In the past twelve months that they’d been enjoying one another’s company, she had yet to stay one single night in his arms. He’d desperately wished she’d fall asleep with him, but so far, he hadn’t gotten that lucky.
She’d been so concerned about her friends finding out about them that he’d begun to wonder if there were other reasons that she wanted to keep their relationship a secret. It was strange, but he’d grown to trust her more than anyone else he’d ever dated. Not that he could call what was between them dating. After all, they only ate meals together when it was a group of people and, even then, they never sat together.
“I’m glad you made it.” He smiled as she pulled her wet camp T-shirt over her head. Then his mind went blank when he noticed the see-through cream-colored bra she was wearing. Her pink nipples poked out towards him, begging for his attention.
“My god,” he groaned as she reached for her jean shorts.
When she stood in front of him in nothing but the matching underwear set, he felt his entire body start to shake. At that moment, he knew he would never get enough of her and part of the locks he’d placed over his heart slipped away.
He should have pulled back then, but his dick was in control and, instead, he moved towards her as his hands itched to touch her soft perfect skin.
Bending his head down, he covered the material with his mouth and sucked her as her fingers dug into his hair, gripping him to her.
Pulling the silk aside, he took her in his mouth and enjoyed the moans and soft sounds he’d come to love over the past year. She tasted as fresh as she looked.
He and Danelle had never been this good together.
There wasn’t anything Aubrey didn’t allow him to try or do to her. At least anything he’d asked of her thus far. She’d been there, willing and eager and even at times with her own demands.
“Aiden,” she begged as his hands moved lower over her hips.
“Tell me what you want,” he said, trailing his mouth over her as he removed the last barriers she wore.
“Lick me, kiss me, all over.” She arched against the kitchen countertop he’d been installing a small microwave under. There was a layer of dust on the surface but that didn’t stop him from hoisting her hips up and setting her on the edge so that he could kneel between her legs and lap at her soft skin.
Her taste was something that he would never forget, nor tire of. Shortly after they’d started their little game, he’d made sure to never leave the house without a pocketful of condoms.
Aubrey was more demanding than anyone he’d ever been with before, thankfully. He’d never imagined being with a woman who matched his own desires beat for beat.
When he felt and tasted her convulse against his mouth, he stood up, pulled himself free of his work jeans, and slid on the condom before returning to her. Her legs wrapped around his hips, and he moaned when his mouth found her nipple again as he slipped slowly into her.
“God, I love this,” he said against her skin. He hadn’t registered her stiffening at first, but after a moment, he realized she’d frozen completely.
Glancing up at her, he frowned when he noticed her go white.
“What?” He stilled. “What’s wrong?”
She nudged him back and jumped quickly down from the counter.
“I…” She shook her head. “I need to go.”
He watched in complete shock as she quickly dressed and rushed through the rain from the cabin and away from him.
It took him a few moments to realize his mistake. He thought about going after her, but then figured he’d give her some time to come to terms with how he felt.
He knew he’d promised her their feelings were off limits, but it had been over a full year. What was he supposed to do? Not have feelings for the woman he thought about more often than he thought about food or sleep?
The following week she avoided him and was damn good at it too. No matter where he went looking for her, she was always somewhere else. By the time the camp opened, he had still been unable to get her alone. Of course, his own schedule kept him busy enough that he didn’t have a moment to think, let alone much time to hunt her down.
It had been one of the first nights after guests flooded the grounds that he’d gotten a knock on his door just past ten o’clock.
He’d opened his front door and frowned down at a very drunk Aubrey, who stood swaying in his doorway.
“Hi,” he said with a smile as his heart and his dick both jumped with joy.
“Hi.” She giggled.
He leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms over his chest, and watched her, taking in the sexy hiking boots, the tight khaki shorts, and the tight-fitting camp shirt, which had his smile growing. How was it that even in that outfit she was sexy as sin?
“Looking for something?” he asked, feeling a little cocky.
She giggled again and then flung her body towards him. Thankfully, he reached out and caught her before they both toppled over.
Her mouth plastered to his as she pushed him back into the room and slammed his door shut behind them.
“Aub?” he said between kisses, wanting to clear a few things up before they returned to normal.
“No.” She shook her head. “Don’t,” she warned. “I need…” She was pulling at the buttons on his shirt. When her nails scraped against his skin, he moaned. She reached for the button of his jeans and, after freeing him, she wrapped her hand around him. “I just need…” She leaned over and ran her teeth over his shoulder.
All the arguments he’d thought of over the past week and a half left him. All he could think about now was being with her again and how he was going to persuade her to take a chance on him. For good.
No matter what happened now, he knew Aubrey was the woman he wanted. And if he had to wait forever, he was prepared to wait forever.
Chapter 5
Over a year later…
Aubrey knew something was changing. She could feel it in the air.
For over two and a half years, she’d enjoyed her time with Aiden and enjoyed knowing it was still a secret from her friends even more.
Every single one of her friends, the Wildflowers, were now fully in love and engaged to be married, except for her. But it was for the best. She knew she didn’t belong in that elite group. She didn’t deserve love.
It was difficult to explain, but she had promised herself long ago to never marry. Not that she didn’t think others should, it just wasn’t right for her.
Every single time she felt Aiden growing too close to her, she’d pull back. What was between them was just supposed to be fun. Just sex. That’s all she wanted from him. That’s all she could afford to give him. It was what they had arranged when they’d first started being together.
Besides, the man was very good at the physical stuff. Okay, the best she’d ever experienced. He helped her take her mind off… well, everything dark from her past.
Over the past few years, she estimated that he probably knew as much about her as her sisters did. And the reverse could be said about him. She knew everything there was to know about Aiden Stark.
Besides knowing all the intimate details about him, like his favorite sex position and how he liked to snuggle afterwards, she knew that he was twenty-five and had a Bachelor of Design in Architecture from FSU. He was an only child of Robin and Carl Stark, whom she had met on a few occasions when they visited the camp. Aiden’s grandmother Nancy had been the sister of Elle’s grandfather Joe and had passed away long before Aiden had come along.