His eyes flicker to my lips, then back up to hold my eyes hostage. I feel my pulse pick up and my breathing turn irregular. And then suddenly I can’t think, and I can’t breathe, and my heart has never pounded so fast in my life; all because Aiden is kissing me.
Aiden is kissing me, and all is right in the world.
All my stress, problems, and worries melt away with the softness and intensity of his lips on mine. Everything around us ceases to exist as I focus on the warm, tingling fire stemming from wherever he’s touching me and spreading throughout my entire body.
I feel his strong hands on my waist, pulling me closer as his tongue slides over my bottom lip, and I practically melt into him. Never has anything been this perfect. Never have I wanted something so badly. Never has someone kissed me in such a way—my heart can’t decide if it wants to stop or speed up.
There’s an annoying nudging at the back of my mind, reminding me that I’m not allowed to feel like this; that I’m not allowed to be happy with Aiden. Reluctantly, I pull away to look at him.
“Fine. Since that was such a great argument, I’ll keep the money. But I’m not spending any of it on me,” I joke to break the intense, intimate silence that follows.
Aiden laughs, releasing me, and I regrettably remove my leg from where it was over his.
“It’s your money, you can spend it however you want,” he tells me.
“I’ll find a way to spend it on all of us. Like a treat for having to deal with all this drama.”
As much as I’d love to stay here and make out with Aiden all night, it’s getting late, and I’m getting tired. We say good night, and he reminds me that my car will be ready by Monday morning.
“Thanks again for everything, Aiden.”
He walks down the porch steps and takes slow steps backward toward his car. “I’ll see you later.”
I stay where I am, standing on the porch with the envelope still in my hand, and wrap my arms around myself, suddenly feeling very cold.
“Are you sure about the money?” I ask one more time, just to be sure.
“Keep it.” He turns around and walks the rest of the distance to his car, and I stand there watching him.
He gets to his car door and opens it, pausing to turn back to me. “Don’t forget to study for the calculus test on Monday,” he says with an adorable smirk.
I smile back at him. “How could I possibly forget?”
20
All night and all morning I feel like I’m floating on cloud nine. Aiden just has a way of making me feel giddy and nervous all at once. He won four thousand dollars for me for goodness’ sake. Still high off of the different emotions Aiden causes, I walk through the house after seeing Charlotte off this morning.
“Amelia,” my mother calls from the kitchen, not sounding too thrilled.
I freeze and roll my eyes at her disapproving tone.
“Come in here,” she says impatiently.
I sigh and walk into the kitchen where she’s standing with her arms crossed, a stern look on her face.
“You got in late. Where were you all night?”
“Out,” I say nonchalantly.
She exhales loudly, clearly frustrated. “Well, what time did you get home?”
“Not sure.”
“Why are you being so difficult? You need to be more responsible,” she lectures unnecessarily.
My hands curl into fists, my nails biting into my palms. “This is the first time you’ve actually been home in who knows how long,” I snap, tired of her “caring parent” act. “You spend more time at work and in different countries than with your own daughter. You normally wouldn’t even know if I was home or not, you just happen to be home today. So spare me the concerned mom act.”
“This isn’t just about me being concerned about your whereabouts. You need to be responsible. We can’t have you slipping up! I may not be around a lot, but I notice things. Things like you kissing that boy last night—”