Chapter 33
thirty-three
. . .
Ceci
I’m not expecting the doorbell to ring at three o’clock in the morning.
Aidan texted a simple “landed” about forty-five minutes ago, and I have no new notifications since.
I’m not on friendly terms with my neighbors, so for them to knock on my door in the middle of the night, something must be wrong.
After pulling on a robe and slippers, I rush down the stairs. I skid on the steps, catch myself, and skid again, landing with a solid thunk on the bottom one. Ow.
“Ceci?” Aidan’s voice calls through the door. “Are you okay?”
Standing, I take mental stock. My thigh hurts from the impact, more than my butt, but I am relatively unharmed. I rub at my sore leg as I hobble to the front door, opening it to reveal my disheveled ginger in a three-piece suit.
“What are you doing here?” I demand.
“Are you okay?” he repeats.
“I’m fine. Just bruised my ego.”
“Come home with me.”
I blink. “What?”
“Come home with me. Stay the night with me.”
“You want me to leave my house at three o’clock in the morning and go to yours?”
“You hate it here,” he says simply. “You’re awake, I’m awake. We can go to that diner again if you’d like. Or we can go back to my apartment, curl up in bed, and sleep.”
“I…”
“Only if you want to,” he adds. “You’re welcome at my place any time. I want to come home to you in my bed, even if all we’re doing is sleeping.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
His face lights up. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Let me pack a bag.” I hold the door open, beckoning him in.
Aidan looks around the place with interest—not because he’s nosy, but because it’s mine. He hasn’t been here before. Hell, Bex has never been here before. Neither have my other book club friends. Colt has once when we were coding late into the night.
I don’t have guests. I don’t have visitors. Because he’s right: I hate it here.
I bought the house because I was supposed to. Because that’s what billionaires do—buy expensive properties in expensive neighborhoods. It’s an investment into real estate. But I’ve never felt at home here. It’s nothing but a place I live.
Rushing up the stairs, I’m dimly aware of Aidan’s more sedate footsteps following mine.
My room is a chaotic mess, kind of like my brain, but I know exactly where everything is.
Quickly, I pack a bag with my toothbrush and skincare, then throw in a pair of undies and a change of clothes for tomorrow.
I can steal one of his T-shirts to wear to bed.
On second thought… I add in three more days’ worth of work clothes, plus some workout gear.
If he asks, I can chalk it up to wanting some outfit options.
In reality… if he wants me in his bed every night, I highly doubt I’ll want to make the trek over to Back Bay every day to swap out dirty laundry.
Hell, if he’s serious, I might not be back until his next road trip. He’s got six nights at home, with three games until he goes away again.
I throw some more undies in the bag. And then my favorite vibrator… and a pair of handcuffs. Brand new, of course.
Hey, he said he likes toys. I want to be prepared.
Turning, even though I heard his footsteps, I’m still surprised to see him in the doorway, hands tucked into his suit pockets. He pulls his hands free and reaches for the bag, tucking the duffle over his shoulder.
“I forgot to tell you something important,” Aidan says.
My stomach twists. “Oh?”
“Yeah.” He pulls me into his arms, then threads a hand through my hair. “Hi.”
Ducking his head, he kisses me. Soft and sweet at first, a simple brush of lips on lips, tasting me, testing me. Teasing me. And I arch up onto my toes, needing to be closer, needing him. He deepens the kiss, tongue tangling with mine.
When I finally pull back, needing air, it’s with a smile on his face.
“So what did you need to tell me?” I tease.
He presses a soft, quick kiss to my lips. “Come home with me. Stay with me.”
Be with me.
I’ve never wanted something more. “As long as you’ll have me.”
Hand outstretched, he takes mine in his, lacing our fingers together. “Let’s go home.”
I follow him down the stairs, sling my laptop bag and purse over my shoulder, and, when he opens the car door, slip inside.
And that’s when I notice the person in the shadowy back seat. I jump, not having expected anyone else in the car. My heart rate shoots into overdrive, nearly bursting out of my chest cavity and onto the floorboard. I let out a scream, and Aidan rushes around the car and wrenches open the door.
“What’s wrong?” he demands.
“Hey, Ceci,” Ryan says with a wry smile.
“What are you doing here, sitting alone in the dark?” I shriek.
“We carpooled,” Aidan says as he slides behind the wheel.
“And you made him sit in the back? Like a damn chauffeur?”
“Only once we got here,” Ryan assures me. “I figured you’d want to sit up front with him.”
“You didn’t drop him off first?”
“It’s okay,” he says around a yawn. “I snoozed.”
Aidan turns on the car. “See? It’s totally fine.”
“You could have warned me he was in here,” I point out.
He cocks his head. “Is it really a big deal?”
“I thought he was a serial killer!”
“Why would there be a serial killer in my car?”
“Why would there be anyone in your car?” I place my hand over my still-racing heart. “Next time, warn me.”
“Next time, I’ll give you a key, and I won’t have to kidnap you.”
“This is a kidnapping?” Ryan asks skeptically.
“A consensual kidnapping,” he clarifies.
“I… you know what, I don’t think I want to know more,” Ryan says. “Can we go home now?”
Aidan smirks as he pulls away from the curb.