Page 27 of Pillowtalk

Aaron

She was more aggressive than Aaron expected; it took everything in him to keep his touch as innocent as possible. He’d told himself he’d be nothing but a shoulder to cry on when he’d spotted her on the docks. Obviously even his strongest willpower could do nothing against the hypnotizing look in Kennedy’s eyes.

Her tongue sneaked out for a second time, prodding at his bottom lip, and Aaron internally cursed. He was falling apart in her arms, and as much as he longed to give in, he knew that if he touched her more, there was a good chance it wouldn’t stop there.

He brought both his hands to her face, gently caressing the wetness on her cheeks. The rain had picked up, mixing in with whatever tears she’d cried. They couldn’t stay out there much longer, he knew that, but he wanted to take advantage of the moment because he also knew that there wouldn’t be another like it. There couldn’t be.

He felt his heart crack like the lightning in the sky above them, and he gripped her to him, matching her aggression for a final moment before forcing himself to break away. Kennedy’s breath flooded out, warm and labored against his bottom lip; it was almost enough to make Aaron want to reel her right back in, but the shivers that took over her body immediately after he’d broken the kiss grabbed his attention.

“We should get inside,” he said a little louder than he normally would have, now that the storm was starting to catch up to them. Kennedy nodded against his forehead, their wet skin sliding against each other. He caressed her cheek one last time before getting to his feet and helping her to hers. The thunder rolled across the sky, vibrating through his chest. He turned his eyes to the angry lake just behind Kennedy, grabbed her hand, and pulled her behind him as he ran up the dock and into the long, muddy grass. They’d been out too long, damn it. It was a miracle they hadn’t been swallowed up.

Kennedy struggled to keep pace, the rain coming down harder and from the side. Aaron pulled her up next to him, shielding her from the windy onslaught. Her pink hoodie was soaked all the way through, and the urn tucked closely to her body seemed to be the only thing staying at least somewhat dry.

“Aaron?” she called out as he pulled her closer to the B&B. “I can’t…can you stay…?”

He whipped his head around, lightning crackling so near that it lit up the entire field around them. “What?”

Her gorgeous brown eyes widened as she looked up at him. “I can’t be alone in this,” she called out. “Please, will you stay with me?”

There was no time for it, but Aaron felt the wind being knocked right out of him. He stood momentarily speechless, knowing he shouldn’t stay with her, but unable to refuse, either. Quickly shaking himself out of his indecision, he nodded and started leading her to his truck instead. He could feel her confusion, but she followed without argument.

His fingers slid over the red handle on the passenger door as he opened it wide for her. She scrambled inside, and he ran around to the driver’s side. As soon as they were both sheltered from the rain, he turned to her and put the key in the ignition.

“Charlie,” he said, trying not to become too distracted by the way the raindrops fell from her hair and painted her chest. “I can’t leave him alone in this, either.”

There was a small smile that floated over her trembling lips, and she grabbed the seat belt and buckled in. “Okay.”

Aaron swallowed hard. “Okay.”

He put the truck in gear and pulled out, feeling his pulse throb in his neck. As the rain thundered on the roof, making conversation difficult—on top of the heated tension pulsing between them—he felt the soft touch of her fingers as Kennedy stretched them out to his hand. Worried about driving in the storm, Aaron kept his eyes focused on the road in front of him, but he was dying to see the look on her face as she laced her fingers with his over the gearshift and held on for the rest of the drive.

—

Charlie jumped up on Aaron the moment he opened the door and shed the only light into the dark of his house.

“It’s all right, boy,” he assured his dog, searching along the wall for the light switch. Kennedy shook next to him, and he went immediately into protective mode. He needed to get her a towel, dry clothes, offer her food, a bed, a book, anything and everything he had to make her feel comfortable here. It’d been years since a woman crossed this threshold, Aaron preferring to have his conquests elsewhere—Austin preferring that as well—and since he’d only been back a month, Natalie had been the only woman in that time. He wanted to make sure he provided the necessary comfort Kennedy seemed so desperate to keep when they ran through the rain.

He shut the door behind her, his chest bumping against her back and igniting a flame that had been dormant ever since she’d let go of his hand at the car. The back of his neck flushed as he watched her chattering teeth sneak out and bite her trembling bottom lip, her eyes flicking over her shoulder to catch his.

He couldn’t think. How could he with those wide, doe-like eyes taking in his every breath? He cursed at the devil on his shoulder who prodded him to warm her up in a way that would solidify his place in the deepest parts of hell. Knowing how her soft, luscious lips tasted, how they felt under his, only had his mind wandering to how the rest of her skin would taste, how it would feel. He breathed out a long, shaky sigh, ripping his attention away from her mind-numbing gaze and to the dark upstairs.

“Austin?” he called out, and Kennedy jumped at the sudden outburst. He shouldn’t have felt so good about how she was reacting to him, but he did. He feltincredible,and that was putting it lightly.

When he received no answer from his brother, Aaron pulled out his phone, praying it wasn’t completely wrecked from the rain.

Luckily, it was still working, a message light blinking near the top. He grinned a half smile at Kennedy and held up a finger as he brought the phone to his ear. She nodded and took a cautious step into the living room, reaching down to scratch Charlie’s head as she looked around at the furniture and pictures hanging on the walls. Aaron saw the drops of rain fall from her clothing and patter across the floor, and he quickly strode down the hall to the linen closet to take the call.

“Hey,” Austin said over the fuzzy line. “I’m stuck at the garage.”

“You need me to come get you?” Aaron asked, half-hoping that his brother would take him up on the offer. Another night alone with Kennedy would test his self-restraint more than he’d like, and he predicted that he would fail, especially considering the moment they’d just shared on the docks.

“I…bunk here,” Austin answered, his voice cutting out. “Stay…side. I’m all right…omise.”

As much as he wanted to disagree, Aaron couldn’t. With the next round of thunder and lightning that crashed just outside, it was safer for all of them to stay put until the worst of the storm passed.

“Stay safe,” Aaron said, but he doubted Austin heard any of it. The line cut out, and he traded his phone for a towel.

He would’ve been lying if he said his nervous system wasn’t an absolute wreck. He prayed to a deity that he wasn’t sure he believed in that he could stay in control, that his primal urges wouldn’t take over there in the dark with this beautiful and interesting woman who wasoff-limits.He’d already gone too far, and the evidence of that moment of weakness still tingled through his lips as he moved back into the living room, where Kennedy stood, tilting her head at a picture of Austin and Aaron on the lake as kids. There was a smile on her wet lips, and Aaron steeled himself with every ounce of courage he had before he crossed the room and settled the towel over her delicate shoulders.

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