"Growing up, I never quite fit in. I wouldn't say I was a badass, more of an awkward kid.”
“I bet you were a tomboy.”
She laughed. “Definitely a tomboy; too rough and tumble for the girls, and too girly for the boys. It made for some pretty lonely summers.”
“That’s incredibly sad. A girl like you should have had plenty of friends.”
“Well, I had friends, just not a lot of them. I’m not a real social person. All that time alone allowed me to read everything I could get my hands on about flying. When I was old enough, my dad let me take lessons in gliders. Once I mastered those, I knew I wanted to fly. As a teenager, I worked my ass off to pay for ground school. While all my friends were getting their driver’s license I was getting my pilot certification.”
“Impressive. You had spunk."
“Weird is what it was. I think it made me even more unapproachable. By then, all the girls had boyfriends except me. I think the boys found me intimidating, but I loved flying too much to stop. My dad was a wonderful man and supported my dreams. His only rule was that I had to earn the money to pay for it.”
Aiden’s warm eyes touched her heart. He was really invested in what she had to say. When was the last time she could have said that about anyone? All the other men she had dated tended to ignore what she did for work. It always made her feel like she shouldn't be proud of her accomplishments. It wasn't that way with Aiden. He wanted to know everything.
“Ouch. I can’t imagine that was cheap.” His eyes widened. “I have no idea what something like that costs, but I imagine quite a bit.”
“Well, technically, he matched me dollar for dollar. He said if I stuck with it and showed him my grit—”
“Your grit?”
She smiled. “Yeah, my dad was always saying shit like that. Anyway, I only had to earn half of what I needed. He was a really great man.”
“I’m sorry,” Aiden said. “I just realized…”
“It’s okay. My dad lived a full life. He was just taken from me too soon.”
“May I ask what happened?”
A private individual, she wasn’t the kind of person to share the intimate details of her life. With Aiden, the words flowed. She told him more in fifteen minutes than she’d shared with her team and she’d been flying with Andrew and Larry for five years. Not that there was much to discuss during the course of their day, but they did have some downtime to chat.
Come to think of it, she knew all about Andrew’s wife, their three boys, the pug they got the kids for Christmas last year, and all the antics that brought. The same could be said for Larry’s divorce several years ago and the string of women he dated after the dust settled. He had plans to propose to his latest love, Cheryl, in a couple of months and was working out the details to make an epic proposal. It was crazy how much she knew about them, and how little she shared about her life.
Not that there was much to talk about. When not at work, she spent time kayaking in the calm waters of the Gulf, reading any number of different books, and donating her time teaching kids about flying. Her life was full but lonely.
Aiden moved close and brushed a strand of hair off her cheek. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I didn’t mean to pry. I'm just insanely interested in everything about you.”
After changing, she had allowed her hair to hang loose about her shoulders. While flying, she tucked everything up into a tight bun, but in her off-time, she preferred to let it loose. He ran his fingers through the long lengths, letting the curls wind around his fingers, while she shivered. The urge to lean against him and snuggle against his broad chest was nearly overwhelming.
She glanced toward the open door and Aiden released her hair.
“Sorry, it’s hard keeping my hands to myself, but we should be safe. No one should be wandering around.” He gave a deep sigh. “How about we check on Julian’s progress? I’m sure everyone wants an update, and Duncan should be done with chow in a bit.”
She glanced at the time on the machine. They had nearly an hour before they needed to switch things over.
“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.”
Talk about her father and his death faded. She wasn’t ready to revisit those painful memories but appreciated the tenderness Aiden showed when asking.
They stopped by the sickbay to check in on the others. Randall, Andrew, and Larry had pulled up stools around a gurney and were playing a game of cards. Aiden once again held the door open for her, letting her go first. Rough and rugged, a gentleman hid inside of him. It made him all the more attractive.
“What’s the game?” She looked at the pot, or what made up the pot and gave a grin. Andrew loved poker, but his wife didn’t believe in gambling. They substituted coin and cash for odd objects scrounged from the stores of sickbay. Alcohol pads, Band-Aids, and 2x2 cotton bandages formed a pile in the middle of the gurney. From the look of things, Andrew was losing his shirt.
“Seven-card stud,” Larry said. “You want in?” He turned to Randall and gave a warning. “She may not look like it, but Ariel is a shark when it comes to cards. I think she cheats, although I’ve never caught her yet.”
“Larry!” She gave a laugh and shook her head. “Maybe I’m just lucky.”
“Lucky my ass.” Larry scooted to the side and pulled a nearby stool beside him. “You gonna join us?” He gestured to a box beside him filled with pretend cash. “The bank is open for business.”
“Maybe later,” she said.
Aiden stood beside her, not saying a word, although she caught the way his brows nearly climbed up his forehead.
She turned to him. “You don’t make it far in the Army without learning how to play. It passes the time in between getting shot at.” By the way his eyes widened, she snapped her mouth shut. She hadn’t gotten around to sharing the day her helicopter had been shot down.
“Seriously, I don’t know why that surprises me,” he said, “but I’d love to play a little poker with you later.”
She was one hundred percent certain he didn’t mean playing with the guys and it wouldn't be with Band-Aids. Her stomach did a little flip, thinking about a game of strip poker.
“Ariel and I are heading back to the bridge,” Aiden said. “Any of you want to join us? I expect we’ll be losing communications sooner rather than later. Anyone you need to call, this is the time.”
Andrew pushed back from the makeshift card table and stretched. “I’d like to call home, make sure everyone is tucked in tight.”
“We’ll stay here,” Larry said. “I already spoke to Cheryl, and someone’s gotta hold down the fort.” He gestured to the two injured crewmen who seemed to be resting comfortably.
In the hall, she asked about the injured men. “How are they?”
“Jeffery will do fine. He’s going to be in a bit of pain.”
“You were worried about internal injuries. Are you still concerned?”
“I’ll keep monitoring, of course, but I think he’s out of the woods.”
“What about Caleb?” Aiden’s strong voice demanded an update.
“We got him to wake and he seemed oriented. Answered basic questions, but there’s no way to tell. My gut says it’s nothing more than a bad concussion.”
“But…” Aiden peered over Andrew's shoulder at the still form of his crewman.
“If there’s a head bleed, things can change.”
“But it’s been hours since the accident.” Aiden twisted his lips. “Shouldn’t we know?”
“It can take days, to be honest. We’ll do our best, but it’s really out of our hands.”
Andrew was an amazing flight nurse, but there were limits to what he could do. Aiden pushing him wasn’t helping.
“Hey,” she said, interjecting into their conversation. “We’ve got a lot on our plates. How about we focus on what we can control?” They walked to the command center and she headed straight to the weather station. Aiden took Andrew to the communications cen
ter and showed him how to place a call. A glance at her phone revealed no service, but that was to be expected. They didn’t have cell towers out in the Gulf.
The radar didn’t look good. She pulled up reports from NOAA, the national agency responsible for tracking severe weather, and took in a deep breath. Julian had picked up speed along with power as it came at the Alabama and Georgia coastlines.
“How’s it look?” Aiden’s warm breath fluttered over her neck, bringing chills racing down her spine. He placed his hand on the small of her back as he leaned over to stare at the display.
“Hitting us dead on. I’ve been in lots of hurricanes, but this will be the first time I’ve been in the eye of one.”
“You and me both. Maybe we can pop out of hiding for a moment and soak it in.”
“You want to go outside?” Night had fallen hours ago. There was little to see outside except for the driving rain. A few of the lights still shone down on the rig and she cocked her head. “Should those be turned off?” She pointed.
“Yeah, no reason to waste electricity with the rig evacuated. When we left, I would’ve shut everything down, but it doesn’t make sense to have a blackout with the storm coming. Basic generators are still online.”
“Oh. There’s so much about oil rigs I don’t understand.”
“Well, we have time to give you a full tour of the crew facilities.”
“There can’t be much more than sleeping quarters and…” Her cheeks flushed thinking about all the empty beds.
Aiden chuckled. “There’s one or two things we can check out. I think boredom will be the biggest enemy.”
Behind them, Andrew spoke to his wife and then to his sons. He made sure everything was ready for the storm and that his wife had a list of who to call if they ran into problems.
“Everything okay?” She asked when Andrew ended the call.
“Yeah, we were going to ride out the storm, but I convinced her to pack everyone up and head inland. Atlanta isn’t that far. She’s not happy about driving at night, but I think it’s best. The outer rain bands haven’t hit yet. I think she’ll be safe.”
“Good,” she gave a nod. “I’m sure she’ll feel better staying with family.”
Andrew laughed. “No kidding. Nana is thrilled to have her grandbabies visit. She’s not as happy about the dog, but understands.” He glanced outside. “Looks like Julian is here.”
“Not quite,” Aiden said. “That’s only a taste of things to come.”
“Well, shit.” Andrew pulled at his face and glanced out the windows. “I think I prefer a room without a view.” He glanced at Ariel, then shifted his gaze back to Aiden. “I’ll catch you two later.” Without another word, Andrew left with a grin on his face. He shut the door on the way out, sealing her in with Aiden.
Chapter 10
Aiden
As Andrew left, Aiden grasped Ariel’s hand and pulled her close. As expected, she placed her palm against his chest, pushing him away.
“Aiden…” Her voice trembled and uncertainty simmered in her eyes.
“I want you to listen for a second.” He looked into her eyes, took note of the trembling of her chin, and hated the way she shifted her gaze away from him.
Andrew was a perceptive man, and from the way he had spoken to his wife, it was clear he understood love. If he had a problem with what was happening between them, he wouldn’t have left Aiden alone with Ariel. Andrew had not only excused himself, but he also closed the door behind him.
“I think we need to go back.” Ariel shifted toward the door.
“Not until I have my say.” He sensed her panic and would ease her fears.
“Look…” She was desperate to get away. If he didn’t do something now, he was going to lose her. No way in hell was that happening.
“You’re going to listen and that’s not a request unless you’re dying to go over my knee?” He arched a brow, testing those waters. She didn’t pull back, but neither did she show the eagerness he hoped. That was okay, they would have plenty of time to explore mutual fantasies later.
She gave a huff and stopped pushing. “Okay, what do you want to say?” Her feistiness had returned.
“This is how it goes.” He sucked in a deep breath. “If those guys are going to draw and quarter you for what's happening between us...” He gestured between them, “then they need to do the same to me. I won’t let them hang you for exploring what can’t be stopped. There’s nothing wrong with us getting together. What we’ve done, and what we’ll do, we do together. If they have a problem with that, they can take it up with me.”
“It’s just..." She paused and hung her head, dejected and defeated, but then her gaze popped to his. "You don’t get how hard it is to build up a reputation, or how easy it is to lose it. If they see me sleeping around with someone I just met…”
“Well, we haven’t done that.”
“But we will.”
He loved hearing those words on her lips. Tugging her close, he wrapped his arms around her waist. “Yes, luv, we will, but there’s no reason to rush.”
“But when we do, they’re going to think—”
“Frankly, it’s none of their business, and from what you’ve told me about yourself, you’re not the kind of woman who sleeps around. Andrew is perceptive. He’s already suspects something is happening between us. So, why hide it? Why sneak around behind their backs when we’re doing nothing wrong? I'm not ashamed of it. You shouldn't be either. We're not doing anything wrong.”
“Then why does it feel wrong?” Her eyes shimmered with an upwelling of tears. Not tears of sadness, but rather her frustration.
“That’s a good question, but has nothing to do with us.”
She chewed her lower lip. “I guess maybe you’re right.”
“No maybe about it. You know I’m right. But why do you feel that way?”
“I guess it’s a habit. I’m always fighting against stereotypes. If one of my classmates did well, it was because he was a natural, or earned it, or had worked really hard for it. If I did well, there were always whispers that I’d slept with the instructor, or the instructor was sweet on me. I never was rewarded for being a natural, or earning it, or working hard. I think it affects things like this.”
“And what is this, Ariel? What do you think this is?”
Her answer interested him because he had no idea what was happening. How had he fallen this far, this fast, for a woman he didn't know? Some people believed in love at first sight. He wasn't one of them, but he was pretty sure he and Ariel had stumbled into something amazing.
“What do you want me to say?”
“I want the truth because I won’t have anything but truth between us. There’s no reason to move forward if we’re not honest with each other. I’ll start if it helps.”
She gave a nod. “It might.”
“Okay, I’m a widower who lost his wife. I’m raising a daughter without her mother and that has left no time to date. My wife wanted nothing more than for me to fall in love again, but I didn’t. I couldn't. I wasn't interested and even if I was, I didn't have the time. Not that I was a saint, but the women I found never spent more than a night with me. It never felt right. I haven’t done much of anything other than take care of my daughter. She’s my everything. For the longest time, I thought that was enough. Then I saw you. I can't stop thinking about you, and not just about sex. I see a future I never thought possible. I don't understand what's happening, but I know I don't want it to end.”
“That’s incredibly sweet.” The flush returned to her cheeks, and she could barely look at him.
He loved the vulnerability that hinted at.
“It may be, and there are a few things you should take away from that.” He bent down and forced her to look into his eyes. It was important to gauge whether she understood. “First off, I loved my wife, and I will always love the memories I have of her, but I’m not in love with her anymore. It hurts to say that, but I think she understood long b
efore I ever did. Which brings me to the second part. I don’t sleep around. This thing between us, it can’t be a fling. I’m not in this for a one and done kind of thing, and I have a daughter to think about. If that scares you, this is the time to bail.”
Her eyes widened and her lickable lips parted on an exhale. He wanted to sweep down and kiss those lips, but he wasn’t done yet.
“Chemistry is a rare and beautiful thing. I don’t understand it, except that from the moment I saw you, I felt a connection. No, not a connection. I’m fucking hungry for you, ravenous to claim every bit of you.”
He moved closer and looked deep into her eyes. Her breathing became softer and the worried expression on her face melted into a sublime smile. The tension she carried in her neck and shoulders eased as his words seemed to sink in. There was something about the way she looked at him that he’d never seen in another woman, and knew he’d never see again. It was as if at that moment their souls connected and formed a bridge.
“I don’t know what to say.” She tilted her face to stare at him. Her gaze darted between his eyes as if she sought the truth of his words in their depths. He hoped she found what she needed.
“Don’t say anything, because I’m not done.”
“Aiden…”
“Mmm, I love my name on your lips.” He bent down and barely brushed her lips with his. It was agony to pull back, but he did. If he hadn’t, there would be no stopping what came next. He gripped her hands and ran his thumb over the back of her knuckles, caressing her skin.
“In you,” he began, “I see a chance for a kind of love I never thought could exist. A connection strong enough to span space and time. And I see a love full of passion, explosive and unstoppable, the kind other people envy. It’s not something I want to hide by sneaking around. It’s the kind of thing I want to shout from the rooftops. And if they don’t like it, if they judge you for exploring this with me, then they’ll answer to me. It takes incredible courage to face your fears. I’ll be beside you, defending you, every step of the way, but I have to tell you that I don’t think you need that. Andrew knows, or suspects, and he left with a grin, not a frown. Do you think it’s possible your friends might want something like this for you?”
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