Page 67 of Princes of Hollywood

Aiden pulls on my hand to draw me away from the pier. We walk for a few minutes, hand in hand. The breeze plays with my hair. The air smells salty and fresh. The waves curl up on shore only to stretch back out to the ocean. A few other people walk on the beach, but no one bothers us.

When a dog runs up to us, I instinctively take a step behind Aiden. He laughs as he pats the dog on the head and it runs back off to its master.

“Are you afraid of dogs, little warrior?” Aiden draws me into his side and wraps his arm protectively around my shoulder.

“Every dog, no. Strange dogs, yes. Reasonably so, I might add.” Dogs were tricky animals. Usually how they responded told me a lot about their master. If they were friendly, the foster parent usually was nice enough. If the dog was aggressive or downtrodden, the foster parent wouldn’t be a good fit.

“Did you have a lot of experiences with dogs growing up?” His thumb strokes over my shoulder, sending little jolts of desire through me.

“Only a few homes had dogs. We never had one growing up. Mom said they were too much work.” I shrug. “I wanted a pet, but I figured I’d like a cat more. They seem a lot more chill.”

Aiden chuckles. “We had dogs. My older brothers usually took them for walks and helped with the care. The dogs obeyed them. Pretty sure the dogs saw me as another dog to pick on.”

I glance up at his smile. He’s radiant in the sunlight. I’m sure anyone seeing us together probably wonders what he’s doing with me. I’m average at best. Maybe slightly pretty, but I definitely am not equal to any of the men in that house.

Maybe that should bother me, make me feel like they’re using me, but it doesn’t. I don’t know why they’re interested in me, but the attraction is intense. There shouldn’t be an issue exploring that attraction as long as there are rules so no one gets hurt.

“Can I ask you something?” I push my hands in my back pockets to keep from fiddling with my shirt.

“Sure.” He doesn’t remove his arm, and we continue walking down the beach.

“How long have you been sober?”

“I stayed in rehab for six months. I’ve been out for about two months now.” His gaze remains on the ocean, but his thumb still skids across my skin. “I don’t want to relapse, and we decided that a longer term in rehab would help the producers take my recovery seriously.”

Eight months sober. “That’s good.”

And I mean it. That means he’s got a good foundation. I just need to help him hold his boundaries.

He squeezes me against him. “It is, but it also means I can’t give in to this attraction yet.”

My heart skips a beat. He stops walking and turns me to face him, tipping my chin up. His light blue eyes search mine, and he sighs.

“I haven’t been with anyone since Siobhan. If we go down this road, it has to be slow, and we have to check in often. It’s too easy to give up one addiction and pick up another to fill the void.”

I read that somewhere, but it still sucks.

After glancing around, he slides his hand around my neck to hold the back of my head. “I want you, Greer, but I can’t have you. Yet.”

My pulse quickens as his thumb traces my jaw.

“The others won’t wait, and I don’t expect you to wait either. I can wait. You can help me sleep, and we’ll let that be the extent of our codependence until the one-year mark.”

Four months? I bite my lip. I’ve had longer dry spells than that, but never have I felt an attraction like this one. This need to be close to him, to touch him. It’s only been two days, and I’m already longing for more.

If it’s what he needs, though, I can do that.

I smile softly. “Four months isn’t that long.”

He chuckles. “Tell that to my dick.”

He pulls me in for a hug before I can glance down at his dick. I breathe in his citrus scent and soften against him.

“Come on, we should head back to the house.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders again and we turn back.

“So we have to wait four months for everything?” I can’t help but ask.

“Greedy, little warrior?” He laughs. “Maybe not everything, but definitely, as you so elegantly put it, no penis-in-vagina sex.”

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