Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Aiden stepped into his apartment, locked the door behind him, and pulled out his phone as he headed for the bedroom. He placed an order with the local pizza place down the block, then decided to hop in the shower while he waited for it to be delivered.
As he stepped beneath the warm spray, he hung his head and waited for the tension to seep from his muscles. He’d been on edge for the past few days, but he wasn’t quite sure why.
That was a lie, of course. He knew exactly what was bothering him.
Three days ago, he’d sat in that courtroom and watched Maya testify against the man who’d kidnapped her. He hadn’t gotten to touch her. Or talk to her.
She was out of his life now for good.
She had no reason to see him ever again.
The thought was depressing.
He cursed himself again for not going to her and telling her how he felt. But how could he? She’d been through hell, and he couldn’t, in good conscience, heap anything more on her plate. She was safe now, which was all that mattered.
If that meant she was relegated to his dreams, then so be it.
Her face filled his thoughts every waking moment. He knew it was crazy, but he couldn’t control it. Those bright blue eyes flashed through his mind, sending a stab of regret slicing through his heart and desire spiraling through him.
Over the past year, he’d seen her from time to time as she prepared for the trial, and he swore they’d formed a sort of connection. She was like no woman he’d ever known, and he’d wanted time and again to tell her how much he admired her, how much he wanted her.
But it was wrong.
It would have been unprofessional to get involved with her, and now…
Now all he had were the memories kept locked away in his heart.
He had just stepped out of the shower when a knock came from the front door.
That was quicker than he expected.
Wrapping a towel around his waist, he headed out to the living room. Not bothering to look through the peephole, he threw the door open—and froze.
Maya’s bright blue eyes greeted him on the other side.
They dropped to his chest, then lower, before jumping up to meet his again. He couldn’t help his body’s reaction to her. Unspoken desire for the woman standing in front of him made every cell in his body tense.
“Maya.” His voice was harsher than he intended when he spoke. “What are you doing here?”
Her mouth dropped open a fraction, then snapped shut. She gave her head a single tiny shake.
“I… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come.”
She whirled around before he could say another word and started to stride away.
“Maya!”
He moved before he even realized what he was doing, reaching out and wrapping one hand around her wrist.
With a gasp, Maya yanked herself from his hold. She stumbled under the motion, eyes wide with terror.
He froze, wanting to reach for her but knowing it would only make things worse.
He stood there, feeling frustrated and helpless.
Maya had pulled completely into herself the second he’d touched her, and her chest rose and fell on unsteady breaths as she rested against the wall behind her.
“I’m sorry.”
It wasn’t nearly enough. He never should have grabbed her the way he did, especially not from behind.
In retrospect, he saw it clearly. But at the time, all he’d been able to think about was not letting her walk out of his life again.
Now he’d probably ruined whatever semblance of trust she’d felt with him.
“I…”
What?
He knew it was wrong—he knew it was—but that didn’t stop him from spilling the words on his tongue.
“Please don’t go.”
Those giant eyes of hers met his, and she blinked once. Twice.
They were no longer filled with fear, and for that he was grateful.
Her arms were tightly wrapped around her middle, though, an obvious sign of her nervousness. Not wanting to spook her, he stayed silent and waited for her to open up to him.
She had come to him.
Why?
As if reading his thoughts, Maya’s gaze skittered away and her teeth cut into her bottom lip.
“I didn’t know where else to go.”
He couldn’t begin to understand what was going through her mind at the moment, but he didn’t want to push her one way or the other. Grasping the knot of his towel with one hand, he leaned back against the doorjamb and studied her.
“My door is always open.”
She gave a little nod but stayed silent, and several seconds passed before he spoke again.
“Do you want to come in?”
She looked torn.
“I… I don’t know.”
“Are you really going to make me stand out here like this?”
He lifted a brow her way, and he swore he saw the tiniest twitch of her lips as she repressed a smile.
“I suppose not.”
He tipped his head toward his apartment.
“I ordered some pizza; it should be here in a few minutes.”
“Oh, I don’t want to interrupt.” She shook her head. “I’ll just… I should go.”
“Maya.”
Blue eyes blinked up at him, and he knew he couldn’t let her walk away.
“Have dinner with me. Please.”