Chapter 11
DARA
It was a gentle, sweet kiss, but it sent a thrill through me anyway.
I feel like I did when I was trying to decide whether to leave the job I'd had for years or to take a leap into pursuing what I loved - photography.
Like I'm teetering on the edge of something important and the next few minutes are the most meaningful in my life.
And after today, being honest about what I want doesn't scare me anymore.
His eyes go dark when I tell him I want him to kiss me again and for a moment I think he'll push me away. Get up and walk out of the cabin like he did earlier.
But I wasn't wrong when I told him he was a brave man.
So even though I can feel that this connection between us scares him, he doesn't give in to that fear.
He turns toward me, glides a big hand up the curve of my neck until his thumb is at the edge of my jaw, tipping my mouth up, and then his lips land on mine.
This time he isn't gentle. This kiss is claiming, devouring, demolishing any defenses I might have had, and I melt into him with a gasp.
My lips part under his and his tongue darts in, sweeping through my mouth, and I grab onto his shoulder because I need his solidness to keep me upright.
I've never been kissed like this before, and I hope it never ends. Never.
When he finally pulls back, I can't think of anything to say. He traces the line of my jaw, slow, reverent sweeps and my stomach flips with excited nerves. I want so much with this man and it feels like he wants the same.
"Sweetheart, I could do that all night."
"Yes, please." My answer is immediate. I've never felt the jolt of attraction from a single kiss like I have with that one and the way his eyes light up in response makes me happy. Seeing even a spark of joy in Aiden is something I know I'll never tire of.
"I want to do more.' He looks around at the small cabin, with its tiny two-seat couch and the old chairs in the kitchen, and winces. "But you deserve better than this."
He needs a quick lesson in romance and I'm not afraid to give it to him.
"Let me share something with you, Aiden.
I'm stranded in a remote cabin after fleeing a raging wildfire and the man who saved my life just kissed me until my toes curled.
What I deserve is the same thing you deserve.
A chance. Whether that chance happens in this cabin that I'm grateful for, or out under the stars, or in a palace, that doesn't matter. It's wherever you are."
I'm hanging my heart out there, but I've learned something about Aiden in our short time together. Honesty isn't just the best policy - it's the only one. He'll recognize a lie for what it is from the outset.
His eyes go dark again, and their intense focus makes me hot all over.
"What we're talking about will change things, Dara. I'm not a casual kind of man."
"I don't want casual."
"You don't really know anything about me."
The vein of stubbornness that runs deep makes me lift my chin and meet his challenge head on. "I know what I need to. Your actions showed me more about you than your resume ever could."
He moves his hand from my cheek up into my hair, stroking one of the waves between his fingers like he wants to memorize the feel of it. He tugs, just slightly, and the tension between us grows when a breathy moan escapes me.
"Final warning, sweetheart." The roughness of his voice scrapes across my nerve endings as he lowers his mouth to my neck, making me shiver. "Tell me no, and I'll stop."
"Please don't stop." Two kisses and I'm already aching for more. This man can destroy me in the best way possible.
If he'd just give in to what we both want.
I see the moment his restraint breaks. There's a wildness that takes him over as he pulls me up onto his lap and spears his fingers through my hair.
I can feel the hard ridge of him pressing against my belly and the sheer size of him makes desire pool in my core.
He thrusts up and the pressure against my center is intense, even through our clothes.
I give a little cry and satisfaction washes over his face.
"I can't wait to hear that over and over again, Dara. No point being quiet out here."
There's a response forming in my mind but it evaporates when he pulls my mouth down to his and I get lost in his kiss once more. Lips, tongue, teeth - we meet each other with equal desperation and need.
He kisses me until my head is spinning and I register dimly that we're moving.
He stands in one fluid motion; my legs locked around his waist. He lifts me like it's easy and I feel a thrill at being so completely supported by his strength.
It makes me think of so many different things we could do, but he spins and drops me down onto the couch once more before I can say anything.
I stare up at him, disappointment and confusion at war in my mind. But he doesn't give me a chance to voice my concern. He pulls on my pants and they slide down, slipping off like they're as eager for this as I am.
There's a tearing sound and my panties fall away, ripped at the sides with one forceful tug, and then I'm bare before him.
Aiden licks his lips, his eyes darting up to meet mine. There's an undeniable heat in his gaze and he gifts me a smile. "So beautiful, Dara.'
He slides his hands under my thighs, says "Hold on to me," in his deep, gravelly voice, and then he tastes me.
At the first sweep of his tongue, it's a long, savoring lick, and he exhales, warm breath teasing my sensitive skin, and I understand now why he told me to hold on. Because my hands land in his hair, my grip tight as I arch up, needing more of his mouth on me.
Aiden doesn't disappoint. He holds me open with his hands, his tongue darting inside me, and a scream escapes me.
I don't hold back on any of my reactions.
I want him to know exactly how good everything he's doing feels, and even the nip of his teeth is amazing.
He sucks my clit into his mouth as a finger slides inside, and I can't catch my breath.
"Yes, please." I'm already begging, but I don't care. I'll beg all night long, and I know it's the right thing, because I feel his smile against the inside of my thigh.
A second finger joins the first and he scissors them, stretching me, even as he keeps laving my center with his long, rhythmic swipes of his tongue.
Tension is already coiling inside me, tighter and tighter, and when he sucks on my clit once more, I break apart, his name falling from my lips.
"You're gorgeous when you come, sweetheart.
" I blink my eyes open to find Aiden level with me, the shine of my desire on his face.
He doesn't wipe it away, just licks his lips again like he wants more of me and then he scoops me up.
I'm limp, my muscles completely relaxed as pleasure still zips through me, and I barely register when he lays me out on a blanket he's somehow managed to prepare on the floor.
I reach for him, the bulge behind his zipper obvious, and I'm instantly aware of how empty I feel. Need swells inside and I ache to be filled by him.
Aiden pops the button at his waistband, and I watch with hungry eyes as his zipper glides down. He shoves his jeans down past his hips, his underwear going with it, and I take in the amazing sight of him.
He's a work of art. Sculpted muscles, chiseled abs, and the ridges of his hips drawing my eyes down, down and down. To where the evidence of his desire for me is impossible to miss.
My mouth waters and I want to return the favor, to taste him the way he tasted me, but he doesn't give me a chance. He palms his cock, squeezing it in his large grip, and I need to know what it feels like.
I reach out, swiping a finger over the weeping tip, and Aiden groans at just a simple touch. His cock is like silk stretched over steel, and he stops me with a growl.
"More of that and things will not go as I planned." He guides me back down, eyes locked with mine. "You sure you’re all right?"
"I'm perfect." To prove my point, I strip my shirt off and am rewarded when desire flashes through his gaze as his eyes land on my breasts.
"Yes. You are absolutely perfect." He presses me back and I stretch my arms up over my head.
That growling rumble is back in his voice as he tugs the cups of my bra down, kissing each breast with reverence before sucking one nipple into his mouth.
The stubble of his beard raises chills across my skin as he moves from one to the other, and he's already got desire spiraling in me again.
I'm panting and when he releases me, lifts my hips, and slides inside me, I gasp at the delicious stretch.
The way he fills me, the way he hits every part of me exactly right, and there's a softness in his eyes when he braces above me, whispering my name over and over.
It's reverent. It's worship. Something I've never had before.
He strokes in deep, thrusting until he hits the end of me, and that pleasure spirals inside. Aiden locks his fingers with mine, and then we're moving together, taking and receiving in equal measure, and I know there's no coming back from this. My life will never be the same.
And I'm perfectly happy with that.
Aiden speeds up, the only sign his control might be slipping is the tightness of his jaw. He's locked in, intent on me, and I don't hold back on what he's doing to me.
"That's right, Dara, give it all to me. Give me everything."
The wave of pleasure crests as he buries himself inside and I cry out, losing myself to the sensation, and I'm floating on bliss when Aiden roars my name as he fills me with his release.
We're clinging to each other, and he rolls us over, cradling me on his chest and tracing soothing patterns on my naked back.
When I've caught my breath, I ask, "Do we have to leave this cabin? Like ever? Or can we just stay here for always?"
He chuckles, and I can feel the vibration beneath me. It makes me happy to know I've brought some joy to his life.
"I'll talk to someone about it. Maybe we'll just keep it as a vacation home."
I close my eyes and settle in as his arms hold me close, trusting Aiden to take care of me as I fall into a deep sleep.