Chapter Thirty-One

Bec

I ’m speechless. All this time, I thought maybe I’d imagined just how much I’d been hooked on him when the night seemed to have left just as much of an impression on him.

“That probably sounds really stupid, forget I said that…” he mumbles.

“Two blondes on the left end of the bar,” I say in a challenge.

The grin on his face has me smiling myself. After a thoughtful pause, he asks, “What brought them into the city?”

“They’re trying to wifey up with a professional baseball player. They heard one likes to come to this bar,” I say, shrugging.

“Is that so?” He rubs the scruff on his chin as he looks over at the women I’ve called out. “You think I use my job to meet women?”

“I think it’d be difficult not to,” I respond, feigning a nonchalance I don’t feel. Picturing Aiden flirting with anyone else makes my stomach turn with discomfort.

“Would being with me bother you given what I do for a living?” he asks the question, and the seriousness of his tone is unmistakable.

“I guess I haven’t really thought about it. What would it be like?”

“It’s not the easiest lifestyle when it comes to relationships. Especially for the guys with families. We have an intense schedule during the regular season. Then there’s preseason training and games. Postseason depends on how well the team does. There’s a shit ton of travel. It’s a lot to ask a partner to deal with. I’ve seen some teammates with great relationships who manage to make it work, while others don’t do well and it’s enough to break them. Not to mention the media can be a bit invasive at times.”

“Sounds like a lot to sign up for,” I say, stirring my drink with my straw.

“I don’t want to sugarcoat it or lie to you. I’d rather you know up front what it’s like, but I don’t think I can do it justice trying to explain it. We’ll take this slow, as slow as you need.”

“Right, one date,” I say.

“For now.” His gaze is thoughtful as he takes a sip of his drink. “Okay, my turn. A man and a woman, sitting in a booth. She’s a knockout in a green dress, and he’s…eh, he’s all right, I guess.”

“Just all right, huh?” I can’t hold in my laugh, because in no world would I describe Aiden as “all right” looking. “Okay, where do you think this couple is headed after this?” I ask, knowing I’m pushing for him to tell me how far he wants to take things tonight.

Despite what I said before about wanting to take things slow, I want this. I want him.

“I don’t know…any ideas?” he asks, scratching along his jaw, his hooded stare locked on mine.

“Maybe one.”

* * *

To end our date, I decide to show Aiden one of my favorite places in the city. In the middle of downtown, the art museum has transformed one of their exterior brick walls into a massive chalkboard community art piece, expanding the length of the large building’s side. Every month, an artist comes out to paint a new question along the top of the wall, just above the chalkboard. I try to make it here at least once a month to read the answers people leave. It’s as if the city has its own journal, a collection of our unique stories all haphazardly thrown together into something uniquely beautiful. Sometimes, I imagine the strangers I see every day, going about their business, are the people who leave their hearts on this wall, knowing no one would know it was them who wrote it.

“It’s been here for about two years. Every month, they change the prompt,” I explain.

“And people come out and freeze their asses off to write a response?” Aiden pulls me tighter around the middle, my back against his chest, his head low as a deep laugh rumbles in my ear.

“Yeah, we’re fun like that. And now you live here, so you get to be fun like that too.” I step away and grab two pieces of chalk from the bucket that hangs off the brick wall.

“This year, I’m going to…” Aiden reads off the top of the mural. “A New Year’s resolution. Okay, you write your answer over here. I’m headed to the other side.”

“You’re too cool to write your answer next to mine?” I yell to his back as he strides away from me with purpose.

“Can’t have you cheating, Miller.”

“I think you’re missing the point, no one is grading this, Price.”

I roll my eyes to myself as I turn over the chalk in my hand, thinking for a moment of what to write. I watch out of the corner of my eye as Aiden looks the wall up and down, searching for a place to put his answer, before he kneels and starts writing.

When he’s done, he waits for me to finish and step back from the wall before coming over to take the chalk from my hand and return them both to the bin for the next person’s confession .

I wander to where I saw him kneeling, but there’s so many answers written in this area I can’t tell what he wrote.

“Which is yours?” I ask.

“I thought this was anonymous,” he says, the side of his mouth tilting up as he shoves his hands into his pockets.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” I say with a wink.

His eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I love how easy it is to knock him off balance with just a little flirtation. Aiden points to the wall, not even looking at it as he strides toward me.

“That one’s mine. Now show me yours,” he demands, his hands grabbing at my lower back to pull me against him before sliding his hands over my ass and kissing me. No one has ever kissed me like Aiden does. My mind shuts off, everything becomes fuzzy, and I feel him everywhere.

I break the connection with a laugh and push him away. He falls back easily, laughing with me. I read his addition on the wall and a slow burn ignites in my chest. I lean into Aiden when he pulls me against his side, one heavy arm across my shoulders.

“This year I’m going to…earn that second date,” he says before leaning down to kiss the top of my head.

He has to know that second date is his already.

I turn to bury my face in the warmth of his chest. I sneak my hands into his jacket and wrap them around his waist, soaking up his warmth as we hold each other. He lifts my chin and kisses me slowly before it morphs into something needier. He drops his lips to kiss my neck. I lean my head to the side, giving him access to continue. His strong hands run up my back from the base of my spine to my shoulders, sending chills along my arms. When he speaks again, he keeps his head low, mere inches from the spot he was kissing on my neck, his breath hot on my skin, setting my skin on fire. “Think I’ll get my wish? ”

I hum, basking in the sensation of Aiden’s arms holding me close, the heat radiating off his body and into mine. I lean back and close my eyes, inhaling his cologne. “Brownies, books, and booze. It’s gonna be hard to beat, but I’d like to see you try.” The look of satisfaction on his face is genuine. “Now read mine,” I say.

He takes my hand and we walk side by side to my end of the wall. When I point to my horrible handwriting, he reads aloud. “This year I’m going to…kiss him senseless.” I burst out laughing, throwing my head back at the look of confusion on his face.

“What am I going to do with you? I assumed you would take this assignment seriously.”

“What?” I shout with mock offense. “It’s a sincere goal of mine.”

“Well, I think our goals complement each other perfectly,” he says.

“Only one way to find out,” I tease, pushing him against the wall. I wrap my hand around the back of his neck to pull his mouth toward mine. Our lips meet with equal enthusiasm, his tongue slipping to dance with mine, making me moan. Aiden’s kiss is overwhelming. All I can think is that he’s the one who’ll succeed in knocking any sense clear from my head with his kiss.

I tuck my hands back into his jacket, his body warming my cold fingers. I trace the muscled ridges of his abdomen that are distinct through his shirt to the buckle of his belt, dig my fingers into his waistband, and pull him flush against my hips.

He groans into my mouth and pulls back, eyes opening slowly.

“What now, Bec?” he asks, his voice rough with want.

“Now you take me home,” I whisper against his lips, stealing another quick kiss from his soft lips.

His expression shifts, and his eyes tell me that he’s considering his next words carefully. “I thought you wanted to wait. We can take things slow, Bec. There’s no rush.”

“I was scared when I said that, but I’m not scared now. I don’t want to wait,” I say.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, Aiden. Take me home.”