Chapter 72
TARA
“AIDAN!!!”
That was Nadia.
I had been so caught up in Aidan’s dashing appearance that I barely noticed the rest of the things surrounding his arrival.
As Nadia lunged herself across the room to get into Aidan’s arm, I sat rooted to my seat, just watching the two of them interact.
Aidan quickly dropped a bag he was holding on the floor beside him and tightened his grip on the large bouquet he had on the other hand to brace himself for Nadia’s impact.
His smile was wide, but nowhere as appealing as the deep rumble of a chuckle that came from his throat.
Damn.
I found myself squirming in my seat and admiring him more, but why were my lady parts also starting to sing in appreciation? Aidan might be hot, the hottest guy I’d seen in a while–or all my life-, but I wasn’t going to bang him.
‘Well, if you aren’t, then why are you thinking about it?‘ A voice popped into my head.
I had to give myself a lecture about restraining my thoughts, as well as the way my body lit up with Aidan’s proximity.
“Hey, onion,” Aidan said through his smile, hugging Nadia just as tightly as she had her arms wrapped around his neck. “How have you been?”
I watched Aidan bury part of his head in the bend of Nadia’s small neck, and I watched him inhale deeply like he was getting himself familiar again with her scent. I didn’t move, but what was worse was that I wasn’t scared.
Somehow, I was beyond certain that Nadia was safe in the arms of Aidan.
Was I supposed to feel that way?
“Fine. I missed you!” Nadia responded, and this time, Aidan peeled his eyes open, and anybody could see the loads of emotion that were swimming in
them.
Aidan’s eyes slowly came up to find mine, and it was as if he was asking me for permission this time.
He didn’t need to.
I couldn’t even say no.
I couldn’t.
With a small tip of my head, Aidan responded.
‘I missed you too, onion.
Nadia finally pulled away from Aidan’s embrace, but I’m guessing she hadn’t had enough because she immediately slipped one of her small hands in
Aidan’s free one.
“I hope you are not leaving again, Aidan?” Nadia asked, and I froze. It didn’t even take two seconds for Aidan to respond.
“Not anytime soon. I’m here for as long as I can, and as long as you want me to stay.”
Nadia beamed to herself.
Aidan’s eyes found mine again, and the atmosphere in the room instantly shifted. His eyes were completely dark with emotions, and there was no mistaking who it was meant for this time.
What was this?
Why did I want to hurl myself shamelessly at Aidan just as Nadia did?
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Chapter 72
Why was a part of me kind of happy that Aidan kept to his word and came back to us as he said he would?
Why did I want to hug him tightly and have him reassure me that he wasn’t leaving again?
It had to be the distance.
It had to be.
They said it that distance made the heart fonder or some type of expression in that line, so that had to be the logical explanation for what I was feeling right now, and not that the barricade I had built around my heart the day Aidan walked into my office was cracking.
Every other thing faded into nothingness, and it was just me and him in there now.
We weren’t Tara and Aidan–two people with unimaginable history between them. No. We were just two people in a room with nothing but our hearts beating in synchrony.
We were just two people who wanted, needed to close this small distance between us and know what the other person’s skin felt like in aur fingers…or
more.
I was on my feet now, hands loosely clasped in front of me, and Aidan had taken a few steps my way so that now, he was in my personal space.
“Tara, Aidan breathed, and I melted into the sound of his voice.
He must have seen it in my eyes that I wanted this too, so his hand found my palm, trailing slowly up my arm and shoulder till he was caressing my neck. It was painfully pleasurable, and it shouldn’t have, but I still gave in to whatever this attraction was.
I let myself give in to Aidan.
Aidan’s head closed the remaining impossible space separating us, and his lips pressed on my cheek in a soft kiss. That didn’t mean I didn’t feel its effect all the way to my bone marrow though.
I felt everything, and it was out of sheer self–control that I didn’t kiss Aidan right in front of Nadia.
Yes.
Our daughter was still in the room.
The tension surrounding Aidan and I did not immediately snap with my sudden realization. It merely slowly faded till it settled somewhere underneath my skin, and that told me something. It told me that whatever this was, it wasn’t a spur of the moment. It wasn’t an instant attraction that broke with disturbance, and dare I say that it was something more?
And did I want to find out what it was?
Returning to the present, I gently took the bouquet that Aidan held up to me.
As usual, there were two of them, one for me, and one for Nadia.
I noticed that they were two different flowers this time.
The smaller wrap which was for Nadia was the usual white roses, while mine were
Aidan spoke, gesturing to the flowers.
“She liked it so much the other times, so I guessed they are her favorites for now. I don’t know your favorite kind of flowers…yet,” he added. “So I’m getting a different one every time until I learn it.”
My voice got stuck in my throat and emotions threatened to spill from my eyes in tears.
He didn’t say until he asked me about my favorite flower.
He said until he learned it.
I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything right, and I watched him get on one knee and hand Nadia her flowers.
She managed to accept it without bursting into flames.
When Aidan stood again, I finally found my voice.
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Chapter 72
“You’re back, Aidan. I didn’t know you were coming back today. Did something happen?”
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