Clearing my throat, I drew back a little and kept my voice low so whoever was out there wouldn’t hear. “Um, so this isn’t super attractive, but what you’re probably smelling is my deodorant. I wish I could say it’s expensive perfume, but nope. Just my armpits.”
Aiden gave me a handsome, lopsided smile. He dipped his head, attempting to stick his nose under my arm to get a whiff straight from the source.
“Ew!” I quietly hissed, plastering my elbow to my side. “You can’t sniff me there.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s gro—”
Unfortunately, I was interrupted by the persistent thudding, and a second female voice joined the first. “Aaaaiden. We have a surprise for you.”
Sliding me off his lap, Aiden let out an unsatisfied grunt as he wobbled to his feet.
“You’re not answering it, right?” I asked incredulously.
“I’ll just tell them to go away.”
“What if they see me?”
He lifted his hands in an uncoordinated shrug. “Hide.”
Ha. Right.
Quickly scanning my options, I glanced at the closed bedroom door. I didn’t have time to run out to the back patio. My best bet was under the table. The red tablecloth went all the way down to the floor, so it would provide cover, fast.
I dived to the floor, snatching my purse from the tabletop before I disappeared out of sight. The marble tiles were hard under my knees, so I shifted until I was side-sitting on my butt with my legs tucked close.
“Corrie?” Aiden whispered. “Where did you go?”
I didn’t answer him. If he couldn’t see me, then that meant no one else could either. A few seconds ticked by before I heard the click of the door handle.
“Dawn. Twila,” Aiden greeted them, sounding like he was trying to come across sober-ish. “Why is there a cameraman with you?”
“Ross thought it would be a good idea for us to stop by.” From the twang in her voice, I could tell that was Twila.
“We brought champagne,” Dawn announced happily.
“Oh.” Aiden faked a yawn. “You know, I was just about to fall asleep, so I don’t think it’s a good time.”
“Please? Ross was pretty adamant about it, and Wyatt had to leave the staff party just to film this.” A guilt trip. How manipulative. “It would probably be enough to get a few minutes recorded so it looks like we followed through.”
Apparently, they weren’t taking no for an answer because the next thing I knew, footsteps were nearing the table and chairs were being pulled out.
Shit, shit, shit.
Legs and high heeled shoes crowded the tight space and I scooted away, undetected, as the intruders carried out their plan above me.
A pop of a champagne cork. Clinking of glasses and giggling. A deep sigh filled with undertones of dread.
Poor Aiden.
I had to hold in a squeak as he took a seat opposite of the girls, and I resorted to hugging the pedestal stand in the middle.
“None for me, thanks,” Aiden declined the offer of alcohol.
“But it was such a stressful day.” Dawn sounded like she was pouting.
“It was,” Aiden agreed. “But tomorrow night the hard work will pay off. Actually… shouldn’t you be practicing with your partners?”
“We’ve done enough of that,” Dawn replied confidently.
“Plus, Ross said getting camera time was just as important as performing well,” Twila added.
Aiden huffed. “Ross is wrong. Dennis and Darrell are judging the competition. Even I don’t have a say in who wins.” Hiccup. “If I were you, I’d be spending every free minute getting it right.”
Silence confirmed that doubt had been instilled. He wasn’t wrong, and they knew it.
Since my body was contorted into a weird position, my leg wasn’t getting proper circulation. The sensation of pins and needles poked and stabbed my toes. Cringing, I carefully unfolded myself until I could move my foot out from under my butt.
“Besides,” he went on, “I’m supposed to have a meeting with—” I lost my balance and bumped Aiden’s leg with my elbow. “Theo!” My touch startled him, because the last word came out about three octaves higher than usual.
Clapping my palm over my mouth, I held in a laugh.
Aiden cleared his throat and kept talking like nothing abnormal had happened. “Like I said, Theo is probably coming by soon.”
Suddenly, the tablecloth lifted and Aiden’s hand appeared in front of my face, his phone in his grasp. He repeatedly shoved it in my direction until I accepted it and took the cue. Scrolling through his contacts, I searched for Theo’s name.
I couldn’t find it.
As I slowly scanned all the T’s a second time, Twila struck up a very random conversation about divorced parents. Dawn pitched in, saying her mom and dad had split when she was nine.
Giving up on this method of finding Theo’s number, I went to Aiden’s text history. The top one was from ‘Go-cart Loser.’
Well. If that wasn’t Theo, things were about to get awkward.
SOS. Come to Aiden’s room ASAP.
All I could do was wait to see if that got any results.
One of the girls was sobbing now, but I couldn’t tell who it was because high-pitched whining didn’t come with an accent.
“Rover was the best rodent ever. I miss him every day.”
Aaand apparently we weren’t talking about divorce anymore. Sometime during my hunt for Theo’s number, the topic had gotten switched to when Twila’s guinea pig died.
A chorus of wailing erupted above me.
Update: We had two crying women.
Aiden’s body language screamed uncomfortable as he crossed one foot over the other, then back again. If I wasn’t so terrified of being found and busted, this entire incident would’ve been hilarious.
Less than two minutes from when I’d sent the text, another knock came at Aiden’s door.
“That must be Theo.” Aiden slid away from the table and his footsteps padded across the room.
I held my breath, waiting to see if I’d contacted the right person, and I exhaled when I heard Theo say, “There a party going on in here? People aren’t supposed to be sad at parties.”
An unfamiliar, repetitive clacking sound echoed through the room, and I slanted my head as I tried to recognize what it was.
Suddenly, someone was climbing under the table with me. Oh my God, why? Why would anyone have a reason to be under here?
Then I realized it wasn’t a someone. It was a something.
The thin fabric of the tablecloth was the only barrier between me and the loud sniffing and panting happening mere feet away.
“What a cute puppy!” Twila squealed.
It was not a puppy. Puppies had a few more redeeming qualities than dogs, and one of them was that they were smaller. From the size of the shadow, I could tell this dog was anything but tiny.
At least now I knew what the mysterious noise was—claws.
I held in a scream as a large yellow snout appeared under the tablecloth by my leg, and a wet nose grazed my knee. I caught sight of tongue and teeth. Oh, God. The teeth.
This time I really did let out a screech, and I just hoped everyone assumed it was Twila still freaking out about the ‘puppy.’
Next, brown eyes emerged and floppy ears came into view as the animal army-crawled forward.
With the red material draped around its neck as it wriggled closer, it was a horrifying sight—like watching the birth of my worst nightmare.
And then there was a giant dog in its entirety, right in my face. There was nothing stopping it from rapidly licking every inch of my body while spastically wiggling and wagging.
Screwing my eyes shut, I squeezed the table stand while trying to stay silent and still. Playing dead was the correct thing to do, right? No, that was with bears…
“Kenzie,” Hadley called out. “What are you doing under there? Come here.”
&n
bsp; The animal—Kenzie—didn’t obey. In fact, her exploration of how my skin tasted only became more enthusiastic.
I was getting close to hyperventilating when the cloth was drawn back and Hadley’s face popped into view. Her eyes went wide with shock when she saw me. Thankfully, she played it cool and didn’t mention my presence.
Grabbing Kenzie’s black collar, she tugged gently while making kissy noises. A furry yellow tail smacked me in the forehead before they both disappeared.
“I think you guys should probably be getting a solid eight hours of sleep tonight.” I heard her say, sounding like a scolding parent.
“The girls were about to leave so we can have that meeting,” Aiden said, emphasizing the last word.
Theo didn’t miss a beat. “Sorry, ladies, this is confidential stuff. We’ll see you tomorrow at the sing-off.”
Disappointed, the girls muttered dejected goodbyes before shuffling from the room.
Once I heard the click of the door, relief slammed into me, but I was still shaking from the thought of getting caught and my encounter with the dog—who was still out there. I could hear it breathing.
“What the hell was all that about?” Theo asked, bewildered.
Instead of answering him, Aiden said, “Corrie, it’s safe now.”
On my hands and knees, I dragged my purse with me as I came out from my hiding spot in front of Theo for the second time in two days. It was kind of like the walk of shame, only worse because there was zero dignity in crouching under a table while covered in dog slobber.
Theo looked more confused than ever as I stood on wobbly legs.
Aiden started pawing at me like he was checking for injuries. “Are you okay? Did Kenzie hurt you?”
Hadley gasped, clearly offended. “Kenzie would never hurt anyone. She loves people.”
Frowning, Aiden was still inspecting my arms as he said, “Well, Corrie doesn’t like animals.”
Now Hadley was horrified, with her mouth hanging open and her forehead wrinkled with disbelief. “What? How is that possible? I mean, Kenzie gets so excited when she sees a new person, she piddles a little,” she went on, gesturing to the floor. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she peed under there.”
Oh, yuck. If she was trying to convince me to like her dog, she was going about it the wrong way.
I grimaced, noting the wetness on my ankle. “I thought that was saliva. Either way, I need a shower now.”
“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” Theo griped, waving a hand toward the champagne glasses. “I didn’t authorize this. There wasn’t supposed to be any filming tonight.”
“Fucking Ross.” Satisfied that my only casualty was some unwanted bodily fluids, Aiden turned toward his brother. “He put the girls up to some dramatic bullshit and they just showed up here with Wyatt.”
Shaking his head, Theo patted Aiden on the shoulder. “Sorry. I’ll have a talk with Ross in the morning, and I’ll make sure everyone knows this floor is off limits.”
“Good.” Stumbling to the side, Aiden palmed my waist while burying his nose in my hair. “Mmm. Shmellso gud.”
I shot Theo a look. “Are you responsible for this?”
He winced. “I am. But in my defense, I didn’t realize he was going to want eleven drinks. The kid really needed the stress relief.”
“Eleven??” I gasped at the same time Aiden defensively mumbled, “Not a kid.”
His lips found the skin under my ear. “I’m a man, damn it.”
Giggling, I patted him on the back. “A drunk man. Time for sleep, okay?”
“M’Kay.”
“All good now?” Theo asked, backing away. “Take care of him.”
“I will,” I promised.
Still holding onto Kenzie’s collar, Hadley moved toward the door, rambling, “I’m so sorry about the drool. And the piddle. Next time I swear she’ll be better. Seriously, you’ll learn to love her.”
Not likely, but I nodded and waved anyway. As soon as Aiden and I were alone, any lingering fear from the scare drained away.
“For someone who doesn’t like animals, they sure do like you.” Aiden clumsily petted my head, and I let out an amused snort.
“That’s always how it goes. It’s like they can sense I want nothing to do with them, and it only makes them want me more.”
“I want you more.” Hiccup. Burp.
Tilting my chin up, I looked into his heavy-lidded eyes. “I think you should lie down. It’s late, and I’m tired.” And I really was. Now that my skin wasn’t flaming, the fatigue from missed sleep hit me hard. “Plus, I need to rinse myself off. I don’t have to stay over if you’d rather sleep by yourself.”
Aiden grunted. “No way. You’re going to leave a poor defenseless drunk guy all alone?”
I scoffed, a smile tugging at my lips. “You’re really good at getting what you want, huh?”
Grinning, he moved behind me and covered my eyes with his hands. “Right now, what I want is to give you something special.”
I felt a hard bulge brush against my lower back.
Ah. So, he was a horny drunk.
“Uhh, I can’t do that with you tonight,” I said regretfully. “It would feel like I was taking advantage and I want you to remember our first time.”
“I wasn’t talking about my dick.” He chuckled, and his breath tickled my ear.
“Oh.” My cheeks heated with embarrassment under his palms. “Carry on, then.”
With small steps, he led me forward. “You’ll have to open the door.”
Blindly feeling around, I grasped the knob and turned.
“Okay. You can look.” The hands blocking my vision fell away, and I gasped when I saw the bedroom.
About a dozen vases full of lilacs were placed throughout the space, and although the lamps were off, there were at least twenty candles around the room, casting a warm glow over the bed. The fluffy white comforter had been pulled back at one corner.
There was a dim light next to the nightstand, but it wasn’t a candle—it was a pineapple nightlight, identical to the one in my room.
It was the last detail that really touched me. My heart bottomed out in my stomach, the same way it felt whenever I jumped from the highest diving board.
He’d thought of me. Aiden probably didn’t realize I wouldn’t need the nightlight with his body next to mine, but the considerate gesture spoke volumes.
No one had ever done something so sweet for me. Even my parents, as wonderful as they were, didn’t bother with extravagant displays. Birthdays and holidays were usually quiet, understated events.
My gaze bounced from all the flowers to Aiden, who was carefully watching my reaction.
Seeming uncharacteristically shy, he rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip and glanced away. “They didn’t have any lilacs on the island, so I had to throw down my diva card and demand they import them from the mainland. You used to talk about how jealous you were when people got flowers at school on their birthday and stuff.” An expression of regret passed over Aiden’s handsome features. “I’d planned on buying a whole bunch for you the spring after we got together… but I never followed through with it.”
Sweet man. When would Aiden realize he didn’t need to feel guilty anymore?
“Thank you.” Smiling, I looped my arms around his neck. My weight knocked him off balance, and he staggered, laughing as his back thumped against the wall. “Sorry.” I unraveled myself and grabbed him by the forearm to guide him to the bed. “I just need to use the bathroom, then we can go to sleep.”
He grunted out an unintelligible agreement, falling to the mattress face-first.
After a quick rinse in the shower, I was able to brush my teeth and get my pajamas on in less than a minute.
When I came out, Aiden was lying on his back under the covers. Shirtless. His arms casually linked behind his head.
So damn sexy.
He watched me as I blew out the candles, one by one, until the only source of light in
the room was from the pineapple plugged into the wall.
Aiden’s smile was huge when I climbed into the bed next to him. He opened his arms and I snuggled up to his side. The door to the back patio was ajar, and the sound of the ocean in the distance was peaceful and soothing.
I yawned, and it triggered Aiden to do the same.
“As happy as I am about the flowers,” I started softly, “I want you to stop torturing yourself about the past. Can we agree to move forward?”
“Yeah, I’d like that,” he rasped, giving me a squeeze. “Thank you.”
“You want to know what colors you missed with my hair?” I didn’t wait for an answer, and I doodled random designs on Aiden’s stomach as I spoke. “The spring of senior year, I went black. Like, so black it was almost kind of blue. Then after graduation it was fire-engine red for a couple months. Before I moved to Nashville, I went with a soft, rose-gold pink. I thought having a pretty color might help me get a job. I kept it that way for the entire year I was there. When I moved home, I went brown.”
“Brown? As in, regular brunette?” Aiden asked, aghast. Accompanied by the slurring, his astonishment was pretty cute.
I laughed. “Yep. I missed the crazy shades, though. A few months later, I dyed it purple and I haven’t gone back. I like it the way it is now. I feel like after all the changing it up, I finally found my color. And maybe you’re right about the lilacs. They fit me.” I snorted. “Even if it is because of my deodorant.”
I waited for a response, but it didn’t come. Lifting my head, I glanced up at Aiden’s face.
He was out cold.
His eyes were closed, the dark lashes fanning over his cheeks. Slightly parted lips. Slow rise and fall of his chest.
Cuddling closer, I rested my head on his shoulder, settling in for what would probably be the best night of sleep in my life.
The last thought I had before I slipped into slumber was, I love him.
I LOVE HER.
Those were the first words that popped into my mind when I opened my eyes and saw purple hair sprawled across my chest. Corrie was plastered to my side, her head resting on my shoulder. Her leg was draped over mine, and her hand was tucked under her chin. Some of her messy strands tickled my neck, but I didn’t move to scratch the itch.
Unattainable Page 14
