Chapter Nine
Aiden stood in the kitchen and glanced at the clock. It was just after eight. He stirred the chili he’d made. It smelled good, and he was starving. He’d been working extra shifts at the firehouse all week in an effort to avoid Hazel. He’d even skipped their usual Thursday night pool game.
He’d been right. Living with her was proving difficult. It was damn hard to keep his mind off her when she was sleeping in the room across the hall. He spent too many restless nights wondering what she was wearing or not wearing. Wondering what she was thinking. Wondering if he was going to get blue balls wondering about her.
It had started raining about an hour ago, and the night had turned dark. He checked the oven. The blueberry grunt was almost done. His cell went off, and he picked it up from the counter. Another text from Jory. He was bored at the firehouse. The rain meant less chance of a fire. That was a good thing, but it also meant long, dull nights.
The oven timer dinged, and he pulled out the blueberry grunt. He put it on the stove to cool. He took out a bowl and filled it with chili. Then he cut into the dessert even though it was still piping hot and put a big piece on a plate. He carried everything over to the little kitchen table and sat down.
The front door banged open, and he heard Hazel curse as she closed it after her. Fuck. He’d almost made it. He wanted to eat and crash before she came home. Hazel drew him like a magnet, and he had a hard time walking away from her. He loved to listen to her talk about work and the people they knew. She could always coax a laugh out of him. Being around her was relaxing and stressful all at the same time. On the one hand, he could just be himself, but on the other, he had to be careful to not let his feelings for her show through. It was a tough one and he was tired. He needed a break if he was going to be able to keep up the charade. He sighed to himself.
“Hey,” Hazel said as she stumbled into the kitchen after leaving her wet things in the hall. She’d obviously been caught in the rain, but instead of making her look bad, like a drowned rat, it made her sexy as hell. Her ponytail was wet and dripping down her back. Her white shirt clung to her curves, and where it had gotten soaked from the rain, it was translucent against her skin. The lace of her bra was visible through the fabric.
“Hey.” It was all he could get out. He looked back down at his bowl.
“Something smells great. I’m famished.” She smiled at him.
He inclined his head toward the stove. “Help yourself.”
“Don’t mind if I do.” She grabbed a paper towel and started wringing out her ponytail over the sink. “It’s really coming down out there.”
“Um hmm.” He ate a spoon full of chili. It tasted even better than it smelled but, somehow, he was too distracted by Hazel to enjoy it.
“I was over at Doc’s, helping him out, when it really started to rain. We had to arrange buckets on the third floor to catch the drips.”
“Doc’s place needs work.” He glanced up at her. Her eyes were dancing all over the place, and her voice was super chipper. Something was wrong.
“I’ll say.” She finally looked directly at him. “How was today? Did you do anything exciting on your day off?” She finished wringing her hair and then washed her hands. She grabbed two bowls from the cupboard, and her hips swayed as she moved to the stove to fill the first one with chili. Then she reached out to help herself to some of the dessert.
“Careful,” he warned, “it’s hot.”
“Ouch!” She yanked her hand back from the edge of the pan.
He got up from the table. “Sorry, I should have warned you earlier. I just took it out of the oven.” He moved across the kitchen and took her hand in his, looking down to examine her burn. He turned on the cold water tap and put her fingers under the stream.
“I can do this myself. I am a nurse, you know.” She looked up at him.
He nodded. She was right. He should step away. Instead, he still held her hand under the water and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Well, for starters, I burnt my hand, and you won’t give it back to me.” She tried to tease him, but her voice was tight.
“Hazel,” he said, his voice full of warning. He wasn’t going to let her get away with not telling him what was up.
She glanced down at their hands. When he realized he was holding her hand tightly, he quickly loosened his grip.
She turned off the water. “It’s fine,” she said as she gently tugged her hand back and started to turn away. He caught her wrist and held her there. She looked up, and he captured her gaze. “What’s going on?”
She let out a long breath. “I think…I think Tommy Vincent might be lighting the fires.”
That seemed to come from left field. “Okay. Why?”
“Because of the way he reacted at the fire the other night. I told Doc about it, and he thought it was a good idea if I spoke to Phoenix, so I’m going to see him in the morning.”
Aiden’s gut tightened at the mention of Phoenix’s name, but Doc’s advice was sound. He studied her face, but she glanced away from him. When he tugged gently on her wrist, she looked back up at him. He said, “There’s something else. What is it?”
She shrugged. “Doc and I were discussing how there have been a handful of unexpected deaths of elderly patients at the hospital lately. He wants to look into it.”
Aiden narrowed his eyes. “Stay out of that. Don’t get directly involved. You work at the hospital. It could end up causing you problems.”
She frowned but nodded.
“It’s something else to mention to Phoenix if you’re worried.”
“That’s a good idea,” she said in that over-bright voice. She gave her wrist another tug, trying to look relieved.
He wasn’t buying it and held on. “I’m not letting you go until you tell me what’s got you spooked.”
She blinked, and then suddenly her eyes filled up with tears. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”
“Try me,” he said softly. The tension radiating off her made his gut roll. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and keep her there until she calmed down.
“I was at Doc’s tonight and…and I felt like someone was watching us through the window.” She shot him a furtive glance. “I pulled down the shades, but when I left Doc’s and walked to my car, I got that feeling again.” She bit her lip. “I…I think I was followed.”
Aiden’s heart plummeted to his feet. “What do you mean followed? To your car?”
She nodded. “And then I think I was followed here.”
He glanced toward the front door. He knew it was locked because he’d heard her lock it when she came in. “What did the car look like?”
“I couldn’t tell. It was too dark and rainy. It was just headlights in my rearview mirror, but they were behind me the entire way from Doc’s to here.”
She shivered, and he immediately pulled her into his chest and wrapped his arms around her.
“I know you think I’m being silly, but I swear I was followed. All the hair stood up on the back of my neck and—”
“I don’t think you’re crazy or silly or anything else. If you think you were followed, you probably were.” As much as it pained him to say the next words, he knew it was necessary. “Why don’t we call Phoenix? You can tell him what you told me and—"
“No.” She raised her head from his chest. “I don’t want to tell Phoenix. He’ll think I’m paranoid or something.”
She started to pull back, but he kept his arms around her waist. “Hazel, it’s Phoenix. He’s not going to think anything other than you were followed. But you need to tell him. This is not something you can just forget about.” God knew, he wasn’t going to be able to forget it. “You should tell Jory, too.”
“Oh, lord no. He’ll freak out all over again about me moving out. No way. I just want to forget it.” She looked up at him with a stubborn glint in her eyes.
He bit back a curse and pulled her into his chest again. “You can’t just forget it, honey. It’s too dangerous to just leave it alone.”
“Please, Aiden. I can’t face Jory or Phoenix tonight.” Her voice went flat.
“Fine. But you’re going to speak to Phoenix about the other stuff tomorrow morning, right? Then you have to promise me you will tell him about being followed as well.” He wasn’t letting her get away until she promised.
She didn’t say anything. He put his fingers under her chin and lifted her face until she met his gaze. “Promise me, Hazel. Promise me you’re gonna tell Phoenix about being followed when you talk to him tomorrow. First thing.”
She nodded slightly. “Okay,” she agreed. “I promise. In the morning.”
He stared at her. She looked so scared and yet so damn beautiful. Her big blue eyes held fear in their depths, and it crushed his soul. He glanced at her lips. Kissing her would be a big mistake but holding her like this made him think all kinds of wild thoughts.
Her scent swirled around him as he registered just how well her curves fit against his body. He was getting hard just standing here thinking about kissing her. She glanced at his lips and parted hers slightly. It was an invitation, one he was obligated to turn down, but he just couldn’t bring himself to release her.
“Aiden,” she said in a soft voice.
It was another invitation. He glanced at her parted lips and swore. Then he swooped down and claimed her mouth. She opened her own wider to let him in, and their tongues danced in perfect rhythm. She tasted sweet and sexy at the same time. The kiss was better than he’d ever imagined. He moved one hand up to hold her head while he deepened the kiss.
Hazel wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her body in full contact with his. He moved his hands down to cup her ass and bring her closer to him. God, he wanted her so damn badly. He was already rock hard.
He started kissing her neck. She let out a moan and started tugging on his shirt. He moved away from her and pulled his T-shirt over his head with one hand. He dropped it on the floor and immediately pulled her in and reclaimed her mouth.
There was a cold wetness against his chest, and it finally registered that Hazel was still soaked from the rain. He had reached up to undo her shirt buttons when there was a sudden bang on the back door. Hazel jumped, and he immediately whirled around and shoved her behind him. He moved swiftly across the kitchen and looked out. A tree branch was on his back deck.
“It’s just a fallen branch.” He glanced around the kitchen. It was stupid to have sex here. The whole world could see if they bothered to walk up to the windows. He grabbed her hand on the way out of the kitchen. He took the stairs two at a time so that she had to do the same to keep up. He pulled her into his bedroom and closed the door. Then he went over to the two windows and dropped the blinds.
He turned to face her. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Her eyes sparkled, and she smiled. “I’ve wanted to do this for years .” She walked over and ran her hands along his chest.
“Let’s get you out of your wet clothes.” He started unbuttoning her blouse. He dropped a kiss after every button he released. She shivered. “Cold?” he asked.
“Not even a little.”
Her hands were on his belt buckle, but he brushed them off. After he dropped her blouse to the floor, he undid her bra, pushed it off her shoulders, and let it drop as well. Then he smiled and backed her up until she was pressed against the door. He grabbed her wrists and held them in one hand above her head. He claimed her mouth again, their tongues tangling, heightening his need for her.
He kissed down her neck to her nipples. They were hard buds just waiting for his tongue. When he nipped at one with his teeth, she sucked in her breath. She tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he held her fast. “If you keep trying to get your hands free, I’ll stop what I’m doing.”
She laughed. “But that’s so unfair. I want to touch you.”
“You will, but now you have to wait.”
He dropped his mouth to her other nipple while he ran his hand down over her belly to the waistband of her jeans. He popped the button and slowly unzipped them. When he brushed his fingers across the top of her underwear, she squirmed.
He moved back to her mouth and kissed her once again. The feel of her skin against his sparked an insane throbbing inside him. He had a hard time keeping himself in check. He shoved her jeans down over her hips and then brushed his fingers over the front of her underwear. She moaned.
Aiden deepened the kiss as he slid his hand into her thong. When he touched her hot center, her hips bucked. He kissed her neck while he brushed her clit with his finger. Then he finally let go of her hands and got down on his knees in front of her.
“Aiden,” she said a little breathlessly as she brought her hands down. “I want to touch you all over.”
“Not yet,” he said with a slow smile. He pulled her thong down her legs and then helped her to remove both her jeans and underwear. He blew on her hot center, and she sunk her fingers into his hair. He leaned forward and licked her. She tasted so sweet. He swirled his tongue around her clit, and she swore. He gripped her ass and held her in place as he sucked and licked her. Then he took one finger and entered her slowly. She arched to meet him. He added another finger while he sucked her clit. She buried her hands deeper into his hair and her hips moved. As he increased his rhythm, she rocked with him. This was so fucking hot. He loved that she was losing control. He swirled his tongue and kept her right on the edge until he nipped her clit with his teeth. She called his name as she came.
Her knees buckled, and he caught her, hugging her hips tight. She combed her fingers through his hair as her breathing slowed.
“Jesus, that was even better than I imagined,” she murmured.
“Oh, you imagined us together, did you?” He grinned as he stood, picking her up as he did. He walked across the room and lay her on the bed.
“Imagined. Fantasized. Dreamed.”
He covered her with his body, settling a forearm on either side of her head. “And in these fantasies, what exactly happened?” he asked.