“Where’s the touch-up paint?” I ask Aiden. The guys are fixing the holes. I feel a little bad about us girls enjoying the sun while the men work. In my defense, I keep asking to help and he won’t let me.
He looks up from plastering a hole and gives me a pointed stare. “I told you already that you don’t need to help. Go enjoy the sun.”
“Fine,” I huff, opening the fridge and getting some more Coronas. Ryan’s wife came with him today so she’s outside with Syd and me. I haven’t asked Syd what happened last night because we haven’t had any alone time, but both she and Max are acting like nothing happened.
“We’re not going to be much longer. Then we’ll start the grill and join you beautiful ladies,” he wiggles his eyebrows.
“Okay, Casanova, get back to work so we can finish today,” grunts Ryker as he sands the spots. I laugh as they all start taunting each other.
“They kick you out again?” Syd asks, grabbing a Corona from me.
“Yes. They better not think because I’m a girl that I can’t help.” I pout, dropping on to my chaise lounge.
“They have this thing,” Macie says. Syd and I look over to her. “It’s like a club. Unless you’re in it, you’re not allowed to help.” She laughs.
I keep forgetting she was around the entire time they fixed up this place. What I haven’t forgotten is that Jessie is her best friend. I’m glad she hasn’t come up yet in conversation, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time.
“I can just imagine how tight that boys’ club was,” I laugh.
“Oh, it was. They even had this ridiculous hand shake thing. Je—” She stops herself. “We used to make fun of them all the time. They all thought they were hot shit,” she says, laughing.
“Woman, we were. Shit, we still are!” exclaims Ryan. We turn toward the door and the guys pile out of the house, grabbing a seat by us.
Aiden sits next to me on our chaise lounge. “A secret handshake, huh?” I tease, trying to hide my irritation with hearing about Jessie. He stares at me for a moment before nodding and smiling.
“We have a secret shake, too,” he teases, climbing on top of me and tickling me.
“Aiden! Get off,” I laugh, trying to push him aside.
“I am, baby,” he says slyly, winking and pushing his pelvis bone into me.
I stop fighting and shake my head. “You’re such a nerd.”
“A horny nerd,” he replies, attacking my neck with his lips.
My phone vibrates in my front pocket. Aiden’s eyes go wide and a slow, mischievous grin spreads across his face. “Maybe we need to take this inside,” he says.
“Would you get off me,” I say, pushing him and trying to get to my phone. He laughs and finally moves aside. When I look to see who is calling, I don’t know who it is, but it’s a Dallas number. I answer quickly, afraid something is wrong with Lexi. I walk into the house listening to the person on the other end. Aiden follows me in.
“I understand. Whatever you feel is best for Lexi,” I say. I twist my lips. Aiden grabs my hand, waiting for me to end my call. “Okay. Thank you for calling me.”
When I hang up, Aiden stays quiet, watching me. “So, they want Lexi to stay there in Texas for a month for counseling and therapy. Her doctors feel that it’ll benefit her to stay at the ranch for another month.”
“Are you okay with that?” he asks slowly, winding his fingers through mine.
I shrug. “I’m sad, but I definitely understand.”
“We’ll go see her in a couple weeks.” We both turn and see Max standing in the doorway.
“Asshole. Let me be my girlfriend’s hero,” Aiden growls, pointing at Max. I can’t contain my smile hearing him call me his girlfriend.
Max flips Aiden off. “I have the plane.”
Aiden narrows his eyes at Max. “We don’t need your plane to get somewhere.”
“Fuck you. I’m going to go see Lulu.” Max crosses his huge arms and stands tall. My heart melts seeing this ginormous guy going to bat to see a little girl.
“Guys,” I say sternly. “We can all go see Lexi.” I pick up our joined hands and kiss Aiden’s hand, looking up at him, my eyes telling him to play nice.
He pulls me into him. “Fine. He can go. But only because I’m saying he can.”
“Whatever, ass. I’ll let you think that,” Max murmurs as he walks back out the door.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“For what? Max is the one who offered,” he says, his voice bitter.
“I know you would have done the same exact thing.”
“I was getting ready to suggest it,” he says, playing with my ponytail.
“I believe you,” I say, kissing him. “Now let’s go get the food on the grill. I’m starving.”
“I’m going to burn Max’s,” he mumbles as we walk out the door. I laugh. These boys.
The afternoon goes by fast. Everyone’s sitting around, enjoying the sun and relaxing. I love it here. Something about being away from the city and the smell of the ocean makes me feel rejuvenated. Relaxed. The only thing that I worry about when I’m here is Jessie. And not knowing what she’s doing is bugging me. This is a small town, so she has to know we are here. Which makes me feel like a sitting duck.
I’m leaning back against Aiden’s chest in the lounger. A few Coronas in my system, and I blurt out, “So what’s Jessie been up to these days?”
Everyone stops talking and stares at me. I feel Aiden tense behind me. I pinch my lips, looking around. “What?” I ask. Don’t they know … keep your enemies close …
A normal person might accept the answer that she left town a few months ago and leave it at that, but I’m not normal. Especially when I read Ryan and Macie’s body language. Ryan squeezes Macie’s hand. His foot starts to shake. Oh, and Aiden’s already-tense body hardens.
“She just left town? Where did she go?” I press because they obviously think their vague answer is acceptable.
“She left around five months ago,” Ryan says, sighing. “We’re not sure where she went. We haven’t heard from her since she left.”
“Ryan, what aren’t you telling us?” Aiden asks as he sits up straighter.
Ryan’s eyes flash to me and then back to Aiden. “Nothing. That’s it.” I was kidnapped five months ago so the timing has me on edge. I remember right before I was taken, Aiden came to the beach house.
I turn and look at him. “Did you see her when you were here last?”
His answer is immediate. “No,” he says. His eyes never leave mine. “The last time I saw her was the last time you saw her.” He pulls me closer. “Sweetheart, don’t worry about her. Nothing she can do can hurt us, so why waste your time thinking about her?”
I blow out a breath. He’s right. She’s the last thing I need to worry about right now. Maybe she found another man to stalk. “Okay, but I’m telling you right now, something is off with her.”
“I think we already knew that about her,” he whispers in my ear. A bitter laugh escapes my lips as I sit back against him.
Ryker changes the conversation to football. Jessie who? I’m not sure if he knows this is the one subject that could easily take my mind off of Jessie or if it was just a lucky guess. Whichever, I’m grateful. We all talk about the upcoming season. It still feels surreal to be talking to the quarterback of the New York Giants. I’ve pretty much dropped the fan-crush mentality, but it’s still awesome.
“Hate to break up the reunion, but we need to get on the road,” Aiden says as he scoots me to the end of the lounger.
An hour later, the house is cleaned, packed up, and locked. We all say our goodbyes and head out. We’re not on the road for ten minutes before Syd and I conk out in the backseat.
After dropping Sydney off at her apartment, we sit in Aiden’s car not going anywhere. I look at Aiden. His hand is on the steering wheel, the other on the gear shift. God, his arms are a work of art. His muscular forearm flexes as he grips the wheel. The huge Tissot watch screams rugged, sexy, confident man. I don’t know why, but his watch is a freaking turn-on. Maybe because it’s attached to him.
A growl grabs my attention away from his thick fingers. What those fingers do to me. I shift in my seat, crossing my legs to slow the building ache. When I look up to his eyes, his head tilts and a brow is arched. “You’re making this really hard,” he murmurs.
“Making what hard, exactly,” I tease. He inhales sharply and moans.
“Addison,” he says in a raspy voice, reaching over and grabbing the back of my head. He guides me over to him then opens his mouth to say something but instead slams his lips onto mine in a possessive kiss. When he pulls back, my senses are spinning together, out of control. I gasp for air, trying to regain composure. This is what he does to me.
He’s leaning back in his seat, looking up. I can tell he’s trying to regain his control, too. I smile, thinking I’m glad it’s not just me.
Aiden looks over and shakes his head. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
I definitely have an idea.
“I really want you to come back to my place …”
“Aiden, I really ne—”
“Shh,” he says placing his finger on my mouth. Then he runs his finger across my bottom lip. I shiver at his touch. “I know,” he says quietly as he watches his finger, his expression somber.
The thought of going back to my apartment unsettles me. It’d be easy to go to Aiden’s house. Too easy. Instead of taking baby steps, I feel I’m taking Jolly Green Giant steps. Aiden walked back into my life less than a week ago and while I have zero regrets where we are, I just need to take a breather. Not a step back, just a step away.
“I had your apartment cleaned,” he says, dropping his hand. “And a security system installed.” My eyes go wide.
“Really? You’ve been a busy man while we’ve been away,” I say as I shift in my seat, turning my body toward him.
“Addison, I’m not gonna lie. I want to wake up wrapped around you every morning for the rest of my life,” he says and then sighs, “but I know if I rush things, you’ll start to run. So I need to know you’re safe in your apartment.”
My lips turn up. Deep down, I want that, too. But he’s right, I’m not ready yet. And I love that about him, that he knows me.