Chapter Thirty-Eight

 

So, I chatted merrily away about my boring day and he told me about his, and we acted like a normal couple for a while. He prepared some salad which we sat and ate with a drop or several more of wine. I felt relaxed and comfortable. It was nice.

After eating, we sat on the sofa for a bit and tried out a bit more of that kissing. He really was a very nice kisser.

“You know you said you wanted to take this slow?”

“Yes?” I said, sitting back and wondering where this could be going.

“Well, I know this is going to sound crazy, and I really understand if you say no, but I was wondering if you wanted to consider living here?”

“What?”

How was that taking it slow?

“You could start off in the spare room, if you wanted. But you need a place to live, right? And I’d like having you around. Ross would just think I was renting a room to you. I don’t know, I just think it’d be nice.”

Was he joking? His face looked serious so I guessed not.

“Aiden, are you sure about this? I mean, is it best to start a relationship by living together?”

“Who cares about rules or what’s best?”

“I do need somewhere to live.”

And I wouldn’t have to worry about spider removal, or light bulbs. We’d share the cleaning and he’d probably take out the rubbish. I hated taking out the rubbish, which was another thing the man in the relationship should always do.

He wouldn’t cheat on me. I’d just fall back into the domestic bliss I had before, but this time with a man who loved me, who didn’t leave socks lying around. At least, I didn’t think he would.

“Think about it.”

He leaned in and kissed me, and I let him, dropping all the confusing and conflicting thoughts from my mind. He pushed me slowly backwards on the sofa until he was on top of me and I wrapped my arms around his neck. I was going to let this happen. Suddenly I wanted him really badly. All that pent up sexual frustration from last week took over and I started pulling his shirt over his head.

Before I knew it, he was running his lips over my nipples and I, desperate to feel him enter me, started tugging at his jeans. He lifted up for a moment and took his jeans off while giving me his sweetest, sexiest smile. Then he pushed into me. The feeling was exquisite. All the hurt and rejection seemed to flood away as I let the physical feelings overpower the emotional ones. He was gentle at first, but then got faster and harder, demonstrating a stamina his brother had never had. Oh my god, it’d never been as intense with Ross, ever. Aiden made my earth shatter, and then held me for a while as we stared at each other with big, stupid grins.

Two hours later, as Wentworth and I walked home, I felt weird. The sex had been great; he was as attentive and gentle as his kisses were. It felt good. I felt good.

But I didn’t think I was in love with him, not yet anyway. I liked him a lot. I loved the way he made me feel. Was that enough to move in with him? It seemed crazy, but then, his house was a lot nicer than the flats I’d been looking at. And he had a garden for Wentworth. And if it didn’t work out, I could rent a flat then, couldn’t I?

I suddenly yearned to be back on Skye, at Elgol, leaning against Will and not worrying about any of this.