Silent Night: Vampire Holiday Romance (The Night Songs Collection Book 4) (11 page)

Aidan’s hands cupped my face and his lips were on mine almost before I finished teasing him. He wasn’t as gentle this time, he explored my mouth like he needed to kiss me more than he needed to breathe. I pulled him in even closer by his messed up hair, if that was even possible, with noses bumping and teeth clashing.

He lowered his hands down to my waist, one hand guiding my back down to the mattress. I ran my hands along his arms and shoulders as we continued to kiss. Aidan moved his mouth away from me and I gasped. He lowered his lips to my neck, licking and sucking. My body melted and burned all at the same time. I pulled him down on top of me so his weight crushed me.

Aidan pulled his mouth away from my neck and I let out a small cry.

“Don’t stop,” I whispered. “Never stop.”

He nodded and began unbuttoning my pajama top, his fingers fumbling with the tiny buttons. I wanted to help him, but I was too paralyzed to do anything. When he made it to the bottom, he pushed it open, and brought one finger to my nipple, circling it in slow motion. My back arched up, my body hungry for his touch.

He kissed me on the lips again, surprising me. “You have no idea what you do to me.” Then he lowered his mouth down to my chest, kissing me quickly in a line before reaching the spot between my breasts. He flicked his tongue out to the nipple he had neglected so far, his fingers tracing the path his tongue made.

My breathing became ragged, and I pushed my body up, hoping he would just swallow me whole. I managed to make my hands pull his shirt up over his head, regretting it meant his mouth had to break contact with my body. He collapsed back down on me, the feeling of his skin against my skin electric. Again I ran my hands along his arms and shoulders, finding my way back to his hair, twisting my fingers in it as he worked magic.

Aidan looked up at me, the sight of the fire in his eyes shining from between my breasts was something I never imagined could be so magnificent. The look in his eyes was pure and unadulterated.

There was no way he could feel this way about me. I took a deep breath and tried to stay in the moment. He wasn’t making love to me, in his mind, he had reunited with Marielle. My heart threatened to burst, but running away from him wasn’t going to help him get over his late wife. He needed me as much as I needed him. And I needed to feel love right now, even if it was meant for someone else. I would accept it for Marielle, because she couldn’t anymore.

I returned his smile, even if it didn’t reach my eyes like his did. He nodded, and I mimicked the motion. He rolled back on his knees, unfolding his legs out from under himself so he could slip out of his pants. This was the first real look I had at his body. Lean muscle tensed under his skin, a dusting of hair swirled down his chest, past his belly button, surrounding his erect penis.

I took a deep breath, knowing that this was going to change everything. I started to wriggle out of my top, but Aidan put his hands over mine and shook his head. One hand slid under my back as he lifted me off the mattress. He pushed the top off of my shoulders, his fingers just barely brushing my skin, and then led me back down. He moved on to the waistband of my bottoms, hooking his fingers in, his face close to the elastic all the way down, and then picked up one foot at a time so he could free me completely of my clothes.

He stopped. “I don’t have any protection.”

“I’m on the pill.” It was just easier that way, I knew I couldn’t rely on Matt to take care of those things. I knew it didn’t protect me from everything, but at least there would be no little Matts running around. I did not want to think about Matt right now.

He crawled back up, his palm cradling my face. “Do you know how racy this new book is getting, while I’ve been thinking about you?”

“Allison’s got a dirty mind?”

“A very dirty mind.” He kissed me in between each word.

“I’m glad I could inspire you.” My breath came in gasps. My hands were all over his bare back, finally resting on his behind.

“I hope you inspire me for a very long time.” He rolled back, pulling my legs apart so he could kneel between them. I cried out when he touched me. My toes curled and I wrapped my legs in around him to push him closer to me. The impact pushed him forward. He caught himself, his hands landing on either side of me, his face right over mine. We both laughed, neither of us expecting me to knock him over. Then his eyes changed, and his face softened as he entered me.

My breath caught in my chest as Aidan connected with me. It was like some part of my life that I didn’t even know was missing had suddenly found its way home. The home I’d only thought I had before, was here with Aidan. Even though his face was right above mine, I couldn’t see anything through all the little explosions in my brain and the tears that soaked my cheeks. I rose my hips up as far as I could so he could crawl inside me completely. I cried out, my body didn’t know how much more it could take, but I never wanted him to stop.

When Aidan reached his limit, his body crashed down beside me, still cool and more gorgeous than he’d ever looked. I was probably a sweaty, post coital mess not worthy of sharing a bed with this man. I pushed that thought away, and let myself bask in the glow of this unexpected, perfect moment as long as I could.

“Thank you,” Aidan said almost too quietly for me to hear. “I’d almost forgotten how beautiful that could be.”

What a day for new beginnings.

Thirteen

Class started early every morning, so even though I was unemployed, it didn’t leave me with a lot of time to spend with Aidan. I wanted to spend every waking moment with him, even if we both had to work through it, him on the book and me on my homework.

“How come you like to write at night?” I asked as I brought him a fresh cup of white fruit tea.

“I was never a morning person. Once I had the chance to make my own schedule, this is what I chose.”

I stood behind his chair and started massaging his shoulders. He jumped when I kneaded his knotted muscles. I squinted, but I was just too far away to read the screen. “But if you wrote when I was in school, we’d have our nights free.”

“You’re only in school for a couple more weeks.” Aidan grabbed my one of my hands, swinging me around to the side of the chair and bringing it down to his mouth so he could kiss my fingertips. “You can get a job with the same hours that I work.”

What I really wanted to do was slide down into his lap, but I’d send his laptop crashing to the floor. That would spoil the mood for sure. So instead I jumped up and started pacing in front of him. Aidan’s eyes followed me. I hadn’t really thought about that, but it made sense. “That is a brilliant idea.”

“Where do you think you might want to work?”

“Wherever will take me, I guess.” The more I studied, the more I became afraid of getting an actual job in the healthcare field. I’d been with Memere until the end. Like Aidan, was I simply trying to relive something that could never end the way I wanted it to? Was I really doing this to help other people, or help myself?

Memere’s illness had made me feel helpless. All the medicine and high hopes in the world didn’t stand a chance over the forces determined to shut down her body. That’s when I vowed I wanted to make a difference, to have control over the nightmare that repeated itself in home after home all over the world. I wanted to stop death, as romantic and ridiculous as that seemed. The more I learned about my new job, I realized the people I would meet in my work had already made it to that final step. These would be people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, some of them just waiting for their last breath. Would I be doing them any good?

I had to keep reminding myself it was just a step along the way. I wouldn’t be a nurse for years. Then I would be able to take a more active role in healthcare.

“Anywhere you apply would be lucky to have you.” Aidan put the laptop on the side table. “You’re a hard worker, and you care about people. It’s rare combination to find.”

As long as they could overlook why I didn’t have a job right now
, I thought but didn’t say. Many of the other students in my class echoed Aidan’s sentiment. I was the youngest in the class by about a decade, which surprised many of the older students. I chalked it up to spending so much time with my grandmother.

“I want to find a place that will help me pay for school. I don’t just want to be a CNA forever.” I took his work stoppage as an invitation to come over. I didn’t sit in his lap, but I rested my knee between his legs. Aidan’s eyes ran up and down my body.

“Your dreams will come true,” he took my hands again, pulling me down to him. “I promise.”

I curled myself up in a ball on his lap, closing my eyes, and relished the moment. It had been so long since I dared to think anything like that. When all my friends applied and got accepted to college, I had to wait because Memere needed me. Then all the same friends moved in to dorms, and I moved out of my home into the unknown. Dreaming had been a luxury I couldn’t afford.

He stroked my hair. I never realized how much I liked it until he did it all the time. Something about it flooded my whole body with relaxation, turning me into goo in his lap. His other hand rested on my knee. I picked it up and kissed it. He moved my face to his to kiss me.

My phone rang from my bedroom, which might as well have been another universe. I didn’t even realize what it was right away, hardly anyone actually called.

“Are you going to get that?” Aidan murmured against my cheek, giving me no motivation to get up.

“I don’t know anyone who’d actually call me.” Except for my aunt, or even more unlikely, my mother.

“It could be important.”

I stretched, and then stood up. “Important is never good. But since you insist, I’ll answer it.”

“Maybe I’m old fashioned, but if someone calls you, they must have something to say.”

And in my case, it was still never good, but I might as well just get it over with instead of wonder whatever it was someone wanted.

I missed the call, but it was Paige. She even left a message. Extremely unusual.

“Oh thank God, you’re still alive,” Paige blurted out when she answered my call back. “Where have you been?”

“At Aidan’s house.” Just then I realized I forgot to tell her I’d been staying here every night. I hadn’t talked to her at all since the day after Christmas. No wonder she was worried sick.

“You moved in with him?” she gasped. Even though I couldn’t see her, I knew the look on her face. Eyes wide, mouth open. “You don’t even know this guy!”

“I’m getting to know him.” She wasn’t going to make me feel bad about this. “He’s a great guy.” Great didn’t begin to cover it, but I knew the probability of Paige understanding our relationship was slim. I didn’t even understand it myself.

“So you must be sleeping with him.”

“Paige!” I looked toward the doorway. I knew Aidan couldn’t hear her voice, but I still blushed. “Yeah.”

“Are you sure you’re not caught in some crazy sex trade?”

“Would you stop watching those shows with your mother?” I sighed and she laughed. “No. Everything is fine. Better than fine.”

“I need to meet this guy,” Paige demanded. “Just to put my mind at ease. I went to see you at the store, and they said you no longer worked there. It freaked me out. If he’s keeping you prisoner or something, I’ll kill him.”

“Hang on a second.” I pressed the phone against my chest and headed back to the living room. Aidan looked curious. “Do you mind some company? My friend Paige wants to meet you and make sure you’re not some crazy murderer.”

He burst out laughing. “Tell her to come on over.”

“Did you hear that?” I asked her. “He said he would love to meet you.”

“You let him know I have mace and I am not afraid to use it.” In a time of crisis, Paige would probably pull hairspray out of her bag by mistake. Paralyze the perp with great hair.

“I’ll tell him.” I rolled my eyes. “See you when you get here.”

I had enough time to prep Aidan on all of the irrational ideas Paige’s mother put in her head. He found the whole thing hysterical. “Now you know why I don’t watch TV. It just fills your head with crap.”

“She’s been my friend forever.” I sat down on the couch and looked down at the floor, realizing that I was dreading this visit. “But we’re growing apart.”

“That’s normal.”

“Is it? I feel like her life is going according to plan and mine is just a mess. She’s in college, and all she cares about is guys, and her life is perfect. It’s like a made for TV movie.”

“See? I told you TV fills your head with crap.” He laughed. “Don’t compare yourself to other people.”

“How did you get so smart?”

“Years of practice. I’m wise in my old age.” We’d both gone back to work, and I jumped at the hard knock on the door, only giving a quick pause before pounding again. “Pizza guy is here.”

“It’s Paige, silly.” I swatted in his direction as I headed to the door.

“This place isn’t so bad.” Paige’s head swiveled as she entered the foyer, taking stock of everything. “But Johns usually keep all of their girls’ money.”

“Paige! Knock it off.” I put my hands on my hips. “Hug me, damn it.”