Page 70 of Stuck with You

Aiden’s arms were resting on the counter, and his eyes were focused on his phone. He looked so perfect with the sun streaming in through the window behind him. It made the fact we’d kissed feel even more unbelievable. Aiden couldn’t actually like me, could he?

Sensing my presence, he turned, and the brightest smile I’d ever seen lit his features. Aiden had the kind of smile that made the room behind him disappear when it was focused on you. And right now, he was all I could seem to see. His expression was hypnotizing, and it took a moment for my senses to come back to life. My nerves seemed to roar back with a vengeance too, and my stomach was fluttering as I slowly stepped into the room.

The fact Aiden was smiling at me was a good start. I’d half-expected him to immediately start joking around like last night had never happened. Still, I was cautious as I entered the kitchen. Since we’d kissed, we’d entered new territory, and I had no idea where I stood with him now. I knew how to handle Aiden the player—I was practically an expert now. But I was at a complete loss for how to act around the Aiden who kissed me. Especially since I had no idea if he even wanted to do it again.

“Hi,” I said. I stopped on the other side of the kitchen counter, too nervous to approach him directly.

“Hi.” His smiling eyes twinkled in response.

I wasn’t sure what to make of his expression, and I quickly busied myself with the coffee machine. My fingers were clumsy though, and my stomach quivered as I heard the scraping sound of Aiden’s chair pulling back from the counter.

I tried to ignore him as he moved around the kitchen island to approach me. It was almost impossible to pretend he wasn’t there when he leaned against the cupboards at my side. I glanced up and found him smiling down at me, a questioning look in his gaze.

“What you doing all the way over here?”

“Um, err, coffee,” I stammered.

He laughed and reached out to lightly tuck a stray strand of hair behind me ear. He seemed so at ease by how close we were, and his gentle expression made me cautiously optimistic.

“I already made you a cup.” He nodded toward the two mugs placed on the counter where he’d been sitting.

I frowned as I looked at them. “How did you know I’d be down before it went cold?”

“Because you always wander in around this time. And if it went cold before you got here, I’d have just made you another.”

“That’s really nice of you,” I murmured. I had to wonder if he was being nice because he was about to reject me. There was no apprehension in his eyes though, and he wasn’t looking at me like he was about to break my heart. I was trying to determine his feelings from a cup of coffee though, which really wasn’t a precise science. He could make me ten coffees, and I’d still have no idea what was in his heart. I needed to be brave and just ask him what he was feeling. It was much harder to do than it sounded though.

I hesitated as I stared at him. He had an easy smile on his lips, and it felt like questioning him about last night might ruin the moment. I wasn’t sure I could get through the morning without knowing for sure what he was thinking.

“Do you regret last night?” I blurted out. My voice was rife with uncertainty, and I’d said the words so fast I was worried he might not have heard them correctly. I’d treated the question a little like ripping off a Band-Aid. The quicker it was done, the sooner I could get over the pain.

“What?” Genuine confusion colored his gaze.

“Do you regret last night?” I made sure to speak a little slower this time so I wouldn’t have to repeat it again. My body was still stiff with apprehension and nerves as I awaited his response.

“Of course, I don’t regret it.”

The tension gripping my heart seemed to release at his words. He was still giving me a puzzled look though, like he couldn’t understand why I’d even considered that he might regret what happened.

“Why?” he continued, eyeing me warily. “Have you woken up and decided last night was a horrible mistake?”

Uncertainty flickered through his gaze, and I finally started to understand why he looked so confused. He was looking at me like he believed I was the one with regrets. That couldn’t be further from the truth though. I still liked him. I’d liked him more each day I’d been here. The fact he was so nervous meant he must really like me too.

I slowly started to smile. “Oh, it was definitely a mistake.”

“Really?”

I nodded. “Yes, it was a mistake that we didn’t kiss sooner.”

Aiden exhaled a relieved breath, and he started to beam in response. “Maybe we should make it again?” His voice was low and slightly gravelly, and my stomach clenched in response.

“Maybe we should,” I murmured as I reached up on my tiptoes and sealed my words with a kiss. His arms came around me, and my body was pushed against the counter as Aiden deepened our kiss. Shots of desire rushed through me, and I had to wonder why I’d doubted the connection between us. I definitely regretted spending time talking with him this morning when we could have been doing this.

“MJ, what are you doing?”

I jumped out of Aiden’s arms and turned to find Elliot at the entrance to the kitchen, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared at us. My cheeks were already flushed, and I now felt them turning bright red with embarrassment. Aiden wasn’t the least bit concerned though as he took my hand in his.

“Nothing! We’re doing nothing,” I squeaked in reply.

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