31. We have to think with our brains, not our hearts.
31
"We have to think with our brains, not our hearts."
Marissa Martin
Aaron and I are getting the hang of this secret dating thing. I even bought a couple of books with that trope. What? It’s research!
We’re keeping our displays of affection limited to the apartment, and it’s working pretty well. I’ve never been so eager to get home, and even if watching Aaron parade around in his underwear still makes me overheat, I no longer have to avert my gaze.
He’s been gone for four days on an away trip, and I’m thrilled to have him back for a while.
As soon as I hear the keys jingling in the corridor, I rush to the door and swing it open.
“You’re back!” I scream, taking a step toward him.
“We are,” he says, giving me googly eyes. That’s when I notice Adler behind him, holding the strap of his bag.
I take a step back. “Hey, guys! Good to have you home,” I say, my cheeks officially on fire. “You did great on the road.”
“Thanks, Martin.” James tilts his chin to Aaron. “See you later, dude,” he says before taking the stairs up to his apartment.
Aaron steps inside and shuts the door, immediately pinning me to the wall.
“That was close,” I breathe out. “I didn’t think he would be there,” I giggle as he’s kissing my neck. “I was just so excited to see you.”
“Right back at you.”
He hugs me tight, lifting me off my feet, and I wrap my legs around his waist to deepen the kiss.
He carries me to the couch, and I trace my fingers over the new cuts on his face, then kiss them all.
“You’re the sweetest, Marissa Martin,” he says, caressing my hair. “I wish I could take you out on a real date.”
Tingles dance through me. A real date out in the open with Aaron sounds amazing, but we’ve only been doing this for a week. And even if it’s going great so far, the superstitious part of me is scared of jinxing it. Plus, we have to think with our brains, not our hearts. “Me too,” I say, nuzzling my nose in his neck. “But we’re doing the right thing.”
“Maybe we could still go somewhere? I’m off tomorrow. There must be a tiny town within driving distance where no one has ever heard of me, where we can walk hand in hand down some quiet street. And kiss,” he adds, kissing my lips. “Like, a lot.”
A laugh bubbles out of me. “That sounds like a dream.”
“I’ll start looking,” he says, grabbing his phone from his pocket, which draws even more laughter out of me.
“And I’ll call Beth to see if she can handle Rise & Grind alone tomorrow.” I pull myself away from him, grabbing my phone from the coffee table.
“No need. We’re all having dinner together tonight, so you can ask her then,” Aaron says, unlocking his phone.
“What’s the occasion?”
“None, really. Adler just said he wanted to try that new restaurant near the park, and Hawthorne said he was coming. Then, Beaumont said he had to come since it’s French food, and I told them we’d be there too. Beaumont called Hayley. She was with Beth, and they both said they were coming. Typical result of men planning something.”
I chuckle. “Sounds good. One night with our friends, and a day just for us tomorrow?”
He nods, his eyes teasing with a smile as he lifts his phone. “I’ve already found the perfect place. ”