Aidan softly kissed her forehead
before answering. “I said I’m falling for you.” He watched Katie’s
face to see how she would respond. He always believed in saying
what you mean, life was too short to hold anything back. His
parents never shared their feelings with each other or their
children, and he was sure it was why they divorced. His mother said
his father was too rough and didn’t love her, but he knew the
truth—his mother was seeing someone else.
Katie began to giggle until she saw
the look on Aidan’s face. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be laughing. I
just didn’t expect that at all. I thought you said something
dirty.” Katie bit her bottom lip, forcing herself to be serious. “I
really am sorry.” She cupped Aidan’s cheek in her right hand, stood
on her tip toes, and kissed him sweetly, searching his face. “I
hope you’ll speak to me again in Spanish, it’s really
lovely.”
“
Mi culo poco
inteligente.” Aidan shook his head and led Katie down the stairs
toward the awaiting guests.
“
What did you say?” Katie
pleaded.
“
I called you a little
smart ass.”
“
There you are!” Brad
said, causing everyone to turn and look at Aidan and Katie as they
came down the stairs.
“
I’d like you all to meet
Katie Harrington. Katie, this is Brad and his wife Sarah, and this
is Ryan and Penny.”
Katie shook each hand as they
exchanged polite introductions. Brad Stewart had short brown hair,
navy eyes, and a stocky build. His wife Sarah, whose smile
captivated Katie, had shoulder length blond hair, kind brown eyes,
and wore a preppy, plaid sundress that Katie immediately
coveted.
The plastic surgeon, Ryan
Russell, was tall and thin with brown hair, brown eyes, and seemed
quite a bit more reserved than Brad and Aidan. Penny Hall stood
next to him, smiling politely. Her black pixie cut and dark eyes
gave her a regal bearing. Katie thought,
She’s definitely well-suited for Ryan, they both seem a
little uptight. Or maybe they’re just shy.
Aidan addressed the group. “After you
settle into your rooms, I thought we would hit the beach, and then
grill something for dinner.”
Sarah spoke first. “We’ll take the
third floor bedroom with the Jacuzzi tub on the balcony.” She
smiled at her husband, and it was obvious to Katie they were still
in the newlywed stage. “I’m planning to rent jet skis this weekend,
if anyone wants to join us.”
Katie’s face lit up and she looked at
Aidan. “That sounds fun!”
“
I’m going to show Katie
the rest of the house, and then we’ll meet you on the beach. Brad,
do you mind putting some drinks on ice?” Aidan took Katie’s hand
and showed her the rest of the main level and lower level. There
was a small theater room with leatherback chairs and a large screen
television, and a large room containing a pool table and foosball
table on the lower level. Aidan opened the glass sliders leading
outside. Two large round glass tables with cushioned chairs sat
under a covered patio with fireplace, built in television, and two
grills. Just past the patio were a rectangular pool, separate
Jacuzzi, and a pale yellow building trimmed in white serving as a
tiki bar.
“
A tiki bar! I love
it!”
“
It’s fully stocked.”
Aidan pulled out a barstool for Katie and stepped inside. “What can
I fix you
bella dama?
”
“
I’d love something sweet,
like a Bay Breeze, and a personal translator, please.”
“
Bay Breeze coming right
up.” Aidan winked.
“
C’mon, what’d you say?
You could be calling me an ugly pig for all I know.” She watched
him pour vodka over the ice, then add cranberry and pineapple
juice.
“
Hardly. I said you were
beautiful.” Aidan handed her the drink and lifted his glass. “To an
amazing weekend.”
Thirty-Two
“
How did you and Aidan
meet, Katie?” Sarah asked. Penny stopped peeling the cucumber and
turned to wait for her answer.
“
We met on the fishing
pier. We were both taking pictures of egrets and bumped into each
other.” Katie took a long sip of wine, preparing for the twenty
questions that were sure to follow.
“
Go on. We’re girls, we
need details.” Penny smiled.
“
Well, we each assumed the
other worked for the newspaper. I mean, who goes to the beach to
take pictures of birds, right?” Katie chuckled, feeling like the
two women were closing in on her. “I told him I was a nurse . . .
he said he was a doctor . . . he walked me home, and then my
grandmother . . .” Katie rolled her eyes, remembering the entire
set up. That bit of information would
not
be shared with anyone. “My
grandmother invited him in for dinner, and here we are.”
“
Agh! You’re terrible with
the details.” Sarah groaned. “Tell us about your first date—or the
moment you fell in love with him.” She set her knife on the counter
and picked up her glass of wine, settling in for a magnificent
story.
Katie wasn’t sure how to answer that.
She wasn’t in love with Aidan. Lust maybe, but not love. She
decided to tell them about their first date, and was very
descriptive about lunch and the lighthouse, hoping that would
satiate them so they could move on to something else. “Okay, your
turn. How did you two meet?” She listened as Sarah told about
falling in love with Brad the first time she laid eyes on him. She
was very animated. Katie wondered if she could actually talk
without using her hands.
Penny’s story was more interesting.
She had visited Ryan’s office for rhinoplasty after breaking her
nose in a car accident. “We fell deeply in love, and I was certain
we would marry. I don’t know why he’s dragging his feet. We’ve been
together for four years, now.”
Sarah laid her hand on Penny’s
shoulder. “Have you told him how you feel? Does he know how much
you want to get married?”
“
No, I don’t want him to
feel trapped, like I have a hidden agenda. I want him to
want
me for his
wife.”
“
Oh, Pen, guys don’t think
like that. You must tell him how you feel. As far as he’s
concerned, you’re happy with the way things are, and that’s good
enough for him.” Sarah picked the knife back up and finished
chopping the tomatoes.
“
Steaks are ready,
ladies,” Brad called through the open sliding glass door into the
kitchen.
Katie ate almost all of her beef
tenderloin, it was tender and buttery. She was having the best time
listening to the others share stories and jokes while sipping on
Chardonnay. Sarah and Penny treated Katie like they had known her
for years, and she slowly became more comfortable around
them.
“
We’re hitting the hot
tub. Goodnight, all.” Brad stood and lifted Sarah over his
shoulder, her laughter echoing through the house as he carried her
off.
As if it were a manly competition,
Ryan followed suit, taking Penny’s hand. “I think we’ll call it a
night, too.”
Aidan and Katie shared a nervous laugh
as they sat at the table alone. “More wine?” he asked.
“
No, thank you. I’m going
to have trouble making it up the stairs as it is.”
“
Come here,” Aidan said,
pulling Katie onto his lap. He kissed her softly, tasting the sweet
wine on her lips. “Let’s get wet.”
“
What?”
“
The hot tub.” Aidan
nodded in the direction of the steaming water next to the
pool.
“
Oh, okay, I just need to
get my suit.” Katie stood, holding onto the table to steady
herself.
Aidan held her arm. “I don’t think you
can make it up the stairs. You don’t need a suit.”
“
Yes—I—we do!” Katie
stuttered.
“
Let’s be bad,” he
whispered, leaving a trail of goose bumps on Katie’s neck where his
lips had been.
Katie raised an eyebrow. “Okay,” she
answered. “But you’re not getting me naked."
The combination of hot water and too
much wine conspired to put Katie in an uninhibited frame of mind.
“This feels amazing.” She sat next to him, rested her head back,
looking up at the star-filled sky. Aidan’s unsolicited touch
normally would have surprised her, but she didn’t flinch. He pulled
her onto his lap, wrapping her legs around his waist, so they were
facing each other. He found the spot behind her ear that drove her
wild. “Mmm, that feels good, too.” Katie instinctively wrapped her
arms around his neck and pressed her body into his.
Instead of kissing her, he softly bit
down on her bottom lip. He traced over her lips with his thumb, and
locked eyes with her as he moved down her neck. When he grazed over
the fabric covering her nipple, Katie closed her eyes, relishing
the pleasure of his touch.
“
Look at me,” he commanded
as he slowly traveled down her body with his hands.
Desire swirled through her as she felt
his arousal growing beneath her. Obeying his command, she kept her
eyes locked with his and felt his hand dip between her legs. His
touch overwhelmed her, causing her eyes to close as her head tilted
back slightly. When he slid her panties to the side and his fingers
found access to her most intimate area, she searched for something
to cling to. Her hands traveled across his thighs, resting just
above the knee. As the pleasure intensified, she gripped his legs
firmly and moaned. Katie was caught up in the spell Aidan had cast
over her, forgetting where she was, and enjoying his skilled hands
as they left a burning trail of heat behind them. The enchantment
was broken when she heard a noise in the distance and her body
stiffened. She inhaled sharply and looked around.
“
Relax, baby, just let
go.”
Katie shook her head. “I can’t, not
here.”
“
C’mon.” He helped Katie
out of the water, and paused while he looked at her exquisite body.
She had curves in all the right places, and her body was fit and
toned. Beads of water trailed down between her full breasts and
flat stomach. Her white lace bra and panties had become
transparent, leaving nothing to the imagination. Aidan inhaled
sharply, feeling his body respond. Impulsively, he reached out and
chased a bead of water down her stomach with his finger. After
drying her off, he lifted her into his arms and carried her
upstairs.
Katie’s eyes were closed, and he hoped
she hadn’t fallen asleep. “Katie?” he whispered as he gently laid
her on the bed.
“
Mmm hmm,” she replied
sluggishly, a smile playing on her lips as she stretched her arms
over her head.
“
I’ll be right back.”
Aidan hurried into the next room to get protection, and when he
returned, Katie was sound asleep.
He sat on the bed next to her, shaking
his head in disappointment. After a moment, he carefully removed
Katie’s damp bra and panties before sliding her under the
covers.
***
Warm buttery sunlight
filtered through the blinds into the bedroom. Katie snuggled deeper
under the covers, wanting a few more minutes of sleep. When the
silky sheets grazed her skin, she realized she was nude. Startled,
she tried to remember what had happened last night. She vaguely
remembered getting into the hot tub with Aidan and being carried
upstairs. Katie lay there frozen, afraid to move.
Where is he? Surely he’s not the kind of guy to
leave afterward. Maybe he didn’t want this, and he’s graciously
slipped out before I woke up. We’ll just pretend it never happened.
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Katie heard a soft knock on her
bedroom door. She pretended to slowly wake up when the smell of
coffee entered the room along with Aidan. She studied his face,
wondering if he would mention last night.
“
Thank you,” Katie said,
taking the cup of coffee and enjoying a sip. He was not giving
anything away, and the silence was unbearable. “Aidan,” she said
slowly, staring into her cup of coffee. “I had too much to drink
last night and . . . did we . . .?”
“
Did we what?” he replied,
a sarcastic smile spreading across his lips.
“
You know, did we—” Katie
struggled to find the right words as panic started to swell inside
her.
“
Of course we did. All
night long! You’re an animal,” Aiden said, watching Katie’s
reaction.
She immediately turned crimson and
buried her face under the blankets.
“
I’m kidding. You fell
asleep. I prefer my partners to be active participants.” Aidan
laughed as Katie pulled the blankets down from her face and let the
panic slowly wash away. “But have I ever told you how cute you are
when you’re sleeping?”
Aidan waited on the balcony while
Katie slipped on a T-shirt and shorts. The beach was deserted
except for a few birds fishing for breakfast. “This is pure bliss.”
Katie said, taking a seat and listening to the waves.
“
We can come here as often
as you like. Dr. Yewell and I have been talking about adding
another partner, so I’ll have more time off.”
“
Really? So it’s just the
two of you in your practice now?”