Chapter 14
AADEN
The cabin looks beautiful in the quiet darkness of the woods.
It’s cold, but it hasn’t snowed yet. The lights are on inside because I had Ben, my caretaker, come by to get the place ready for us.
I hold the door open for Leah as she walks inside.
Her bright eyes scan the room, and she smiles as she takes in the cozy interior.
It’s not a large cabin but big enough for a few friends to hang out in and relax.
It is comprised of a living room with a stone fireplace, a small, quaint kitchen with modern appliances, and a set of stairs that lead to two small bedrooms and a bathroom.
The master bedroom is downstairs, located off of the kitchen.
“That’s our room,” I say as I point to the door.
I follow her to the room and set her suitcase next to the chair just inside the room.
I can’t help but watch her as her eyes take in the room then land on the bed.
She nervously tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear before looking at me.
I move to the large wooden dresser and pull out a pair of navy-blue sweatpants from the bottom drawer.
“This is beautiful,” she says.
“Yeah, it’s not bad.” I grin as I toss the sweatpants over my shoulder and move toward her.
“I’m going to start a fire. You can change if you want to.
” The glint in her eyes ignites a fuse that’s been hanging between us for the last few days.
My body sparks with need, and I’d like nothing more than to stay and strip her slowly out of her clothes.
The sexual tension in the room has become thick.
We’ve been alone together more times than I can count, sleeping in each other’s beds all night, but there has never been this much sexual tension until this moment.
This electric pulse of heat that I felt the moment we stepped inside the cabin.
I came here with no expectations. I meant everything I said—nothing happens until she’s ready.
Yes, I want her, more than any woman I’ve ever known, but I can wait until she’s one-hundred percent sure.
I want her to want me just as much as I want her.
Until then, I’m happily spending time with her.
I know the rest will come, but damn if it doesn’t feel like something has shifted between us.
With a mental shake of my head, I lean in with a quick kiss on her forehead and leave her alone in the room.
I quickly change into my sweats and start a fire.
Walking back into the kitchen, I stare at the door to our room, wondering what she’s doing and if she feels the tension as much as I do.
I won’t lie; I’d very much like for things to get physical on this trip.
I mean, I am a warm-blooded man, after all.
I roll my neck, trying to relieve some of the tension I’m starting to feel.
Breathe, Aaden. It’s just like any other night we’ve spent together.
Just breathe. But no matter how many times I tell myself that, I can feel it’s not.
Something is different. Forcing myself not to think about her naked in the other room, I grab two glasses and pour us both some wine.
I return to the living room, switch off the lights and settle on the couch to wait for the woman, who I can’t stop thinking about, to join me.
A few moments later, movement catches my eye as I’m taking a sip of my wine.
I shift to find Leah standing in the kitchen wearing the same black nightgown she wore the first night I showed up with Chinese food.
My body instantly comes alive. I take in her long legs as she walks into the living room, her body bathed in the soft glow of the fireplace.
My grip on the wine glass tightens as my breathing becomes faster, deeper.
My dick instantly hardens. Jesus, she is stunning.
My heart races at the sight of her, and I know my eyes have to be as big as saucers.
“Shit.” I cough, almost choking on my wine. She bites her bottom lip as she sashays over and sits next to me. Forcing my eyes away, I reach over, grab her glass of wine, and hand it to her. “You’re not gonna make this week easy, are you?”
“Should I?” She grins, lifting her glass to her lips.
Lust shoots through me, but I somehow manage to keep my cool.
“I told you, Leah, you run this show.” I smile, then risk my resolve by touching her.
I wrap my arm around the back of her neck, and she settles into my side.
My dick throbs painfully, but I ignore it.
“I’m just as content sitting here like this. ”
“Good,” she smirks as she tucks her legs up beside her.
My eyes instantly fall to the smooth flesh of her thighs.
It takes everything in me to not moan. I’ve had my hand on her thigh before, but right now, I don’t think I could stand to touch her.
Instead, I sit, watching the fire and drinking my wine in silence.
Several minutes later, she breaks the silence.
“Why are you so angry with your friends? Excluding Chase, of course. I mean that I completely understand.”
My body hardens, and I jerk my head to glare down at her.
“Seriously?” Does she really need to ask that question?
Anger churns in my gut as I remember one of my so-called friends pinning her down to a bed while she was drugged out of her mind.
What would have happened had I not walked in when I did?
She flinches but continues with her line of thought. “I mean, I don’t know, you seemed like...” She searches my face, for what? I’m not really sure. My jaw aches and I realize I’m clenching it harder than I should. Why would she bring up what happened between her and my friends now?
“Seemed like what?” I growl, my annoyance taking over all the warm feelings I had a moment ago.
She inhales sharply, then blurts out her next question, “How do you feel about me, Aaden?”
My eyes widen, and from the expression on her face, she wasn’t expecting to blurt that out either.
That’s what this is all about? How can she not know how I feel about her?
Yeah, I haven’t said it because I wasn’t sure she was ready to hear it, but I was sure she knew.
My heart thunders in my chest as I reach up and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I think you already know the answer to that,” I whisper.
Obviously, that was not the response she wanted.
Her face falls, and she looks away, staring off into the fire.
I open my mouth to tell her exactly what should have come out of my mouth, but she lifts her glass to her full lips and finishes the last of her wine.
“I need another glass,” she sighs. She stands up quickly and walks into the kitchen before I can stop her.
Shit! Way to ruin the evening, asshole. You just got here, and you’ve already screwed up.
My brain scrambles to catch up. She’s ready.
She wants to know how I feel about her because holy shit!
She feels the same way. Adrenaline shoots through me.
A wild, untamed feeling I can’t explain has me scrambling to my feet and following her into the kitchen.
She’s pouring herself another glass of wine when I slip my hands around her waist. She jumps, startled by my touch.
My lips brush against her ear, and she shivers.
I thought I’d be terrified to say these words because I’ve never said them before, but I’m not.
I’m excited, overwhelmed, and desperate for her to return the words that I whisper into her ear, “I love you.”
She nearly drops her glass. Her breath catches in her throat as she sets it down and quickly turns to face me. Her eyes fill with tears. “What?”
The look on her face makes my heart swell. I cup her cheeks with both hands and bring my lips close to hers as I search her eyes for understanding. I don’t want there to be any doubt. “I love you, Leah Ward. I have for a long time. Maybe even since the moment I first laid eyes on you.”
Her chin quivers as she stares up at me. It’s written all over her face how much she has wanted to hear that confession, and I’m kicking myself for waiting so long to say them.
“I love you, too,” she whispers.
Holy shit, those words almost bring me to my knees.
Heat radiates through my chest, and I’ve never felt so good or so happy in my entire life.
A tear rolls down her cheek, and I swipe it away with my thumb before taking her mouth with mine.
I kiss her, soft and slow, wanting to savor this moment forever.
My entire body ignites when she slides her arms around my neck and deepens the kiss.
She moans against my lips as my tongue moves against hers, and that sound makes my whole body tense.
My already hard cock jolts and I pull away, holding her at arm’s length, needing to cool things off before I’m past my breaking point.
“Whoa, baby.” I chuckle. “You know what you do to me.”
“I do,” she whispers, returning to my arms, pressing her body against mine. My erection pushes against her stomach, and I have to close my eyes to stay in control. She slides her hand back up around my neck and squeezes.
“Leah,” I say, my voice coming out deep and husky.
When I open my eyes, they fall to her shoulder, where the strap of her nightgown has slipped off.
Fuck! She is killing me. I slide my hand slowly up her arm, but instead of lowering it further, I begin to slide it back into place.
With her eyes locked on mine, she places her hand on top of mine to stop me.
My breath stalls as she encourages me to push the strap back down, far enough that her breast is practically exposed.
I step back a little, enough to create the space she needs to continue.