But I was coming to accept that whatever was driving my connection to Aiden, it was different than anything I’d ever experienced before. Yes, the chemistry was undeniable, but there was something else too. Something I’d never had with Billy, though I should have, considering how he’d taken care of me when I’d been alone.
I felt safe with Aiden. And not just physically. It went deeper than that. Like I was allowed to be all the different versions of myself and he would be okay with that. That he’d still care about me whether I was angry Ash or insecure Ash or silly Ash.
I was just Ash to him.
His Ash.
Like he was my Aiden.
I let myself lie there for a few more minutes in the hopes that Aiden would rejoin me in bed, but when he didn’t, I forced myself to get up. After a quick visit to the bathroom, the smell of bacon lured me to the kitchen.
Aiden’s back was to me as he stood over the stove. He was wearing running pants and a white tank top. I smiled at the sight of the tattoo peeking out beneath the fabric of his shirt. I couldn’t tell what it was, but just knowing he had more than the one tattoo on his forearm had me curious to find out where he might be hiding others. I watched him for a moment longer, marveling at the miles of tanned skin and rippling muscles that flexed deliciously as he moved. Predictably, my body responded in a very inconvenient way.
But for once, I didn’t care.
I was tired of pretending that the friends thing was still enough.
Aiden glanced over his shoulder at me. “Nooooo, what are you doing up? Go back to bed and pretend to be surprised,” he said as he nodded at the tray sitting on the island behind him. It had a single plate, some silverware, a coffee cup, and a glass of orange juice on it.
There was a flower too.
A daisy.
A single, beautiful, slightly wilted daisy.
Not a too-perfect rose.
When I didn’t move, Aiden looked at me curiously. “It’ll just be a few more minutes. You can grab your coffee now if you want to drink it while you wait. Decaf’s over there,” he said with a nod to the smaller of two coffee pots.
“You remember that?” I asked softly. “That I drink decaf?”
Aiden’s brows furrowed a bit. “Yeah. You told me that caffeine’s not good for you because of the transplant. You okay?” he asked.
No, I wasn’t. But I was going to be.
“I don’t want coffee,” I said as I began walking forward. For the first time in a long time, my mind was perfectly clear. There was no fear or anxiety or self-doubt.
“Oh, okay,” he said as he turned around to flip the bacon. “There’s juice.”
I didn’t stop moving until I was practically pressed up against his back. “I don’t want juice,” I murmured. “I don’t want this, either. Not now, anyway,” I said as I reached beneath Aiden’s arm and turned off the single burner that was going.
“Ash, what—”
His words cut off when I pressed against his back, my cock nudging his ass. “Aiden,” I whispered.
“Yeah?” he said, his voice hoarse. His hands dropped to grip the edge of the stove. I rescued the fork he’d been using to cook the bacon with and placed it on the counter.
“You know what I want?”
He shook his head. I let my hands slide up to his chest so I could feel his pounding heart and heaving breaths.
“I want us to not be just friends anymore.”
When he didn’t respond at first, an unwelcome curl of self-doubt went through me. But then one of his hands came up to cover mine where they were pressed against his chest. “Are you sure, Ash? Because once I turn around—”
“I’m sure, Aiden.” I dropped my arms and stepped back. “Turn around.”
Chapter 17
Aiden
I wasn’t sure who moved first after I turned around, him or me. And I really didn’t care. All I cared about was that I finally had Ash in my arms the way he’d been meant to be from the moment I’d met him.
Ash’s tongue dueled with mine for control and I happily gave it to him. Unlike our first couple of kisses, there was nothing soft and gentle and tentative in the way Ash kissed me. He took what he wanted and I loved it.
But it wasn’t enough.
I dropped my hands to skim over his ass, then grabbed him by the backs of the thighs and lifted him. He gasped into my mouth, but didn’t stop kissing me as I walked him back a few steps until we reached the smooth surface of the island. I shoved the tray I’d been working so hard to prepare aside, not caring that something on it fell over. I couldn’t care about anything except the man in my arms devouring my mouth.