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I wondered if he was going to say, That’s why I love you, and then thought better of it. We might have loved each other at one time, but that’s not what this was. There was too much hurt, too much pain to get back to that innocent place we were in when we were teens.
“I’ll see you in the lobby,” I said as I crossed the apartment and opened the door. He must have followed me because when I turned to close the door behind me, he was there. He cupped my cheek and kissed me. It wasn’t slow and sweet. It was passionate, his tongue slipping into my mouth and against mine. By the time he pulled back, I was breathless. “See you in a few.”
It took me a few seconds, but I finally moved on shaky legs into the hallway. I heard the door close softly behind me. I touched my lips which were still tingling from his.
I couldn’t forget the feel of him, the way he seemed to keep me close this morning. This thing with him wasn’t a fling. It felt so much bigger than that. But I couldn’t let him in, not all the way. Not until I knew what he wanted out of this. I wouldn’t survive another broken heart. I wasn’t sure my heart had ever truly mended from last time.
Maybe we could find healing together. As soon as the idea popped into my head, I dismissed it. You couldn’t heal with the person who hurt you. That was crazy. My heart was trying to take control of this relationship, and I wouldn’t let it. I needed to let logic rule the day.
I might have been the dumbest woman in history, but I took a quick shower, dried my hair, then threw on my warmest winter gear. Then I grabbed my boots just as I heard a knock on the door.
I opened it to find Aiden leaning against the frame with his arms crossed over his chest. “You were taking a long time.”
I ran a hand through my hair. “Sorry, I thought I had time to take a quick shower, but it takes forever to dry my hair. I should have texted to let you know.”
Aiden hooked a hand behind my neck and pulled me close for a kiss. “Are you ready to go now?”
I lifted my boots in the air. “I thought I’d put these on downstairs.”
I closed and locked the door even though no one else was staying here at the moment. He took my hand, and we walked down the stairs and into the lobby. I sat in one of the cushioned chairs by the front door to pull on my boots.
“I’m just going to grab the keys for the snowmobile in case you change your mind.” He disappeared behind the counter and reappeared a few seconds later. He shoved a knit hat onto his head and grabbed a jacket he’d left on the counter.
“These boots look new,” Aiden said.
“I need you to help me dirty them up,” I teased as I went on tiptoe to kiss him.
“Challenge accepted,” he said, a wicked grin on his face.
We went outside where there were a couple of shovels resting against the porch railing.
“We should shovel the walk first.”
“Should we do that first, or should we make a snowman?” I asked him, knowing what I wanted to do.
“Work first. Then we can play the rest of the day.”
I groaned but took the shovel he handed me.
The snow was still coming down, and there was a good eight inches on the ground.
“It’s thick and fluffy,” I said as I threw the shovelful where I thought the grass was.
“The perfect kind for packing.”
We worked in silence for a few minutes.
“Don’t you need to plow the lane too?” I asked, remembering what he’d told Heath last night.
“I’ll do it after we play for a bit.”
“You mentioned a fancy dinner, then a snowmobile ride,” I said even as I questioned what I was doing.
“We might need to do the ride first, then go home and get ready for dinner.”
“That works for me,” I said, shoveling the last bit of snow on the walk.
“Are you ready for some fun?” Aiden asked as he leaned on the handle of his shovel.
