Eighteen

EIGHTEEN

Aria

I was on my way back to the front of the bar after having delivered an appetizer order to Ozzie when it happened.

The door to the pub opened, and it was directly in my line of vision. A moment later, past the glare of the bright sun, Paxton strode in, his eyes locking onto mine.

While I was shocked to see him there, I was beyond happy about it. And if I was being completely honest with myself, Paxton's presence was an immediate relief.

The man didn't hesitate to waltz in my direction. As he made his way toward me, I couldn't help but recall the way he looked wearing just those joggers last night. Suddenly, I was daydreaming about Paxton walking toward me wearing only those joggers and doing it with a specific purpose in a different location with nobody else around.

I hadn't doubted Paxton was in phenomenal shape. I'd known that from the day I met him. But I still hadn't recovered from seeing him half naked last night. And that display of his impeccable form was a level of confirmation I wasn't sure I needed. The attraction I had to Paxton turned to burning-hot desire, even in the aftermath of being followed home and attacked.

He continued to close the distance between us, his eyes never leaving me. I did the same, keeping my stare pinned on him as I rounded the bar. Finally, he came to a stop just a few feet in front of me.

My curiosity got the better of me. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

For the first time since he entered the pub, Paxton took his eyes off me, scanned the space, and jerked his head to the side away from the crowd. He curled his fingers around my wrist and urged me in that direction.

I should have been questioning what was going on and why he wanted to speak with me privately, but I didn't.

The moment I felt his touch on my skin again, I lost all sense of myself. My mind wandered, and I was suddenly imagining what it would be like to feel his fingertips on other parts of my body. Would he want to do that as much as I was craving it now?

Paxton came to a stop out of earshot of anyone else and turned fully to face me. Only then did he speak. "I got home from work a little while ago and found your small token of appreciation waiting outside my door for me."

I sent an excited smile his way. "Did you try it? What did you think?"

"I think it was unnecessary," he returned.

My smile was gone, my eyes diverted to the ground. It was like I'd just taken a physical blow to my body. "Oh. "

I hadn't expected that response from him. When I woke up this morning, I had this overwhelming desire to do something for Paxton. After what happened last night, after what he'd saved me from, I thought he deserved something more than just a couple of words of gratitude.

And while I didn't think Paxton was the kind of guy who expected something in return for doing such a good deed, I thought he'd enjoy it. In fact, I was excited to see his response. The problem was that I never thought this would be it.

It was as the disappointment was moving through me when I felt Paxton's fingers give my wrist a gentle squeeze. "Aria?"

I tipped my chin up to look at him again. "Yeah?"

"Just because it was unnecessary doesn't mean I didn't love it," he shared.

A renewed sense of hope blossomed inside me. "You did?"

His lips twitched. "Best thing I've ever tasted in my life."

I beamed at him. "I'm glad. I was hoping you would like it. And I was serious about it being safe. There are no raw eggs in it."

Paxton let out a soft laugh. "Even if you hadn't mentioned the safety factor in your note, I still would have tried it. Not once did I think you were trying to poison me."

"I would never."

He chuckled again before his tone turned serious. "Thank you for thinking to do something nice. Again, I'd have done what I did for you last night again in a heartbeat and without the expectation of something in return, but I can't say I don't like the way you chose to show some additional appreciation."

Hearing him admit he'd step in to save me from an awful situation again shouldn't have impacted me the way it did. If there was one thing I'd learned about Paxton from the moment I met it, it was that he was a noble guy. He cared about people and animals. And he wasn't the kind of guy who'd look the other way when someone needed his help.

But there was something about hearing him admit it to me that resonated with me, that sent a rush of warmth through my body. Maybe it was that I hadn't had anyone willing to look out for me in years. It was nice. It felt good.

"So, did you come here tonight just to tell me the cookie dough was unnecessary?"

He shook his head. "No. No, my buddy, Jesse, who is also Sawyer's husband, is meeting me here tonight."

A guys' night.

While there was a part of me which felt slightly disappointed his reason for stopping in tonight had nothing to do with me, I was still thrilled to see him here. Relieved, even.

Because despite how much I tried to convince myself that what happened last night was a freak incident and was unlikely to happen again, I found my body tensing every time the door to the pub opened since I arrived.

"Oh, okay. Are you planning to grab a seat at the bar?" I asked.

Paxton twisted his neck and looked in that direction. "Looks like Jesse just walked in and made that decision."

My eyes followed Paxton's, and I instantly knew who Jesse was, because he was talking to Sawyer and looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman in the world, like he was in awe of how he'd become the man lucky enough to wind up married to her. The sight of it made something squeeze in my chest.

God, I wanted that.

And I wondered just how much I'd be willing to do to have it. There was no denying I'd done much worse for way less.

Shaking off the melancholy thoughts, I said, "Well, go get yourself a seat and grab a drink. I've got a couple of tables to check on."

"Alright. Don't be a stranger to the folks at the bar, though," he teased.

I smiled at him and gave him a nod. "I promise I won't."

With that, Paxton gave my wrist one more squeeze before he released his hold on me. I wanted to cry at the loss of his hand, but I managed to get myself back to work instead.

For a little while, I was busy with a few tables that had come in. But I eventually had a bit of free time to stop at the bar and get introduced to Jesse. I'd also joined in to a conversation or two with Jesse, Paxton, and Sawyer throughout the evening.

But it was busy.

So, most of my night was spent working.

And I was grateful for it, because I knew if I had too much time on my hands, it was likely I would start thinking more into Paxton's reasons for coming tonight. I didn't think that was wise to do with him right there .

The night passed in a flash, and before I knew it, the bar was closing.

Jesse and Paxton hadn't left early. Whether that was something they typically did or if this was a one-time case, I didn't know. Either way, I felt comforted and reassured by the fact that Paxton was going to be there as I walked out to my car.

"Busy night tonight," Paxton said as he walked out of the pub with me.

I nodded. "Yeah, but I guess that's to be expected for a Friday evening. Plus, it's great for the business."

"And the employees," he added.

"This is true."

When we made it to my car, Paxton said, "I have a confession to make."

My body tensed. "Pardon?"

"I wasn't entirely truthful with you earlier tonight," he confessed.

He lied? I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the fact that Paxton had just admitted to lying to me. Given what I'd learned the last time I'd been lied to, it was safe to say I wasn't exactly thrilled to hear what he wanted to share.

Even still, I asked, "What did you lie about?"

Paxton sighed. "When you asked why I came here tonight, I told you that I was meeting Jesse here."

"Right. Well, you did meet him here," I reasoned, wanting to hang on to any shred of honesty.

Nodding, he confirmed, "Yes, I know that. But Jesse and I planned to come here tonight after I told him about what happened last night."

That offered little explanation. I still didn't understand why Paxton had claimed he lied to me about something. "Okay. I'm not sure I understand where this is going."

Paxton didn't immediately respond. His eyes roamed over my face, searching for something, but I had not a clue what it was. "I came here not to spend time with Jesse, Aria. I came here because I wanted to make sure you were okay after what happened last night. I've been thinking about you ever since, and I was worried that you might have felt a bit unsettled about returning to work. I thought it might help you to have me here, in case that guy returned."

Okay.

So, there were bad lies, and there were good lies.

This had been a good one.

It also felt impossible that he could be speaking the truth.

"Are you joking?"

Confusion, and perhaps a bit of concern, washed over Paxton's expression. "Do you really think I would joke about something like this?"

I didn't.

Truly, I didn't.

I simply didn't know how to react to this information.

I shook my head sheepishly. "No."

"I wanted to check on you and give you some peace of mind that you wouldn't have to walk to your car alone or drive home without anyone looking out for you," he explained.

There was only one question left for me to ask him. "Why?"

"Why?"

"Yes. Why would you do that for me? "

"Because I like you," he admitted. "I've thought about you a lot since the day Brutus decided to officially welcome you to the neighborhood in his own special way. But then I took you out last weekend, and I went from thinking about you a lot to thinking about you all the time. And ever since I walked you to your door last night, you're the only thing I've thought about."

Okay, so I hadn't made up any of the attraction in my head. He hadn't been able to think about anything besides me. If anyone would have thought it possible to hear that admission and me not react accordingly, they were crazy.

Without even really thinking about it, my eyes followed my hand as it came to rest on his chest. From there, they followed my hand's movements as it drifted up, over his shoulder, along the side of his neck, and into the clipped hair at the back of his head. Then my eyes were on his, begging him—daring him—to make the next move.

He didn't react.

Not immediately, anyway.

He held my stare for quite some time before his focus shifted to my lips. I dropped my gaze to his.

And that's when it happened.

Paxton simultaneously wrapped one arm around my waist to haul me close to his body as the other hand drove into my hair and angled my head to give him the access he wanted to my mouth.

Then his lips were on mine.

They were soft, his kiss sweet and tender. Paxton was kissing me like he had all the time in the world, like there was no reason to rush.

It was exactly how I imagined he'd kiss, but the reality of being able to experience it only made it that much better.

When his tongue touched the seam of my lips, a silent demand for access to my mouth, I parted my lips. Paxton took what he wanted, giving me more than I could have hoped for in the process.

Tingles ran along my spine as a swarm of butterflies took flight in my belly. Despite my best efforts to rein in all that I was feeling, something that should have been easy for me, a moan crawled up my throat.

And it was just after that when Paxton's grip tightened in my hair, and he separated his mouth from mine.

He rested his forehead against mine, his lips brushing gently along my lips. Then he smiled, and my belly was doing somersaults.

"I've been wanting to do that for a long time," he confessed.

"Mmm. Me, too."

His grin grew. "How about we get out of here?"

For a brief moment, I forgot where we were. But I gave him a quick nod and agreed, "Yeah, that sounds good."

How I contained my excitement the entire way home was beyond me. I couldn't stop replaying my kiss with Paxton in my mind. It was my hope that I wasn't the only one still reeling from our kiss and that Paxton also felt like he was dreaming.

Once we were home, Paxton didn't hesitate to get out of his vehicle and make his way over to me. He walked with me to my front door and said, "I really need to do this again."

Paxton touched his lips to mine, and another slow assault on my senses began. I used to think that for something to feel so passionate, we'd need to be clawing at one another and tearing our clothes off. But leave it to Paxton to make such a tender kiss feel like the greatest experience of my entire life.

When he tore his mouth from mine, he asked, "Do you need to work tomorrow?"

With a shake of my head, I answered, "No."

"Can I take you out?"

"Out?"

"I want to take you out for dinner tomorrow night."

Unable to hide how happy it made me, the corners of my mouth tipped up. "I'd love to have dinner with you."

He smiled back at me, and by the light on my front porch, it wasn't difficult to see the way his eyes lit up.

There it was.

Paxton had given me the confirmation that he was just as excited about all of this as I was.

"You better open your door and get inside," he urged. "I won't be responsible for what happens if you keep looking at me like that."

I hadn't realized I was looking at him in any way, but I was tempted not to honor his request. I wasn't entirely sure there would be a downside to what Paxton might have intended to do if I didn't.

In a moment of clarity, I realized I didn't want to deny Paxton or myself the opportunity to have the buildup to a real date. So, I did as he asked and stuck my key in the front door.

And once I stepped inside, I said, "Thank you for coming to the pub tonight. It really did help to ease my fears about having to leave there tonight."

"You're welcome. "

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be here by six."

"Goodnight, Paxton."

"Goodnight, Aria."

Paxton held my stare for a few silent beats. Then he turned and walked back to his house as I watched him go with a smile on my face and contentment in my heart.