Chapter 13

"The new projector arrived. Want to see if it works?" Aiden glanced over at me as we headed home.

Home. To the inn. Where I was staying temporarily for the holidays. "Can we watch it in the theater?"

Aiden's lips twitched. "Of course. Where else would we test it out?"

"That would be amazing." And remind me of all the times that we snuck into the theater, making out in the back row. I'd had such hope for a future with Aiden.

"I knew you'd be up for it," Aiden said as he turned onto the lane for the inn. He parked next to my rental car. The rest of the lot was empty.

"I can't believe we have an entire inn to ourselves," I said as we sat in the cabin admiring the lights.

"It hasn't been empty since Marley renovated."

"Let's enjoy it before the guests come back." I opened the door and slid out.

We met on the porch. Aiden unlocked the door and pushed it open for me. "You first, my lady." Then he did a little bow, and I couldn't help but giggle.

This was the Aiden I remembered from high school. He was fun when he let go of the mask he wore in front of others. I understood that he hadn't trusted the other kids not to say something mean about his living situation or his family, and he always defended Marley. He had to be tough. But with me, he could just be himself. I stepped inside, looking forward to more time to ourselves.

"Let's grab some snacks." Aiden led the way into the kitchen, and opened a cupboard, revealing a jar of popcorn kernels, Junior Mints, and bags of MM's and Skittles."

"Did you plan this?" I asked lightly.

"When I heard that it was going to snow, I might have considered reenacting our movie nights."

"This time, we don't have to sneak around."

"Or make out in the back row," Aiden said as he filled my arms with the candy, then grabbed the container of kernels for himself.

I felt almost giddy as we headed downstairs. "Hopefully, we'll have power."

"There's a generator."

"We can enjoy the movie and have heat."

"There's a hot tub in my apartment we can check out later."

"That would be nice." I dumped the candy on a table we'd been using in the back of the room for our things. "I'm going to grab some sodas."

Aiden nodded. "The projector equipment isn't in, so I brought down the portable one we use in the great room. I'll get the movie running. Any requests?"

I thought about it for a few seconds. "Something holiday related. I could go for a Christmas movie."

"One Christmas movie coming up." Aiden flashed me a grin, and I wondered if I'd be able to keep my hands to myself while the movie played.

I went upstairs and stuck my head in the fridge for a few seconds, trying to cool my overheated body.

There was a handsome man waiting for me downstairs. He hurt me, but I didn't see any traces of that guy now. He was steady and true, and it made me wonder if I could let go and enjoy myself with him for one night.

I knew I was being foolish, thinking I could do anything with Aiden and keep my heart separate, but I wanted him too much to stay away from him.

I grabbed a couple of sodas. In the theater, the opening credits for Miracle on 34th Street were paused on the screen. There was a small popcorn maker on the table now.

"Did you buy this recently?" I asked him, not remembering having seen it before.

"I thought it would be good for nights when we don't want to use the concession stand."

Except it wasn't big enough for the Monroe family much less a packed theater. What was he thinking when he purchased it? That he'd be using this for a date night with someone else, or was he thinking about me? "Who did you intend to use it with?"

"I'm not seeing anyone if that's what you're thinking about," Aiden said as he scooped kernels and dropped them into the machine.

My shoulders tensed. "I wasn't."

Aiden assessed me for a second before pouring the butter. "I thought we could use it when we tested the projector."

He'd bought the candy and the popcorn machine for us to spend this time together. It was like reenacting our dates as kids. Except this time, we were the only two people in the theater. "Are you ready to watch? I have a remote for the projector."

"Well, that's handy." I grabbed the sodas and candy and followed him down the aisle to the middle of the theater.

"Does this work?" Aiden asked.

"This is perfect." We sat next to each other, arranging our food on our laps. "Should we add cup holders? Or will that not look right with the old chairs?"

"People expect it. No matter the age of the theater."

He hit Play on the movie, and we settled back, eating popcorn out of one bowl. Each time our fingers brushed, I couldn't help but sneak a peek at his face. Usually, he was focused on the screen, but every once in a while, he winked at me.

When we'd eaten our fill of popcorn, we moved onto the Junior Mints. "This tastes like our teen years, if that makes sense."

Aiden chuckled. "You know what it reminds me of?"

"No. What?" I asked despite my better judgment.

He set the box of candy and my soda on the ground, and he cupped my face. "It reminds me of how you used to taste like popcorn, butter, and mint when we kissed."

I sucked in a breath. Was he going to kiss me?

His eyes heated. "If you don't want me to kiss you, tell me now."

I closed my eyes briefly, and when I opened them again, I said, "Do it."

He lowered his lips to mine, and his tongue swept into my mouth. His hand moved from my chin to my hair, where his fingers tangled in the strands.

There was a hand rest between us, so I moved, careful to avoid the soda cans and bowl of popcorn, placing one knee on either side of his thighs. "I remember there being more room when we were kids."

Aiden looked down at his spread thighs. "I think we were smaller."

He was smaller back then. He'd filled out in a way that made my heart race. This time, I touched his chin, tipping it up, and kissed him, slowly, sensually as if I was saying hello again. It was a coming together, a meeting of our bodies after so many years apart.

We kissed, his hands on my ass, pulling me down to grind against his hardening cock. When he tugged on my hair, I whimpered against his lips. I angled my neck so that he could kiss and suck on the skin. "I want you."

"I want you too. Do you want to finish this movie?" Aiden breathed across my skin, and I didn't care about the movie. But the sides of the chairs were biting into my knee, and I knew we couldn't comfortably do anything in these chairs.

I sighed, need swirling in my core, but I moved my leg off his and settled in my chair. I looked at the movie that still played. Santa was on trial.

Aiden adjusted himself in his jeans, then reached across the armrest to interlace his fingers with mine. I rested my free hand over our joined ones. Warmth settled in my chest. I wanted to stay here all night. When the characters found their dream house, and the credits rolled, I didn't feel tired.

Aiden turned off the movie and stood. "Let's clean up, and we can check out my hot tub."

"That sounds nice." My muscles had been sore lately because of the physical labor we'd been doing in the bowling alley.

We gathered up the trash and carried it to the kitchen, throwing it away. Aiden turned on the light to the back porch, and we watched the snow fall.

"It's beautiful. But I have a better view in my apartment." His voice was lower, almost hushed as if he were afraid of waking someone, but no one else was here.

"I bet you do," I teased.

Aiden chuckled. "I was talking about the snow."

My lips curled up. "I might have been talking about something else."

Aiden paused in front of his door on the third floor. The ballroom double doors were firmly closed. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

He wasn't asking if I wanted to come inside; he was telling me he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off me. It was written in his tight muscles and in the heat in his eyes.

"I want this. I want you."

Aiden groaned as he pulled me against him. My arms went around his neck as I pressed my breasts against his hard chest. I wanted him. There was no point in denying myself anymore. We were both adults. We could handle the consequences, the resulting fallout.

His hard cock pressed against my belly.

I pulled back slightly, needing a few seconds to regroup. "Let's check out that hot tub."

His hand slid from my hip, turned the knob, and he pushed the door open. "I don't have a bathing suit for you."

I leaned up on tiptoes and tugged on his earlobe with my teeth. "That sounds perfect."

He growled as he lifted me into his arms, kicking the door shut behind us. My legs went around his hips as he carried me deeper into his apartment. I didn't get a good look at the scenery passing by. I was too focused on the saltiness of his skin as I ran my tongue over it.

He finally set me on the ground. "I can't think straight with your mouth on me."

"That was the idea." I pulled my sweater over my head and unbuttoned my jeans. I pushed them down over my hips, leaving me in a bra and panties.

Aiden quickly followed suit, shucking off his shoes, shoving his jeans down with his black boxer briefs. I pushed his shirt up and over his head.

Aiden Matthews was gloriously naked. I couldn't help but run my hands over the hard planes of his chest, the ridges of his abs, and finally lower. His muscles jumped at my light touch. I licked my lips when my gaze fell to his cock. It was hard, precum beading at the top. I wanted to lick it off.

I lifted my gaze to Aiden, who tapped the lace at my hip. "These have to go."

I hooked my fingers into the sides of my panties. "Do you mean these?"

He cupped my breasts through the lace, flicking his fingers over the hard nubs. "And this."

My breath caught in my throat, and I couldn't remember what I was supposed to be doing. Aiden leaned close and sucked on my earlobe. "Fi, your panties. As much as I love them, I want to see you."

The familiar nickname and the emphasis on the word you had heat zinging to my core. With trembling fingers, I slipped my panties down my legs and off. I kicked them to the side as Aiden unhooked my bra, and the straps fell.

I expected Aiden to touch my breasts, to maybe suck a nipple into his mouth. I was anxious to feel his tongue on my body. But instead, he reached down to turn on the hot tub. Then the jets. The water was illuminated with green lights.

Aiden held his hand out to me, and I took it, trusting him with my body. I wasn't sure about my heart. But I knew I wanted him. That I wanted him to make me feel good.

I sighed as I slipped into the steaming water.

Before I could find a bench to sit on, Aiden tugged me into his lap. "I'm not done with you."

I felt the tension easing from my body as the water heated me from the outside in. I bit my lip as my pussy bumped against Aiden's cock. He gripped my hips, guiding me to slide over him. Then his head lowered as he sucked a nipple into his mouth.

I held him to me with a hand on his neck. His cock slid through my folds, the tip of it teasing my entrance. He wasn't wearing a condom, and I felt naughty. I wanted to let go and just feel.

Aiden lightly bit my nipple. The resulting electric shock flowed through my body, straight to my core. "I need you."

"I've waited years to be with you again. I'm not going to rush it."

My breath flew out of me in a rush. "I wish you would." I wanted him hard and fast. I wanted to feel him filling me up, making me his.

"I want to play," Aiden said before he sucked the other nipple into his mouth.

I nearly groaned with frustration. This Aiden was different from the one I'd been with when we were teens. He was always game to rush through the foreplay and get to the part where we were joined as one. I loved it. We never took things slow because we didn't have the time, and it was usually uncomfortable in the bed or cab of his truck.

Then Aiden stilled. "Look at the snow coming down."

I hadn't realized it before, but the hot tub was surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows. Huge flakes came down sideways. "We're going to get a lot of snow if it keeps coming down at this rate."

"I hope so," Aiden said as he ducked his head and sucked on my nipple again.

A thrill shot through me. The storm gave us this time alone, and it felt right to be with Aiden. I wasn't positive he wouldn't hurt me, that this wasn't a one-night thing. But I was determined to not think about the what-ifs.

This time when I moved over him, his tip slipped inside, and we both stilled.

Aiden groaned, the sound reverberating through my body. "I want to slide inside you. But I'm not wearing a condom."

I chewed my lip. "I'm on birth control, and I've been tested."

Aiden's face softened. "I'm clean too."

Did I trust him enough to go without a condom?

"I can get one." Aiden shifted to move me off his lap, but I stopped him with a hand on his chest.

"We don't need one."

"Are you sure?" Aiden asked, his muscles tense with the effort to hold back.

"I trust you."

With a growl, Aiden positioned his cock at my entrance, and I slowly sank down while looking into his eyes. They were filled with awe as if he couldn't believe I was here.

This entire moment felt surreal: the hot tub, the snow, and his bare cock inside me. I slowly lowered myself until I was filled.

"You feel incredible, but I need you to move." Aiden's words were clipped.

With my hands on his shoulders and his on my hips, I moved up. He thrust from beneath me. We moved in an orchestrated rhythm, enjoying the feeling of coming together. My entire body felt flushed; whether it was from the heat of the water or the sex, I wasn't sure.

Aiden kissed me, and I was lost in the moment, his tongue sliding against mine, his cock filling me like only he could. Each time I lowered myself, my clit rubbed against his body, creating delicious friction.

I moved faster, chasing that feeling as the orgasm built inside me.

When Aiden pulled his lips from mine and bit down lightly on my nipple, it was like I detonated. I cried out as he continued to move through the waves of pleasure coursing through me.

His movements sent a second ripple through me. I'd never felt anything like this before. Finally, he drove deep and stilled as he emptied himself into me.

It was primal. It was intimate. This didn't feel like a one-time thing. It felt bigger and more expansive than anything we'd shared before. Was it because we were adults?

His forehead rested against mine as we came down from the high. I tightened my arms around his neck and held on.

Finally, he pulled back slightly to see my face. "I never thought we'd be together like this again."

"I didn't either."

He kissed me softly, erasing any thoughts about this being a one-time thing. "Stay the night. We have the inn to ourselves."

I nodded shakily. "I can do that."

I wanted to do that. I wanted as much as he was willing to give me.

We stayed wrapped up in each other for a while, until our skin wrinkled and the air around us chilled. Eventually, Aiden turned me so we could watch the snow fall. It was the closest I'd ever felt with anyone.