Chapter 26
twenty-six
. . .
Aidan
Where do I start with this woman?
The cold weather seeps into my bones, freezing me from head to toe, but when I look at Ceci, I’m warmed through.
Her hand is in mine as I lead her to my car and help her in.
With her short, tight skirt, she maneuvers onto the seat sidesaddle, but before I can close the door for her, she catches my hand and laces our fingers together.
I stare down at them, linked as we are, and a pulse of affection surges through me.
Before I know what’s happening, she uses her other hand to fist the lapel of my coat and tug me closer. I step between her spread knees, doing my best not to look down at where her dress has ridden up.
My thumb roves over the back of her hand. The heat of her skin permeates our gloves, burning into me like a brand. All I hear is the rush of my blood, the steady, traitorous pound of my heart.
Snow dusts the edge of the windshield. Our breaths fog between us, little clouds that disappear too fast. The dome light casts her in this soft gold glow, like the rest of the world has gone dark, and it’s only the two of us in this quiet pocket of winter.
Her gaze drops to my mouth.
I swear it does.
And that’s it. That’s the unraveling.
I’ve kissed women before. I know how this works. Lean in. Tilt my head. Close the distance. Simple. Controlled.
This isn’t controlled.
I lean in, but I don’t kiss her. Not yet. I hover there, our noses brushing, the air between us charged and thin. I want to memorize this—the way her lashes flutter, the way her berry-red lips part on a soft inhale. The way she’s looking at me like she’s daring me to be brave.
“Tell me to stop,” I murmur, my mouth barely a breath from hers.
She shakes her head.
That’s all it takes.
I close the distance slowly, giving her every second to change her mind. My lips brush hers—soft, testing, almost careful. The contact is featherlight at first, a mere question.
She answers by pressing closer.
And the moment our mouths truly meet, something inside me settles and ignites all at once. Our connection is as tenuous as a single strand of thread yet strong as steel, anchoring me to this plane of existence.
Ceci is the one to deepen the kiss, to accelerate the flickering flame between us until it coalesces into a fireball. She parts her lips for me, daring me to press further, to take her the way I’ve wanted to all this time.
I lick into her mouth, tasting her, memorizing her. The soft sighs, the sweetness of her lips, the rich chocolate of our shared dessert. I commit all of it to memory. Every last moment.
Eventually, the need for air becomes too pressing to ignore. I pull back, but I don’t go far, resting my forehead against hers as I pull in one ragged breath after another.
She laughs, the sound husky. “Yeah, I’d say we don’t have to worry about any compatibility issues.”
I kiss her one more time, my smile teasing hers. “Good.”
Waiting until she situates herself is like torture.
My gaze finally, finally drops to her legs, the thin black tights clinging to her skin, the stilettos of her heels elongating her shapely calves.
A bolt of want passes through me. I never thought calves could be sexy.
I was wrong. Everything about her is sexy.
Once she’s settled, I close the car door and round the SUV to my side, adjusting myself as I do. I slip behind the wheel, and Ceci reaches for me, kissing me slowly.
“Took too long,” she murmurs against my lips.
It’s my turn to laugh. “I can’t drive like this.”
She huffs, a smile on her face. “Fine. If you have to.”
After I shift the car into gear and navigate onto the main road, I reach for her hand, gratified when she lets me take it.
She sings along to the radio while I drive. Boston traffic means our three-mile trip takes closer to twenty-five minutes, and we have to wait another seven for an elevator, but once we’re finally alone, I waste no time in pulling her to me and kissing the daylight out of her.
Somehow, we make it up to my apartment without being interrupted by a neighbor—or worse, a teammate.
“Show me your place,” she says, shrugging out of her coat. I hang it on the hook beside mine, taken aback by how much I like the simple domesticity of it.
“You’ve been here before.” I wave my hand. “Kitchen’s through here. Living room. Guest room and Hailey’s room share a bathroom. Laundry cupboard. And you’ve already seen my room.”
Ceci giggles. “I have, yes.” She takes my hand and leads me through my own apartment.
I left the bedside light on, and it casts the room in a soft, warm glow.
There’s a fresh reed diffuser with a citrus-and-cedar blend flooding the room in a safe, comforting scent.
My sheets are freshly washed, the bed made.
Although I wasn’t anticipating bringing anyone back here, I made sure the place looked nice… just in case.
Now I’m glad I did.
She sits on the edge of my bed, gazing up at me. “We should probably talk a little.”
I sit beside her. “Okay.”
“I, um… I didn’t always look like this.” She gestures down at her body. “I’ve lost a shit ton of weight, and I had surgery to remove the loose skin. I’m forty-three. I’m not going to look like the other women you’ve been with.”
“You’re right,” I reply, taking her hand in mine again. “You’re not going to look like them, because you’re going to look like you.”
She flinches.
“Scars, loose skin, whatever, none of that matters to me. I care about who you are more than what you look like.”
Ceci opens her mouth.
“Plus, I like the way you look. I have ever since we met.”
Do I tell her? Oh, well. In for a penny, in for a pound.
“That night we met at the gala a year and a half ago, I… reacted to you.” My face heats at the memory, but I force myself to hold her gaze.
She arches an eyebrow, looking amused. “Reacted?”
“I thought you were sexy as hell. Still do. It’s part of the reason I avoided you for so long.”
“And now?”
“Knowing you as a person? You’re a fucking bombshell. I’m kicking myself for passing up on our chance back then. What could we have had all this time?”
“We can’t think like that. We can only move forward.”
“Together.” I duck down to kiss her, slow and sweet. I could get addicted to her taste, to her lips beneath mine.
We break apart, and she tosses her hair over her shoulder, putting her back to me. “Can you get my zipper?”
My mouth goes dry as I reach for the tiny tab. Slowly, so fucking slowly, I drag the zip down, each metal tooth unraveling sounding like gunshots in the room’s stillness. The only thing I can hear is the pounding of my heart, as if there’s a ten-piece brass band accompanying it.
Ceci stands, pulling her arms free of the sleeves and letting the fabric pool to the floor. She turns to face me in a black lace bra and shapewear that covers her from ribs to upper thighs.
“This part, I have to do myself,” she says. “Can you give me a moment?”
“Whatever you need.”
Dropping a kiss on her cheek, I squeeze her hip before exiting the room.
The apartment is quiet, my thundering heart the only sound I can hear.
I make sure the door is locked, the deadbolt fastened, and everything is shut down for the evening.
Definitely don’t want my sister to come over for breakfast tomorrow and see something she doesn’t need to.
When I hear the snick of the door opening, I pad down the hallway back to my room, each step echoing. I pause in the threshold, my entire body lighting up with anticipation.
Because Ceci is in my bed.
Naked.
Ceci is naked in my bed.
Holy fucking shit.