by Jill Sanders
“How about some food? I know this great pizza place,” he asked after a moment.
“As long as there’s a cold beer next to it,” she replied.
“Yeah, definitely in the mood for pizza and beer.”
They drove to one of Kristen’s favorite chain pizza places, Beau Jo’s, and split a large pie between them. They drank cold beer as they watched the rainfall from the large windows.
“Why didn’t you tell me who your father was?” she asked as she reached for her second slice of pie.
“I guess I never really think about it. I mean, he wasn’t around all that much when I was a kid, and then he took off with my babysitter.” He groaned and closed his eyes. She could tell the hurt and betrayal he felt was still raw. When he opened them, he reached for his beer and took a sip.
“That must have been hard.”
He chuckled bitterly. “You know, the worst part was that Shannon was my first crush. Some guys have it for teachers; I had it for my babysitter.” He shrugged and finished off his second piece of pie, then reached for another slice.
“My first crush was on my neighbor. I was going to marry him when I turned eight.”
“Things didn’t work out?” he joked.
“No, he had a thing for Jenny, down the block.”
“His loss,” he murmured. She smiled as he took her hand. “Thanks for being there today.” He took her hand up to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. Her heart skipped a little at the gesture.
By the time they left the pizza place, the rain had stopped, leaving the streets looking clean. When he took her hand again and asked if she wanted to walk for a while, she nodded and pulled her jacket closer to her.
“It’s amazing how chilly it gets up here at night,” she said, feeling the bite of the mountain air on her face.
He wrapped his arm around her. “I went to the top of Pikes Peak one summer. It was a boiling ninety-something down in the Springs, but when I got to the top, it was snowing.”
“Did you ride the train or drive up to the top?”
“Drove. I’ve always wanted to ride the train, though.”
They walked by a few stores and even went in a couple of them. But mostly they walked and talked about some of the time he’d spent with his father in the mountains when he’d been a kid.
“How about heading over to the hotel and calling it a night?” He took her hand in his again.
“Sounds good.” She tried to stifle a yawn. She’d gotten in late and had woken up early to get her work done. Not to mention that falling asleep had been extra hard, since all she could think about was having Aiden touch her again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Aiden stood back as he opened the door to their hotel room. He’d made a point to reserve one of the nicest suites at The Lodge in downtown Vail. During ski season, the place was packed, but the slopes were somewhat deserted thanks to the spring weather they’d had in the mountains, so the hotel looked fairly empty.
Their room was on the top floor, and he didn’t doubt it would have a killer view of the mountains and ski slopes come morning.
“Wow, look at this,” Kristen said, stepping into the room quickly. He walked into the room behind her and shut the door with his foot as he set their bags down just inside the doorway. He watched her as she moved around the large living area where a huge stone fireplace sat on one wall and a large sofa on the other. Then she disappeared down a short hallway toward the back room and he heard her gasp. When he followed her to the bedroom, he smiled. There was a king-size four-poster bed sitting in the corner of the room. There were large windows, and another stone fireplace sat on the wall opposite the bed.
He leaned against the doorframe as she walked around the room. When she went into the bathroom, he followed her more slowly.
He stepped into the bright room and instantly dreamed of pulling her into the large glass shower.
Their hotel room was bigger than her apartment, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by her.
She turned and looked at him. “Are you sure this is the right room?”
He moved closer to her. “You know, after such a long drive, I sure could use a hot shower.” He nudged her jacket off her shoulders as he watched her bite her bottom lip. “You too.”
“I was actually thinking about taking a long bubble bath.” She nodded toward the large jet tub.
He smiled. “Shower tonight, bath in the morning?”
She shook her head and frowned a little. He watched the movement of her lips, and desire flooded his entire body. “Okay, bath tonight, shower in the morning.”
Her eyes softened. “You read my mind.”
His hands went to her hips as she started pulling the buttons of his shirt open slowly, one by one. When she ran her fingers over his bare chest, his nails dug into her soft hips. He felt himself grow so hard that he doubted he would be able to wait for the bath to fill up all the way.
“Kristen,” he moaned against her lips. He felt her chuckle. “You think this is funny?” He moved back and looked down at her.
“You don’t?” Her soft eyes laughed at him.
He smiled, then slowly removed her shirt. Her eyes heated as his fingers grazed her skin underneath.
“So beautiful,” he moaned, running a finger down her shoulder. She swayed as she closed her eyes.
Just looking at her pale skin had his blood steaming. When her eyes opened again, he could see matching desire.
“Aiden?” She reached up and gripped his shoulders.
“Hmm?” He pulled on her hips until she fit tight against him.
“I don’t think I can wait for the bath.” Her fingernails dug into his muscles.
“No, neither can I.” In one quick motion, he swooped her up into his arms. She sighed as he carried her out of the bathroom and laid her gently on the bed.
She unbuttoned her slacks, and he helped her pull them down her long legs. He paused to appreciate the view of her lying on the large bed in nothing but a matching pair of rose-colored silk undergarments, and he wished he could hold on to that memory for the rest of his life.
“If I were an artist, I’d paint you just like this.” He stood over her and watched the smile form on her lips. Her soft hair was fanned out on the bedspread. The supple material had small green leaves on it that matched her eyes almost perfectly.
“Aiden.” She reached up a hand and held it out to him. When he started to move toward her, his mind sharpened.
“Damn.” He held up a finger. “Hang on just a moment.” He rushed from the room and gathered their bags and brought them into the bedroom, then pulled out a few condoms. Taking one, he set the rest on the nightstand beside the bed.
“Ready?” she asked.
He watched her reach for the buckle of his jeans.
“Have I told you how much I love your body?” she asked, her eyes going to his as she ran her hands over his chest.
“Same here.” His fingers skimmed her flat stomach and he watched her inhale as he touched a ticklish spot. He decided to save that knowledge for later and slid the straps of her bra down slowly.
She twitched and twisted under him as he used his fingertips to explore every inch of her. Finally, once she lay in front of him completely bare, he allowed her to tug off his boxer briefs. When he moved to slide on the condom, she took it from him and slid the protection on him slowly, inch by agonizing inch.
“You’re killing me,” he whispered.
“Good, now you know how I feel.” She yanked on him until he moved over her. When she wrapped her legs around his hips, he slowly penetrated her heat.
Her shoulders jerked off the mattress as she moaned his name until he covered her mouth with his. Her tongue darted out, heating the kiss until he felt himself gasping for breath as his hips moved on their own accord.
He lost control when he
felt her inner muscles convulse around him, holding him, begging him for more. When her legs and arms released him, he knew that she was spent, but still he demanded more.
He wanted to growl, to shout out his joy at giving her complete pleasure, but he was too focused on needing more from her.
“Again,” he said next to her mouth. His hands clasped hers and carried them over her head as he raced faster, harder. His lips trailed down her neck, until his mouth clamped over her nipple. He moaned when he felt it pucker for him, and then he scraped his teeth lightly over the bud and felt her hips jerk in response. “Again,” he repeated as he leaned over her and repeated his torture on her other breast.
“Aiden!” she cried out as he felt her legs wrap once more around his hips.
He continued the speed of his hips, pushing her faster as her body heated next to his. When he saw her eyes lock with his, he knew she was about to fall and willingly followed her to enjoy the sweet ending together.
Kristen leaned back against Aiden’s chest and let the bubbles and the warm water soak away the last aches in her body.
“Better?” She felt him ask as she heard the sound vibrating in his chest.
She nodded as his hands ran over the front of her body in a lazy motion. He had a washcloth full of soap, which was causing little bumps to rise all over her skin. But it felt too wonderful to move.
Her hair was wet and pushed to the side, and she felt his warm breath on her neck. She could stay like this forever. She sighed and closed her eyes.
“You were right,” he said, moving just a little underneath her.
“Hmm?” She let her hands float in the water next to her. Her chest rose out of the bubbly water with every breath she took, but she didn’t mind. Actually, the feeling of the motion caused her some pleasure.
“A bath was a better idea.” He moved just a little more until she felt him against her back.
She couldn’t stop the moan from escaping her lips as she felt him harden in the water. Images flooded her mind of making love to him in the large tub.
When she heard him unwrap another condom, she felt her heart kick a beat. Then the water sloshed around as he sheathed himself for her.
When his hands went to her hips, she let him guide her up until she felt the head of his erection at her entrance. She moaned as he released her and she slid slowly onto him.
“Yeah, I could definitely get used to taking a bath.” His hands held her hips in place and she felt an urgent need to move. “That’s it,” he groaned. “My God,” he said against her neck as he took her hands in his.
She leaned her head back against his chest as she moved over him. When she wanted more speed, she gripped her feet on the bottom of the tub and used her thigh muscles until they screamed. Then she pulled away and twisted toward him until she could straddle him in the tub. He sat forward a little, allowing her legs to wrap around him.
His mouth covered hers as she slid down on him again. This time, she rode him harder, faster, and the water threatened to slosh over the edge of the tub. Her fingers fisted in his hair, holding him still as she ran her mouth over him, dueling his tongue with her own.
His fingers dug into her hips and her butt as he helped her move over him. She felt herself building and wanted to make sure he followed her.
“Please,” she begged as she felt herself starting to let go. He reached up and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close as his mouth took hers in a kiss that was deeper than any she’d experienced before.
When she finally heard him growl out her name, she smiled in victory and followed him over the edge.
“I’m glad we didn’t try that in the shower,” he said a few minutes later after they’d pulled themselves out of the water and dried off.
She chuckled and, wrapped only in a large, soft towel, flung herself on the bed.
She watched him set his cell phone on the nightstand and rolled over to her side and propped her head on her arm, watching him move around the room.
“We’ll need to head out pretty early,” Aiden said. She guessed he needed to chat to keep his mind busy, so she leaned back and listened to him talk about tomorrow’s plans. “I wanted to swing by the hospital once more before we head back down the mountain,” he said, and she could tell he was beginning to think about his father again.
“Are you going to tell me what happened between you and your father at the hospital?” she asked.
He frowned, then walked over and sat next to her.
“There really isn’t that much to tell. He was lucid for a little while.” He closed his eyes briefly. “After you left the room, he started talking to me like I was five again.” He exhaled sharply. “I didn’t know.”
“My grandfather had Alzheimer’s.” She reached out and took his hand and squeezed it lightly. “My grandmother finally had to put him in a home a few years back.” She moved over as he climbed in beside her. The white towel that he’d wrapped around his waist loosened a little and he tucked it closer. “He pretty much functioned right up until that point. Then he started taking walks and getting lost. He almost burned their house down when he tried to make French toast one morning. That’s when we decided it was best for his safety to move him into a home where he could be watched more closely.”
He took her hands in his, looking down at them as he spoke. “I don’t know how far gone he is yet. He told me he’d been diagnosed almost four years ago.”
She could see the hurt in his eyes.
“I had been led, all this time, to believe it was Shannon who had kept me away from my father.” He moaned and pulled her closer. She rested her head against his warm chest and wrapped her arms around him. “I never thought he was the one. I mean, he’d been an okay dad. Not that he would have earned any father-of-the-year awards, but he hadn’t been bad. When my parents first divorced, I saw him every other weekend. That was until he married Shannon a little over a year later.” He absently rubbed his hands through her wet hair. If she could, she would have purred. “Then I started seeing him less and less. When Mom and Eric got married, it slowed down to only during the holidays. I thought it was because he was trying to give them space, you know. When Ashley had been born, I felt outnumbered by the girls in the house and asked if I could move in with him. But Shannon called me up and told me that it wouldn’t work, since they were moving to the mountains.”
“I’m sure they had their reasons for moving,” she said, running her finger over his chest.
“Yeah, Dad had just retired and Shannon had gotten a job in Vail as a realtor. Anyway, after that, every chance I could get to the mountains, I would try to see him. In ten years, I think I only saw him two times. The last time he pulled his shotgun on me and told me to get off his property. Now I know why.”
“Alzheimer’s is hard. Especially on the loved ones. I think my grandmother struggles more than my grandfather does.” She sighed. “Half the time, he thinks he’s at a resort in the Bahamas.” She glanced up at him but her smile fell away when she noticed the sadness still in his eyes. “My grandmother visits every day. On a good day, he recognizes her.”
“I’m glad you came with me today.” He rubbed his hand over her hair again.
“Me too,” she said, wrapping her arms around him.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Aiden lay in the dark with Kristen wrapped around him and couldn’t shut down his mind. Even though his body was completely sated from the hours of making love to Kristen, his mind refused to let him rest. So, he held on to her as she slept blissfully through the night, and he thought about his father.
It had been a hard blow, hearing of his stroke, but Alzheimer’s on top of it all was almost too much. He wanted to call his mom and find out if she had known about it. Something told him that she had been hiding it from him for a while.
He rubbed a lock of Kristen’s hair between his fingertip
s. He could feel her naked body pressed up next to his. Every breath she took was pure heaven as her skin brushed against his.
He’d never thought he could get this close to someone so fast. Especially since his track record wasn’t all that impressive. He almost chuckled out loud when he remembered Kristen’s history of relationships. How is it that a woman of her caliber had such terrible luck when it came to men?
He felt her shift in her sleep and pulled her closer, wrapping his arm more tightly around her. She felt good in his arms. Right somehow. He closed his eyes, remembering their evening together, how she’d matched his every move, pace for pace.
He knew he’d been with more sexual partners than she had, but honestly, he could say he’d never had what they had together. Never.
He finally drifted off, his mind filled with Kristen as sleep finally overtook him.
When he woke in the morning, his arms were empty so he felt around the large bed for her. The sheets and pillowcase were cold next to him, telling him that she’d gotten up some time before.
When he finally cracked open his eyes, he immediately shut them again. The room was too bright. Rolling over, he squinted and glanced at the windows. The curtains, which had been closed last night, were thrown back wide. He groaned and rolled over toward the bathroom, hoping to hear the shower running. He frowned when he couldn’t hear a sound coming from the bathroom.
Standing up, he stretched his arms over his head and rolled the kinks out of his neck caused by sleeping in the same spot as he held Kristen. He would gladly wake up with a sore neck every morning as long as she lay next to him like she had last night.
He walked into the bathroom and when he walked out, Kristen was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at her phone. When she heard him walk in, she looked up at him and smiled. He watched her smile falter when she realized he was still completely naked.
“You did promise me a shower this morning.” He walked over to her and pulled her up off the bed. She had tossed on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He could tell she hadn’t showered, since her hair was completely dry.
