Chapter Thirty-Three

Aiden

“ S o, the answer is no, huh?” I ask.

“Hm, the answer to what?” Bec mumbles, sounding exhausted. I should be tired, too, after everything we’ve done tonight, but my entire body feels alive, electricity running rampant under my skin from her touch. I could get used to her in my bed, tucked into my side, with her leg wrapped over my thigh while I absentmindedly skim my fingers over the freckles dotting her shoulder.

“You don’t have any tattoos after all. All these years I imagined what kind of tattoo you had, assuming, with false confidence, you did in fact have one and wouldn’t confess when we met. I believe you said it was ‘too personal.’” I give her air quotes, then shrug. “I guessed wrong.” Bec giggles and tucks her head into my shoulder, her arm wrapped around my waist, squeezing tightly, making my chest constrict with unexpected emotion at her closeness.

“You weren’t wrong. I do have a tattoo. Just a small one.” She rests her chin on my chest, her smile easy and content. Something clenches in my chest with how fucking right it feels.

“Bullshit, I would have seen it by now. Where?” I lean back to scan her perfect body, but she pulls away, giggling and covers herself with the sheet, tugging it close to her chest, hiding her perfect tits from me.

“Hold on, I want to know what you imagined. Let’s hear it, Price.”

I shift, getting comfortable, lifting one hand to place it back behind my head, considering her demand.

“Well, I’m embarrassed to admit I probably couldn’t remember all my ideas if I tried. I’ve given it a lot of thought.”

“Oh, really ? I’m intrigued. Go on.” She turns to her stomach, folding her arms beneath her cheek, peering over at me.

As stupid as it sounds, I know I’ll tell Bec anything she wants to know. Finding the words to open up has never come this easily to me, but I want her to keep looking at me like this. I want her to share her unfiltered thoughts with me too. I want her to be comfortable around me. I want her to want to be here with me because it makes her happy. It’s scaring the shit out of me, but I’m not walking away from this. Not when I finally feel like she might say yes to me this time. She might give us a real shot.

“Well, at first, I pictured you with some kind of flower along your hip. But I know that’s not the case after tonight’s thorough inspection. Then I thought maybe it’d be a quote along your ribs. Or maybe a significant date or some type of constellation. You were talking an awful lot about the universe when we met. Figured you’d love to have a piece of the stars on your skin.”

“Wrong. All wrong. Though admittedly your sense of creativity has me insecure about the ingenuity of my tattoo.” She buries her head in the pillow before turning her head to peek at me with one eye, her hair a wild mane around her.

God, she’s a knockout. I think I like her best like this. Mussed up, carefree, and naked in my bed.

“Then it’s my jersey number, obviously . Gotta say, Bec. I’m flattered.”

“You wish.”

“I kinda do. That’d be fuckin hot.” She rolls farther away from me and lets out a loud laugh. I let out a chuckle too. “Let me see, Bec. What is it?”

She pauses at my lowered voice, frozen for a moment or two before she gives her head a small shake, spurring her into action.

“Okay, but if you make fun of me, I’m leaving.” She sits up, wrapping the white sheet around her body. She pulls her knees to her chest and then shifts to stretch her legs across my thighs, leaning her side against the pillows and looking at me with a sad smile. She wiggles her foot. “Dog prints…up my right ankle. I love all dogs, obviously, but my girl Lucy was special. I got these paw prints about a year after I adopted her. I was a wreck when I lost her. The grief consumed me more than I could’ve imagined.”

I haven’t seen Bec quite like this before. She’s usually cheerful and upbeat. I can see how much this loss still hurts her in her posture, the way she’s curling into the pillows, caving in on herself. This is one of those losses that chips off a piece of your heart. A piece you give away willingly, knowing you’ll never get it back. A love that you give to someone knowing they’re forever a part of you.

I wrap my hands around her ankles, softly coasting my thumb over where the delicate paw prints wrap around her ankle bone. “It’s perfect. Way better than anything I could have dreamed up. Tell me about her.”

She smiles softly to herself, her eyes on her hands while she fidgets with the edge of the sheet, lost in thought and memories. “I met her at the shelter I volunteer at. She was older, terrified, and seemed so fragile. In really bad shape after years of neglect. I hate to think about what she survived before she was rescued. I didn’t expect to get as many years with her as I did, so I’m really grateful for the time we had together. She had no training of course. I was still working on my certifications.” She shrugs, and her smile grows. “I guess she was my first real student, which was lucky for me because she was the most well-behaved dog all on her own. Wasn’t too much for me to handle while I was still learning. It took her time to trust me, but when she did, it…it was incredible. She was so gentle, always looking to be pet and doted on. Over time, her energy increased along with her faith in people. She finally showed her playful side. You’d think a dog who had been through a life like she had wouldn’t give anyone else a chance, but she just…transformed into this ray of light. She showed me what we can become, no matter what we’ve been through, when we’re given unconditional love. People talk about their soul dog, and Lucy was mine. She understood me intuitively.”

“She sounds like a really great dog. I’m glad you found each other.” I reach out to grab her hand from her lap, giving a gentle squeeze.

Bec pulls her legs back, dropping her knees to one side and tucking her feet to the other, her free hand gently gliding over the two small paw prints behind her ankle bone. “I miss her. I wasn’t kidding when I said I was grateful to dog sit Hopper. It was amazing to have a dog living with me again, even temporarily.”

“He was really depressed coming home with me after a weekend with you. I’m pretty sure you’re his favorite person in the world.”

“Well, it helps that I walk around with treats attached to my hip every time he sees me; he is unbelievably food motivated.”

“Maybe Hop is my soul dog because I find myself drooling over your hips too.”

“Ew, Aiden.” She shoves my shoulder playfully and lets out a loud laugh. “I don’t know if that was a compliment or just gross.”

“Yeah, that one felt weird. I can’t seem to filter any of my weirdness when I’m around you.”

“Weird-ass compliments aside, I feel the same way. But now it’s your turn. Where’s your tattoo?”

“I’m not as badass as you, Bec. No ink on me.”

“No ink yet . Now that’s an idea in case I ever win a bet against you or something.” She winks at me, and I make a mental note not to ever bet against her because she looks downright devious right now.

“Remind me not to get on your bad side.” She giggles and lies back down, her head on my shoulder, body curling up against my side.

We settle into a comfortable silence, but my mind is racing. I have to go for it.

“Bec, can I ask you something?” Sensing my more serious tone, she looks up, propping herself up on one elbow at me, and nods.

“I know you didn’t want to pursue anything between us when we met, and I understand why you felt that way. We lived in different cities, and that would have been really difficult. But I gotta be honest, I would have done it for you. I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything, but does my living here change anything for you? Because…fuck, Bec, I really want to see where this goes. I want to see where we could go. Everything about tonight felt right. The time I’ve spent with you since I’ve moved back, it’s meant everything to me.”

She looks at me, her eyes piercing straight through me, leaving me feeling all sorts of vulnerable. Bec sighs deeply and I feel myself brace for the embarrassment and disappointment of her rejection…again.

“I wasn’t ready for you when we met. I know I mentioned the distance at the time and the weirdness we’d be risking with our friends if things didn’t work out, and yeah, that was all a big part of it. Aiden, you scared the shit out of me. At first, our connection felt like a strike of lightning. Intense and spectacular, but dangerous and fleeting. When you showed up at the rehearsal, my gut told me to run. That nothing serious could ever work between us. We live in two different worlds, your career and mine. And with our friends getting married, it just felt so messy. But even as my mind tried to write you off, every other part of me wanted to see where a weekend together with you would lead. I don’t want to confuse you, but I normally don’t have a lot of optimism when it comes to relationships. The last relationship I was in…it did a number on my self-esteem and my ability to trust people. I’m still working on it. I want to give us a shot, but just know that it’ll take me time to let you in. But…yeah, I want to see where this goes too.”

I can feel my heart pounding. I snatch Bec into my arms and roll on top of her, pressing her into my bed and kissing her with everything I have, wishing I could erase every memory of her ex with my touch alone. I don’t care how long it takes to tear down these walls she’s built to protect her heart. I’ll wait as long as it takes for them to fall.

I feel her smile against my lips as she wraps her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, lining our bodies up just right. I feel her roll her hips up into mine and she lets out a soft moan. I can feel her slick against me and my cock throbs, hardening from the feel of her skin on mine, her movements, and her words. I pull back to look at her, lips swollen from kissing and her chest heaving with her quick breathing. “You fucking scared me, too, Bec. You still do. But only because I don’t know how to walk away from you. You’re a force of gravity that I couldn’t fight if I wanted to. Turns out I don’t want to anyway. I couldn’t stop thinking about you no matter how little time we had spent together. I’ve never felt like that about someone. I’ll give you all the time in the world to build your trust, with me, with us. You’re worth it.”

Bec pulls me back down to her lips and kisses me once, soft and unhurried. She pulls away slightly, beaming up at me, her lips still brushing against my own when she speaks. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you either.” She rolls her hips back into me again and I groan. She’s hot, wet, and ready for me.

I grab her hand, interlacing our fingers and pinning it to the soft pillows above her head as I grind against her, rubbing my cock along her slit. Her eyes drift close as she gasps at the movement. “I want you to watch while I show you all the ways we could belong to each other. This was inevitable from the moment I met you. I knew we’d be perfect together.”

I lower my head to her chest and suck her nipple into my mouth, grazing it gently with my teeth and flicking with my tongue. She moans and, despite my request, closes her eyes and arches her neck and back until she’s tilting her chest farther into my mouth. I take what she gives me and lavish my attention on her breasts, licking, sucking, and pinching her nipples until she calls out my name.

“Oh god, Aiden, please. I need more.”

“I want to take my time with you.”

“No, I can’t wait. I need you to fuck me.” She reaches down and grabs me, pumping me with her hand while she kisses me deeply, her body writhing beneath me. Any plans I had for what’s next immediately disappear and I thrust forward into her grip, groaning at the friction.

I sit back, resting on my heels, and Bec lets out a small whine of protest. Before she can pull me back, I tuck my palm under her sweet ass and flip her over onto her stomach before grabbing her hips and tugging them up into the air.

She gasps as I slowly slide one of my palms up her spine, applying light pressure to her upper back until her elbows hit the mattress, giving me the best view I can imagine. Her plump hips swell below the dimples of her lower back, and I bite back a groan as she stretches her arms out to grab the bottom of the headboard rails, arching her back to press her ass into my dick.

“You want it like this, Bec?” I reach around her side to play with her nipple while I teasingly rub my cock against her. She moans something that sounds like agreement .

“Use your words, gorgeous. I need to hear you.”

“Yes, fuck, yes, Aiden. Please.”

“Love to hear you begging. Don’t move, and I’ll take care of you.” I step back to pull another condom from my nightstand, toss it on the bed next to her, and climb behind Bec. I can hear her quick breaths and see the rise and fall of her back while she waits for me in the same position I left her in.

“Good girl.” I rub my fingers along her entrance, sliding one all the way in, causing her to moan long and loud. She’s wet, but I want her drenched before I take her again. I pull my hand back and lie down on my back, my knees bent over the end of my bed, feet on the floor. I push into my heels, driving my face up exactly where I want it, between Bec’s thighs, while she’s still holding onto the headboard, chest pressed to the mattress.

“What are you doing?” she pants. I reach up to grab her ass cheeks, pulling her down slowly before I taste her perfect pussy.

“Holy shit,” Bec yells out. I hold nothing back as I flatten my tongue, making long strokes up to her clit where I then make slow circles. I set a rhythm and keep pace. Bec’s hips twitch and she begins to grind on me, straddling my face. I love the feel of her losing control over me, taking her pleasure. I grip her ass harder, pulling her to my mouth, waiting to hear her let go completely, her moans telling me she’s close. I push one, then two fingers into her, pulling toward her front wall. I don’t have to wait long before she’s frantically gyrating and calling out my name, every muscle in her body tensing.

When I feel her relax, I take one more taste before lightly slapping her ass cheek. She giggles and rolls to her side, panting.

“Um, we’re going to have to do that again,” she says, giggling.

“I plan on it.” I crawl up the bed to lie next to her, pulling her into my side to lie together.

But Bec doesn’t stay still for long before she sits up to grab the condom. She reaches over and grabs my dick, rolling the condom down to the base.

Fuck, why is that hot?

Before I can think about it too closely, Bec straddles me, pushing me down with her hands on my chest. The view is…well, the view is beyond fucking perfect as she leans forward and her elbows squeeze her tits together. I reach up and tease her nipples.

“Some other time. Right now, I need you inside me.” In one swift movement, she drops herself onto my cock, and I groan at the perfect pressure of her walls around me.

“Ride me, Bec. I want to see you fucking lose it.” I thrust my hips up, driving into her from below to encourage her to move. I’m barely hanging on in anticipation. Her hips grind down while her clit slides over the connection point between our bodies. I trail my hands down past her waist to where her hips meet her ass, and I grip her tight, fingers digging into her soft skin following the rhythm of her movements.

When I look down, the sight of her lifting, dropping, and rocking against me almost has me finishing. “Look at you, claiming every fucking inch like you were meant for me.” Her half-lidded eyes find mine and her mouth falls open with a seductive moan as she picks up her pace, chasing her climax.

I sit up, threading my fingers into her hair at the base of her neck and gripping tightly, wrapping my other arm around her side to rest my palm between her shoulders, pressing her chest against mine. Bec doesn’t miss a beat with the change in position; she continues to pulse above me and weaves her hands into my hair, tugging without restraint. Our lips graze each other as we work our bodies into a frenzy. I’m lost in the feel of her fingernails digging in and scratching at my skin and the sound of her moaning my name. I feel the familiar tightening begin in my legs, drawing up to my balls .

“Fuck, babe, I’m close,” I say.

“God, me too. Fuck, I…I’m right there…don’t stop.” And then I feel her tighten around me. I watch as her mouth drops open, her eyes on me, my name falling from her lips as she tips over the edge again. The sight is so fucking perfect, she pulls me right over the edge with her as she steals my lips in another kiss.

I knew from the moment I met Bec that everything felt different with her. Natural. Instinctual. Chemical. Having her in my arms, smiling at me as we both come down from our collective high, her forehead resting gently against my own, only solidifies the way I feel. I’ll do anything to see that smile. I’ll do anything to protect this connection between us. Anything to protect her heart so she knows she’s safe to share it with me.

My body wants her more than I thought possible, but the shit she’s doing to the rest of me? My goddamn soul? She’s going to wreck me. All I can think is, I really hope she does. I want her to ruin me for all other women. There won’t be a piece of me left that doesn’t exist for her. She’s it.

* * *

When I wake up, I smile to myself as I take in the view beside me. Bec and I let Hop out of his crate that I keep in my office and into the bedroom after we finished doing things I couldn’t in good conscience let him watch. He happily joined us acting like it was no big deal that Bec was here, like she belongs here. I feel the same, bud. Hop jumped onto the bed, immediately curling up in a tight ball. Bec wrapped herself around him, and I wrapped myself around her before drifting into a peaceful sleep.

However, after sharing the bed with both of them, I know Bec wasn’t lying to me. She’s just as bad of a blanket hog as Hop. Looking at them now from the edge of the bed that I’ve been forced almost off of, Hop is asleep on his back, paws up. He’s lying sideways on the bed, practically taking up the space of a full-grown adult. Bec is next to him, laid out like a starfish and completely tangled up in my blankets. I gave her a T-shirt to wear to bed. My shirt swallows her torso, with the exception of her full hips where it sits more snugly, and when she adjusts in her sleep, shifting her leg over the edge of the comforter to lie on her side, it exposes the full length of her leg, tempting me to reach out and run my greedy hands up her thigh again. Seeing her perfect ass hanging out of my underwear she’s wearing, my shirt riding up along her waist…the sight has my mouth watering, hungry for another taste.

Instead, I take in the sight of her for a moment more and then quietly make my way to the kitchen to start breakfast. My steps are lighter than they were yesterday, and I know if I don’t want to scare Bec, I need to ignore how good this feels for now. It’s too soon to come on this strong. I know she’s guarding her heart for good reason. I just need to give her a better reason to let me in.