Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
Sierra woke to the sunlight streaming in through the single window in her apartment. For a moment, she just looked at the blue sky (which was rare for Dublin) until the events of the night before came rushing back.
Sitting up straight in bed, Sierra looked down to see she was still wearing her jeans and bra from the day before, and before her mind could follow that concerning thought further, Aodhan set his hand on her shoulder.
“I didn’t want to cross any boundaries, so I put you to bed in what you were wearing.”
Sierra nodded mutely before turning to find Aodhan tucked into bed next to her, still wearing his shirt from the day before. “I also thought it might scare you to wake up next to me in nothing but my undergarments, so I am still clothed too.”
Sierra let out her breath. It was like Aodhan already knew all her anxieties without her having to explain them and had taken steps to make sure she woke up as comfortable as possible.
The thought made her warm inside, even though she knew his extreme attentiveness was likely thanks, for the most part, to his gift.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “I thought about leaving, but I thought that might also cause you stress.”
Sierra swallowed before answering, her mouth dry from crying the night before. “I’m okay. I’m sorry about…that.”
Aodhan shook his head. “You never have to apologize for having emotions. It’s part of being human.”
The word ‘human’ caused Sierra’s eyebrows to shoot up. “Is it different for Fae?”
Aodhan shrugged. “Yes and no. I think, as Fae, we are more in tune with our emotions and their causes than humans are, but we also have more time to figure them out, so it’s not a fair comparison. As to feeling the same emotions, I think humans and Fae feel all the same emotions, yes.”
“That makes me feel better, I guess.”
“Listen, Sierra,” Aodhan waited until her eyes rested on his before he continued, “I don’t want you to feel like you have to hide your emotions from me, okay?”
“I won’t.” The corner of Sierra’s mouth ticked up. “You’re like no man I’ve ever met, Aodhan.”
“I know.”
The air in the room felt a bit heavy, especially after her breakdown the night before, so Sierra decided it was time to lighten the mood a bit. “Who knew this whole time all I needed to do to find an emotionally mature man was to date someone a little older.”
“Hey now,” Aodhan said teasingly, a smile dancing across his lips. “I don’t want to see you dating any other Fae, understand?”
“Why?” Sierra stepped out of bed and headed toward the bathroom, looking at Aodhan over her shoulder. “Jealous?” Even though she was just in her sports bra and jeans still, she found that the insecure voice in her head remained quiet.
Aodhan’s eyes darkened. “Yes,” he replied honestly. “Plus, the only Fae I know in the area is Braan, and that would cause problems for numerous people.”
Once she was out of view, Sierra pushed the door closed, leaving it open a crack so they could talk as she undressed. “I would never do that to Kaye,” she replied in earnest.
“I know,” came Aodhan’s answer from the other side of the door as Sierra turned on the shower and stepped under the spray, washing away the shame and anxiety of the night before. Today was a new day, and Aodhan was still here.
She washed quickly, wrapping herself in her favorite extra-large towel, which covered most of her torso and legs, before reentering the bedroom.
Aodhan was right where she had left him, sitting up in bed with her blue comforter covering his lower half, his bare chest on display, giving Sierra the perfect opportunity to ogle the impressive abs she had felt during their previous make-out sessions. “Do you want to shower?”
“That would be preferable, yes,” Aodhan answered, his voice husky in a way that made goosebumps appear on Sierra’s skin.
Knowing that now wasn’t the time to try a repeat of last night, even though other parts of her body disagreed with that sentiment, Sierra grabbed her second towel from the bathroom cabinet and handed it to him on her way across the room. “Here you go.”
Aodhan disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack as she had.
As soon as she heard the water running, Sierra moved to her dresser, dropping her towel to pull on jeans and a long-sleeved turtleneck sweater.
She swapped the towel to her head, hoping her hair would dry a bit before she had to head to her lab.
With a glance at the clock, Sierra confirmed she had another hour until she would be late.
For the first time in a while, she was glad she didn’t have any early lectures.
While later lectures made it harder to arrange shifts at the library, at least she didn’t have to worry about the fact that she hadn’t set an alarm before falling asleep during her mental meltdown the night before.
Remembering that it was morning and that Aodhan might want breakfast, Sierra moved to her kitchen corner to see what she could scrounge up.
One glance at the half-sized fridge in her tiny kitchen confirmed it was indeed nearly empty, and the cabinets were just as bare.
With a grimace, Sierra started the hot water pot and grabbed two tea bags and two granola bars from her snack stash. It would have to do.
She turned around, only to come into contact with a wide, chiseled, and slightly damp chest. Sierra dropped the tea bags and the granola bars, lifting her chin to meet Aodhan’s green eyes, which were burning with desire.
Aodhan ducked, pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that left her breathless.
The kiss continued until the hot water kettle beeped, and Sierra reluctantly tore herself away.
Aodhan backed up a step, but Sierra could see he was clearly aroused by their morning interaction.
But before she could come up with something else to say, the hot water kettle beeped a second time, furious that Sierra hadn’t pressed the off button yet, and she had to turn away.
When she turned back, she saw Aodhan’s back as he stepped back into the bathroom, closing the door to assumably get dressed.
Sierra gathered the tea bags and granola bars from the floor, setting them on the table, before filling two mugs with hot water. By the time she was finished putting the tea bags in, Aodhan was back and fully dressed in the same clothes he had been wearing the night before.
“Are you working today?” he asked as he slid into the chair, pushing his damp curls from where they fell in front of his eyes.
She shook her head. “No, I have a lab and a lecture today. Are you working?”
He shook his head as well. “No, I’m off today.”
Sierra thought maybe the sentence would end with an invitation to spend time together that night, but the silence stretched through her kitchen.
“So, when will I see you again?” she asked, as she unwrapped her granola bar and took a bite.
“I want to take you on a date. Tomorrow night, maybe?”
Sierra’s eyes widened. “Okay,” she breathed.
Aodhan placed his hand on hers. “Are you working?”
Sierra was glad one of them still had some sense because all thoughts of her job had left her head at his mention of a date. “Oh yes, I’m closing.” She winced.
“No problem,” he assured her. “This is Dublin, we can do a late-night date when you get off.”
“Sounds perfect,” Sierra replied, her mouth full of granola bar.
“Okay, see you then.” As soon as she swallowed, Aodhan leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips. “Did you want me to walk you to class?”
Sierra thought about it for a moment. While she enjoyed their walks together, she also enjoyed walking alone, having just some time for herself and her thoughts. Plus, after the previous night, she definitely needed some space. “I’ll be okay on my own.”
“Alright,” Aodhan leaned in to press a second kiss to her lips. “Have a good day at class, okay?” Sierra nodded in response as Aodhan disappeared from view.
It must be nice to practically teleport everywhere, Sierra thought as she stood to get ready to walk to class.
She looked down to see he hadn’t touched his tea or the granola bar, and Sierra realized he probably had a breakfast buffet waiting for him at home.
Oh well, more for her. Sierra grabbed the second granola bar, slipping it into her messenger bag before heading out the door for her lab.
She couldn’t wait to see what Aodhan had in mind for their date.