Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Aaron
It’s easier than I thought it would be.
Paige emerges from under the table with me, hesitant to step back into the party. When she stands up, I place one hand on her lower back and guide her to the bar where she saw her so-called date.
“What are you doing?” she whispers, frantic. “I can’t go over there.”
“Relax, sweetheart,” I tell her with a smile. I tuck a strand of her ginger hair behind her ear in an intimate gesture. “We’re just going to grab a drink.”
“Sweetheart,” she repeats the endearment.
I see the moment it registers, the light that goes on behind her eyes. She lets a smile tug at her face, but she doesn’t totally surrender to it.
The bar is self-serve, so I step behind it and start pouring. Asking her what she wants to drink would be to admit that I barely know her. I let my hand hover over the wine bottles instead, until she nods at one.
She never takes her eyes off me, but I can sense her attention being pulled in another direction. I glance up and see the man who must be guilty staring at her openly. Before he gathers the courage to say anything, I pass her the drink and lead her back toward our friends.
“Paige,” Levi greets her when we approach, not missing my hand resting on her waist. “I didn’t know you already met the captain.”
“Long story,” she says. “Wouldn’t want to bore you with the details.”
She looks up at me and leans into my touch. For a moment, her hand rises to rest against my chest. God, it feels good to have her so close to me after a week spent wondering whether I’d ever see her again.
I should have known we would cross paths in a town as small as Crown Hill.
“Paige was one of the first people I met when I moved here,” I tell her brother, trying to be friendly. If he turns out to be overprotective, I’ll need to win him over early. “She’s made the transition easier.”
“And yet, the only nights I’d watched Noah were nights you were working, Aaron.”
He’s sharper than I gave him credit for, but I smile anyway as if this is a mere coincidence. “I didn’t realize you were her brother until now. Guess we’ll be spending a lot more time together.”
Levi doesn’t have a chance to respond before an older woman barrels over. She looks just like an older version of Paige, a carbon copy with white hair instead of ginger. She must have been a knockout when she was younger.
“I’m taking Noah home,” she says, reaching for the little boy. “You and Levi should stay and celebrate. Let me watch him tonight.”
“You really don’t have to do that,” Paige protests.
The woman looks at her pointedly, the boy already cradled in her arms. Her gaze drifts to me, causing Paige to drop her hand from my chest. “It’s about time you had some fun,” she says. “Tell me about it tomorrow.”
“Nothing to tell,” Paige insists, but her mother laughs.
“Well then, do something and tell me about it,” she says, before turning her attention back to her grandson.
Silence falls over the group as she leaves.
Paige and I hardly know each other—definitely not well enough to carry on a believable conversation in front of all these people. The idea of me dating his sister has rendered Levi speechless, it seems.
The tension is so thick you could hack it apart with a fire ax, each man trying not to look me in the eye.
I’m grateful for the distraction when Summer taps on the mic to gather our attention.
“I’m going to throw the bouquet,” she announces from the makeshift stage at the back of the yard as Paige’s mother leaves through the gate. “Gather around, single ladies!”
Levi pushes Paige toward the stage, far away from me.
Determined not to leave her on her own, I drift after her until I’m just on the outskirts of where Summer intends to throw the bouquet. A group of women hovers behind her, some enthusiastic about tradition and others eager to get this ritual over with.
But when she turns, Summer aims wide and throws it to the side of the gathered women.
Right into my arms.
Quick reflexes allow me to catch the bouquet, a flush rising in my cheeks. A man is the last person supposed to catch it, and I’ve now drawn even more attention to Paige and me.
“I believe this was meant for you,” I tell her loud enough for her failed date to hear, presenting the wedding bouquet with a flourish. “You know what they say. You must be next.”
I turn in the direction of the man she’s avoiding and wink at him. He glances awkwardly at his watch and then casts about the yard, trying to look anywhere but at us.
The music rises again. There’s only one thing left to do.
“Shall we dance?” I extend a hand toward Paige, who doesn’t hesitate to take it.
* * *
Paige
Aaron has the confidence and charm to make me forget that we’re doing anything except playing a part. He’s doing me a favor, but a girl can dream that this could one day be real.
He draws me in close as a slow song starts.
Strong arms wrap around my waist, leaving no room for me to pull back. No room for me to breathe. No room for me to even think about anything other than his all-consuming presence.
Of their own volition, my arms wrap around his neck. I blush when one of his hands trails lower on my waist, settling just above the curve of my ass. I wonder if anyone notices. I wonder if I care.
He leans down and presses his forehead against mine, a gesture so tender that I want to melt.
“If we’re going to do this, we should go all the way. Really sell it for your little friend over there,” he whispers so that the couple next to us can’t hear him.
I glance over at Alexander, who is studiously not looking at us.
“What do you have in mind?” I ask, wondering how we could possibly pretend any more than we are.
Aaron stops swaying in time with the music. The pretense of dancing falls away, but he doesn’t pull back. He lets go of my waist and hooks a single finger under my chin to tilt my face up toward his.
“We can stop anytime,” he murmurs, leaning in until I feel the rumble of his words against my lips.
But stopping is the last thing on my mind.
My body moves without my permission, stretching upward on my tiptoes to close the space between my lips and his. At first, we don’t move at all, content to let our lips brush softly against one another. His breath tickles as he smiles against me.
Aaron shifts and unmistakably moves to deepen the kiss. As his soft lips part against mine, warmth curls in tendrils through my core. My lips part beneath his, letting his warm tongue dance over my bottom lip.
His hand moves from under my chin to the back of my head, fingers tangling gently in the curls Summer gave me for the day. Even if I want to, he has me anchored so tightly to him that I can’t pull away.
Not that I would.
Not that I could.
It’s been too long since I’ve been kissed like this—with hunger and passion and tenderness.
I let myself get lost in the sensation, opening to welcome him in. Our tongues slide over one another, tentatively exploring each other. His breath is hot against my skin, each one coming more ragged than the last.
I press myself against him, hungry for more. I’m a woman who has been starved in the desert for far too long. I had no idea I could still feel like this. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt anything quite like this, not even with James.
I nip at his bottom lip, a thrill running through me at his sharp intake of breath.
The kiss lights me up, echoing from the crown of my head to the arches of my feet in these punishing heels. With our bodies flush against each other, it’s impossible to miss what it’s doing to him, too.
A sharp throat clearing interrupts the kiss and reminds me we are somewhere very public.
We both jump apart at the sudden reminder, cold air rushing around all the places we were touching. Summer is dancing beside us with Zachary’s daughter, Ella, a smirk lighting up her features.
“That was some kiss,” she drawls.
“I’m sorry.” My cheeks must be as red as an apple.
I realize that even my brother witnessed that kiss. The whole fire station knows what just happened. I will never live this down.
“I’ll let you two talk,” Aaron says, stepping back from me. I hate the way it feels to separate. “I’ll get you another glass of wine.”
Summer watches me watching him. “Looks like the captain is going to be spending a lot more time here.”
“Am I a terrible friend for stealing your thunder on your big day?”
The kind of kiss we just had should have been reserved for the bride and groom. On their honeymoon. In private.
She laughs and leans in close, whispering, “I told you to wear this dress, didn’t I?” Then, she disappears into the dance floor with Ella.
I make my way out of the center of the dance floor to the bar, where Aaron is uncorking a new bottle of white wine for me. I don’t bother to look at the label as I accept a glass. The crispness of the chilled alcohol slides smoothly down my throat.
“We should probably—”
I try to tell Aaron we should talk, but my phone rings before I can get it out. I hold up a finger to tell him I’ll be a minute when I see that it’s the hospital calling me.
“Yes, I’ll be there in a minute. Tell Mr. Oakley I’m coming.”
Aaron looks at me with a question in his eyes, but he doesn’t interfere or try to persuade me not to go. If anyone would understand the call of duty, it’s him.
“I’m sorry. I have to go to the hospital,” I explain.
I start to tell him about Mr. Oakley, the old man I’ve been taking care of since his wife passed away a few months ago.
Aaron holds up his hand to stop me. “No explanations needed. Can I give you a ride this time?”