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“I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, pretty girl. I promise you, baby, everything’s going to be okay.”
“Promise?” I asked into the darkness and felt him nod against me.
“Promise,” he rasped, I felt his lips skim the shell of my ear, and despite the fear, I was turned on. “Pinky promise even.” I shut my eyes and felt my lips tip upward when his pinky tangled with mine.
We stood there holding on to one another. His pinky finger hooked around mine as my hand rested on his abs, his breathing steady at my ear as we waited for the elevator to stop moving.
And despite the crazy way the elevator swayed back and forth as the building as a whole felt like it groaned and moaned around us, or even the fact I couldn’t see anything in front of me, I wasn’t scared. How could I be when his arms were wrapped around me, and we shared the same air?
I felt safe with Aiden Stark in a way I never had experienced with anyone else.
The earthquake finally ended and the elevator stopped swinging mid-air.
“Shh… see? It’s done,” he reassured me, and I felt myself nod against his chest. But as my eyes opened, I realized the lights were still off and we couldn’t see a thing.
“You think the lights will come back on soon?”
“Of course,” his voice rumbled. “If the power is out, the backup generators will kick in. We just have to be patient.” His breath felt warmer, tickling my highly-sensitized skin.
“Patient in the dark,” I mumbled and felt his arms tighten around me.
“Are you okay? Scared?”
“No,” I quickly lied. His fingers played with the ends of my hair.
“You sure? You’re trembling,” he noted. I swallowed hard. My mouth was suddenly parched. “Are you—" his voice dropped, and his body seemed to lock into place as his hold on me lightened. “Are you afraid of me?” he asked gravely. I shook my head.
“God, no.” I shook my head some more. Maybe it was the earthquake or the darkness or both, but I found myself asking for what I wanted. “Please hold me,” I shamelessly begged, and he didn’t let me wait a second as his embrace tightened.
“Thank fuck,” he grunted atop my head. “What is it, then?”
“I lied,” I whispered. He stayed quiet. “I’m not good with the dark,” I confessed, feeling like the world’s biggest weenie.
“Okay,” he sounded slowly before continuing, “I have an idea.” He stepped back. His pinky still in mine pulled me until I felt the wall. “Let’s sit.” We both slid down, but before I could take the seat next to him, he pulled me over his lap, sitting me between his legs.
His strong arms wrapped around my waist, and his chest covered my back like the most perfect throw blanket.
“Better?”
“Kinda.”
“One sec.” He shifted and suddenly, a little light streamed into the elevator.
“What?” I looked to the side, and when I looked behind me, he was there smiling. His bright blue eyes almost brighter than usual.
“What did we do in emergencies before cell phones had flashlights?” He winked, and I smiled back at him.
“I have no idea.” I laughed. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, Aria.”
“I’m sorry I’m a weenie.”
“No way. Nothing to be sorry about, sweetheart. Seriously.” He gave me a small smile, and I nodded before breaking eyes contact. Now with a dim light cast over us, I was well aware of just how close we were. “I should be the one who is sorry.”
“Why?”
“I got you in this situation,” he murmured. My skin prickled into goose bumps.
