The Awakening Aidan - By Abby Niles Page 0,42
swelled in her chest. The whispered words circled her, warming her. She moved closer and laid her head on his chest, enjoying his heartbeat thumping beneath her cheek. His chin rested on the top of her head. Closing her eyes, she listened to him softly hum the rest of the song.
Even though she’d fought with everything in her, she’d promised to surrender her body to him. What if he could get her to surrender her heart?
If that happened, could she still walk away when their time ended here?
She didn’t think so, even knowing it would be the best for both of them, which meant this romantic, sweet stuff had to end. The sooner the better.
Jaylin attempted to pull out of his embrace, but couldn’t resist surrendering to the moment, to the warmth of his arms around her, the sway of their bodies to the music.
When the song finished, Aidan led her back to the chaise. He pulled her down beside him, holding her close to his side. They lay in silence, him gently toying with a lock of her hair between his fingers. Just listening to the noises of the night. It was comfortable. Right. As if they’d done this very thing together for years.
How unnerving. She had to break the silence.
“How’s Liam?”
Aidan chuckled, seemingly oblivious to her uneasy thoughts. “None too pleased with the therapist you’ve set him up with, but he’s dealing with it. The guy isn’t in town, so their sessions have been online.”
“Trevor is a great therapist, and being male, I thought Liam would feel more comfortable. Who did he fly out to help in case Liam went into Bahrraj while you are away?”
“Well, he’s staying with a friend of ours, Britton Townsend, while I’m away, but Trevor flew out this grandmotherly woman to administer any required shocks. According to Brit, she’s coddled Liam since she walked in the door. He’s eating it up. Says he’s had the best meals since she’s arrived.”
She eyed him. “Speaking of older women, that was your mother who came to my office, wasn’t it?”
A tinge of color tinted his cheek and warmed her heart. “Somewhat.”
“Somewhat?”
“That was physically her, but the woman you met was Mrs. Biggerstaff, a character she once played.”
“You’re mom’s an actress?”
“Was, back in the early seventies. Then she met my dad, and was happy being a stay-at-home mom. I figured if anyone could help me pull off this plan, it would be her.”
“Well, she had me fooled.”
“Obviously.”
The happy twinkle in his eyes took out any remaining sting that she’d been tricked into coming here.
“What about your dad?” she asked.
“Business owner turned collector of failing businesses.”
“What do you mean?”
“Dad opened a small hardware store about thirty years ago. A couple of years later, another hardware store started down the street. They undercut him at every turn and took a lot of business from him. He almost lost the store. But my dad is an ornery old bastard and refused to give up. It took a few years, but eventually he ran the competition out of business and he bought it. He loved the challenge. So he went after a couple of other local businesses that were failing that would help expand his product line. It went from just hardware, to car repairs shops to stereo equipment. He had a knack for taking over a floundering business and turning it around to become a successful moneymaking venture. The rest, as they say, is history.”
“Ah, so that’s where you learned it from.”
“Yeah, I used to watch my dad when I was a kid negotiating and planning for his next conquest. I loved it, couldn’t wait to follow in his footsteps one day, only bigger and better. I didn’t settle for local, I wanted nationwide, and I got it.”
“You apparently have a reputation and accomplished what you set out to do, so why did you stop?”
His jaw tightened a fraction before he turned his gaze on her. “That’s a topic for another day. I won’t ruin the nice night we’re having by talking about past mistakes.”
Her curiosity was aroused, but she wouldn’t press him. By his reaction, whatever his motivation was for leaving, it wasn’t one of those tired-and-needing-a-change sort of reasons. Biting her lip to keep the questions to herself, she lowered her head back to his chest. A moment later, Aidan placed his index finger under her chin and tipped her head back as his lips met hers in the sweetest, most tender kiss he’d ever given her.
Jaylin’s heart