Page 85 of Make You Stay

“What challenge is it you think you’re hearing?”

“That I can’t make you melt... in my mouth.” He flits his tongue along the shell of my ear, and I know this is one challenge I’m going to lose—and love every second.

“I think you may be overly confident in your abilities.”

“I guess we’ll find out.”

“Will we?”

Aidan rolls on top of me, pinning my wrists down. “Yes, we most definitely will. Chloe, I’ve been going crazy these last twenty-four hours knowing you’re back. All I wanted to do was barge over here and make you hear me.”

“Which is basically what you did both nights.”

“I consider them rescue missions.”

“How so?”

“I’ve been a moron, and I wasn’t sure how to win you back or if you’d even consider it, but I missed you too much not to try.”

“Did you?” Those damn tears show up again, but I blink them away.

“Way more than I care to admit.”

Time to make him lay it out on the table—what he wants, what he’s offering. “Admit it anyway. Not because I think you owe me for being a shit before I left, but because my heart needs to know the truth.”

He sucks in a breath, framing my face with his hands as he presses kisses to my mouth. “I’m in love with you, Chloe. I’m going to make love to you tonight—with nothing between us—and I’m not going to regret it or question my decision. Theonlybad decision I’ve made regarding us was to let you leave without knowing how much I need you. How much I love you.”

Now it’s my turn to tremble. This is the first time Aidan has ever told me he’s in love with me. Oh, he intimated something last night, and before I left for New York, I thought he might, but we never said the words to each other. Lord knows I felt the emotion from way back during the early part of our friendship, but I learned from experience that sometimes it’s best to keep those thoughts to yourself.

But Aidan’s declarations are raw and imbued with emotion. When I meet his emerald gaze—finally—I see the love living there.

Still, the events of the past month haunt me, and I’m not sure I’m ready to tear down the emotional walls I erected during my time alone.

Just because someone says something in the heat of the moment doesn’t mean they won’t regret it later once they’ve had time to consider the repercussions.

Aidan skims his hands over my body, littering my skin with kisses. “The smell of you, the feel of you. You’re in me, Chloe. I don’t want to live this life without you.”

I don’t stand a chance as the demolition crews invade, tearing down the wall around my heart. I love him too much tonotgive him another chance. Tears fill my eyes as he brushes the hair from my face, smiling down at me. “I missed you, Aidan.”

With a heated moan, he claims my mouth. But this kiss screams of ownership. Possession. Where there were boundaries is now assertion. Aidan is staking his claim.

“Let me inside you, sweets. Let me show you how amazing we’ll be together.” His erection presses against me, his body begging for one more chance to make things right.

But despite any reconciliation, the fear of taking it further toward my original goal holds me hostage. “Maybe we shouldn’t. Maybe we should wait.”

“Chloe, are you in love with me?”

I can’t lie. Besides, I have no desire to lie to Aidan. “You know I am.”

His fingers stroke my cheek, and I feel the energy rippling beneath his skin. “I’m in love with you. I got scared. Things were happening so fast. I thought I had my life figured out, but I was wrong. You made me realize how wrong I was.”

“I don’t want you to end up hating me or regretting this moment.”

“I could never hate you. I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. I want us to build a family together. Not yours. Not mine. Ours. What do you say?”

“I’m scared.”

“It’s okay to be scared, but you’re safe. I’ve got you, sweets. Let me love you.”

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