Page 75 of Make You Stay

I glance over my shoulder. There, with a freshly shaven face, is Aidan, wine bottle in hand. “Sure.”

He pours himself a glass before walking into the nook, his eyes dancing over the shelves he constructed. “It’s coming together.”

“You do amazing work. It’s hard to believe you’re self-taught. You’re a true artisan.”

“A person can do anything they put their mind to, but you already know that. Hop up.”

“Why?”

“Just hop up.”

With a grunt, I stand, an exasperated scoff flying from my mouth when he sinks into my recently vacated chair. “Are you serious?”

Sending me that sexy emerald stare I know and love, Aidan takes my wine glass and sets it on the table before pulling me onto his lap. I should fight him on this, but I’ve had a few cocktails, and my defenses are down.

Besides, inside his embrace is my favorite place in the world.

Even if I’m still really,reallyangry with the man.

His hands glide along my thigh, inching me closer to his chest. “Enid said you two had a good time.”

“We did. She had two rules. Couldn’t use the ‘c’ word and had to be served by the hottest guy in the place.”

“How’d that work out for you?”

With a sexy smirk, I pull a piece of paper from my pocket. “I got his number.”

Aidan’s eyes widen. “What the hell do you mean?”

“Our server gave me his number.”

“What are you going to do with it?”

I shrug because, honestly, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Call him, maybe? Crazy idea, I know.”

“Give me that.” Aidan rips the piece of paper into tiny bits before tossing them into the fire. “You’re not calling him.”

I stare at the flames as they destroy any evidence of the server’s digits. “Did you seriously just rip up the hot guy’s number?”

“You’re not going to be with him, even if it sounds like a good idea. It isn’t. It’s actually a terrible idea. The worst.”

My glare swings to his handsome face. He isnottaking this stance. “Really? What’s a good idea, then? Being alone?”

“Being with me, being with my girls.”

Gripping the chair arm, I squirm in his arms. I need to escape—now. “You’re the one who pushed me away, remember? No, I can’t discuss this.Wecan’t discuss—”

Aidan’s lips capture mine, ending any argument as he sweeps me into a blistering kiss. He holds nothing back as his mouth claims mine, our tongues slicking together, growing more brazen by the second.

A low groan rises from Aidan’s chest as his fingers knit in my hair. I’ve known, since our first kiss, how talented Aidan is with his mouth, but I’ve never felt him so desperate before.

Such intensive longing in every breath.

It’s too much for my heart to handle, and my body has already surrendered.

When I try to pull back, he tightens his grip on my hair, deepening the kiss until all I feel is him and his hunger surrounding me.

Aidan stands with me still in his arms, his lips fused to mine.

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