have to know,” Lorelai whispered.
“I know, but I know.”
Lorelai let out a sigh. “Okay, but you told your mother what happened in Mexico. She wasn’t upset.”
“No, on the contrary, she found it rather hilarious,” I said, looking at my best friend. “I’m not sure why I had expected anything less.”
“Then what is the issue?”
“We slept together the other night,” I blurted out.
“When?” She frowned. “You’ve been here all week.”
The second I looked at her, her mouth dropped open in shock. “At the party????”
I nodded.
”With all those people?”
Again, I nodded. “Then he gave me his number and is expecting me to message him. In fact, it was almost like he challenged me.”
“Why didn’t you message him?”
“Have you ever known me to do anything when I’m challenged to do it?”
Lorelai smirked. “Oh boy. He really likes you too, then.”
“Yeah. I mean, I think he does.”
“I say just get with him, or tonight, maybe pick up a guy. Whatever you do, you need to get him out of your system. There is only one of two ways to do that. Either you succumb to your desire and go for him, or you go for someone else.”
For the first time I could remember, Lorelai was actually zero help to me. I’d no idea what the answer was, but since Saturday, I couldn’t remember how many times I’d picked up my cell phone to message him, stopping myself each time. It had gotten so bad that I’d turned my phone off and left it in my purse or my car, anywhere that it was out of reach. I was pathetic.
“Come on. Snap out of it and come out with us. You’ll feel much better.”
“Where are you going?” I muttered, desperately trying to decide what I was going to do. Go out and have fun or stay home and sulk.
“Illusions. Sophie wants to check the place, out and Mila, well, she just wants to get out and party. So get yourself up! Get dressed! Put some makeup on and feel human. They will be here shortly.”
* * *
It wasa little after ten by the time we’d finished getting ready to go out. We waited in line outside of Illusions for half an hour before finally making it to the door. The doorman checked our IDs and then let us inside. The place was packed, and the music was so loud I could barely hear myself think. I just followed Lorelai and the girls through the crowd and over to the bar.
While we waited for our drinks, I turned and looked around at the multi-layered club. It was the first time we’d been here. I scanned the room and then glanced up at the upper floors. It was dark and hard to see, but someone caught my eye. This guy stood there staring down at me. Out of the entire club, I was almost certain he was staring at me. I moved, his head moved in my direction, then I looked a little closer. I was sure it was Dylan. He was there with a few other guys, standing and looking over the ledge. I tore my eyes from him, looked around, and then glanced up again, only to see he was gone.
“Here’s your drink!” Lorelai yelled in my ear as she handed me my glass.
“Let’s get out of here,” I yelled, following Mila and Sophie through the crowd to a spot on the dance floor.
They all began dancing and laughing while I stood there looking around. If it was him, I was certain he’d be down here after me as soon as he could be, but I hoped I was wrong.
“Loosen up!” Mila screamed. “At least look like you are having fun!” she said, coming up and wiggling against me.
Lorelai and Sophie both laughed as they joined her, dancing up against me.
I took a long sip of my drink and forced myself to start dancing. We’d danced to three or four songs and had just ordered our fourth round of drinks when I leaned over and told Lorelai I was going to the washroom.
I’d waited in line for what felt like forever, then started making my way back to my friends. I was just about there when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around, I saw a man I didn’t recognize smile at me. He wore an expensive-looking suit and had an earpiece in his ear. “Aurora Barlowe?”
“What?” I yelled back, not sure I heard him correctly.
This time, he leaned in closer. “Are you Aurora Barlowe?”
I nodded and smiled, feeling slightly confused. It must have been the alcohol. He couldn’t have possibly known me. I’d never seen him before.
“You and your friends have been invited up to the VIP area,” he said, once again leaning into my ear.
I frowned. I didn’t know what was going on. I caught sight of Lorelai watching me. She held out her hands and shrugged her shoulders, no doubt wondering what was going on. I looked at the man who wore the earpiece. “No, I think you have the wrong Aurora Barlowe.”
I went to walk past him and over to the girls, but he grabbed my arm, stopping me. “I don’t think I do.”
I glared at the man, and the next thing I knew, Lorelai was beside me.
“Aurora, what’s going on?” she questioned. “Are you okay?”
Once again, the man in the suit smiled. “The party I’m with has asked me to notify Miss Barlowe and her friends to come up to the VIP lounge. So why don’t you follow me?” he said.
Lorelai looked at me and smiled. “I’ll get the girls.” She screamed and took off over to where they were dancing. She whispered in each of their ears and returned to us. We followed the man up to the second floor, down the hall, to a doorway covered with a curtain. Immediately, I noticed the Vancouver Dominators written on a plaque just beside the curtain and knew that my mind hadn’t conjured up Dylan. He was actually here.
The man parted the curtain and waited for me to step through. Three guys I didn’t recognize sat there, while Dylan leaned up against the table that held a pile of food and drinks. One look at him and I noticed his sexy smile as his eyes washed over me. He unscrewed a cap on one of the water bottles and took a drink.
“Oh, my god!” Mila screamed with excitement. “How the hell do you know these guys, Aurora? Keeping secrets from us?” she questioned with excitement.
“Aurora is full of many secrets.” Lorelai winked.
I looked at my best friend and rolled my eyes.
“Ask Lorelai. You all know her brother plays for the Dominators,” I said, trying to take some of the attention off me, only no one paid any attention to what I’d said.
“Hey, girls, why don’t you come on over here and take a seat? We have some food on the way.”
“Ladies, this is Knox Evans, Lucas Clark, and Clay Harris,” Dylan said as he pushed himself off the table. “I’m Dylan Hayes.” He placed his hand on the small of my back and held his other hand out to Lorelai.
Once she shook his hand, she met my eyes. I knew the look she was giving me.
“So, Aurora, how do you know these guys?” Sophie questioned, sitting down beside Lucas and taking a bottle of beer from his hand.
“Ah, I, um… Dylan is my new stepbrother,” I murmured, looking at Lorelai, who smirked.
Instantly I’d wished I could take that back.
Dylan leaned into me and whispered, “Oh, but that isn’t all we could be.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek.
The three guys watched and chuckled to themselves as Dylan backed up and returned to leaning on the table.
While the girls began chatting with the guys, I glanced over to see Dylan standing there watching me. I followed his eyes; they ran from my face, down my body, and back up where he met my eyes again. Then he tilted his head, signalling for me to go to him. I glanced over at my friends; they were all busy chatting it up with the guys, so I slowly backed up and made my way over to him.
“Told you I wouldn’t call or text,” I said, trying to prove a point.
“That’s okay, the week isn’t over yet.” He gave me that cocky smile while grabbing a handful of nuts and shoving them into his mouth. “Still have Saturday and Sunday.”
“You are impossible,” I gritted.
“I may be, but I think that is what you like most about me. So, what do you say we get out of here?” he asked, bringing his hands to my waist and pulling me between his legs.
My body was instantly on fire the moment his hands touched me.
“Not here,” I murmured. I’d meant it to come out sounding like I meant what I said; however, the lack of confidence in my voice told me what I already knew.
I was his. I knew it, and I was certain he did as well.
He glanced over my shoulder and then back at me. “It’s okay, they are all preoccupied.”
I looked over, then back to him. “How will they get home?”
“Give your keys to one of them. If not, I will make sure that the guys make sure they all get home okay. What do you say?”
I bit my bottom lip, trying to decide what I should do: stay here with my friends or leave with him. I glanced over my shoulder to see Mila, Sophie, and Lorelai all listening to one guy share a story. They seemed to be having a good time. I knew what I wanted to do, so I turned back to Dylan and nodded.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see. Give me your keys.”
I dug into my pocket and produced my keys and handed them to him. He got up and went over to one of the guys and whispered into his ear, then handed Lorelai my car keys and whispered something to her before coming back and grabbing me by the hand, pulling me out of the VIP area. I followed him out to the parking lot, where he guided me over to his silver Mercedes and opened the passenger door for me to climb in.
“What about the girls?” I asked as he fired up the engine.
“What about them?”
“How are they getting home? I mean, they will look for me.”
“No, I told Knox and your friend Lorelai to make sure he got them all home safe, and I told him you were coming with me. You’re good.”
He backed out of the spot and sped away before I could protest and took a sharp right turn at the end of the street.
* * *
I wasa little afraid to be alone with Dylan after the other night. It wasn’t because I was afraid of him, but more because I wanted him to do those things to me again. But to my surprise and disappointment, he was on his best behaviour. His hands hadn’t drifted to my body once while we were in the car or now as we walked along the water’s edge and ate pizza. He was talkative, sharing things about his dad and his childhood.
“So, how did you end up playing hockey?”
“My dad had me on skates basically the second I could walk and started me with hockey almost immediately. I loved it, so Dad just invested in me. By the time I was in my teens, I was one of the fastest on the ice, and I could handle a stick.”
I couldn’t help but smile.
“What’s that smile for?”
My cheeks heated as he looked over at me, giving me a wink.
“You caught that.” He smiled.
“What about you? What are you in school for?”
“I’m going through for the sports therapy program over at Victoria University. Lorelai as well.”
“Ahhh, so I’ll know someone who can fix my injuries and nurse me back to health. That’s always important.” He winked.
“I’m sure you already have access to those people.”
“I do, but I think I like your touch a little better.” He winked, once again causing me to smile and grow quiet, but the second he noticed, he started talking about hockey once again.
Soon he was sharing plays from his last game and hockey terms with me, trying to teach me a few things. When I admitted I’d never watched a hockey game, his jaw dropped.
“Like never ever?” he asked, shock lining his voice.
“Never ever.”
“How can that be? I mean, Walker is your brother. He told me he watches every game.”
“He does, and when he did that while we were growing up, I’d leave the room. I just never had a reason or an interest.” I shrugged, wiping my mouth with a napkin and throwing it in the garbage.
“Well, I think we are immediately going to fix that. A girl of mine needs to be invested in every one of my games. Plus, I’m your interest now.”
“Who says I’m your girl? I questioned as we approached his car.
“Well, think what you want, but you are my girl.”
“So cocky.”
He smiled and opened the car door, but said nothing while waiting for me to climb in. Once he was in the driver’s seat, he sped off through the city, finally pulling into one of the newest high-rises in Vancouver. It was a building I’d always wanted to go into as well, just because of the architecture, but had never had a reason to.
“You live here?” I questioned, looking up at the tall high-rise from the passenger’s seat.
He chuckled. “I do. I don’t spend a substantial amount of time here, what with being on the road all the time, but it’s home when I’m here and during off season. Come on.”
I climbed out of the car and followed him over to the elevator. Once inside, he pressed the button for the thirty-seventh floor and the elevator shot to the top in what seemed like seconds.
“You’re on the top floor?”
“Yep, I think you are going to love the view. You can see all the way to Victoria on a clear night.”
He slid his key in the door and we stepped inside. He quickly flipped the lights on and waited for me to come inside before he shut and locked the door.
“Make yourself at home.” He threw his keys on the kitchen counter and grabbed two beers from the fridge. “Here you go,” he said, opening mine and then his.
I glanced around and slipped my feet from my shoes. The place was beautiful, decorated in beige and brown tones with pops of colour, no doubt by a decorator. It was neater than I imagined it would be for it being a guy’s place. The floor-to-ceiling windows probably produced an amazing view, but the blinds were already shut. He took my hand and pulled me into the living room. The plush carpet felt nice under my bare feet as he guided me to the couch, where he sat down and patted the seat beside him.
I placed my beer on a coaster on the glass coffee table and sat down beside him, sinking into the oversized couch. I sat forward, almost afraid to touch anything.
“So, what do you think?” he asked.
“It’s really nice.”
The room grew quiet, and then that same unsettling feeling I got in my gut every time I’d been alone with him started again. It was as if my body and brain were having an argument. One wanted him to touch me, to take me, and the other wanted him nowhere near me. I swallowed hard, knowing he was watching me, and averted my eyes.
“Would you relax?” he said.
I looked around, my eyes burning. “I can’t.” I reached for my beer and took a sip before putting it back down.
Before I could turn back to face him, I felt his hand grab mine.
“It’s no secret we like one another, Aurora. I know this entire situation with our parents has put a wrench in the gears for you, but you need to know that I’ve never felt as strong about someone before as I do about you.”
“That just sounds like some sort of line to get me into bed,” I said, grabbing my beer and taking another drink.
“Well, it’s not, because I’ve already gotten you in bed. Seriously, though, you can ask Knox.”
I frowned, unsure who he was talking about. “Who’s Knox?”
“The guy who was chatting with Lorelai tonight.”
“He knows?” I asked, feeling my cheeks heat.
“He’s one of my best friends, and he knows how bugged I was at myself for not getting your number or your name that night. He also knows how shocked and happy I was when you appeared at my dad’s place.”
I met his eyes. Somehow, just from looking at him, I knew now his words hadn’t been a line. I’d seen plenty of guys dish out lines to Lorelai and my other friends to get what they wanted. His eyes were sincere. He’d meant what he said.
“Dylan, I….”
I paused as he slid his hand into my hair. “I meant what I said. I like you and I want a chance with you. There is nothing wrong with it, so stop thinking there is. I will not beg you.”
I swallowed hard. I knew how I felt inside as well. I knew how he’d made me feel physically that night, and I knew without a doubt I wanted to feel that again. I wanted him as much as he wanted me. At least that was what my body was telling me. When I’d first seen him that night at his dad’s, I think the shock set in so bad I didn’t know what to do. Now, as I sat here, looking at the look on his face, in his eyes, my body was on fire. I knew what I wanted. It was him. I swallowed hard and leaned forward, my lips almost on his, so close I could feel his breath. I closed my eyes and moved the rest of the way, finally placing my lips against his.
It was the first time I’d kissed him. In fact, it was the first time I’d started a kiss with any boy. I’d always waited for them to make the move, but something inside of me wanted this so bad I couldn’t wait any longer.
The second our lips touched, my mind and body forgot they were arguing and everything within me settled. Not only did he kiss me, but he grabbed me and, in one swift motion, I straddled his lap. My body was on fire as his hands gripped my ass so he could position me where he wanted.
His kiss was different this time. Slower, less demanding, and I loved how his hand snaked through my hair, holding the back of my head. I was alive with want and desire, and I wanted this to go faster, but Dylan was taking his time.
His lips left mine and travelled to my neck. He gently tugged my shirt off my shoulder and placed a kiss right where the two joined. I closed my eyes, feeling him as his lips made their way back up the column of my neck, meeting my lips once again. His hands rested on my hips, gripping the lower part of my shirt.
“Lift your arms,” he murmured between kisses.
I did as he asked, and in one motion, my shirt was now on the floor.
He leaned forward, reached behind him, and pulled his shirt off, tossing it down to the floor with mine. I still couldn’t get over his muscular chest as my hands rested on his pecs.
He met my eyes while his fingers pinched the clasp on my bra. When I felt the material fall away, I closed my eyes while his fingers ever so gently grazed the skin on my arms, taking my bra with them.
He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around me. He picked me up and carried me down the hall. Placing me on the floor at the foot of his bed, he pulled at the button of my jeans and removed them. He did the same with his own and then pulled me into the oversized king bed.
I lay on my back, staring up at him as he brought his lips to mine. I didn’t know if it was my imagination or if tonight things felt a little different. He pulled me against him, holding me close, then rested his head down on the pillow, while my head found a home on his chest.
“I just want to hold you like this. Is that okay?” he questioned.
“Sure,” I said, my voice a little strained.
I was confused. It wasn’t okay. I wanted him in so many ways, I was ready.
“I don’t want you to think all I want is sex. So, tonight, no sex. We’ll just hold one another until we drift off.”
I closed my eyes and interlocked my hand with his. Our breathing finally slowed, and hours later, I finally drifted off.