Chapter 6 Lexi
LEXI
Holy shit. I’m pressed against the wall of a stranger’s cabin while a man I met less than an hour ago has his face buried between my legs. And I regret nothing.
Because Aiden doesn’t seem like a stranger. I’m not experienced with men, but that’s because I’ve never felt like this. This sudden rush of heat and desire, and the way he oozes not only sex appeal, but trust and something else. As if I’ve known him for years and not just minutes.
Aiden hooks one leg over his shoulder, and his hands cup my backside, and good god, he pulls me onto his tongue. I yelp at the sensation, but he only pulls me closer, his tongue and lips doing all sorts of things I never imagined a mouth could do.
I’ve had orgasms before, but never with a man and never like this.
One hand slides to my breast, and he tugs at my nipple as his mouth ignites every part of me.
His rough tongue laps at my most intimate place, igniting a fire inside of me that I struggle to control.
Heat radiates from my core and through my body, searing everything in its path as his tongue draws me closer to the edge, until my orgasm erupts in a blast of white-hot heat that sweeps through my body like wildfire.
I don’t have time to cool down before he scorches me again and again.
I’ve just peaked for the fourth time when there’s a high-pitched beeping noise.
“Fuck.” Aiden scrambles to his feet and races down the stairs, which is when I realize the cabin is filled with smoke.
I’d forgotten that Aiden was in the middle of cooking when I brazenly opened my towel, allowing him a peek at my body and igniting the flame that led to his tongue inside of me. And now, his cabin is going to burn down because of me.
I follow him down the stairs and throw the door open, letting the smoke escape into the night.
Aiden slides on oven mitts, pulls the chicken out of the oven, and dumps it in the sink. He turns the tap on, and the fire dissipates with a hiss and more smoke.
I grab a dishcloth and flap it over the smoke alarm, which is still going off. Aiden shuts the oven door and opens more windows, and as the smoke wafts into the cool night, the smoke alarm silences.
Aiden gives me a sheepish look. “I burned your dinner.”
I take in the black chicken pieces on his melted oven tray.
“The rice and vegetables are still good.”
His gaze runs over me, becoming heated once more, and I realize I’m still naked. I hold the dishcloth over myself, which makes Aiden laugh. “I’ve seen it all now, firefly.”
“I’m sorry. I distracted you.”
He slides an arm around my waist. “Are you kidding me? I’d let the entire cabin burn down for one taste of you.”
I duck my head, not sure how to take his words.
I’m not used to praise of any kind, and I can’t figure out if he means what he says, or if that’s what all men say to their one-night stands, or three-night stands if I’m lucky.
Because no matter that I feel like I already know Aiden, and this connection is not normal, in three days, I’m going back to my life in Jersey City.
I’ve got one more year of school, and I need to get back to work if I’m going to make it to graduation, get out of the shitty side of town, and make something more of my life than my mother has.
“You’re getting goosebumps.”
Aiden runs his hands over my arms, giving me goosebumps of a new kind. I can’t believe I’ve just spent the last several minutes with his face buried between my thighs. It’s the last thing I expected to happen when I got off the bus today.
“Put this on.”
Aiden pulls a sweater from the back of a chair and hands it to me. It falls to my knees, and the arms are way too long, but it smells like him, and I like the smile he gives me when he sees me in it.
“You got a thing for fires, firefly?” He runs his hands down my arms, and the proximity of him makes my heart race.
“I’m sorry you burned the chicken.”
“Stop apologizing. I was exactly where I wanted to be.”
With the smoke cleared, he closes the windows, then opens a can of tuna to go with the rice and vegetables. We sit on the stools to eat it side by side. I’m aware of my bare pussy under his sweater and the soft throbbing emanating from it.
I know what his stubble feels like on my thighs; I know how his palms feel on my breasts, but I don’t know much about the man whose face I was just riding.
“Are you from here?”
Aiden shakes his head. “I grew up in Kentucky and joined the army at seventeen. I’ve been out for a few years, and when I heard about this place for veterans, Jake’s Retreat, I came for a three-week stint. Now, I work there doing security.”
It figures he’s a military man. His protective instincts make sense. Maybe that’s why I feel safe with him.
“How about you?” he asks. “Why show up in Hope now?”
I chew my mouthful before answering. I didn’t even tell my mom about the inheritance.
She never had a good word to say about my father.
He was a fling, and she left town before she realized she was pregnant.
That’s all I know. She said she never spoke to him again.
But that can’t be right if he left me his property. He must’ve known about me.
I didn’t ask Mom about it, because if she got a sniff of money coming in, she’d hound me for her cut.
And I’m done fueling my mother’s alcohol habit.
I’ll pay off her current debts, and then the only thing I’m paying for is rehab.
She’s bled me dry for too long, and it’s left me behind in my rent, trying to work through my studies while supporting a parent who can’t hold down a job.
But Aiden doesn’t need to know all my problems.
“I got a letter three weeks ago.” I grab my backpack and pull out the crumpled letter. The address of the lawyer’s office is at the top, which was scary and official-looking when it arrived. The letter is concise, explaining that I’ve been left property.
“I never met my father. I never even knew his name. I have no idea why he’d leave this to me.”
Aiden takes the letter and smooths it out on the table. “Hope Legal.” He reads the name of the law firm. “I know one of the guys who works there. Have you been to see them?”
“Only to pick up the key. I have an appointment tomorrow at two.”
Aiden slides the letter back to me. “I’ll come with you.”
“Why?”
He frowns. “Your father’s place has been abandoned since he passed away, but there’s interest in it.
I’ve seen cars parked there. I thought it was kids, but the cars are too nice.
We’ll take a walk around the property tomorrow morning.
It says six acres. I want to make sure you’re aware of what’s on your land before you speak to anyone. ”
“I can’t take up more of your time. Don’t you have to work?”
Aiden shakes his head. “You don’t get it yet, do you, firefly?”
He’s smiling at me like I’m missing out on something big and exciting. I don’t know what it could be.
That said, it’s nice to have someone looking out for me. To feel like I’m not alone in this. I have no idea what my land will be like, but I like the idea of walking around it with Aiden.
“Thanks. It’ll be easier to set up the sale if I know what’s on the land.”
Aiden looks confused, and panic flutters across his face.
“What do you mean set up the sale?”
“I’m selling the property. That’s why I’m in town. To sign the paperwork and appoint an agent to sell for me. Then I’m heading back to Jersey.”