Because of Love

by Jill Sanders

She tucked his shirt tighter around her. “Yes, I do.”

  He moved to pull her closer, but she pushed him away. Then she watched him lick his lips and smile. “I can still taste you on my lips.”

  She let out a sound close to a groan and closed her eyes as she felt her body instantly respond.

  “See,” he said, his voice going low, “you can’t hide it.”

  “What?” she asked, looking at him.

  “Your desire.” He reached up and cupped her face, bringing it closer to his. “Your eyes turn a sea green.” He kissed her softly. When she reached for him again, he nudged her away. “Not tonight.” He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. “Not until I’m sure I can control myself.”

  “Don’t,” she suggested and reached for him again.

  Just then, they heard a dog bark. In the darkness, she could see one of her parents’ dogs racing towards them with two dark shadows following.

  “That’ll be my folks,” she said, handing him back his shirt. She felt him stiffen but then take the shirt and shake the sand from it and pull it on quickly.

  “We can go this way.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him quickly down a side pathway. “I don’t think they saw us,” she said a little breathless as they reached his car.

  “This was stupid,” he said as he let her into the car. “I told myself I wasn’t going to do this,” he said once he sat behind the wheel.

  “Aiden.” She waited until he turned and looked at her. “No matter what, I don’t regret tonight.” She touched his face and then leaned in and kissed him. “Now, take me home.”

  He took a deep breath and then started the car.

  He walked her up to her door and, even though she could tell he didn’t want to, he kissed her until she felt him relax against her.

  “I meant it,” she said as he turned to go. “No matter what, I’m thankful for tonight.”

  Instead of answering, he nodded and descended the stairs.

  She knew he was second-guessing being with her. After all, he’d made it clear he wasn’t looking for anything long term and well, she’d made it clear she wasn’t looking for a quickie.

  But isn’t that what he’d given her on the beach? Could she be happy with just that one moment? Yes. But how long would the high from his touch last? She already knew that she wanted more. Did he feel the same way?

  Could he really leave town after that and not look back?

  So many questions ran through her mind that she found it hard to sleep.

  She was thankful when she got a text from him an hour later.

  -I enjoyed tonight too.

  She smiled at the text and decided to let him stew and wait for her reply until morning.

  She didn’t like playing games, but she knew that letting a man wait sometimes paid off.

  The next morning as she sat once again at Sara’s Nook, she typed her reply.

  -So, I didn’t send you running?

  His response came quick.

  -No, but I’m leaving it up to you. You know where I stand. I’m leaving as soon as my dad is back to 100%

  -You could always change your mind? she typed, but then deleted it.

  Sipping her coffee, she tried to come up with something else to say that wouldn’t scare him off.

  “Who’s that to?” her cousin Riley asked as she sat across from her.

  “Aiden,” she answered automatically.

  “Our Aiden?” Riley asked just as her other cousin Lilly sat next to her.

  “What about our Aiden?” Lilly asked setting a plate of cinnamon rolls in front of them and motioning for her to take one. Suzie had already eaten a blueberry scone but picked up a cinnamon roll and started nibbling on it, telling herself she could skip lunch that day.

  “Suzie’s texting him,” Riley answered trying to get a look at her phone.

  “It’s sort of…” she started only to have her cousin take her phone from her. “Okay then.” She groaned as her cousins read through her text message.

  “Last night?” they both said as they looked up at her.

  “We had dinner at Sara and Parkers, then went for a walk on the beach.”

  “A walk or… a walk?” Lilly’s blonde eyebrows rose and fell several times.

  “How old are you?” Suzie asked with a chuckle.

  “We all know how long you’ve been crushing on Aiden,” Riley said, handing her phone back to her. “What are you going to say back to him?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted, frowning down at her phone.

  “It’s hard, putting your heart on the line like that. Especially with someone who has made his thoughts very clear on only planning on being around town long enough to help his dad out,” Lilly said.

  “Yeah.” She sighed and shrank back as she took another bite of the roll.

  “He could always change his mind,” Riley said cheerfully.

  “Or.” Lilly glared at her cousin. “He couldn’t. Do you really want to get hurt when he doesn’t?”

  The cousins were close, close enough that when they opened their store a few years back, no one questioned if it would take off. The name, Classy and Sassy, was just like the pair. Lilly had the smarts and brains and brought the class to the store while Riley brought the fire and the fun. The mixture of the two different women was almost intoxicating.

  It was no wonder that the pair had fallen for twins who were just as different as they were, even though they wore the same face. It had taken the townspeople several months before most of them could tell Corey and Carter Miller apart. Now, no one had any problems doing so, since her cousins were now married to the local pizzeria owners.

  “It is a gamble,” Riley added with a smile. “Then again, love usually is.”

  Suzie rolled her eyes. “Please, you two fell in it so quickly that everyone questioned your sanity.”

  Lilly and Riley laughed at the same time. “We’re both insane. Everyone knows that.” Riley giggled.

  “The question is, are you? To take such a leap of faith in a relationship, you almost have to be. Putting your heart out there like that…” Lilly reached across the table and touched her hand.

  “You could always seduce him,” Riley added.

  She bit her lip to keep from saying that she’d tried that last night and had failed. Her face heated at the memory of what he had done to her. Well, sort of failed, at any rate.

  “Something tells me she’s tried that already,” Lilly said as she finished up her roll. “Just because we’re both stupidly happy in our relationships doesn’t mean we know jack about what’s going on between you and Aiden,” Lilly said. “But we’re your cousins and, as a warning, if he breaks your heart, we will hate him for the rest of his life.”

  “Yeah,” Riley added with a smile. “Everyone knows not to mess with the Jordans.” Her cousin’s chin rose slightly.

  “Thanks,” she said with a chuckle. “Thanks for the advice and the cinnamon rolls.”

  “Any time,” Lilly said. “Now, we’ve got a shop to open and so do you.” She hugged her as she got out of the booth. “Who would’ve thought that we would all own our own businesses?”

  “I did,” Riley added with a smirk.

  “Shut up,” Lilly said playfully.

  Chapter 10

  Aiden was trying not to go crazy waiting for Suzie’s response to his text. He was stuck on highway duty for the rest of the day and knew that most of his day he would be sitting in the patrol car with the radar gun pointed at traffic. The glamour of the job really shined through after the third hour of being bored.

  He’d done everything he could to keep himself busy. He’d pulled over and ticketed more than half a dozen cars, which had taken up roughly half an hour of his time.

  Then, just before noon, he finally received a reply from Suzie.

  -I don’t want to lie to you. I’m not looking to relieve my boredom. You’ve always meant more to me than that.

  He felt his heart skip and for the next fifteen
minutes, his mind was focused on coming up with his reply.

  -I guess it’s a good thing we got this out in the open now. I’m sorry about last night. I don’t regret it, but I know I shouldn’t have crossed that line.

  He waited, hoping she would reply, but after another hour figured that silence would be the only reply.

  How could he continue to be in town for the next couple weeks, knowing he would bump into her?

  He couldn’t afford to hurt her. Especially since the entire Jordan clan would likely come after him if he did. Oh, he wasn’t afraid of them really. But they were his friends, and he didn’t want to cause a wedge between him and any of the family.

  He thought of her brother Matt, still one of his best friends. Then he groaned when he remembered that he’d promised Matt that he and Suzie would head up to their place for dinner tonight.

  Damn.

  He glanced at his watch and groaned. He was supposed to be at Matt’s place in a few hours. Did Suzie remember the arrangement? Was she going to be there?

  Rereading her text message again, he doubted she’d show up. Still, he figured he should call Matt and cancel the evening.

  Matt answered on the second ring.

  “Hey, just marinating the steaks.” Matt answered easily. “What’s up?”

  “Um, have you heard from your sister today?” he asked, not wanting to come out and tell him everything. After all, he was trying to keep his friendship with Matt and Suzie.

  “Yeah, she just called. She tried to tell me she was too busy at the shop, but Blake convinced her to come up when she got off work. She says she’s going to drive herself since she might be late.”

  “She is?” he asked, trying to come up with some excuse himself.

  “You aren’t trying to back out, are you? This may be the last time we have friends over before the kid comes along,” Matt said.

  “No,” he answered and rolled his eyes. He should have known better than try to get out of anything with Matt. Since they’d been in grade school, he’d never talked Matt out of anything.

  “Good, we’ll see you soon. Oh, and can you bring some beer? I forgot to make a run earlier today.”

  “Sure,” he answered, and hung up.

  Okay, so he would have to play nice with Suzie tonight. Not that it was hard to. It wasn’t playing nice that he had a problem with. It was keeping his hands off her that he had issues with.

  After giving another half dozen citations, he turned in his paperwork and headed back to the cabin to change.

  He hadn’t planned on running into Suzie’s father, Todd Jordan, as he parked in his spot.

  “Evening,” Todd said easily, moving over to fall in step with him as he made his way towards his cabin.

  “Evening,” Aiden said easily.

  “I just came back from visiting your dad,” Todd said.

  “Oh?” Aiden stopped on the pathway. “Is everything okay?” He hadn’t been there since Wednesday morning.

  “Yes,” Todd said quickly. “He’s up and using the crutches.” Todd laughed. “Having a time of it though.”

  “Yeah?” Aiden smiled.

  “Matt called,” Todd said. Aiden tensed slightly. “He didn’t think you’d have time to grab some beer, so I made the run and dropped a case off at your door.”

  “Thanks,” Aiden added. He started walking again and Todd fell in step easily again.

  “Your dad says you’re only going to be in town until he gets back on his feet?” Todd asked.

  “That’s the plan.” Aiden glanced over at the man. Matt was almost a spitting image of his father in every way while Suzie took after her mother, Megan.

  Todd slapped him easily on the shoulder. “Well, plans can change.” Before Aiden could respond, the man turned and walked away.

  What was that all about? He kept asking himself that question as he showered and dressed for dinner.

  Half an hour later, he pulled up out front of Matt and Blake’s home. He’d known all about the old place growing up and had heard all the stories of it being haunted.

  The entire Jordan clan swore that two Christmases ago they’d all witnessed a ghost family being reunited. He was pretty sure it was an elaborate scheme by the family.

  Knocking on the door, he smiled when a very pregnant Blake answered.

  “Hi, Aiden, come on in.” She opened the door wider and he stepped inside. He’d heard that Parker and Matt had remodeled the place and that Blake had decorated it, since she ran her own business. He hadn’t been prepared for how lovely the home would be.

  “Wow,” he said stepping inside and following her back to the large kitchen area. “You guys have done wonders to this place.”

  She smiled over at him. “I’m sure Matt would love to give you a tour.” She sat down and he helped her. “Thanks. He’s out back.” She motioned towards the tall sliding glass doors.

  “Beer.” He motioned to the case Todd had left for him to bring.

  “Oh, the fridge.” She started to get up, but he stopped her.

  “Sit, I can put this away.” After putting the case in, he grabbed two and took them outside with him.

  He found Matt cursing over the grill as smoke billowed from it.

  “Burned the steak?” he asked.

  “No, just burning off the residue. I guess we left a few shrimp in here last time and they caught fire.” He motioned to the charred shrimp he’d tossed onto a plate.

  Aiden chuckled as he handed Matt a beer. “Guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t in the mood for shrimp.”

  Then Aiden got a peek at the view off the deck and whistled. “Nice.” He motioned to the valley and the water below them.

  “You can see the entire town of Pride.” Matt motioned with the wire brush.

  Aiden moved over and glanced down at the town. Sure enough, he could see everything from up there. He could clearly see Matt’s parents’ place, as well as just a peek at the cabins’ roofs. The Golden Oar, the restaurant owned by the Jordans, was in plain view. Main Street and all of the businesses lay in front of him. His eyes zoned in on Suzie’s flower shop. He wondered if she was heading up the hill or if she was home showering. His eyes moved to the building but since his view was of the back of the store and her apartment, it was hard to gauge if she’d left already.

  “I guess you can keep your eye on everyone up here,” he said, turning back to Matt.

  “Yeah, it can be addictive watching everyone come and go. I’ve thought of getting a telescope,” Matt admitted.

  “So, when’s the baby due?” he asked, trying to make small talk as he wondered how he was going to stay calm around Suzie. How would she react to him? Matt had said she’d tried to get out of coming tonight. Did that mean she didn’t want to see him?

  He knew it was for the best, calling things off with her. After all, he’d made it very clear he was only going to be here until his dad could return to work.

  “And you stopped paying attention to me,” Matt joked as he held up his beer. “No worries, I know how baby talk can be boring to bachelors.”

  “Sorry.” He shook his head clear and tried to focus on what Matt was saying instead of how he was going to act around the man’s sister. “Guess this week was a little harder than I thought it would be.”

  Matt laughed. “Your dad’s job is a lot harder than a lot of people believe. Growing up, I thought my dad’s job was easy, until he retired on me and I stepped into his shoes.”

  Aiden tensed. He’d forgotten Todd Jordan had handed the reins to his family’s business, Jordan Shipping, to Matt a few years back.

  “You like it though? Being stuck in Pride?” he asked, leaning against the railing.

  “Stuck?” Matt shook his head. “I’m not stuck anywhere. I love Pride. I love the people in town. It’s the only place I have ever felt at home. Not to mention, I met my wife here.” He wiggled his eyes. “My sexy, hot, smoking wife.”

  “I’m not sexy, hot, or smoking at the moment,” Blake said as
she wobbled outside holding a bowl of potato chips. Suzie followed her outside, a large tray of food in her hands.

  Matt walked over and wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her. “You’re still all those things to me.”

  “Oh,” Suzie said with a groan, “how sickening.” She rolled her eyes and had both Blake and Matt laughing. “I’m going back to bring the rest of the stuff out.” Suzie disappeared back inside.

  “I’ll help.” He set his beer down and followed her inside. “Hey,” he said when they were alone inside.

  “Hey,” she said without looking at him. He watched her pick up a bowl of potato salad and he beat her to the tray of cheese and crackers.

  When their hands touched, she pulled hers away quickly, as if he’s burned her.

  “Hey,” he said, taking her arm, “we can’t avoid each other for the rest of our lives.”

  “Wanna bet?” she said as her eyes turned a deep shade of green. She stepped past him.

  He followed her outside, carrying the tray and a few more beers. She set it all on the picnic table as Blake moved over and sat down then propped her feet up.

  Even though he knew Suzie was mad at him all through dinner, she acted cordial. He kept stealing glimpse of her, and several times caught her looking at him.

  He couldn’t be the only one who felt the electricity between them.

  “We heard that you two had dinner with Sara and Parker last night,” Blake said as Matt cleared the table.

  “Yes,” he said, glancing at Suzie. “Then took a walk on the beach.” He watched her face heat.

  “Oh.” Blake sighed. “I bet it was a perfect night. I miss walking on the beach.” She frowned.

  “Soon,” Matt said, coming back outside. “Only a few more weeks.”

  “Weeks.” Blake groaned. “This kid is never going to come.”

  Suzie chuckled. “That’s what Sara said.” She reached over and touched her sister-in-law’s hand. “When the kid comes, you’ll look back on these quiet nights and wish for them again.”

  Blake chuckled. “I’m sure you’re right. But for now, I can’t wait to see…”

  Suzie’s eyebrows shot up. “Him? Her?”

  Blake glanced at her brother. “Sorry, sis. We’re keeping it a secret.”