Aidan only looks at me, and I add hurriedly, "They have a fireplace in the living room. Bettina says guests can use it whenever."
I want the magic to last, even for just a moment longer, and when I see his gaze glints—-
"You, me, a fireplace..."
I know he wants the same thing, too, and my toes curl.
"You're sure?"
I can only nod, and well...what happens after that is even more magical than I can ever dream of.
Fire crackles next to us as Aidan lays me down on a soft, thick rug, and my eyes close as the hot, hard weight of his body settles over mine. Our mouths touch, and the magic of his kiss seeps into my soul.
We kiss slowly at first.
Gently.
Teasingly.
But just as the flames watching us begin to burn hotter, so do things change between us.
All traces of softness disappear.
And all that's left is wild and feral.
His tongue thrusting hard into my mouth.
His teeth sinking into the fullness of my lip.
His mouth latching onto the sensitive flesh of my neck.
It's magic uncontrolled.
Impossible to contain.
And so heartbreakingly beautiful that even as it has me gasping and moaning, my body shuddering against his powerful hardness—-
There's also nothing I can do to keep the tears from falling.
Just nothing I can do...
Except cry at how magical it is.
And the tears fall harder and faster when I feel Aidan's mouth ease from my skin.
He sits up and leans back against the sofa as I curl on his lap like a baby, my tears wetting the sweater under his coat.
Words explode in my mind.
There's so many things I want to say.
So many things I want him to know.
Just so, so many things I wish I can say.
But I can't.
My lips are trembling too hard, and all I can do is sob—-
"It's alright, baby."
No, it's not.
"Just listen to me," he says softly. "Alright?"
I don't want to.
"I know you think everything's happening too fast, and that things between us can't possibly be real."
I can't and mustn't listen.
"I know you've decided to leave, and I'm telling you now..."
Because whatever he has to say—-
"It's going to be fine, baby."
I'm sure I won't be able to bear it.
"I want you to take as much time as you need."
And it's just as I feared.
"There isn't any need to hurry because we have forever."
He's telling me he's okay with waiting. He's giving me the time that Jack himself doesn't think I deserve, and every word is magic.
"But until then..."
Just beautiful, heartbreaking magic, and it's because of that...
"I know I have to let you go."
It's because of that every word hurts.
Chapter Seven
There was a reason Hartland Books, a charmingly old brick building situated on top of an uphill road, was also located at the farthest edge of the town. Its owner was of a solitary nature, and since he also had a tendency to scowl and speak in a menacingly soft voice, people were more than happy to bend backwards to accommodate his desire for privacy.
Most people that is...except the young woman standing outside the bookshop and gazing dreamily at the tall, dark-haired man standing behind the counter.
The sight made Aidan's lips twitch, and he had to clear his throat several times before his sister-in-law finally turned to him like waking from a trance.
"Aidan?" Blake's tone was an amusing mix of dazed and breathless, and Aidan could only chuckle at the way she started shuffling her feet and glanced over her shoulder right after speaking. The two might have been married for months now, but the honeymoon stage clearly wasn't over, and knowing Blake...
It was unlikely they'd ever get past that stage, Aidan thought wryly. It wasn't so long ago when Blake's feelings for Thornton were one-sided, and Aidan had actually taken to avoiding the girl because of all the gag-worthy gushing she did over his twin.
Blake had worn her heart so proudly on her sleeve that the whole town knew about her feelings for Thornton even without her saying a word. And now that he thought about it, Anah had been the same. While she had never been as openly chatty as Blake about her feelings, the way the younger girl always seemed to bloom to life whenever Ethan was around was just as telling, and Anah's unrequited love had become another one of Hartland's open secrets.
It would've been nice if Aidan could say the same thing about his own life, but as things were now...
"Things must be really bad if you've come to me to talk."
Thornton's gruff tone had Aidan starting, and the way the other man's lips tightened told Thornton that his twin hadn't even noticed Blake going inside the bookshop to get him.
When Blake told him Aidan needed to talk to him about the girl, Thornton hadn't believed her, but now that he had seen his twin...
"What's wrong?" he asked bluntly.