Chapter 4 Lexi
LEXI
The man, Aiden, shakes his head. “You can’t stay in there. Not even for one night, firefly. It’s not safe.
His concern is sweet, and so is the fact that he’s known me less than five minutes and he’s given me a pet name.
But there’s nothing sweet about the ache between my thighs and the dirty thoughts that have been running through my mind since he strolled out of the night and took up a spot around my bonfire.
The man is sex on legs. He’s tall and broad, and the way he moves like he owns the space, even on my property, is annoyingly sexy. His dark hair is cropped short, and there’s a hint of stubble on his chin, which I long to run my hands over and feel between my thighs.
I have never in my entire life had thoughts like this about a man, let alone done the things I’m imagining with him. Luckily, it’s dark, and the fire is warm. I don’t want him to notice the blush creeping up my neck as I imagine him kissing me.
I should be wary of a strange man in a strange town, but I’m not getting creepy vibes from Aiden. All I’m getting is sexy, hot stranger looking at me like he wants to devour me vibes.
“You can’t stay here,” he says again.
And I get that the house is crumbling, and there’s no electricity, and I’ve had to clear all this junk to make a space on the floor.
But I don’t want to tell him I have no other option.
I can’t afford a hotel, and the only other place to sleep is my rental car, which is so small I’d have to sleep with my feet poking out the window. I know because I already tried.
Also, who is he to come here and tell me what I can and can’t do? Even if his commanding vibe is sexy as hell.
“It’s my place.”
He takes a step toward me so his chest is right up next to mine. The air goes out of my lungs, and my nipples harden as heat floods my body.
“You’re not staying here, firefly.”
His voice has a finality to it, like he’s used to being obeyed, and it sends a delicious shiver right down to my aching nipples.
His gaze penetrates mine, and behind the desire burning in them, I see genuine concern. Maybe Aiden is more than a hot stranger who emerged from the dark. He seems to care about my safety. And I’ve never in my life had someone do that before.
Ignoring my aching nipples, I listen to my gut, which tells me to trust this stranger with the truth.
“I have nowhere else to go.”
My shoulders slump as though someone has lifted a weight off them.
Speaking it out loud makes me feel vulnerable, but it’s also good to share the burden.
I arrived here thinking I’d be able to crash in my new property, and instead, I’m having to burn the termite-infested furniture just to clear a space on the floor.
His gaze darkens, and his hand cups my chin. “You’re coming to my cabin.”
“What?” I squeak.
I can’t go to the cabin of a man I just met in a town I don’t know. It’s madness; that’s how people get murdered.
“I have a cabin not far from here. We’ll let this fire burn out, then I’ll take you home.”
“But …” He puts a finger to my lips, and I gasp at the roughness and warmth of his skin. His fingers are thick and his palms callused.
All sensible thoughts about why this is a bad idea flee my mind, and all I can think about are his hands running up my thighs and what he could do with those thick fingers.
“No excuses. I’m taking care of you now.”
Oh, wow, did he just say he’s taking care of me? I’m not sure if he means take care of me because I have no place to stay or if he wants to take care of me in all the ways that my finger-fucking fantasy are imagining right now.
My body yearns for one, and my heart yearns for the other.
“Um …” My mouth is dry, and I seem to have lost my ability to speak.
I’ve been on the road for two days taking the cheapest route possible, which involved far too many detours and bus changes. I’m tired and hungry, and a hot man has shown up offering to take care of me. It’s too good to be true.
Frowning at my uncertainty, Aiden steps even closer.
“You got a boyfriend who wouldn’t like you staying in my cabin?” His voice comes out as a growl, and his eyes flash in the firelight.
Is he jealous? I’ve just met the guy, and he’s getting all OTT possessive like he owns me. There’re red flags all over this situation, and yet I’m seriously considering spending the night in his cabin.
“No. No boyfriend,” I squeak.
Aiden relaxes, and his finger brushes a strand of hair from my cheek. “Then why the hesitation? You worried you don’t know me? Go down to Jake’s Retreat. I’ve got a dozen guys who’ll vouch for my character.”
“At a retreat?” I can’t imagine what a bunch of guys are doing at a retreat in the mountains. “What do you do? Broga?”
Aiden chuckles, revealing a dimple in his left cheek.
“It’s a veteran’s retreat. We run events and classes to help veterans get back to civilian life. There’s a recovery wing and accommodation units. And yes, they’re building a yoga studio.”
“Oh.” That makes sense. A veteran’s retreat in the mountains. They take care of people here. You wouldn’t find anything like that in Jersey City.
Aiden steps back suddenly, and the chill night air swoops in to take his place.
“Take a photo of me and my car. Send it to a friend along with my address. That way someone knows who you’re with and where you are.”
It makes sense; if I had someone who cared where I was. But I’m not going to tell him that.
I pull my phone out of my pocket. It’s only got one bar of battery left. With no electricity, I can’t charge it.
Aiden strides over to his SUV and stands by the plates.
I snap a photo showing the plates and then zoom in for a pic of his muscular torso and handsome face.
He’s wearing a panty-melting smile, and this one’s for my personal collection.
So I remember the mountain hottie who appeared out of the dark and lit up my campfire.
“Send it to someone you trust,” Aiden says.
I scroll through my contacts, but I can’t think of anyone to send it to. Mom will be a bottle deep by this time of night. She forgets to call me on my birthday, so she’s not going to remember to call me in the morning to check that I’m still alive.
The other numbers on my phone are more acquaintances than friends.
There’s a girl from my class who I had coffee with once, but whenever she invited me to parties, I had to work.
She stopped inviting me after a while. There’s Clarissa from work, but I only have her number so we can swap shifts if we need to.
The hard truth hits me: there’s no one to send the picture to. Between my college courses, working at the restaurant, and taking care of Mom, there’s no time for friendships.
I press buttons on my phone and pretend to send the message. If Aiden is going to murder me, then it’s better he thinks someone is coming for me and not know the truth: that no one would miss me if I disappeared.
While I’ve been pretending on my phone, Aiden has filled a rusty bucket with water from an outside tap and thrown it on the fire. Another dousing extinguishes the flames, and we’re left with smoking embers.
He rakes the coals apart with a stick and throws one more bucket to make sure it’s extinguished.
“Grab your bags, and you can follow me in your car.”
I grab my backpack from where I left it inside. The darkness of the house casts strange shadows, and I’m relieved I don’t have to spend the night here.
But as I follow Aiden up a winding road heading farther into the mountain, I wonder if I’ve jumped from the frying pan into the fire.
But even if I have, I like the heat.