19. Aiden
Chapter nineteen
Aiden
“ F uck.” I’m in trouble.
I’ve woken up in plenty of strange beds, but never like this. Never with a warm body that fits against mine like it was made for me. Never with the scent of vanilla and something uniquely her filling my lungs. Never with the gut-wrenching knowledge that I’ve crossed a line I can’t uncross.
Everything in me wants to stay in this floaty place between sleep and waking, where everything is fuzzy and soft.
I’ve never felt this content… this whole.
Aurora’s warm body’s pressed against mine. I breathe deep, burying my face in a cocoon of fragrant strands, her scent filling my lungs with every breath. Squeezing the curves under my hand causes Aurora to shift in her sleep, I freeze—one wrong move and this entire feeling will dissolve in an instant.
For a moment, I let myself believe this could be my new reality. But reality has a nasty habit of bitchslapping me back to my senses.
Aurora is still sleeping, her side rising and falling with each breath. And the only sounds I hear are from the occasional passing car and Aurora’s steady breathing. I watch her for a moment, memorizing the way her lashes fan across her cheeks, the slight part of her lips. It’s almost enough to make me forget the shitstorm we’re brewing.
“Mmm,” Aurora mumbles, her eyes fluttering open. “Aiden?”
“Morning, princess,” I murmur, my voice still rough from waking. She smiles, slow and lazy, before reality seems to hit her. Her eyes widen slightly.
“We... last night...”
“Yeah,” I confirm, with my brows wrinkled, not sure what else to say. “You, okay?”
She nods, biting her lip. “More than okay. You?”
I grin and whisper, unable to help myself. “Fucking fantastic.”
We trade soft kisses and gentle touches, neither of us quite ready to face the day. But eventually, the real world comes knocking.
“We should probably...” Aurora trails off, gesturing vaguely.
“Yeah,” I agree, reluctantly pulling away.
I head to the shower, something I regret as it means not having her skin against mine. Still, her warmth leeches into me pleasantly, and I squeeze gently, not wanting to let go just yet. Aurora follows me in. I know Jax isn’t coming home yet, and that makes me bold. Even now, the house is still quiet,
We don’t say another word about it, instead trading kisses as we shower before falling back into her bed. Mornings like this are a fantasy, and one I never imagined could be real. The weight of Aurora in my arms grounds me in the present, even as sleep tries to beckon me under again. I know I need to get up and get moving.
Jax might not have come home last night, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be returning at all today. The last thing I need is to get caught in bed with his sister. I doubt he would continue to consider me a dude he could be proud of if he knew I fucked his sister behind his back until we both fell apart.
Speaking of, last night that was an experience I’ve never fucking had before. Sex isn’t something I feel bad about wanting, and as long as everyone is down, I enjoy it. But last night with Aurora is on a whole other level.
The urge to fuck her furiously battles with the need to make sure she comes until she can’t tell her body from mine.
Just the memory of her face as she climaxes is enough to have my stomach clenching and my cock jumping in need.
“Fuck,” I breathe out softly before giving in to the urge to kiss her shoulder. The shirt she’s wearing has fallen to the side, baring that bit of skin to me, and I lightly brush my lips over it.
I want to glut myself on her taste again, but I know if I don’t leave now, I never will, and I can’t afford to be caught with my dick out…literally.
At this point separating myself from Aurora takes even more effort than earlier. The last thing I want to do right now is wake her and have a conversation I’m notready for.
My body feels like it’s being torn in two - part of me wanting to stay right here in bed with her, the other part screaming at me to run.
I need to figure out where the fuck my head is at and what the hell I’m going to say.
We’ve fucked twice, three times if I consider our moment in the kitchen nearly a week ago. I need to remember who I am and what I’m here for. The rink calls to me like a siren - the only place where things still make sense.
I force myself out of bed, away from Aurora’s warmth. Aurora sighs deeply as I shift my hand from beneath her head. I suck in a breath and freeze when she turns over, facing me. Her cheeks are a soft red, and her plush lips are lightly parted. I stare at them, remembering the druggy kisses that come from them. I want to sample more, but I know if I touch her again, I will never be able to leave. So, with that internal confession, I shift to the bottom of the bed and stand. The floor is cold against my bare feet, but I ignore that and leave the room, not looking back.
It’s earlier than I thought. I grab my gear from my room and leave, not stopping until I’m in the locker room. It’s a bit early for practice, but a skate around the ice is needed to help me shake the memories from last night. I’m not surprised to see some of our teammates there.
“Aiden, man. You missed a good fucking night last night,” Sebastian says with a wide smile. It’s his ‘I got fucking laid’ smile, and I do my best to return it like I usually would. The guy isn’t shy about talking about his hedonistic conquests, and usually, I’m content enough to listen. Today, though, I need to think about something other than sex.
“Had shit to do,” I grunt out as I slip on my pads. I hope that my clipped answer is enough for him to take a hint and move on to talking to someone else, but he doesn’t take the bait.
“Yeah, but there’s prime puck bunny ass. Caleb and I have the pick of them, and they’re down for it. The town might be small, but those girls sure aren’t.” Caleb nods as they high-five, and I roll my eyes. Am I that bad as well? It’s almost comical how much they feel the need to gloat about sleeping with women they probably will never see again.
Who the fuck am I? That’s never a thought that’s ever crossed my mind. Sure, I haven’t really ever talked about the women I took home, but I know I’m definitely not going to talk about my night spent between Aurora’s pretty thighs.
“You look like you might’ve gotten lucky, too, considering the scratches on your back,” Caleb says. I’ve seen the marks when I dry myself in the mirror, and the knowledge of them has me rubbing off a quick one in the shower. Knowing that Aurora feels good enough to forget herself and mark me has my arousal simmering just below the surface. “Anyone we know?”
I roll my eyes before turning my attention back to getting my gear on. “No.”
“You going to tell us more, or are you just being vague for shits and giggles?”
“I’m not being vague,” I reply, not bothering to say more. They can think what they want. I’m not going to let anything slip before I figure out what this whole thing between me and Aurora is. She’s too good a person for me to talk about her in a way that diminished that, and I don’t need that shit eventually getting back to Jax. He’s an overprotective son of a bitch on a good day. And finding out that I deflowered his one and only baby sister does not make for a good day.
“Then why aren’t you talking? Sharing is caring, dude.”
I grab my gloves and slam the locker shut before turning to look at them. “You sound like a fucking five-year-old. I don’t need to share every sexual encounter I have with someone. Sometimes, it’s worth keeping that shit to yourself.”
Sebastian looks shocked. Whether it’s at the idea that you don’t need to disclose every sexual encounter or if it’s because I don’t want to talk about my own, I’m not sure. Either way, the silence from my words is golden and gives me time to slip through the door and head to the rink.
I spend time warming up, but after a bit, the guys join in. They circle around me for a moment before we collectively get serious. There’s only so much we can do with just the three of us, but after about an hour, the rest of the team starts trickling in until practice is officially underway. It feels good to push myself, and I hit just as hard as I would if we were in a game.
As much as I hate to admit it, my father’s right—this might be my only shot to prove my worth, and I’m not going to squander it. Dropping back down to the minors is not an option.
When practice finishes, Jax skates over to me.“What time did you leave the house, dude? I got back, and you were gone.” I want to ask him if he talked to Aurora when he got home, but I know that would seem suspicious.
“Fell asleep and woke up early, so I thought I’d get a head start on practice. I almost wish I hadn’t since Sebastian and Caleb decided to have a dick-measuring contest in the locker room.”
Jax laughs and shakes his head.
“Damn, I wish I could have been there to hear that mess. Those two should come with a warning.”
Coach yells Jax’s name, and he turns to wave at him before turning back to me. “Gotta go. I’ll see you back at the house, man?”
I shrug. “Yeah. I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Well, we both know that’s not true,” Jax says with a grin. He doesn’t give me a chance to say anything else before taking off to the other side of the ice. I watch him for a moment, trying to make sense of his parting words, but when Caleb bumps my shoulder, I look at him, standing there with his sidekick, Sebastian.
“What?” Caleb jerks his head up to the stands, and I turn, trying to see what he is gesturing at.
My eyes widen when I see Aurora standing there with Katarina. They’re chatting, neither one looking at us, but Aurora has her camera in her hand, so I know she must’ve been taking photos. Somehow, she’s slipped in without me noticing. Normally, nothing escapes me, and I don’t even know how, but Aurora has a way of sneaking in my life and throwing me off guard, no matter how hard I try to keep my focus.
“I wonder if I could hustle one of those cuties into my bed.” I tense at Sebastian’s words when I realize he’s talking about them. “I’ve seen the brunette here before. With those hips, she could bounce on my dick any day.”
I try to tamp down my rage; thinking about Aurora fucking anyone but me is enough to set my blood on fire in all the wrong ways.
I don’t know why or where this crazy possessiveness is coming from. Even the few girlfriends I’ve had over the years don’t solicit this from me. This is all new…all for her.
“Hahaha, facts! To have a taste of those thick curves and feel that plush skin aga-”
“Watch what you fucking say,” I bite out, stopping Caleb’s words. He and Sebastian look at me like I’ve got two fucking heads. A couple of our other teammates glance our way, but I ignore them, instead focusing on these two jokers.
“Dude, what the fuck is your problem?” Caleb asks. “What are you fucking them? Is that why you’re being so damn weird?”
I want to say yes—at least for Aurora. A perverse part of me wants to scream and shout that the only dick she would be bouncing on is mine. And yet, I know that way leads to madness and probably getting my shit rocked from Jax.
I can’t disclose a damn thing. I have to hit this from another angle.
“No, but the brunette you’re talking shit about is Jax’s sister. I’m sure he would have a lot to say about you using his sister and your dick in the same sentence.” A sick thrill runs through me when I see Caleb and Sebastian look at each other, acknowledging the beating Jax would deliver.
“I could go ask him, though, if he’ll introduce you two if you want. I’m sure he’d be happy to have you as a brother-in-law.”
Sebastian shakes his head. “No fucking way. Jax is a fucker, especially when he’s mad.”
“Yeah, no,” Caleb adds. “Dude seriously gets unhinged. No chick is worth that.”
I don’t disagree when it comes to most women, but Aurora is certainly not most. And isn’t that a fucking crazy revelation? Am I even ready to start thinking about facing Jax’s wrath when it comes to being with his sister?
Could our friendship survive that? Could the team? There’s a whole lot riding on our ability to work, live, and play together, but damn if I’m not thinking about making that fucking leap.
“Then I suggest you memorize those faces and make sure you never comment on them again,” I say, finally happy to lay it all out for them. It’s a necessary step even beyond my situationship with Aurora.
Jax really would tear them a new asshole if he heard them saying that shit about her. The team is new. It can’t handle any shake-ups right now when it’s still trying to grow.
Caleb smacks my shoulder. “Fuck, man, okay.”
I shrug, attempting to look nonchalant when I’m anything but.
“Just lookin’ out for you. You know how intense Jax gets in the goal. Now imagine the goal is his sister.”
“Yeah, well, I had no idea that was his sister,” Sebastian squawks, “so there’s that.”
“I’m just saying, dude, I’ll never forget that time when we were in high school. He almost beat the living snot out of some kid just for teasing her. And that was before he found out lifting weights was a thing.”
It’s a true story, though I conveniently leave out the part about me joining him to set the tone.
Caleb narrows his eyes. “Are you sure you don’t just want her for yourself?” If the topic of conversation were anyone else, it would be a fair assumption. But given it’s about Aurora, I have to let them know how wrong they are, even if it is all a lie.
I want her, but wanting is going to have to be enough for now.
“I’d rather keep my face intact,” I reply, ready to change the subject. “If I were a fucking daredevil, I’d jump out of a damn plane like Gomez did a couple of weeks ago.”
That seems to get their attention. Caleb whirls around to look at Gomez.
“What the fuck, dude? You jumped out of a plane? And coach let you?”
I apologize in my head for using him to change the topic of conversation to something less personal, but by the look on Gomez’s face, I know I’m going to have to do more than just apologize. I can only hope he doesn’t want my firstborn or something equally horrifying, but now I need a rudder to steer clear of the incoming rocks that threaten to smash me.
Aurora’s off-limits. That’s all there ever can be.
But even as I think it, I know I’m lying to myself. Because if she’s off-limits, why the hell can’t I stop thinking about her? Why does the thought of her with anyone else make me want to punch walls? And most importantly, how the hell am I going to face Jax knowing what I’ve done and knowing that given the chance, I’d do it all over again?