Nudge 28 The Overnight
The Overnight
‘After you.’
Aiden grins with pride as he holds open my door, beckoning me out of the car. My heart is still racing, more so when I look him in the eyes, but I try to stay cool. It’s too early to show my cards.
‘Cute,’ I say plainly. ‘Probably would have been cuter if you hadn’t made me wait here while you ran around to let me out.’
He tuts. ‘Whatever happened to “thank you”?’
‘Whatever happened to efficiency? We could have both been inside by now.’
I square up to him, standing as tall as I can to at least meet him eye to eye. The fire behind his pupils burns bright, flashing and sizzling before coming down to a deeper, more intense simmer.
‘Are you trying to rush me inside?’ he asks, pulling me close until we’re pressed chest to chest.
I breathe in his scent. Rich and powerful. One more sniff and I’ll melt.
‘We don’t have to . . .’ I say, bluffing, my breath heightening.
‘Oh, but we do.’ He traces the curve of my lips with his eyes. ‘It’s a crime that we’re not already upstairs.’
His head dips down to meet mine, hand cupping my chin as he teasingly hovers millimetres from my face.
I close my eyes, waiting for the inevitable brush of our lips.
But it doesn’t come. Instead, he breaks us apart, snatching our bags from the back seat and leading as I chase him to the house.
There’s an undeniable spring in his step as he resists all urges to break out into a run.
He stops at the front door, looking me up and down with an unbridled lust and a glimmer of concern.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’
I nod, silently gathering the words to tell him just how much I want to do this, but just as I grasp them the door swings open and knocks them clean out of my brain.
‘There you are!’ Evie says, as we both stare in shock. ‘It’s getting late – I was worried you’d got lost.’
‘Evie!’ Aiden says.
It’s more of a yelp than a word, but he swallows it down and tries once again. ‘I thought your flight was this morning?’
‘It got delayed,’ she sighs, before beckoning us in. ‘They’re putting us up in hotel rooms tonight – a pre-trip slumber party. But I thought I’d treat you both to dinner before I headed off.’
She leads us through her grand foyer, down the hall and into her dining room, where her large ornate table is set for three.
‘Malia, my nutritionist, hadn’t left for the weekend yet, so she agreed to prepare a nice spread for us all,’ she says.
I haven’t recovered from the whiplash I got when Evie opened that door when her nutritionist emerges from the side door, the decadent platter in her hands making my jaw drop.
The smell of the freshly sliced steak hits me before I see it, and when my eyes home in on it, I almost sob with appreciation.
It’s a charcuterie board. A steak charcuterie board.
Sliced steak, fans of cheese, lightly toasted bread slices and grilled vegetables lie among small ceramic bowls of creamy sauces and mashed potatoes.
‘You two must be starving – you’re so quiet.’ Evie pulls up a seat at the head of the table. ‘Sit! Eat!’
I catch eyes with Aiden as we both lower into our seats, positioned opposite each other, either side of the table. He smirks knowingly. It sets off the cascade of butterflies and I lower my eyes to the table.
‘Are you two OK?’ Evie asks, her tone growing concerned.
‘Yeah, was just a long drive,’ Aiden manages to say, swooping in to our rescue.
‘Ah, I see.’
She doesn’t buy it, but decides to leave it there, leaning across the table and grabbing some sliced fig. As she leans, she catches my face, pausing to take a closer look at it.
‘Maddison, babe, you look really flushed. Is it hot out there?’
I catch sight of myself in one of the twisted metal candlesticks on the table. My reflection is horribly distorted, but clear enough to show wisps of hair escaping the bun I threw my hair into post-kiss, and the light sheen of sweat on my forehead.
Aiden barely stifles his chuckle.
‘Very,’ I say, trying to drown out his interruption. ‘Don’t let the rain fool you – it’s something else out there.’
‘Really? I found it quite chilly.’ Aiden leans back in his seat, smirking at the new scowl I send his way. ‘You sure you’re OK, Maddy?’
I thought we were a team in this, but the gleam in his eye says otherwise.
‘Pretty sure,’ I say, giving him a pointed look the second Evie redirects her attention to her plate.
He huffs a laugh to himself, smugly spearing a head of asparagus with his fork and maintaining eye contact. Looks like this dinner just became the latest in our series of games.
‘Why don’t you tell Evie about the drive?’ I ask curtly. ‘Those country roads were intense.’
I purse my lips and stare at him. He shakes his head back. The night is young and we’re just getting started.
We are at each other’s throats the rest of the way through dinner, but differently this time.
It is teasing, and flirty, and takes place in the intensity between our eyes and the occasional nudge under the table.
But as we finish up and wave goodbye to Evie, the reality of the situation starts to set in.
Before I know it, I am up the stairs and locked in my room before he’s had a chance to say a word.
‘You did WHAT?’ Kimi screams, managing to shake the room even through the tiny speaker on my phone.
‘Quiet!’ I whisper. ‘But I know. Trust me, I’m just as shocked as you.’
‘I’m not shocked,’ Devi says, detective face in check. ‘With the tension you two have and his arms, it was bound to happen at some point.’
‘So, what happens now?’ Raina asks, as all three of them wait in silence.
‘I don’t know! Why do you think I called you?’ I say.
‘How was the kiss?’ Devi asks.
‘Unbelievable,’ I sigh.
The moment plays on a loop in the back of my head, the mere thought of it sending a shiver through me. It felt like liquid electricity, coursing through my veins, both exhilarating and terrifying.
‘What am I doing kissing Aiden Edwards? Who do I think I am?’ I say.
Kimi frowns. ‘Don’t do that, babe. He is the one who should be so lucky.’
‘No, I mean . . . it’s Aiden. Aiden. It just doesn’t make any sense.’
I try to think back to a few months ago – to school – to the nightmares, but they’re all tarred over with a burning, irrevocable lust. None of it matters – all I can see is the Aiden here and now. The Aiden whose hands traced my skin delicately like it was made of silk.
My thoughts are jolted by the sound of three taps at my door, each one clear, precise, and intentional.
‘Is that a knock?’ Kimi asks.
‘It’s a knock,’ I say.
‘It’s a knock!’ Raina squeals. ‘It’s gotta be him, right?’
‘Oh, my God,’ Devi gasps.
‘Guys, be cool!’ I hiss.
‘Maddison? You awake?’ his voice sounds as he tentatively knocks again.
Kimi screeches in dismay. ‘What are you doing sitting there? Use your feet and go get him!’
My body is on autopilot as I rise from the bed, practically floating towards the door and reaching for the handle.
He’s standing there in grey fleece shorts and a T-shirt, freshly showered and shaven.
He smells like cocoa butter, the scent elevated by a slight hint of aftershave he was trying to be subtle about.
‘Can I come in?’ he asks quietly.
‘Yeah, of course.’
I’m trying my best to be cool and it’s almost believable, bar the small quiver that comes towards the end of the sentence.
I glance over to my phone, girls silently freaking out in my palm, hidden from him behind the white wooden door.
I jab once, twice, three times at the red button to end the call, and my phone starts vibrating as messages pour in.
I know they’re cursing me in the group chat, but I can worry about that later.
There are more important things at hand right now.
He strides in slowly as I carefully shut the door behind him.
When he reaches the bed, he hesitates – I can see his mind whirring as he debates the best etiquette.
Eventually he positions himself lightly on the edge of the bed.
A suggestion, with the clear intention of leaping up if he’s read it wrong.
My heart’s back at it again, thumping hard against my chest. I worry it may burst through my ribcage.
‘Is that what you sleep in?’ he says jokingly, looking me up and down.
I needed advice so badly when I got to my room that I didn’t even think about getting ready for bed before calling the girls. I’m still in the jeans and oversized fleece I’ve been wearing since this morning, while he sits comfortably on my bed and mocks me.
‘Haven’t had time to change,’ I say, still frozen.
‘Fair, but how are you still in the fleece?’
Take it off me, I desperately want to say, but the nerves keep me quiet.
‘I thought you’d be in bed by now, getting an early night for tomorrow,’ he continues, filling the silence.
‘And yet you still knocked on my door.’
‘Yeah, of course I did. I thought you’d be in bed,’ he says slowly.
The full impact of his words hit, sending a shot of heat straight through me.
His face has never looked better, even in the dim lamplight of my room.
His eyes roam my body with an unbridled desire before he unflinchingly meets my gaze.
He wants me, dare I say it, as much as I want him.
He’s just waiting for me to make the next move.
My legs feel like jelly. I worry that if I move from this spot, I may crumble to the floor under the weight of his gaze, but there’s a reassurance and comfort in it that tells me that I can do no wrong.
I hate how much I like it. I hate how much I want it.
I want him right now more than I’ve ever wanted anyone.
‘You’re thinking too hard,’ he says, calm as ever. ‘Again.’
I raise an eyebrow, which makes him laugh. He looks me up and down with both compassion and a deep, insatiable hunger, each one fighting its hardest to take the top spot.
‘What’s on your mind?’ he asks, his head tilted as he takes me in.