Aaron sat down next to her before his dog got any ideas and jumped into the spot—something the furry guy would do in a heartbeat if it meant a belly rub or scratch behind the ears.
He hadn’t heard her during the night, but that didn’t mean she’d had a great sleep either. “Other than your unpleasant wake-up call, did you sleep okay?” He’d slept on the sofa a few times. While not as comfortable as his bed upstairs, he’d slept on far worse in hotel rooms.
“Didn’t wake up once. How about you?”
He’d woken up a handful of times to check on the fire but had fallen back to sleep quickly. “Not bad.”
Curious whether he could make some coffee or if he’d have to settle for tea again, Aaron tried the lamp on the table. It didn’t surprise him when nothing happened. When they spoke yesterday, Robby had told him not to expect power back anytime soon.
“Looks like coffee is out this morning. Do you want some tea? Or hot chocolate.” Next time he went to the store, maybe he should pick up some instant coffee. He preferred even the instant stuff to hot tea.
Juliette brushed her lips against his cheek, waking him up better than any caffeinated beverage ever would. “Tea, please.”
Standing up, she stretched her arms over her head, and the hem of her shirt rose several inches, exposing a strip of flesh. And as if she’d waved a magic wand, the erection he’d gone to bed with returned. Before he gave in to the temptation and checked to see if the skin on display was as soft as the skin on her arms, he clenched his hands into fists.
“I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” she said, dropping her arms to her sides and removing the temptation from view.
He watched her walk away. Even dressed in a pair of knit pajama bottoms and a New England Rebels sweatshirt, she had the power to make him feel like a fifteen-year-old who’d never had sex. If she ever tried to turn him on, he might not survive.
Aaron pushed himself off the sofa. As if he knew where Aaron intended to go, Clifford jumped to the floor and took a few steps toward the hall. “You’ve got a one-track mind there, my friend.”
Then again, some might say the same thing about him. Yep, his thoughts, including his dreams last night, had focused on nothing but Juliette since her lips touched his yesterday.
Liar. Even before they’d kissed, she had starring roles in several of his dreams.
Juliette heard her cell phone ring while washing her face, so before heading to the kitchen, she made a pit stop back in the living room. A quick look at the screen showed she had two voice mail messages.
She played the message from Curt first. In it, he explained that, like much of the state, Pelham didn’t have any power, but his house had a generator, so she was more than welcome to come and stay with him until things returned to normal. She’d call him back later after she decided whether to take him up on the offer. If electricity didn’t return sometime today, she’d rather not return to her icebox of a cottage. At the same time, she didn’t know if Aaron would want her spending another night here. And even if he offered her another night on the sofa, she didn’t want to abuse his kindness.
The second voice mail, the one she’d received last night, was from her mom. They hadn’t spoken in about a week, but like with the first message, Juliette didn’t feel any immediate need to return the call. She also found a text message from Holly waiting for her. According to the time stamp, it’d come in around eight last night, but she hadn’t heard the distinct chime she set for when she received texts. Then again, she’d been pleasantly occupied much of the evening. And if left up to her, she’d be busy in much the same manner for part of today.
Rather than ignore the message, she typed a short reply promising to call later as she walked toward the kitchen.
When she reached the doorway, she stopped. Aaron stood at the counter slicing up fresh strawberries. Two coffee mugs were set out just waiting to be filled with hot water. And behind him, a teakettle sat on the stove, a slight stream of steam escaping from it, suggesting that the water would be boiling soon.
“Since I’m already boiling water, I’m making oatmeal for breakfast. We have some fresh fruit too.” He looked up from his task. “But if you don’t want that, I can make you eggs.”
Had a man ever cooked her breakfast? She didn’t remember any. Of course, she doubted many of her past boyfriends knew how to turn on a stove, let alone cook even something as simple as oatmeal.
Boyfriend? Could she assign the term to the man in front of her? They’d kissed, but she didn’t consider every man she kissed a boyfriend. She’d carried on with a man much the way she had with Aaron last night and then never saw him again. And she’d had a few one-night stands, although there were very few people she’d ever share that information with. So nothing about the night before guaranteed a relationship between her and Aaron loomed on the horizon. And just because he stood there cooking breakfast didn’t mean he wanted her around all day. What had taken place between them last night could’ve been a way for him to pass the time, since watching television was impossible. At this very moment, he might be slicing strawberries and praying the power switched on so he could show her the door and then turn on a movie or basketball game.
Her intuition told her otherwise though. Aaron didn’t come across as the type to engage in any kind of intimacy simply because he needed a way to pass the time. No, she sensed he would’ve suggested they get back to their chess game after dinner to occupy their time instead.
She hadn’t come up here looking for any type of relationship or even wanting one. But she hadn’t expected to meet Aaron, a man who sliced up strawberries for her to eat with breakfast and slept on the floor so she could have the sofa.
“Oatmeal sounds good.” She came around the counter and snagged a strawberry slice off the plate. “Anything I can do to help?” She popped the berry in her mouth. Before she could lick the lingering juice off her fingers, Aaron reached for her hand.
“Nah, I’m all set,” he said, raising her hand to his mouth and sucking the juice off her index finger. He held her gaze as he did the same with her middle finger.
Well, she doubted he wanted her to leave so he could watch television. In the living room, her bladder had stopped her from giving him the type
of kiss she wanted. That no longer remained an issue. Slipping an arm around his waist, she kissed the right corner of his mouth. Then she kissed the other side.
“I don’t think I said good morning.” Juliette pulled her face away from his just enough to see his eyes. She found a unique combination of humor and heat reflecting back at her.
Aaron shook his head. “Your first word this morning was ‘ouch.’” He settled a hand on either side of her waist and aligned their bodies against each other. Then he smiled. And if she’d had a fan handy, she would’ve used it as a wave of heat and excitement zapped her all the way to her painted toenails.
She moistened her suddenly dry lips and attempted to form words. “Well, good morning.” Rather than touch her mouth to his, she ran her tongue along his bottom lip before pressing her open lips against his.