2. Aiden
2
AIDEN
“I’m pretty sure I’ll get fired if you’re dead, so just keep breathing.” The words are spoken softly but tinged with a note of panic.
Darkness is all around me but it’s a warm darkness. There’s something soothing in this space and I think it has to do with the melodic quality to the feminine voice.
Scattered fragments from the day tickle at my memory but the moment I reach for them, they disappear altogether.
Something warm and soft is against my face. “You’re a little bit bloody right now and I think maybe we’ll just patch you up. Don’t worry. I have a book for this. Please, don’t die. I don’t have a book for that one.”
I want to reach out. I want to tell the woman with the soothing voice that I’m alright. But my whole body is too heavy, and the darkness is pulling me back under again.
Nova
He’s still breathing, and he doesn’t look dead. I remind myself of this as I apply the butterfly bandage from the first aid kit I found in Mrs. Kay’s desk. It’s a pretty gnarly gash but there’s no way I have the skills to close it.
I glance back at the open book on the floor. It has instructions on exactly how to apply a butterfly bandage, but the diagram only shows a tiny cut. This is definitely not a tiny cut.
“We’ll just do the best we can for now,” I tell my unconscious patient. He’s cute and I recognize him from around town.
Aiden is the newest firefighter in Mount Bliss, a total hunk. He was checking out my ass in the diner last night. Rumor is he’s related to three other mountain men in this town—Crew, Amos, and Owen.
Crew runs the lumber mill while Amos owns the pub. I’m not sure about Owen. I’ve never seen the man. Some of the locals insist he’s a ghost that comes and goes as he pleases.
“You could probably do a better job of patching yourself up than I can,” I admit as I apply the final bandage.
I cleaned and disinfected the wound earlier. He stirred only once, long enough to murmur the word “angel” before falling back into unconsciousness.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” I ask as I run my fingers through his dark brown hair. I’m checking for a bump on the head which the book says to do.
But I get distracted when I notice how soft and thick his hair is. I’m jealous. My red hair is long and straight with no body or volume. It’s dry and stick-like most days no matter how much product I try adding to it.
“No bumps and great hair, points for both of those,” I mutter.
He groans again and starts trying to move. I put a hand on his arm, not sure if that’s what I’m supposed to do. He has amazing biceps. Full and firm, the kind that could probably hold a curvy woman like me up against the wall as he pounded into me. Shit, that’s not what I should be thinking about right now.
“Try to be careful,” I warn. “You’ve been unconscious for a little bit.”
His eyelids finally flutter open and his deep brown gaze lands on me. “Where am I?” He looks confused, but his pupils are the same size. The book said that was a good sign.
“I need to check something,” I tell him as I shine the mini flashlight in his eyes, like that helps. I’m no doctor. But they both seem to have the same response. Also a good sign, maybe.
“Do you know your name?” I’m not sure what else to do for him at this point. Asking him if he knows who he is seems like a good start.
“You’re you.” A small smile crosses Aiden’s face.
“But do you know your name?” I prompt, not sure why the smile on his face is making my heart beat funny.
“I’m me,” he says decisively before closing his eyes again.
I blow out a breath and glance at my first aid book. I’ve run out of things to do for him, so I cross to the window and watch the falling snow. There are already several inches on the ground and it’s coming so fast that getting on the road definitely wouldn’t be safe, even if I could find Aiden’s vehicle. “Well, it looks like we’re bunking here for the night.”
One of my co-workers left a cup of macaroni and cheese in the cabinet. There’s other food in there, but I’m not sure how long we’ll be here so I need to ration it. For now, I heat the mac in the microwave.
The employee lounge might be outdated but it’s actually the nicest part of the library. It received some slight renovations years ago and the spacious room features a cozy sitting area with a couch, a small kitchenette with wooden chairs and a table. There’s even an employee’s only bathroom. I know there are definitely worse places I could have been stranded in a snowstorm.
I glance at the couch where Aiden is stirring again.
He opens his eyes and reaches for his head. I hurry over to him and grab his hand before he can touch his forehead. It took a long time to get the bleeding to stop. I don’t want him to accidentally start it again. “Easy there. You have a minor—well, I hope it’s minor—head injury.”
He groans. “Where am I?”
“The library,” I explain. It’s a good thing he’s asking questions, I think. I hope it is. There’s no way for me to get him medical attention at this point.
He moves to sit up and I put a hand on his back to help him. Damn, his skin is warm through his t-shirt. He leans into my touch and turns his head toward me. His breath fans my face when he speaks, “And how did I get here, angel?”
I fight a shiver that has nothing to do with the dropping temperature in this room. “I’m not sure. Do you remember anything from today?”
He thinks for a moment. “I remember this morning. I had cereal and milk. I was at the fire station and played a game of basketball with Ben. Then…” His voice trails off and he looks confused.
“Well, it’s OK,” I try to encourage. “The book says a lot of patients who have head trauma can’t recall the incident that led to it.”
“Can you help me find my keys?” He pats his pockets.
I already pulled off his coat earlier. It was cold and wet. I set it in front of the little space heater that’s in the center of the room. The old library is drafty on the best of days and with the weather, there’s no way the aging HVAC unit will be able to keep up. “You can’t drive. You have a head injury. Besides, we’re in the middle of a snowstorm.”
“What?” He pushes to his feet and takes one wobbly step forward then another. When he has his balance, he strides over to the window and looks out of it. He swears under his breath when he sees the snow.
“You want half a bowl of mac and cheese? It’s the cheap stuff but I’ll share,” I offer, trying to distract him. I don’t like the short-term memory loss, but he seems in better shape than I thought he would be.
He frowns and rubs his chest. “I think I was in a car accident. I feel like a steering wheel hit me.” He pulls up his shirt and there’s a very distinctive square shape around his beautiful six-pack. It’s definitely going to bruise.
“That looks like maybe you got hit with a book,” I explain, wondering if he’s going to be mad at me. I don’t know enough about Aiden to guess what kind of person he is. His eyes are kind, but I tend to be a bad judge of character with men. It’s why I have the two-date rule.
I take the cellphone charger from Mrs. Kay’s desk that I spotted in a drawer earlier. I was a bit focused on getting the first aid kit for Aiden. But now that he’s up, I want to charge my phone for a few minutes.
He runs his big fingers along his ribcage before nodding. “Nothing is broken. Wait a second. How would I have been hit with a book?”
“I thought you were a black bear,” I mumble as I remove the mac cup from the microwave. There’s only one fork so it looks like we’ll be sharing.
To my surprise, Aiden laughs. He throws his head back with a deep, loud sound that ends with a pained grimace. “Since when can bears turn doorknobs?”
I scowl at him. “I saw it on an internet video once. Why do you think I don’t live in freakin’ Colorado?”
“It’s still pretty rare,” he points out, his lips twitching. “Most bears are more scared of you than you are of them.”
“You know who says that?” I ask, spearing a macaroni noodle. “People who end up as lunch. Now, do you want some sludgy cheese and undercooked noodles?”
He crosses to his jacket and pulls out a large package of Skittles. “I’ll spring for dessert.”
I sit on the couch and Aiden sits next to me. He’s a big guy but there’s still more room on his other side. He’s sitting this close to me on purpose. I just don’t know why. Maybe he’s trying to annoy me. “You don’t happen to have a little sister, do you?”
My brother treated me the same way. He always did things on purpose just to get a reaction from me. Not that I didn’t deserve some of his antics. I definitely made his life miserable when we were growing up.
“Why?” He asks as I pass him the fork and dish. He grimaces at his first bite.
“You seem like the annoying older brother type,” I answer, trying to shift away from him. Not that I can. He’s boxed me in but the feeling of his denim-clad thigh against mine is making me crazy. I keep wanting to reach out and run my fingers up his leg. I don’t know what this is about. I’ve never had this type of reaction to another man.
He grins. “Aww, you like me, angel.”