He touches the strings of my halter. “I was serious when I said I wanted to undress you.”
I hold my breath as he touches my shoulder. There’s a huge part of me that wants to skip the snack but, yet, I want to take it slow. Enjoy the whole night. The whole experience. Savor it like it’s my last meal.
We head to the kitchen to make turkey sandwiches and grab one of the fruit and cheese trays that Inga always leaves for late night snacking.
“Do you want some wine?” he asks.
“Sure, pick something out.”
We walk to the turret, into my room, and then set everything up on the desk.
I throw open the windows, so we can hear the sounds of the ocean, and light the candles.
“I really liked your toast today,” Aiden says.
“Thanks, I didn’t make it up or anything but I think it’s a good thing to hear on Thanksgiving. It helps put your life in perspective. I think it’s easy to get so caught up in the everyday stuff that we forget to look at what’s really important.”
“What’s really important to you?”
“Same as everyone, I guess. Health, family, love.”
“I agree. Although I might add a few things to that list.”
“Like what?”
“The sound of the ocean, watching the sun set, a good glass of wine, and your lips on mine.”
“The simple things in life are the best.”
“As long at it includes a castle on the beach, Little Mermaid?”
“I don’t really need a castle, Aiden, but I do need the ocean every so often. The waves calm me and make me feel peaceful—centered, almost.”
“You seem like that in your loft too.”
“I do,” I say with regret, knowing I won't ever be going back there. That I'll be hiring people to pack up everything and put it in storage. Except for two things. The book of Keats poetry, which has Aiden’s four-leaf clover pressed in it, and the shoes I wore to my birthday party. Those will be sent to wherever I am. “Really, I'm comfortable lots of places. I love the vibrancy of cities like New York and Paris just as much as the ease of a house on the beach or in the country. I don't really know where I want to live.”
Or even if I'll live.
“What's that?” Aiden asks, holding up his hand and walking over to the window.
“What's what?” I ask, following him.
“Shhh.”
I listen quietly and then hear it. Giggling.
“Where's it coming from?” I whisper.
Aiden nods in the direction of the beach.
I peer out into the moonlight and see Peyton and Damian stripping off their clothes and running into the ocean.
“Are they skinny-dipping?” Aiden asks, looking slightly horrified.
“Oh, no. I’m sure they have swimsuits on. Damian likes to swim in the moonlight,” I lie.
“I think I should go down there and check on her.”
“Aiden, you don’t need to check on her. She’s laughing and having fun.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“You got to know Damian today. Do you like him?”
“Yeah, I like him. But that doesn’t mean I want him getting naked with my sister.”
I give him a kiss and say, “Let’s go back inside.”
Aiden studies my face. “You know, you’ve surprised me on this trip.”
“How so?”
“Because we haven’t done anything other than kiss.”
“We were tired last night.”
“Are we tired tonight?”
“No, we just took a nap.”
He studies my bare shoulders and then runs his hands across them. “You’re right,” he says, his eyes dark and sexy. “We should go back inside.”
He pulls me through the doorway, closes the curtains, and then comes to stand directly in front of me.
I bite the edge of my lip, knowing this is it.
He wants to undress me.
I stand here, feeling like I’m already naked.
He wraps his hand around my neck and unties the halter, causing the front of my dress to fall down and reveal my strapless bra. He bends slightly, his lips pressing against my shoulder, slowly across my collarbone, and then along the edges of my bra.
“I’ve had dreams about doing this. Just undressing you.”
I swallow hard and my stomach flips as his hands slide down my sides, slowly working the dress over my hips, down my legs, and into a puddle on the floor. He bends down, stopping to trail his tongue across the top of my thong, then runs his hands slowly down the sides of my thighs, his lips following them.
He stops to take my dress from around my ankles and lay it on the bench at the bottom of the bed.
But then he returns to my legs, kissing my knees, my ankles, and removing my shoes.
His lips work their way back up to my mouth and, as he kisses me, I start to unbutton his soft shirt.
One button.
Two buttons.
Three buttons.
Four.
Part of me wants to pop the buttons off his shirt, strip off the rest of his clothes and go for it, but I also don’t want to miss this.
This slow burn.
My lips find their way to his chest as I finish unbuttoning his shirt and slowly spread it open, letting it reveal his muscular chest and beautifully sculpted shoulders.
It’s magical. Godlike.