He knew exactly what she meant.
He cleared his throat. “I’m a little uncomfortable talking about this with my mother-in-law…”
“Fine, we won’t talk about it, but you made a promise to Sam. It's okay to fall in love again and you aren't being unfaithful to your dead wife if you do.”
“Mary, that’s a low blow.”
“Look, Sam was the light of my life. No mother should have to bury her daughter. But I did. Now, I celebrate her life and honor her memory. She wanted you to find someone to love. It’s what I did when I lost Richard. I’m out there playing the field. Just the other day…”
He sat down while Mary told him about her latest beau, happy that the subject of Ariel disappeared beneath his mother-in-law’s overly descriptive, oversharing of a very active love life. After another ten minutes, he said his goodbyes. A quick search through his drawers and he found a T-shirt and pair of sweats Ariel could use, at least until after they did her laundry. The thought of her completely naked and wrapped in his clothes had him painfully hard again.
Chapter 7
Ariel
Ariel did what she could to help Larry search the small sickbay. There were a lot of bandages they didn’t need. Jackpot! She grabbed a couple of bags filled with fluid and brought them over to Andrew.
“Will this help?”
“Lactated Ringers?” He examined the bag of IV fluid, checking the expiration date. “This is perfect.” The man beside him groaned. “Now, if we can find some pain killers. All I have is morphine and that’s not the best for them.”
“Why not? Won’t it get rid of their pain?” It seemed more humane to knock both men out and let the storm pass over while they were out of it.
“Yes, but it depresses breathing. I need them as alert as possible.”
Randall spoke up. “We have a limited pharmacy. Might be something there, although it’s locked up.”
“How much trouble will we get into if we break that lock?” she asked.
Andrew stretched, leaning back as he arched, then he twisted side to side. “I’m thinking we’ll be forgiven. Where is it?”
Aiden returned. The way he filled the doorway made her breath hitch and her pulse pound. Their kiss had played on endless repeat in her head since he’d left the room. It had been all she could do to focus on searching the small sickbay.
He cocked his head, taking her in as he casually leaned against the doorjamb. He’d changed out of his rain gear into jeans and a T-shirt. Well-worn denim draped low over his hips, cupped his groin, and filled with the muscular bulk of his thighs. She shouldn’t stare, especially at the impressive bulge behind that zipper, but found it difficult to shift her attention anywhere else. If anyone noticed she would be mortified, but Andrew, Larry, and Randall were busy searching the small room behind her. Duncan had yet to return. Their two patients were in no condition to pay attention to anyone. But Aiden?
Once she tore her gaze away from his crotch, the heat of his smoldering gaze told her he hadn’t missed a thing. He reached down and adjusted himself while she watched. She gulped and tried to turn around, but his deep, rumbly voice demanded attention.
“I brought a shirt and sweatpants for you to change into. Duncan is looking around to see what we can scavenge for your team. We should get you out of those clothes.” A wink followed, telling her he would be more than happy to assist in that task.
“Um, thank you.” She cast a glance toward the others, but none of the men paid any attention to her or Aiden. He knew it too and licked his lips.
He handed her the clothes and lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’d rather be taking clothes off you than putting them on. But if you’re to wear anything, it’s going to be something of mine.” He gave her a hard look. “If you try to argue with me about this, you’re going to lose.”
“Aiden…”
He shook his head. “We’re not even close to being done.”
The echo of his words from earlier sent her heart into a dizzying spin.
He kept talking, keeping his tone conversational in case the others were listening in. “Now, we have laundry facilities here, of course, and can get your clothes washed. Until then, you can wear these.”
“Bossy much?” She said under her breath.
“That depends on whether you like it or not, but I already know the answer to that.” She arched a brow, waiting for him to continue, but he pushed his clothes into her hands and stepped away. His crewman, Duncan, returned with an armful of jeans and shirts.
“Hey, found some stuff for you guys,” Duncan called out to her men.
She retreated to the sickbay, placing distance between herself and Aiden. It didn’t work. Aiden followed, staying right beside her. A respectful distance separated them. No one knew about the electricity sizzling between them, but she felt every blazing lick of the heat from his gaze. An inferno stirred to life between them and she needed to find a way to put out the blaze.
As the pilot, she was technically in command of their mission. They weren’t a military unit but adhered to many of the same conventions when it came to the chain of command. With the helicopter grounded for the foreseeable future, she had nothing to contribute to the care of the wounded men, but she could do the laundry. As much as it grated on her to volunteer for such a mundane job, there was no one else.
“If you guys change, I’ll do the wash.” She injected false cheer into her voice. Talking about the laundry kept her from thinking about the man standing far too close. That side of her body heated being so near to him.
Aiden took a step back, gave her an odd look, then a respectful nod. “I can help with that.”
“Oh, no need.” She didn’t need his help. That would mean more alone time with him, and she wouldn’t survive another second of that.
“It’s the least I can do,” he insisted with a wink.
Could he read her mind?
“Randall, you stay and help these guys out. Maybe we can get Jeffery and Caleb better situated. Duncan, you’re on galley duty. Ariel and I will come up with shift assignments.”
He turned to her, taking the time to include her in his plans, even as he made them without her consultation.
“I’m thinking we split up your guys and pair them with mine. We all have basic first aid training, so can help out as you need. Duncan, why don’t you and Andrew pair up. Randall, you and Larry are a team. I’ll take the pilot. We’ll set a twelve-hour shift schedule. I’ll leave it to you to figure out who takes the first shift.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Duncan said.
“Good,” Aiden continued. “I’ll show Ariel to her quarters so she can change, but if y’all want to strip out of your clothes and leave them in a pile here, I’ll bring her back for a laundry run. We’ll need to orient each of you to the rig. My only rules during this whole thing are no one wanders around alone, and no one goes outside. You’ve all got your buddy assignments.” He swept his arm out and gestured toward the door. “Ariel? After you.”
She needed to find her voice, but that was impossible with the lump in her throat. He orchestrated the perfect plan to maximize his time alone with her. She wasn’t sure if that pissed her off or turned her on.
Gulping, she turned to her men. “Is there anything you need?”
Andrew shook his head. “The IV bags are a godsend, and we found analgesics in the pharmacy. You said quarters?” He turned his attention to Aiden. “Any chance they’re more comfortable than the gurneys in here?”
“Minimally.” Aiden crossed his arms.
Andrew gave a nod. “I think it would be best if we transported them out of here, but I’d like to see what we’re talking about.”
“Duncan can show you where you’ll be bunking, but I think it’s best for Jeffery and Caleb if they stay here.”
“Gotcha.” Andrew focused his next words on her. “You okay?”
She didn’t miss the protective undertones. From the way Aiden stiffened beside her, he didn’t
either.
“Yeah, I’m just going to change and I’ll be right back.”
Andrew gave her a grin and gave a slight incline of his head. “This is not how I thought this day would go.”
“I know, right?” With those words, she entered the hall, leaving behind the protection of the group to face Aiden alone. An awakening pulsed between her legs as the memory of that kiss took center stage in her mind.
“This way.” The timbre of Aiden’s voice turned low and gravelly, raspy with suppressed need.
She understood that well. Her skin felt hot. Her heart rate sped up. Her stomach flipped around in her belly. Not one step out into the hall and she was a trembling heap of hormones, replete with weak knees, racing heart, and nerves surging with overstimulation.
They hadn’t done more than kiss, and yet lingering adrenaline spiked in her body with the thought of once again being alone with him. Despite all the promises she made to herself, she couldn’t ignore what her body wanted.
The raw desire darkening Aiden’s features told her the feeling was mutual. Desperation clawed at her and she battled the emotion using reason to fight the overwhelming urges swirling inside of her body. She gripped the damp fabric of her flight suit, wanting Aiden to ease her torment. Fear had her firmly in its grip, along with its cousin desire. These feelings weren’t something she’d ever experienced before. Coming unglued with a man wasn’t what she did.
One part of her wished for Aiden to soothe her fears and make all the tormented thoughts disappear, but another part wished for him to let her fall. If only so he could catch her. When they turned the corner, leaving the open door of the sickbay behind them, she expected him to spin her around until her back hit the wall and kiss her again. Instead, he shouldered past her and led her down a long hallway. With a tight grip on her flight suit, she took in a deep breath and followed.
He made two turns and then stopped by a closed door. Everything around them had an industrial feel, taste, and smell to it. All hard edges, steel formed nearly every surface. From the plating of the floor beneath her boots to the cold, unyielding walls, there was nothing which spoke of warmth and comfort. Even the door was heavy steel. He turned the doorknob and swung the door inward.
“Your accommodations for the next…however long.” He braced the door high over her head, forcing her to duck beneath the flex of his biceps.
“Thank you.”
As she stepped beneath him, he gave a deep groan. “Ariel?”
“Yes?”
“You’re addictive.”
“Excuse me?”
“And you smell incredible.” He inhaled deeply.
“I’m sure I smell like oil, grease, and sweat.”
“And you don’t think I find that intoxicating?”
“I—I don’t know what to say to that.” The power of his gaze destroyed any resolve she had left. If he leaned down…
If he wrapped an arm around her waist…
If he took her hair in his fist again…
“Say yes,” he rasped.
“To what?” She didn’t know what he was asking. There were too many things hanging in the balance.
“That you feel it too. Tell me I’m not insane.”
“Aiden, I don’t know—”
Without another word, he pushed her into the room. The door slammed shut, and he spun her around until her back did, in fact, hit the wall. He reached behind her head and tugged on the bun, freeing it from its restraints. With his hand gripping her hair, he lowered his mouth until it hovered over hers, a kiss away.
“The air crackles between us, igniting something I haven’t felt in a very long time. I don’t know you, but I feel as if I do. It’s painful to be in the same room with you and not be able to touch you, to kiss you, to taste you, and take you like I need to.”
His words whispered through her, licking her nerve endings with sparks of arousal which fizzed, and popped, and crackled until her entire body came alive and buzzed with a restless energy.
Yeah, she felt it too.
Her heart swooned. It dipped. It soared. And she cringed.
Her emotions were all over the place. A few minutes ago, she had been determined to stay as far away from him as possible. That one kiss would have been their first and last. Professionalism demanded she keep her distance, but his seductive words spoke to a truth she felt deep inside.
She didn’t know how to respond, so she said nothing and held perfectly still. Breathing was nearly impossible with his towering presence looming over her. Her gaze darted between his lips and his penetrating stare. The power and ferocity behind that look turned her legs to jelly and liquefied her from the inside out. She wanted everything he offered.
His bulk made her feel small, feminine, and soft; more emotions and feelings she wasn’t used to. Clearly, he worked out, whether from the demands of the job or from dedicated time in the gym, he had the kind of body women drooled over. Fortunately, there were no other women present, which meant no competition. She never won those.
His muscles flexed with agitation as he barely held on to his restraint. Bulging biceps, shoulders brimming with power, pectorals which filled out the cotton of the T-shirt and strained to cover his chest; she’d already felt the ridges and valleys of the sharply honed muscles beneath that shirt and ached to explore it all once again.
While his lips hung a breath away from hers, she lifted a hand to his chest, awestruck by his power and virility. Was it possible that he could be hers? That he wanted her?
No competition…
That thought kept swirling in her head, but another more insidious one rose to take its place. She might be nothing more than another notch on his bedpost, something to pass the time while they were stuck out in the middle of the Gulf. But what if what he said was true, and he wanted more? After a string of failed relationships, was it possible a man truly wanted her?
He stared down at her with the arrogance of a man who knew he’d won. His lids lowered to a dark and sultry half-mast while a devilish grin stretched across his face.
“You’re thinking about having sex with me,” he said in triumph.
Arrogance aside, she didn’t immediately respond. Desire hummed in her veins, riding the high of hormones given permission to run wild. She could do this. Right? She was often teased as being high-strung, but what would it feel like to let loose? Could she take a chance and see where things might go?
“Not as much as you’re thinking about it.” She refused to cave in and become a forgettable fuck. Letting go, it seemed, was harder than simply thinking it.
“Damn straight I’m thinking about it. I haven’t stopped, and just so you know, I’ve already fucked you against this wall, on that desk, in that bed, and taken you from behind while you’re on all fours. I’ve had you kneeling at my feet with my cock sliding in and out of your mouth, and I’m thinking about taking you against the wall again.”
“I’m amazed at the stamina that requires. You sure you have that in you?” Her nipples peaked with the desire for him to do exactly that. “There are four men back there who think I’ve come here to change out of my clothes. To do everything you say takes a lot more time than changing my shirt unless I’m wrong about your stamina.”
He tilted his head back and roared with a deep belly laugh. “Shit, woman, talk like that will get you tossed over my knee.”
That image had her squeezing her thighs together, but that only made the burning ache worse.
His mouth floated over her lips. Suddenly the room seemed too small. She clutched at his shirt, pushing him away, while simultaneously pulling him toward her. He still hadn’t kissed her, but he was near enough to feel the zing of fleeting contact. Sparks indeed. The entire room buzzed with the energy sizzling between them.
“I’m going to kiss you,” he pronounced, “and I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop.”
Her fingers twisted in the fabric of his shirt, sending all the wrong signals and yet saying exactly what she
felt. She parted her lips and that tiny movement was enough to close the space between them. An electrical charge zapped at her lips and raced along her nerves, sending a shock wave rippling across her skin. She didn’t move. She didn’t dare.
He didn’t either, letting the moment stretch between them, a moment suspended in time while he gave her a choice. This was the time to say no. He stared at her, eyes darkening with lust. She stared right back and faced the raw, carnal desire brimming in his eyes. This was what attraction felt like. It was nothing like she’d ever experienced before, and hell if she could resist it. Her entire body buzzed with adrenaline and burned with an aching fire.
“Aiden…” She stretched up on tiptoe and threaded her fingers together behind his neck.
With a deep growl, he pressed her against the wall, lifting her up as he claimed that kiss. Her legs wrapped around his hips. Her body acting on instinct, no longer with her in control.
He seized her mouth with bruising aggression. There was nothing tender in the kiss. He claimed and she surrendered. His tongue swept along the seam of her lips then dived in to chase hers. Firm and determined, his lips pressed against hers, demanding nothing but complete and absolute submission. She gave that to him, knowing this would set the tone for everything that followed.
This wasn’t their first kiss. It lacked the nervousness and cautious exploration while sharing the same reckless hunger. She followed his lead, giving him complete control over what happened next. Her tongue followed his, her lips surrendered, her thighs clenched around his hips as his grip tightened around her waist. He lifted one hand and ran his fingers through her hair. Gripping tight, he forced her head to slant as he desired. He rocked against her, pressing into the space between her legs. His mouth glided over hers, tongue licking, teasing, taking, and she drowned beneath the onslaught. Her hips ground against him as she slowly lost control of any restraint she had left.
He yanked her hair, causing her to cry out as he deepened the kiss, turning it into something raw and wild. One hand threaded in her hair, he used the other to palm her ass. Those fingers continued their exploration, following the seam of her flight suit until they brushed against her sex. If not for her clothes, she had no doubt he would have shoved his fingers deep inside.
Aiden: Military Heroes (The One I Want Series Book 1) Page 6
