Chapter 18 - Aiden
She feels so small in my arms. I try to shield her from the low-hanging branches that might scratch her while I make my way back to the nearest path. I know these woods like the back of my hand, but I still wish I could get back quicker.
I don’t know why she was there, or why she was alone, or how long she was pinned under that tree, but none of that matters now. All I care about is getting her back to safety and making sure she’s alright. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m starting to be glad that Mara showed up at my place. If it wasn’t for her, I never would have found Maddy.
I look down and see her crying softly. My chest squeezes for the thousandth time today, but this time it’s not anger, or pain. I just want to protect her. I glance at her leg and hope it’s not broken.
Finally, we get to the main path and I know we’re less than ten minutes away from my cabin.
“I’m going to drive you to the hospital. You're going to need an x-ray,” I say. She nods, but says nothing. We go the rest of the way in silence. By the time we make it to my truck, the sweat is dripping down between my shoulder blades and my arms and legs are screaming from the effort.
I place her down gently and open the door of the truck. Before she gets in, she puts a hand on my chest and looks up at my face.
“Aiden,” she says softly. I shake my head.
“It’s okay.”
“Thank you,” she says. She lifts her other hand to my chest and it crawls up towards my neck. I catch it with my palm and bring her fingers up to my lips. I kiss them softly, staring deep into her eyes. She straightens her fingers and runs them along my jaw until they’re wrapped around the base of my neck.
The instant our lips touch, it feels like this is where I was meant to be. Our bodies melt together and I wrap my arms around her. She curls her fingers into my hair and presses herself into me as our lips crush together and I finally get to taste her.
A soft moan slips out of her lips and I kiss her harder, not wanting this moment to end. I wrap my arm around the small of her back and bring her just a bit closer to me until her body stiffens and I remember that she’s in pain.
“Sorry,” I breathe, pulling away from her.
She shakes her head. “It’s fine.” Her eyes linger on mine for a moment until I nod to the truck.
“We’d better get you checked out.”
She gets into the truck and I jog over to the driver’s side. Once the engine turns over, she slips her hand over my leg and my cock twitches towards her. I glance over at her and she smiles shyly.
“Thank you,” she says again. “I thought I was going to die out there.”
“You could have,” I growl. “What were you doing out there?”
She winces and I immediately regret my words. I’ve been on my own too long, I don’t know how to act around women anymore. If I’m honest, I don’t know how to act around people anymore.
“I just needed some air. Work has gotten intense, and I’m just…” She pauses. “I’m just not sure about it all anymore.”
I nod, but say nothing. I’m not sure what she means, but I just stare straight ahead and try to focus on the road. Her hand is still on my thigh, burning through my pants and breathing life into my whole body. I can’t focus on anything except her taste on my lips, her hand on my thigh, and trying my best to not crash this car.
We drive in silence towards the nearest hospital. It’s in the next town over, and I’m silently thankful for the extra time together.
The silence doesn’t feel forced or awkward, it just feels natural. It feels like we’ve known each other forever, and we’re just comfortable in each other’s company. I don’t remember the last time I felt like that with another person, let alone a woman.
I glance over at her as she stares out the window and my heart squeezes again. I wish she wasn’t working for that fucking hotel construction. I wish we’d met under different circumstances.
The big ‘H’ in front of the hospital comes into view and I pull up in front of the emergency doors. A nurse comes out to talk to us and brings out a wheelchair. She points me over to the parking lot and I watch her wheel Maddy inside the hospital.
Even being away from her for five minutes feels wrong. I just want to be near her – from now until I know for sure she’ll be okay.
She never should have been out there on her own. If I hadn’t run off in a blind rage through the woods, I never would have found her. She was on the border of my property and the hotel’s. No one ever goes there. I shake my head and try not to think about what would have happened if I hadn’t found her.
I park the car and take a deep breath. Maybe Mara coming to see me was a blessing in disguise. If she hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have gone out in the woods. I wouldn’t have found Maddy, and I wouldn’t have brought her back. I wouldn’t have kissed her and held her in my arms. I wouldn’t be here with her now.
I mull over these thoughts as I lock the truck and head towards the bright hospital doors. They slide open as I walk through, and from the waiting area I see Maddy turn her head towards me. Her face lights up and I feel a smile forming on my lips.
“I thought you’d left,” she says in a low voice when I slide my hand onto her shoulder.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I reply. She intertwines her fingers into mine and gives them a light squeeze. My heart thumps in my chest and I sit down beside her, ready to wait as long as I need to until she’s patched up and released from the hospital. I’m definitely not going anywhere.