Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
AVERY
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d woken up this comfortable. This cozy. This…turned on.
My eyes popped open as soon as the realization of exactly where I was hit me, and last night came rushing back.
The last-minute trip to Vermont. The tiny room Addison had booked for Aiden and me.
The single bed that was the size of a Matchbox car.
And the fact that the room was a good fifteen degrees cooler than anywhere else in the inn.
How last night, when my body had been so cold I was shaking, my teeth chattering, Aiden had barely paused before he’d wrapped his arms around me and pulled me back against his chest. Having him there, his body flush along my back, had been tempting.
Then came the pornographic soundtrack from next door, which had made it infinitely worse. Not to mention the feel of him, hard and ready, against my ass… That had all been bad enough. But this?
This was so much worse.
Because he wasn’t curled around me to keep me warm.
Nope. Instead, I was fully on top of him, my head on his chest, my arms tucked beneath him, hands curling under his back to grip his shoulders, his hands low on my back just above the curve of my ass, and my legs spread around his hips.
Which placed me directly on top of the part of him I’d gotten to know best. The part that was, once again, hard and ready for me.
The part I was currently dry humping with everything I had.
Yeah, that was the problem.
As soon as I registered my position, I scrambled out of bed and threw myself across the room—which wasn’t much of a feat, considering its size.
At my sudden movement, Aiden bolted upright in bed, his hair mussed, cheeks rosy from sleep, but his eyes were sharp and alert as he scanned the room for whatever had spooked me. Unfortunately, the room didn’t have any mirrors in it, so he wouldn’t find the culprit.
When his gaze landed on me, his eyes scanning me from head to toe, I felt it everywhere.
Not just a little tingle, either. Nope, my body was obnoxious about it—nipples hardening, goose bumps scattering across every inch of flesh, and we weren’t even going to talk about the state of my pussy.
How the hell did this man always do that to me?
“What happened?” he asked, his tone all business. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I said too quickly, shaking my head just as fast. “No problem here. None at all.” I jerked my thumb over my shoulder toward the bathroom. “But Addison’s given us a pretty packed schedule for today, so I’m going to get ready.”
Without allowing him time to voice the concerns his narrowed eyes very clearly portrayed, I slipped into the other room and sagged back against the closed door, grateful for this tiny bit of separation between us.
I needed to get my shit together. Especially since we were only at the start of this trip. And considering how worked up I already was, I had no idea how I was going to have enough willpower to withstand jumping his bones over the course of three whole days.
After I was cool, calm, collected, and presentable for the day, I slipped out of the bathroom, only to stop dead in my tracks at the sight that greeted me.
Over the past couple weeks, I’d seen Aiden in various states of dress.
From fully buttoned-up and professional to slightly rumpled—tie loosened, sleeves rolled up—at the end of the day.
I’d seen him in jeans or sweatpants and a T-shirt a handful of times.
But this? This was new. And fucking indecent.
He sat on the bed, propped against the headboard, his legs outstretched in front of him.
He wore black pants and a white button-up, except none of the buttons were done—like he’d been in the middle of getting dressed and had gotten distracted.
The shirt lay open, revealing his chest and that smattering of dark hair that made my mouth water.
An open laptop rested on his thighs, and those black-framed glasses sat perched on his nose.
And fuck me running, but how did this man always look like he’d just stepped out of the pages of a magazine whose sole purpose was to be used as fap material?
As soon as I stepped into the room, he lifted his gaze toward me, dropping his eyes to do a quick scan from head to toe. Unsurprisingly, a full-body shiver zipped down my spine, and yeah… This was never going to work.
There was no way I was going to be able to spend this amount of time with him, alone, without throwing all my hesitations straight out the window and falling right back into bed with him.
“Morning,” he said, his voice just a low rasp that shot straight to all my horny girl parts. “Everything okay?”
I plastered on a smile and nodded, forcing my eyes away from him. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else in the room to look at, so my gaze landed right back on him. “I’m good. Great, even! Ready to head out for the day.”
“About that,” he said, hesitation in his tone.
“I know Addison wants us to do this together, but it’s really more of your area of expertise than it is mine.
And…” His apprehension was evident as he studied me.
After a moment, he continued, “My deadline for this publisher is next week, and I’m scrambling to meet it.
Especially when my sister decides on a whim to send me to another state.
I had an idea as I was getting dressed and wanted to run with it. ”
“Oh, okay.” I nodded, grasping at this tiny nugget of reprieve. “Do you want to stay here and write while I check out the festival?”
“Really?” he asked, brows up. “You wouldn’t mind?”
Would I mind? Fuck no, I wouldn’t mind. The relief that swept over me at the fact that I wouldn’t have to spend the entire day fighting this attraction to him was laughable.
“Nope! Not at all!” My voice was too high, too chipper, and could I sound like any more of an idiot?
“I’ll run through the schedule today by myself.
And you’ll stay here, doing…that.” I gestured to him in all his fuckhot glory.
“And then we’ll touch base later tonight.
Or not! Maybe you’ll be exhausted from a hard day of writing and crash before I even get back.
Which would be totally fine with me, by the way.
No need to wait up or anything. In fact, you probably shouldn’t.
Who knows what kinds of things your sister has me doing or how long they’ll take.
” I breathed out the fakest laugh I’d ever made in my life and grabbed my purse. “See you later!”
With that, I slipped out the door, shutting it harder than necessary, and rested my back against it.
I closed my eyes and breathed out a sigh of relief, grateful I had a little reprieve before I’d have to face this undeniable attraction I had to Aiden.
An attraction I didn’t see fading anytime soon.
Group text message with Aiden, Avery, and Addison
4:57 p.m.
Addison:
I forgot to tell you
You have a reservation at 6
Aiden:
For what?
Addison:
The rooftop experience
Aiden:
What the fuck is the rooftop experience?
Addison:
Wine tasting
And a five course meal
Aiden:
Isn’t it a little cold for outdoor dining?
Addison:
They have heat lamps
Don’t be such a diva
Avery:
Sounds nice. What aren’t you telling us?
Addison:
Why would you think I’m not telling you something?
Avery:
Because I know you.
Addison:
Just checked the calendar
I also forgot to mention you’ve got an appointment at 9
Aiden:
Tomorrow morning?
Addison:
Tonight
Aiden:
What kind of appointment do you have us booked for at 9 p.m.?
Addison:
A couples massage
Aiden:
A what?
Addison:
Exactly what I said
I thought it might be a good option for Luna to offer
So I want you to check it out
Report back with what you think
Aiden:
You booked a couples massage.
Addison:
Yes
Aiden:
For a trip you were originally supposed to take with Avery.
Addison:
Yes, Aiden
Your point?
Aiden:
My point is this is getting ridiculous. You need to worry more about the shit going on at the resort and less about us.
Addison:
I AM worried about the resort
This streak of luck won’t last forever
Bookings could dry up tomorrow
And when that happens, I want to make sure we have unique offerings to draw people in
So suck it up and deal
Avery:
Just tell us where to be and when.
Addison:
I knew you were my favorite for a reason!
There’s a curved staircase at the back of the B&B
Someone should be there to get you to where you need to be
Oh and I forgot to mention something…
Aiden:
Jesus, Addison. What now?
Addison:
All the foods they serve for the experience are supposedly aphrodisiacs
But that’s all probably made up
So you guys should have nothing to worry about
Anyway, have fun!