Blown Away (10 page)

Aiden wasn't just kissing me—he was
claiming
me. From the heat of his mouth to his powerful erection on my stomach, I felt a passion I'd never seen in him before. He cupped my face with one hand and pressed his other one against my back, molding my body against the hard, muscled lines of his own.

And the deeper he kissed, the dizzier I became. I'd never been kissed like this, in a way I felt with every inch of my body. In a way that brought on a deep, insistent throbbing between my legs.

I wrapped one arm around his shoulder and wound the other hand into his wet hair, rain rolling through my fingers as I squeezed it.

Breathing didn't compare to this kiss. I hung on to him, savoring it until I had to pull away and gasp for air.

A fire swirled in his hazel eyes as he looked down at me. I clutched him tighter, fearing he'd break away and call this a mistake.

Instead he lowered his forehead to mine and wrapped his arms around my waist. The downpour didn't matter. I put my hands on his lower back and pressed myself against him. I couldn't get close enough.

“Drew,” he said, his voice hoarse and his coffee-scented breath warm against my lips.

I tipped my face up for another kiss and he pressed his lips to mine again. This kiss was slower, more sensual. The urgency was still there, though. Every inch of my body was buzzing with the same urgency.

Beeping noises sounded from inside the truck and I felt a deep groan rumble in Aiden's chest.

“What is it?” I asked softly.

“Murph. Worried about us.”

I eased back an inch and his hold on me loosened. I wanted to cry out and throw myself back at him.

“You okay?” he asked, his eyes on mine.

“More than okay.”

One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “The ditch jump. You didn't hurt yourself anywhere, did you?”

I shook my head.

“Let's get in,” he said, reaching for the door handle behind me.

I gave him a serious look. “Wait.”

His hand stopped and he waited, brows arched in question.

“Say that wasn't a mistake. Tell me we're not going back to you not touching me. I need you to say it.”

His expression softened. “I couldn't go back if I wanted to. And I don't.”

I let him open the door and I stepped up and into his truck. He walked around the front of the truck and I felt a measure of pride and a rekindled desire when I saw his erection straining against his jeans.

He got in the truck and reached into the backseat for a flannel shirt, handing it to me. “Closest I've got to a towel.”

I took it. He ran a hand through his hair and over his face to clear away the water. Then he picked up his radio and pushed a button, his eyes on mine as he spoke into it.

“Murph, we're okay. You guys all right?”

There was static on the radio as Murph told Aiden he'd run over something he hadn't seen in the road and had a flat tire.

“Ping me your location,” Aiden said. “I'll be right there.”

I'd dried my face and arms, and I reached over with a sleeve of the flannel and wiped Aiden's brow off.

“Put it on,” he said as he put his arm around the back of my seat and looked behind him before driving in reverse.

I furrowed my brow with confusion. “The shirt?”

“Yep.”

“I'm not cold.”

He turned the truck around and then glanced at me. “You've got a white T-shirt on. I don't want the other guys seeing you like that.”

I looked down at my chest and saw my nipples, pink and prominent through my thin bra and the wet shirt plastered to my body.

“Oh, shit,” I muttered, my cheeks warming.

“You don't mind me seeing, do you?”

“Uh…no, I don't.”

“Then just put the shirt on. Your tits are the stuff dreams are made of, by the way.”

I looked at my lap and smiled. “I always wanted bigger ones.”

“They're perfect.” He glanced at my chest. “Needed one more look before you get that shirt on.”

I warmed inside, hoping he'd do more than look at them soon. He pushed buttons on his truck's GPS and headed up a hill.

The Funnel Finder came into view on the shoulder of the road. Tex was adjusting the jack and Murph was zipping himself into a bright yellow raincoat.

Aiden pulled in behind the station wagon and parked.

“Gonna go help,” he said. “Just sit tight.”

My pulse raced as I looked at him, soaked to the bone. His muscles were outlined by the wet fabric of his T-shirt. Calm and collected as his expression was, I was thinking of the way he'd kissed me just minutes ago, showing me his hidden, passionate side.

I wanted more of him. I tried to calm my thundering heart by reminding myself he'd said we weren't going back to before. For now, I had to be patient.

Aiden put his hand on the door handle but then paused and turned to me. He reached for my hand and took it in his large one, stroking his thumb over my knuckles. I tried not to break out in a stupid grin, but
damn,
was this nice. It was a simple gesture, but from the man who'd refused to touch me before, it was like a salve on the burn I felt inside.

He pulled my hand up to his mouth, kissing my knuckles and then returning my hand to my lap. I sighed softly.

Aiden left the truck and dismissed Tex, lying on his back in the road to change the tire.

I swallowed hard as an image of Colby flashed through my mind. Even when I squeezed my eyes shut, it wouldn't go away. He'd been killed doing this very same thing.

Millie got out of the Funnel Finder and ran back to the truck. It was still raining lightly, and she covered her head with her hands.

“Hey,” she said, getting into the truck's backseat. “That was crazy, huh?”

“Yeah. We got too far from the truck and had to jump in a ditch.”

“Drew! You okay?”

I nodded, my eyes still on Aiden. “What about you guys?”

“We were right next to the car so we jumped back in it. Still scary, though. We couldn't see a thing. I was waiting for a cow to come flying through the windshield.”

Tex leaned against the Funnel Finder and took out his smartphone, covering it with his hand to protect it from the rain as he scrolled.

My chest tightened and I got out of the truck. I practically ran to the spot where Aiden was lying, looking up and down the country road.

“Who's watching for traffic?” I demanded.

Murph glanced up from the trunk, where he was sifting through something. Aiden stuck his head out from beneath the car and looked at me. Tex seemed to be frozen.

“Who the hell is watching for traffic?” I yelled, waving my arms in the air. “He's underneath the car and
no one
is looking out for him. Am I the only one who feels sick about that? Am I the only one who remembers?”

Hot tears spilled onto my cheeks. Tex hung his head.

“I'm sorry. You're right, Drew.”

I was shaking as I looked up and down the road again. Aiden slid out from beneath the car, wiping his hands on his T-shirt.

“Finish the tire,” he said to Tex.

He pulled me into his arms and held me close. I cried against his chest, still shaking. I couldn't stop now.

“Shh, Drew,” he said softly in my ear. “It's okay.”

I wanted it to be okay, but I was still shaking. Seeing Aiden doing the same thing that had gotten Colby killed was just too much.

Aiden rubbed a hand up and down my back, holding me close until I stopped crying. I pulled my cheek away from his chest and he brushed a thumb beneath my eyes, wiping away my tears.

“I'm okay,” I said, sniffling. “I shouldn't have yelled like that.”

“No, I wasn't thinking. You were right.”

He kept his hand on my back, using it to guide me over to the shoulder of the road. We stood together in silence until Tex rose from the ground.

“Done,” he said, wiping a hand across his brow. “And, Drew, I'm sorry. Won't happen again.”

I nodded and wrapped my arms around myself.

“You need a hot shower,” Aiden said. “We'll head back to camp.”

“Yeah, we're done for today, too.” Murph walked over, now wearing a floppy yellow rain hat that was tied beneath his chin. “If there was a twister it didn't amount to much. And I need to get that tire looked at to see if it can be fixed.”

We all loaded back into our vehicles and started the long drive back. I was grateful for Aiden's quiet nature, because I was emotionally worn out. He left me alone with my thoughts and I stared out the window as the countryside rolled by.

In just a couple of weeks, Aiden had become very important to me. The thought of losing him had brought back all the rawness I'd felt after Colby's death.

Maybe Aiden was right not to let himself love anyone. He'd never end up sobbing on the bathroom floor of a hospital like I had.

Neither of us had said much by the time we got back to the campground. It was dark, and I saw the orange glow of a bonfire near the campground's office.

When we got out of the truck, the campground manager came over and told us he was cooking out tonight for all campground guests. My stomach rumbled its approval, but first I had to get a shower.

Hot water had never felt so good. I just stood beneath the spray for ten minutes, letting it wash away my tension. After I'd washed every inch of dirty ditch from my body and hair, I dried off and dressed in clean jeans and a T-shirt.

I was blow-drying my hair when Millie walked into the large bathroom with her shower supplies in hand. She gave me a tentative look.

“You okay?” she asked.

I turned off my dryer and sighed. “Yeah. Just worn out.”

“There's loads of food out there. Maybe that'll help.”

Millie's face was lined with discomfort. Being nurturing was not her thing, which made me appreciate her trying all the more.

“Thanks.” I smiled at her. “I'm sure it will.”

“There's even alcohol. We could get drunk.”

Her eyes widened hopefully and I wondered why the idea was so appealing to her.

“I suppose,” I said. “If storm chasing while hungover tomorrow sounds like fun.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, I'm sure it's a stupid idea. I've never been drunk, so what do I know?”

“You haven't?”

Her fair cheeks turned pink. “I'm about what you'd expect from looking at me. I spend my Friday nights at the library.”

“Millie, I think you're very pretty. And I say we go for it. I could use a drink or five after this afternoon.”

“Yeah, that was…a tense moment.”

I smiled and looked away. “I'm actually talking about something else. Can you keep a secret?”

“Yeah,” she said, her eyes lighting up.

“Aiden kissed me today.”

Her lips parted with surprise. “Oh. I was wondering…you know, if you guys were…”

“No, we weren't.”

She broke out in a wide grin. “Well, good for you. And him.”

Was it good? I wanted to be happy about it, too, but I still had a gnawing worry about falling hard for Aiden and ending up heartbroken. He climbed mountains and rescued people from dangerous places. The chance of something happening to him was higher than average.

“I'll get a quick shower,” Millie said. “We can walk over together when I'm done.”

As soon as we joined the crowd at the bonfire, I felt Aiden's gaze on me. I snuck a glance at him when he was taking a drink of his beer. He was sitting on top of a picnic table next to Tex, dressed in dry jeans and a white T-shirt, his hair damp from the shower.

His gaze locked with mine and I looked away. I still wanted him. My desire was actually stronger than ever now that I'd felt his mouth on mine and his strong arms wrapped around me.

But now I realized what he'd meant when he said it wouldn't be simple with us. That we couldn't just have sex. My heart was already wrapped up in him. Seeing him beneath Murph's car on the road today had shown me that.

“Is this okay?” Millie held up a fruity wine cooler, a half-finished one in her other hand.

“Perfect.”

Millie and I ate and drank wine coolers and shots until my worries faded and everything she said made me collapse in a fit of laughter.

Within an hour, nothing seemed funny anymore. I jumped up from my seat next to Millie and ran to the edge of a wooded clearing away from the gathering, barely making it before I vomited.

I stayed bent over, taking deep breaths in an effort to combat the nausea.

“Drew?” Aiden said from behind me.

I turned my face toward him and groaned. “Go away. I don't want you to see me like this.”

He ignored me and came the rest of the way until he was beside me.

“What do you need?” he asked, laying a hand on my back.

I just groaned again, unable to think of an answer. My head felt like it was spinning in circles.

“You done throwing up?”

“Uh.” I tried to stand up but the spinning was too much. I bent back down again. “I need to lay down.”

I dropped down to the grass, planning to rest right there, but Aiden slid his hands around the backs of my legs and picked me up.

“You can stay with me tonight,” he said.

“No, I'm…fine. I think.”

He laughed softly. “Yeah. The best is yet to come, sweetheart. You ever drank that much before?”

I squeezed my eyes shut. “How much?”

“As much as you drank tonight.”

“Who knows?” I mumbled.

“You don't even know how much you drank, do you? It was a hell of a lot.”

I curled my head against his chest, wishing my stomach would stop churning. When we got to his camper, he opened the door and turned me sideways to get me through the doorway.

“I'd like to know what the hell came over you tonight,” he said, laying me down on the bed. “But you need to sleep it off. We can talk tomorrow.”