Summer's End (Wildflowers #5) - Jill Sanders Page 0,24

in the evening breeze. “From that summer on, I made sure to never let on how much this place meant to me, how much my sisters meant to me, for fear that Harold would take them away as well. I complained about having to go to the camp. I even had Joe call and tell Miss Ellison about a new program for older girls, when I had officially outgrown being a camper the summer before, so that I could come here and be a counselor instead.” She smiled, then it slipped slightly. “Harold never knew how much this place meant to me until I came back here.” She turned back to him. “For the past three years, he’s been trying different methods to tear this place down.”

“He has?” Aiden tensed. “Why haven’t you—”

“He’s failed. Of course. Still, I fear that one day he’ll find the right buttons to push to close this place for good and take my Wildflowers, my sisters, away from me.”

He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. “Is that why you won’t allow us, what we have, to move beyond sex?”

She shook her head. “No. Part of it, maybe, but… no.” She nudged him back. The champagne buzz had worn off slightly, and she was back to having a level head. “This”—she motioned between them—“can’t happen because of so much more. If you knew everything, really, you’d understand.”

“Then tell me everything.” He reached for her hands, but she pulled them away.

“No.” She shook her head and locked her heart away again. “Sex is all I have to give,” she said softly. “Nothing more.” She turned away from him and walked over to pick up her shoes. “The band has started playing again,” she said into the darkness. “We’d better head back before we’re missed.”

“Aub,” he said when they reached the pathway and she’d bent over to slip on her heels again. “You may not want to hear it, but I don’t plan on going anywhere. I’m here, waiting, until you’re ready to open up to me all the way. You can’t scare me off.” He turned her until they were eye to eye. “Harold Smith can’t scare me away.” When he bent down and placed his lips over hers, she felt a shiver race through her. How many times had he kissed her before? So many she couldn’t keep count. This kiss, however, was different. It was new. Somehow, the soft kiss seared her soul, made her heart ache for something she knew was impossible.

When her eyes stung again, she turned away from him and started walking towards the music again.

He easily caught up with her and took her hand in his. “See,” he said cheerfully, “this is nice too.”

She tried to avoid him for the rest of the night, but Aiden was stubborn and kept finding her and dragging her to the dance floor to sway with him. Since she’d been given more champagne, she went along with it and couldn’t stop herself from melting or vibrating in his arms.

He even walked her back to the apartment like a real date would have. She kept telling herself not to let him in, since she knew how it went. The moment she let down her guard, her protection surrounding her emotions, he would win her over again and she’d find herself falling head over heels for the man, something she’d told herself she would never do for anyone.

Which is why she’d pulled back from him months ago. When he’d mentioned the word love, fear had consumed her, and she’d run as if the devil himself was on her heels.

Just remembering that had her blocking him from entering her apartment.

They had sent off Dylan and Zoey in the white limo less than half an hour ago. Dylan had surprised Zoey with a trip to Bora Bora for their honeymoon. An entire week in a private cabana on the water sounded so romantic that Aubrey almost wished she could find happiness herself.

“You aren’t going to at least let your date kiss you goodnight?” he asked with a smile. Damn him. Why did he have to have a sexy Rhett Butler kind of smile? All those pearly white teeth, that firm jaw line, that mouth that she knew all too well what he could do with.

“No,” she said suddenly as she shook her head, blocking those thoughts. Everything spun with the slight motion, and she held onto the door. Damn all that champagne. “Thank you,” she managed to