Jill Shalvis - Flashback

A FEW MINUTES LATER, Kenzie heard the shower go on, and in spite of herself, pictured Aidan stripping off his clothes and climbing in.

Soaping himself up…

Standing there beneath the steamy hot water all naked.

And unintentionally sexy.

Behind her, from somewhere else in the house, a phone rang. A machine clicked on and she heard Aidan’s voice saying, “You know what to do at the beep.”

Then came a “Hey, you” in a low, Marilyn Monroe-like purr. “It’s Lori. You didn’t call me back. I’ve been lonely for you, baby. Come over sometime soon, okay? I’ll be waiting…”

Kenzie listened to the click as the machine went off and silence filled the house.

Seemed Aidan was still the guy who left women feeling lonely for him. She should return the favor. She should go…somewhere.

But as she listened to the shower running, she let out a long breath and admitted to herself-as silly as it seemed-there was something undeniably consoling about being here with him. She’d told him she trusted him a little, and that was as truthful as it was unsettling. Yes, she had nowhere else to go, but it was far more than that. At the moment, he was the only familiar, comforting presence in her life. At the moment, she wanted to be there, she really did, even knowing that the longer they spent together, the more they would grow closer, whether she liked it or not.

Only, she was afraid she would like it. A lot more than was wise.

AIDAN SURFACED from a deep, deep sleep, aware that something had woken him, but not sure what. He opened his eyes and saw his dark bedroom lit up in black and white by the faint glow of the moon slanting in through his horizontal blinds.

There, by his bed, stood an angel.

An angel in his T-shirt, in the same white swaths of moonlight as his room.

She was hurting, sad, scared…and why the hell hadn’t he given her a suit of armor instead of just a T-shirt? Had he been looking for punishment? Because there it was, in flesh and blood and glorious curves and wild hair, and a face so hauntingly beautiful she took his breath. He was in trouble, deep trouble, because although he’d managed to resist opening his heart to her that first time, he wasn’t quite sure he would be able to manage it this time.

Without a single word, she lifted his covers and scooted into the bed.

With him.

He was exhausted, beyond exhausted, and was afraid he didn’t have the self-control to deal with this. “Jesus,” he gasped as she pressed her icy feet to his.

“Sorry.”

But she didn’t pull them back. Nope, she tucked them beneath his, sucking the warmth out of him.

“Don’t look at me like that,” she whispered.

He had no idea what she was talking about. There was no way she could clearly see his expression, she couldn’t see any more than he could in the strips of moonlight. He could see her eyes, not her nose. He could see her mouth, not her chin…

“I’m not sleepwalking, or pain-pill walking.” She pressed a little closer, so that her legs entangled in his.

Now would probably be as good a time as any to remind her that he slept naked, but as he opened his mouth, she spoke first.

“And I’m not here for another broken heart like I got the last time.” She poked a finger into his chest. “In fact, if anyone’s going to have a broken heart this time, it’s going to be you. So you can just wipe that look of pity off your face.”

“Pity is the last thing I’ve got going on,” he assured her. He lay there achingly close, freezing his ass off thanks to her feet. “So you’re going to break my heart?”

“Going to do my damnedest.”

“I never meant to break yours.”

“At least let me think I’m getting my revenge, okay?”

Her toes were killing him. So were her legs, the ones all caught up in his. And somehow he had a thigh between hers…

She propped her head up with her good hand, staring at him in the oddly lit room. Now he could see her forehead and her nose, but not her eyes or her mouth.

“It really is going to be you nursing the heart this time,” she whispered.

That could very well be. But honestly, he wasn’t sure his bruised heart functioned enough to break. Hell, it was probably dried up from misuse. And yet…and yet lying there with her in his arms seemed to jump-start the organ. It ached, and not just because of their past, it ached for the here and now, for the woman she’d become.

“You,” she repeated softly, even a little smugly, and for some reason, some sick reason, it was a turn-on.

And because he was weak and maybe just a little bit stupid, he put his hand on her hip and leaned in to see her better, which he couldn’t. She was still in slatted black and white. “I meant what I said, Kenz. I’m sorry you got hurt.”

“Good. I want you sorry. Very, very sorry.”

Yes, but did she want him aroused? Because he was. Her T-shirt had risen up enough to remind him she wasn’t wearing panties.

Yeah, colossally stupid.

By now it had to be crystal clear to her that he was butt-ass naked. In the name of fair warning, he pulled her in a little closer.

“What are you doing?”

What was he doing? No idea. Bending his head, he rubbed his jaw to hers, bumped the tip of his nose to her earlobe.

With a shiver, she clutched at him and arched her neck, giving him better access.

Which he took.

“I can’t remember what I was saying,” she murmured.

He let out a breath in her ear and she shivered again, which he liked. He liked that a lot. “You were telling me how you’re going to break my heart.”

“That’s right.” Her fingers dug into the small of his back as she moved, the black and white shadows shifting over her. “I am. Aidan?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re naked.”

He’d been wondering when that would come up. Seeing as he was already quite “up”…

She gulped, and then did something he didn’t expect. She rolled to her back and pulled him on top of her, allowing him to settle between her thighs, which were not cold like her feet, but warm and cushy and very, very welcoming.

“You should know,” she whispered in his ear, making sure her lips brushed his flesh, causing a series of shivers of his own. “I plan to make you beg for mercy this time.”

God. “I’m close to begging right now,” he admitted.

“Really?”

She sounded breathless as hell, which was another big turn-on. So many…“Really.”

He was hard. She was soft, so soft, and pressing all that softness up against him. “If you’re not sleepwalking, or having a bad dream,” he wondered, “why are you in here?”

“No hotels, remember?”

“Why are you in bed with me?” he clarified.

Her hands glided up and down his back, going lower on each pass. “My feet were cold.”

He pressed his feet to hers, and then his mouth to her throat. “Is that all?”

“Absolutely. That and the begging.”

He let out a huff of low laughter against her skin, and then because his mouth was right there against her neck, and because she was touching his butt, and because she smelled good, he took a little nibble.

Her fingers dug into him, telling him how much she liked it but she shook her head. “No more touching until you beg.”

“I wasn’t touching, I was kissing.”

“No kissing until you beg. No anything until you beg.”

“I’ve never begged for this before.”

“No? Well, it’s good for your character to try new things.”

He laughed again. Laughed while trying to get laid. That was new. “Okay.” Lifting his head, he cupped her face between his hands and looked into her eyes. She was smiling, too, and it was good to see her doing so. It was good to see her period; his smile slowly faded. “Can I kiss you, Kenzie?”