Page 27 of Finding Happily Ever After
“I can’t even tell you how much I’ve enjoyed tonight,” Aiden said when they were situated on the sectional sofa. They faced each other, which was good for conversation, but not good for kissing, if they were going to do that again. Natalie couldn’t help but feel that the seating arrangement was intentional, to keep distance between them. As nervous as she was about their physical relationship and whatever that might look like, the draw to be near him was much stronger than any nerves she had.
“I had a really good time, too.” She took a small, tentative sip of her hot coffee. She lifted her head and wiped the froth from her lips with her fingertips before sticking her finger in her mouth to suck it clean.
Across from her, Aiden groaned and shook his head with a laugh.
“What?” Her question was innocent, sure. But also, it was genuine.
“You really have no idea how sexy you are, do you?”
Instinctively, she dipped her head again as she felt the heat from the blush at the back of her ears. Natalie shook her head and when she looked up again, Aiden had put his coffee down and was moving across the space to sit next to her.
“Sorry,” he said. “I tried for space, but…do you mind if I sit closer?”
Without hesitation, she shook her head. “Not at all. I was wondering why you were so far away.”
“Because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop touching you if I sat here.” As if to prove his point, his hand came to rest on her thigh. It was a light touch, but it ignited a blaze inside her.
“That’s okay.” The words came out in a breath. And not for the first time that night, Natalie surprised herself with her boldness. “I don’t mind.” Her hands trembled so hard, she was afraid she’d spill. With shaking hands, she set her coffee down.
He chuckled a little. “That’s a very good thing to hear.” He leaned closer. “Because you are proving to be very hard for me to stay away from.”
She tried to remember Sarah’s of advice to just go with how she felt and not overthink it, but that was proving to be so much easier said than actually done. Because if she just went with how she felt, Natalie was absolutely sure she’d make a huge fool of herself and Aiden would run screaming in the other direction.
But would he?
Too many things flooded through her mind all at once.
Aiden wasn’t a stupid high school kid with an agenda to make himself look good in front of his friends. He was a grown man. A grown man, whom, if he was to be believed, found her incredibly sexy. And why shouldn’t she believe him?
His lips brushed hers, and the promise of another kiss that would light her body on fire zinged through her. In less than an hour, she’d gone from her first kiss, to her second, to an intense need to want to do a whole lot more than kissing.
But moments before his lips could connect with the promise of so much more, Natalie pulled away. In fact, she pulled away so abruptly, she bounced a little on the sofa. A move that surprised even her.
Natalie laughed, smiled, and tried to swallow her nerves. She both regretted and was relieved with the distance between them.
“Nat? Did I do something wrong?”
The question on Aiden’s face, and his immediate concern, hit her in the chest.No!she wanted to yell.You did nothing wrong. Not at all. It’s all me!
Oh. My. God.
Not even a little.
Natalie’s mind worked overtime. She was going to screw it all up, just because she was scared and inexperienced. And if that happened, she would never forgive herself.
She swallowed hard and instead of telling him the truth, she simply said, “No.” Her voice was weak, and she didn’t even recognize it as her own. She was not weak. She was not a scared and timid person.
Everything was all mixed up.
“It’s just…” She ran a hand through her hair. She could tell him the truth right now and it would be okay. Wouldn’t it? Surely Aiden wasn’t the type of man to think less of her because of her past experience, or in this case, lack of it? No. He was definitely not that kind of man.
But what if he treated her differently? Precious or fragile?
Ugh.She couldn’t stand it. She wanted her first time to be natural and full of passion. The last thing she wanted was for him to treat her differently because of it. That would be the worst.
“It’s late,” she said lamely. “And I had such a nice time with you that I think it’s best to end it right here, don’t you?”
To her surprise and joy, Aiden pressed his lips together with a little laugh and nodded. “I do.” He stood and rubbed his hands down the front of his pants. “Because I’m afraid if you stayed, I would have a very hard time sticking to my rules.”
