Time After Time (Sweetbriar Cove #14) - Melody Grace Page 0,62

under his ribcage… She’d explored every inch of him, but still, she couldn’t get enough.

This man was a work of art.

“C’mon,” Aidan offered his hand, and pulled her to her feet. “Do you have another job to get to today?”

Stella shook her head. “I won’t get the parts in for Franny’s new sink until next week, and Matty’s at hockey practice, so I’m all yours.”

“Lucky me.”

Aidan pulled her in for a slow, deep kiss, and Stella swayed against him, reveling in every moment. The taste of his mouth, the weight of his hands against her back.

Would she ever get used to this?

They’d spent the past few weeks since Halloween stealing kisses, and afternoons together, and now things had fallen into a delicious routine. Stella would see Matty off to school in the mornings, then go about her workday, counting down until she could sneak a spare hour or two in his bed.

Or on his couch. Or up against the hallway wall…

Today, they hadn’t even made it past the kitchen. Stella straightened up her clothes, smiling at the fact Aidan hadn’t barely even undressed her before passion overtook them both.

Who knew she could be so irresistible in coveralls and a knit sweater?

Aidan went to get a glass of water, and Stella noticed the stack of books on the counter. They were all dusty historical books about shipbuilding and Cape Cod history. “So, when do I get to see the progress?” she asked. He’d been mighty cagey about showing her the boat, even though she knew he’d been working on it nonstop. “Let me guess, you have another excuse why it’s not ready for public viewing just yet?”

“Actually, we could go see it now, if you want?”

Stella was surprised. “Of course I want to!” she lightly smacked his arm. “I’ve been begging you to show me the other woman in your life. This Rosebud of yours has seen more of you than me.”

Aidan chuckled, then led her through the side door into the garage. “Here, let me open it up so you can see her in real light.”

He hit a button, and the main garage doors began to rise, flooding the space with daylight. Stella blinked, taking in the view of the patched up vessel. She’d been expecting more dirt and grime, but now, the wood was so clean, it gleamed. “Oh my God, it actually looks like a real boat now!”

“Not yet, but she’s getting there,” Aidan said, with obvious pride on his face. “Luke’s been helping out.”

“But you’re the one in here at all hours,” she said, not letting him escape the compliment.

“I can’t believe it, the last time I saw this thing she was headed straight for the junk yard, and now…” Stella circled the hull. She could see the places where Aidan had patched it, and there was a ladder and platform set beside the boat.

“The outside is pretty much watertight – I think – but there’s a ton of work to be done on the interior,” he said. “And next, I need to—”

“Mom?”

Stella turned, startled, as Matty came into view just outside the garage. He was trailing his jacket and bookbag, looking around.

“Matty,” she greeted him, feeling flustered, even though she was fully clothed and not in a compromising position. Thank God. “I thought you were staying late today.”

“Coach Sullivan was off sick,” he said. “I thought you might be here.”

“Well… Aidan and I were just…” Stella wracked her brain for a reason for her being there that didn’t include ‘wild passionate sex on the kitchen floor’, but Matty had already moved past her, and was examining the boat with interest.

“You’re fixing it up? Cool.”

“You want to see the inside?” Aidan asked. Matty nodded, so he helped him up the ladder, showing him around. “I’m working on the benches next,” Aidan explained. “I was thinking of maybe doing some built-in cubbies, or lockers in the back here. When my grandpa used to take me out fishing, all our stuff would just pile in a heap in the corner, getting damp and tangled.”

“You could do them under the seats,” Matty suggested, pointing out a spot. “That way, you’re not taking up extra room.”

Stella watched them together, feeling an unfamiliar glow. Matty had been sulking over boarding school for the past couple of weeks, and it was good to see him interested in something again.

Especially with Aidan.

It was new, seeing her son with someone she was dating like this. Usually, they steered clear of her home life, or she