Page 84 of Make You Stay

Aidan slides his hands along my jaw, and I feel him trembling. “Will you stop fighting me? At least hear me out. I wrote that song for you. Every word in it is true. You mean everything to me, and I hate you thought, for one second, that you didn’t. I said the wrong things. I hurt you. But now I’m trying to say the right things, the things that are in my heart.”

“Aidan, we can’t—”

“Will you be quiet? Just for a minute, be quiet.”

I fall silent, partly because I don’t have the energy to fight him anymore. But there’s another part of me, albeit a tiny seed, that hopes against hope he means what he says.

A shiver rushes through me, and Aidan shoots me a mock scowl. “Always cold, aren’t you?”

“It’s freezing in here.”

“Let’s remedy that,” he replies, standing and grabbing blankets and pillows to create a makeshift bed right by the stove hearth. He plops down, holding out his hand to me. “Come here. Before you argue, which I know you excel at, know that it’s far warmer here. Plus, you’ve earned a massage, and youknowI have talented hands.”

“I could also huddle under blankets and take a pain pill.” Hey, I’m not making it too easy for the man.

“My way is far more fun.”

Damn hormones, they kick rationality’s ass every time, and Aidan isn’t lying. His hands are incredible.

With a sigh, I slide onto the pile, warming my hands by the stove, all the while maintaining a somewhat safe distance from Aidan.

Apparently, he’s not having that, as he scoots closer, sliding his hands under my robe and jerking back when he finds another robe underneath. “How many layers are you wearing? Never mind, the answer is too many. Let’s get some of these off.”

“It was cold,” I retort as he slides my robe down my arms.

“Are you cold now?”

“I will be if you keep stripping off my clothes.”

Aidan shoots me a smirk, his ‘trust me, you want me to do this’ smirk as he pulls my shirt over my head. “I’ll warm you up.”

“Do I have a say in this?”

He shakes his head, now intent on a new task. Seems since I’m down to my skivvies, he feels obliged to do the same. “You have to lie back and enjoy it. A tragedy, I know, but try to stay the course.”

“Why doyouneed to be naked to give me a massage?” I’m not complaining—not really. Aidan’s body is a panty-dropping assortment of hard muscles and colorful tattoos. But it’s much more difficult to dislike the man when all his gorgeousness is hanging out in front of me.

“I don’t need to be naked, but you’re cold, so... body heat.”

“Clothes also work to keep people warm.”

Aidan lays next to me, skimming his hands along the length of my skin. “Not as well, and that’s a fact, Ms. Smarty Pants.” He tongues a path along the column of my neck, twining his hand in my hair and forcing me to enjoy every second of his affections. “You have the softest skin. Fuck, I missed you, sweets.”

“I assume kissing also helps in heat conduction?”

Am I being difficult? Most certainly, but Aidan seems to enjoy my stringent stance.

“It’s a bonus. You’re getting warmer, aren’t you?”

Truth is, my body is damn near implosion point—and Aidan knows it. But there’s no way I’m going down without a fight. Sure, he said all the right things these past couple of nights, but he also kicked the crap out of my heart. Staying frosty is my only hope against the heat his lips and hands are generating.

I snatch a corner of the blanket in a sad attempt to shield myself from his sensual onslaught.

“Still chilly?”

Shooting him a snarky look, I shrug. “Maybe you’re not as hot as you think you are.”

His grin widens. “I hear a challenge, which I gladly accept.”

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