30. Aurora
Chapter thirty
Aurora
M y hand hovers over the doorknob, my heart racing like I’ve just finished a marathon. The pregnancy tests are in my room sitting on my dresser like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. I’ve finally admitted to myself that I have feelings for Aiden—big, terrifying feelings—but add in a possible baby? That’s a whole new level of complicated.
I take a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever awaits inside. When I open the front door, I’m hit by the sound of Aiden’s voice —rough, angry, and unmistakably talking to his father. I can’t help but wince at some of the language coming from his dad. I’ve only met the man a couple of times, but none of those times left me feeling any love for the guy, especially when Aiden always seems so upset after their conversations.
I might not be very confrontational, but I’m good at holding grudges, and the one I have against that man is as deep as the Mariana Trench.
‘Either you get with the program and realize you can’t talk to me that way anymore, or I’m out, and we can consider our relationship severed for good. The choice is yours.’
Aiden’s words are clipped and final, and inside, I internally cheer. It isn’t until I hear a loud clatter that I rush to the kitchen doorway. Aiden turns, his eyes widen when he sees me standing there. I’m not sure if I should apologize for overhearing or congratulate him for telling his dad to kick rocks.
“Did you need to use the kitchen?”
I shake my head, trying to give myself a bit more time to think. “No, I just…” I don’t know what to say to keep from triggering his defenses. Really, I just want to wrap him in the biggest hug and squeeze him tight.
It’s crazy because this feeling of protectiveness is new for me. I mean, I’ve always been a little protective of Jax, but he’s my brother, so that’s to be expected.
But the way I feel for Aiden now is so, so different. And I like it. I like feeling like I could provide something, even if it is just…
Before I can decide what to do, I’m already moving, wrapping my arms around his big shoulders, sighing when his arms secure around me.
“I’m so proud of you for standing up to your dad.”
I wait for him to say something biting or to push me away, but instead, he relaxes into me, and I can’t stop myself from holding him tighter.
“Thanks.”
That one little word cuts through all my defenses, and I cup a hand around his cheeks to pull his face toward mine. When our lips meet, I can’t hold in my sigh of relief. The feelings are there, just as I knew they would be. How I hadn’t realized the extent of my feelings for him till now is anyone’s guess.
“Well?” Aiden asks, his voice low and troubled. My heart sinks— he clearly understood my cryptic text.
I swallow hard, trying to keep my voice steady. “You figured it out, huh?” A sigh escapes me before I can stop it. “I haven’t taken the test yet. The box says it’s more accurate first thing in the morning.”
Aiden’s face clouds over with a look of regret, making my stomach churn. “Aurora, I... I can’t do a baby right now. I’m just getting my shot at a real career. A kid would...”
“Ruin everything?” I finish for him, my voice coming out flat and cold. “Got it.”
The words hang in the air between us, heavy and final. For a moment, neither of us moves. Then, unable to bear the weight of his gaze any longer. I turn and stumble away from the kitchen, Aiden’s words echoing in my head like a cruel mantra. “I can’t do a baby right now.” Each syllable feels like a knife twisting in my gut. Tears blur my vision as I practically run to my room, desperate to escape.
Shutting the door behind me with a soft click, I slide down against it, my whole body trembling. I get it. I do. I mean, I’m totally not ready for a baby either. But hearing him say it out loud... it’s like someone’s ripped my heart out and stomped on it.
My eyes land on the pharmacy bag on my dresser. Three pregnancy tests, mocking me from across the room. I’m two weeks late, and the not knowing is slowly killing me. With trembling hands, I grab the bag and lock myself in the bathroom.
The tests line up on the counter like little jurors, ready to deliver a life-changing verdict. I rip open the first box, my fingers fumbling with the wrapper. As I wait for the results, my mind races through a thousand scenarios. A baby. Aiden’s baby. The thought sends a jolt of terror and... something else through me. Something that feels dangerously close to longing.
Two minutes feel like an eternity. I pace the small bathroom, chewing my nails down to the nub. When the timer on my phone finally chimes, I nearly jump out of my skin.
With a deep breath, I force myself to look at the test. One pink line. My knees buckle, and I have to grab the counter to stay upright. Not pregnant. Holy shit.
We’re okay.
Relief floods through me, so intense it’s almost painful. But mixed with it is a twinge of... disappointment? I push that feeling away, refusing to examine it too closely.
Before I can overthink it, I’m rushing back to the kitchen, my heart pounding so hard I can feel it in my throat. Aiden’s still there, hunched over the counter with his head in his hands. He looks up when I enter, and the raw emotion in his eyes nearly floors me. Then, suddenly, he’s moving, crossing the kitchen in two long strides. His hands cup my face, his eyes boring into mine with an intensity that steals my breath.
“Aurora, I—“ he starts, his voice rough with emotion. His eyes, usually so guarded, are wide open and vulnerable. He swallows hard as if the words are physically difficult to get out. “I don’t care if you’re pregnant or not,” his grip moves to my waist. “I was an idiot earlier. A complete fucking moron. I just... I panicked. The thought of a kid scared the shit out of me.”
He takes a shaky breath, his gaze never leaving mine as he continues. “But what I realized is I’m way more terrified of losing you. Of screwing this up. Whatever happens—baby, no baby, anything life throws at us—I want to face it with you. I want—“
“It’s negative,” I blurt out, cutting him off mid-sentence.
My heart is pounding so hard I can barely hear my own voice. Part of me wants to take the words back, to let him finish what he was saying. What if I’ve ruined the moment? What if he was about to say something life-changing?
Aiden freezes, his arms still wrapped around my waist. For a moment, he just stares at me, processing. Then, “It’s... negative?”
I nod, feeling fresh tears spill over. “Yeah. I’m not... we’re not...” The words catch in my throat. Relief crashes over me like a wave, but right behind it comes a surprising undercurrent of disappointment. My chest feels tight like I can’t decide whether to laugh or sob. These conflicting emotions tangle inside me, leaving me dizzy and overwhelmed.
Without warning, he pulls me into a crushing embrace.
“Thank God,” he murmurs into my hair. Then, pulling back to look at me again, he adds, “But I meant what I said, Aurora. Pregnant or not, I want you. I want us.”
The intensity of the moment starts to fade, leaving us both a little raw and exposed. I can see the emotional toll etched on Aiden’s face, and suddenly, I’m struck by how exhausted he looks. It makes me want to wrap him in a blanket, herd him to bed and make him sleep for days.
But of course, this is Aiden we’re talking about. He’d never admit to needing a break. Instead, he scrubs a hand over his face, trying to compose himself.
“C’mon, come lay down. You’ve had a hard week.”
When he looks at me again, there’s a hint of his usual bravado, but I can see the vulnerability lingering in his eyes.
“I can’t do a pity fuck. Not from you.”
“Pity fuck?” I ask, my voice going shrill. “Why the hell do you think I would give anyone a pity fuck? I like you, idiot. I gave you my virginity for crying out loud.”
Aiden blinks quickly like he’s trying to take in all my words. “I mean, yeah. But that was—“
“If you diminish my first time, I will hit you.” When his mouth closes with a click, I can’t help but giggle.
“Get this through that puck-hardened skull of yours. I like you, Aiden. I like when you’re grumpy from not getting enough sleep and when you scratch your balls in the morning and pretend like we can’t all see it. And when you stand up to your dad or let yourself be vulnerable with me, I love you even more.”
His mouth gapes open and closes like a fish, and I can’t help but smile. It’s rare to render him speechless, and I’m happy with the achievement.
“You said you loved me.”
My smile widens before I nod. “Caught that, did you? Now you’re getting it. Good job.”
“Good job my ass,” he says before grabbing me and swinging me around in a circle. But I’m not embarrassed by my squeal of surprise, all I can focus on is his laugh, and the way it makes the sides of his eyes crinkle.
“You love me, huh? What do you love most about me? My good looks? Banging body?”
I roll my eyes, but the grin on my face doesn’t lessen. “I think I love your humility the best.”
“Humility is for people who don’t get to come home to you,” Aiden jokes. “Fuck that. I’m going to gloat.”
His mouth swallows my laughter, and the sound transforms into a groan of pleasure.
My parted lips welcome him in. I’ll never get tired of kissing him. It’s one of my favorite things to do, and I hope to do as much of it as possible until I don’t know how it feels to not kiss him.
I moan softly when the soft press of his teeth grabs my bottom lip, and I’m just about ready to do the same when I hear Jax’s voice behind me.
“For fuck’s sake! Can’t you guys do that shit behind closed doors like normal people?” Jax asks, his voice going high. I almost jerk away from Aiden, but his grip on my waist stops me from moving too far.
I turn to Jax with a sheepish grin. I hadn’t really thought about the fact that if Aiden is home, Jax wouldn’t be too far behind him. By the looks of it, he’s not going to get used to this.
Jax is covering his eyes with a hand while holding the other one out like he could swat us away. I giggle but don’t let go of Aiden.
“Does this mean we’re together?” I ask, turning back to Aiden. “I mean, I know we said we like each other, but we didn’t exactly say what we plan to do after that.”
“You didn’t even ask her to date you?” Jax asks shrilly. “What the fuck, dude?”
“I’m getting to it, but then she fucking kissed me,” Aiden shoots back. “You try talking with your lips attached to someone else’s.”
Jax makes a gagging noise, and I can’t stop my giggles.
“Fucking hell, sis. Have some self-control. At least make him take you out first.”
I roll my eyes. “You should probably leave now because I’m going to kiss him again.”
“Oh my god, I’m leaving, you horny fuckers.” Jax turns back around, stumbling loudly when he hits the doorframe.
I try to keep my laughter muffled, but it leaks out when he nearly trips over his own feet in his haste to get out of here.
I shove my face against Aiden’s chest and try not to let his laughter trigger more of my own.
“And disinfect the couch! People sit on that thing.”
“Really,” I say, shooting him a wry smirk.
The’ll obviously have to be some changes in the house now that we’ve settled more on the idea of us being together.
Aiden’s lips are on mine before the front door even closes, and soon enough, Jax is far from my mind.
“Have I ever said that your lips were fucking made for kissing?” Aiden pants out. At some point, we move towards the bedrooms, but when my back hits the wall, Aiden grabs under my thigh, lifting me up against it.
I gasp as he crushes his weight against me while I wrap my legs around his waist to support our position.
We pause here, trading more heated kisses that threaten to bury me in the ground. He lifts a hand, his thumb brushing over my kiss-bruised lips. “Sometimes I have to stop myself from staring at them whenever you talk.”
I shiver in pleasure at both his words and his touch before drawing his thumb between my lips, circling it with my tongue. I watch his eyes grow more heated while swirling my tongue over it gently.
Seeing Aiden enjoying it gives me a boost like no other.
No one’s ever looked at me with such blatant want. His honesty, stripped bare and there for me to see, is refreshing, and it sets loose a wave of heat inside me that can only be quenched by him.
“That’s because you haven’t looked at your own lips,” I counter. I know from experience that they’re soft, and the contrast to the soft scratch of his scruff is incredibly enticing.
“I still remember how good of a kisser you were the first time. A whole different experience from what I was used to then. And you’ve only gotten better since then.”
“Flattery will get you fucked, princess.”
I swallow hard before smiling sharply at him. “So, if I tell you that I’ve fantasized about you every night for the past two weeks, what will that get me?” I only have a moment to breathe before his lips engulf me, hungry as they rove over mine. His hands grip my ass, hauling me against him, and I moan loud and unashamed at the hard press of his cock against me.
I want him in me, and I want it now.
“Room,” I pant out between kisses.
“Whose?”
I shake my head. “I don’t care. Just move.”
That order seems to spur him on. I hold on tight as he turns, moving us again on a path to one of our rooms.
We fall together against the sheets, and his scent swirls around me, and I let out another sigh, anticipating what’s to come.
Our clothes come off in spurts until all I can feel is Aiden’s warm skin against me.
The hard lines of his body press against my soft curves, carving a space for him. I arch my body upward to feel his rock-hard abs against my center.
Everything is wet heat, glorious, and damn near stifling. Those addictive kisses are pressed against my neck, gliding down until one of my nipples is caught in molten suction.
“Fuck, Aiden,” I gasp out, gripping his head to keep him in place. I press upward, wanting more of that feeling that has me slowly losing my mind.
Aiden’s gaze is just as hot as he looks up at me, and I can tell he’s loving every bit of this.
I grip my hair in one hand as a wave of arousal threatens to pull me under. How the hell am I so close to coming when he’s just sucking my tits?
“More.”
“You want more, princess?” he teases, flicking my abused nub with his tongue. “What more do you want? Do you want me to bite these pretty little nipples until they’re just as sensitive as the rest of you? Or do you want my mouth somewhere else?”
“Everything,” I say, greedy in my pleasure. I spread my thighs, showing him just how much I want him. “Give me everything.”
Aiden shifts, taking my other nipple in his mouth as a hand skirts down to my pussy until fingers brush against my slick folds. I’m drenched in my own juices and begging for his touch.
Aiden catches me looking down on his beautiful, pulsing cock when his fingers enter me, and I can’t help my strangled groan.
He slides his fingers out, using my wetness as he strokes his length, making my pussy clench with want.
With his hand firm on his straining member, I pull myself into a seated position, trailing open-mouthed kisses down his rippling stomach and taking hold of his throbbing shaft.
Slowly swirling my tongue around the tip of his head, I taste him, salty and sweet, as I conjure my mouth to release saliva.
I move my neck, bobbing my head over his tip as drool oozes down his length, giving me the perfect amount of slip.
I bob, pop, and suck his thick, pulsing cock while stroking his length with ease as he gasps in pleasure.
“Damn, princess, yes… just like that.”
His moans raise the skin on my body, encouraging me to bob and stroke even faster.
My cheeks grow tired, loosening my grip, and I gag as he jets his hips forward hitting the back of my throat. With every bit of strength in me, I pull myself together and suction up and down his length, tightening my grip, popping and swirling my tongue as I reach his head. My free hand trails down his abs to his balls, and I put gentle pressure, giving Aiden everything I have.
Aiden’s legs buckle and his balls contract as he pulls back with a jerking motion, sliding out of my grasp.
“Not so fast, sweetheart.”
“What?” I ask, thinking I did something wrong.
“You aren’t getting away from me that easy,” he croons, his gaze darkening on me.
Aiden lifts my legs in the air, wrapping them around his shoulders. He’s still rock hard as he buries his head in my center, dragging his flattened tongue along my slit, then thrusting it firmly into my opening. At the first press of his tongue into my cunt, I let out a cry.
This is exactly what I need—feeling him so deep in my pussy that I can’t even tell where I end and his tongue begins. Every movement sending shockwaves through my body, igniting nerves I didn’t even know existed.
“You taste so good, princess,” he whispers hotly as he trails his lips up to my clit, sucking my nub while lapping my opening. I can’t help but feel glorious and powerful in his gaze. I clench my hand in his hair when I feel his breath skate over my cunt. This wildness, this chance to just be me and let go of who I’m expected to be when I’m out there in the world is everything. I’m lost in a haze of sensation, teetering on the edge of no return. Aiden brings this wild, wanting feeling out of me, and I never want to lose it again. It’s damn near indescribable, and as he pushes me deeper, I feel something in me snap.
“Yes! Oh fuck, Aiden!” I cry out, my body arching as waves of pleasure crash over me. The intensity of it steals my breath, leaving me trembling, pulling his face tight against my pussy as I ride out my pleasure on his tongue. I feel him breathing deeply, but right when I’m about to loosen my hold, he presses even harder against me, causing a flood of warmth to gush, squirting from my core. The knowledge that he likes this, drowning in my arousal, sends me even higher, and a final bolt of pleasure shoots through my system, making me jerk.
“I could eat you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, baby,” Aiden hisses out when his mouth is finally free. His chin glistens with my slick juices, but I beckon him up to me, kissing him and sharing in my own flavor. He seems to like that, thrusting his tongue between my lips— rearranging me from the inside.
When I feel the hard brush of his cock on my inner thigh, I don’t hesitate to reach down and wrap my hand around him.
“Food later,” I say with a sharp smile. “First, I want your cock inside me.”
Aiden grins. “Who taught you such dirty language, princess?”
I shake my head with a soft chuckle. “I wonder. Might have been someone with significantly fewer manners.” He shifts, lining his cock up against my pussy, making me tremble. It’s amazing how much desire can be contained in one body. I’m molten like I might catch ablaze at any moment.
“Does this ill-mannered person have a name?” Aiden asks, his voice soft as he brushes a hand over my cheek. He tilts my face up as he gazes down at me. “Is the person important to you?”
I nod slowly. “He’s one of the most important people in my life. And I love him.”
Aiden’s smile blooms like the perfect flower after a hard storm, and I don’t take my eyes off of him as he slowly thrusts forward, carving his own place inside of me. No more words are needed, and none are exchanged as we thrust together, finding pleasure and solace in our union. Aiden’s thrusts aren’t fast, but they’re hard, as if he can tattoo his name inside me. I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I want to be able to close my eyes and remember exactly how it feels to be joined with him. When I come again, it’s with his name on my tongue and his tongue on my lips. Aiden’s thrusts slam in, once and then twice, before his legs stiffen, tremoring against me, as he lets out a guttural groan that reverberates through my body.
Aftershocks of pleasure ripple through me, each wave leaving me breathless and clinging to Aiden. Our bodies are still tangled together, slick with sweat and trembling from exertion. We trade lazy, tender kisses, our words a soft murmur against each other’s skin.
At this moment, wrapped in Aiden’s arms, I realize with startling clarity that Aiden is it for me.“You slay me, Aiden. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize that I love you,” I say as we curl up, enjoying a moment of peace before our lives get considerably more chaotic.
Aiden brushes his lips over my cheek. “I’m sorry, too. But I’m kind of glad we got caught by Jax. I don’t know how long it would’ve taken us to get here if we hadn’t.”
I nod and smile. “I’d like to think that we would’ve gotten here eventually, but I guess Jax does have his uses.” My lips swallow Aiden’s chuckle as I feel heat flare inside me once again.