Blown Away (12 page)

A groan vibrated in his chest. He opened a tiny cabinet on the wall and pulled something out. The ripping of a foil wrapper made my thighs shake with anticipation. He kissed me there, up and down both legs, sliding my panties off so slowly I cried out with frustrated longing.

When he lowered his lips to mine for another kiss, he pushed inside me. I gasped deeply, unused to the full sensation that set my body aflame.

I rode a wave of endless bliss as he made love to me. It was deep and warm and crazy, crazy good. When I came, I gripped his back and cried out his name, tears of joy and release slipping from my eyes.

“Oh, Drew. Drew…
fuck
.”

He buried himself deep inside me, his face dipping down to my neck as he came with a hard shudder.

I held on to him, wanting to draw out the perfection of this moment. Aiden's reverence for me, flaws and all, was the most precious gift I'd ever been given.

I woke up to the loud hum of my camper's air-conditioning unit, more relaxed than I'd been in a long time. Why, I didn't know, but it felt damn good.

Then I woke up another fraction, felt the warmth against my chest, and remembered why. My eyes flew open and confirmed it—Drew's bare back was nestled against my chest.

I kept perfectly still, not ready for her to wake up and leave my arms. I'd made love to Drew last night. I didn't know if I was more taken aback by the making love part or the Drew part.

Nothing had mattered to me but her last night. Every touch, every word—hell, every
breath
I'd taken had been about her for those few hours.

And my years of fantasies didn't compare to the reality of her. I'd worshipped Drew's body until she came apart in my arms, and I'd come apart with her. I'd kissed her and held her until daylight started filtering in through the slivers of glass around the blinds.

That was usually when I woke up and went for a run. But this morning I'd texted Murph that Drew and I would be staying here today, and then I'd blissfully fallen asleep with her in my arms.

Drew moaned softly and snuggled closer against my back. I tightened my hold around her waist and closed my eyes as my cock hardened against her ass.

Jesus,
this had to be heaven. I'd never felt so content.

“Hey,” Drew said softly, moving onto her back. “Feels like you're ready for more.”

I smiled. “ 'Course I am. I've never been this close to such a fine ass.”

“I doubt that,” she said, laughing.

“Don't. Your body's incredible.”

“So is yours. Last night was amazing, Aiden.” She sighed happily, filling me with pride. “I wish we didn't have to get up.”

“We don't. I told Murph we're staying here today.”

“Here as in…
in bed
?”

“I didn't go into detail, but I imagine they'll figure it out.”

She yawned and reached for my face, running her fingertips over my cheek. I ran a hand from her smooth, warm thigh up to her bare hip, and then around to her flat stomach.

“Mmm, Aiden,” she murmured. “You give me goosebumps.”

I put my lips on the spot my fingers had just grazed. The ragged breath I felt come out of her stoked the fire burning inside me.

I touched and tasted her, taking my time. Not only couldn't I get enough, her moans and sighs were fucking hot and I wanted every last one I could get from her.

When she begged, I couldn't make her wait any longer. I tore open a condom, put it on and buried myself inside her.

“Ah, Drew. Fuck.”

She was wet and so damn responsive, arching her hips up to meet my every thrust. I took it slow again, like last night. Pounding out my lust for Drew wouldn't satisfy me. I needed to savor every sweet second, because who knew if I'd get this chance again?

I went fast and slow, hard and soft, changing it up when I sensed she was close. But when her moans turned into whimpers, I had to give in. I gave it to her deep and hard, grinding my teeth and holding myself back as she cried out and dug her nails into my back.

But then she said, “Yes, Aiden,” and I was done. I groaned as she tightened the hold of her thighs around my hips and I came hard, pressing my face into the crook of her neck.

I took off the condom and tossed it into the trash can by the bed. When I pulled Drew against me, she hummed with satisfaction and kissed my chest.

This sex had strings for sure. Strong, undeniable strings tying me to the woman who'd once been my fantasy and was now in my arms. I couldn't help hoping—
praying,
even—that these strings would never break.

It was almost noon when we woke up again. Aiden kissed my neck and got out of bed. I stretched and watched him pull on his pants and slide on a T-shirt. His chest hair was surprisingly sexy. I felt a pull of disappointment as his shirt covered it. His defined abs and the trail of hair that led down past his V were covered next, and I groaned.

“What?” He arched his brows and grinned at me. “You want me to stay?”

“Where are you going?”

“I'm running to the store. Your stomach growling woke me up so I figured I should feed you.”

“Hey,” I protested. “My stomach doesn't growl that loud.”

He leaned down to pull on his socks and I got up to go to the bathroom.

When I came out he was lacing up one of his boots. He looked up and his eyes widened, his boot forgotten.

“Holy shit, look at you,” he said softly. His gaze roved up and down my naked body. “C'mere.”

I walked over and he put his hands on my hips. His thumbs coasted over my hip bones and he looked up at me, reverence shining in his eyes.

“You're stunning, Drew. I've never seen anyone so beautiful.”

I bit back a sarcastic comment. He was serious. Aiden made me feel like a goddess. I ran my fingers through his hair and he edged closer to my stomach, kissing me there.

I held my breath and closed my eyes as he kissed me slowly, each one a little lower than the last.

By the time he got
there,
I sucked in a breath, moaning as I let it out. Aiden's hold on my hips tightened and he lifted me onto the table I stood in front of. He slid from his chair onto his knees, pushing my thighs apart and licking me lightly.

“Oh,
God
…Aiden.”

I pressed my palms to the table, looking down at his face between my thighs. He hummed his satisfaction and pushed his tongue inside me.

I moaned and let my head fall back. He stopped.

“Watch, baby,” he said softly, his breath tickling my thigh. “Watch me eat your pussy 'til you come on my mouth.”

A jolt of arousal shot through me and I looked down again. It seemed so dirty to watch him sucking my clit and pushing his fingers inside me, but it turned me on. His gaze flicked up to mine as he sucked and finger-fucked me to the edge of orgasm.

“Don't stop,” I said, panting. “It's so good, Aiden…so good.”

His tongue worked its magic on me, sending me into a spiral of bliss that made me cry out his name and arch my back so far I collapsed on the table, limp and panting.

Aiden looked up from between my thighs, the corners of his mouth drawn up slightly. “More?”

I laughed and pulled myself back into a sitting position. “I need some recovery time first.”

“I'll run to the store, then,” he said, leaning down to kiss me. I tasted myself on his lips and felt a possessive pull. “Don't do anything crazy like get dressed, all right?”

I cupped his bristled cheeks in my hands. “If I do, I promise to be undressed again before you get back.”

After one more kiss, he left. I missed the warmth of his presence immediately.

I got dressed and walked over to Dot's campsite. She was sitting outside in a lawn chair, a well-worn paperback in her hands.

“Drew,” she said, waving me over. “What's new? Other than you and G.I. Joe finally getting it on, I mean.”

My lips parted with surprise. “How'd you know?”

She grinned. “You've got the glow of a
very
fulfilled woman.”

“I am,” I admitted. “Aiden is…I don't even know how to say it. He makes me feel so special. Like the only woman in the world.”

“Maybe to him, you are.”

I shook my head. “Given last night and this morning, and then this morning
again,
I can tell you he's quite experienced in the sex department.”

“All right, now you're making an old lady jealous.” She rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Sorry.”

A tall, older man with just a few white hairs on his bald head walked out of the camper carrying a bunch of golf clubs.

“Herb, this is Drew,” Dot said. “Drew, this is my Herb.”

Herb smiled warmly and offered me his hand. “Good to meet you, Drew.”

“You, too,” I said, shaking his hand.

He leaned down and pecked Dot on the lips. “I'll be back by six for dinner, dear,” he said. “You sure you don't want to come with us?”

“I'm sure. You boys have fun,” she said. “And be careful.”

He promised he would and pecked her again before packing his clubs into the trunk of his sedan and heading off.

“I like him,” I said to Dot.

“He's a keeper. How 'bout G.I. Joe? Just because he's been with lots of women doesn't mean he won't ever settle down, you know.”

I was trying to think of a way to deflect her premature talk of settling down when the Funnel Finder passed by her motorhome.

“That's the rest of our team,” I said. “I need to go see how the day went. I'll see you soon.”

Dot waved and went back to her book. When I got to our campsite, Murph, Tex, and Millie were cleaning trash and supplies out of the station wagon.

“I'm hittin' the shower,” Tex said. “I've got swamp ass.”

Millie cringed. “You don't have to share every little thing, Tex. I don't care about your shit cramps or chafed balls or swampy ass.”

“I've got no filter,” Tex said, shrugging.

“You can say that again,” she muttered.

“I've got no filter.”

“Go away
right now
. You're the most annoying human being I've ever known.”

“Damn,” Tex said, giving her a wounded look. “Good thing I'm hung like a horse. Gotta have something going for me.” He turned and saw me. “Hey, Drew.”

“Hey, how was today?”

“Slow.” He wiggled his brows up and down. “And how was
your
day, young lady?”

My cheeks heated as they all looked at me.

“You know what?” I said. “I just remembered I'm supposed to be preheating the oven. I have to run.”

I hadn't expected it to be so awkward for me, having Colby's former team members know I'd spent the night with Aiden. I wanted to stay safe in the cocoon of Aiden's bed, with him wrapped around me.

Tonight I would. And I'd worry about tomorrow when it came.

Aiden's face was still lit up from our day of chasing.

“Was that not the most beautiful twister you've ever seen?” He grinned at me from the driver's seat of his truck. “That shape…and the way it moved. Fuckin' gorgeous.”

“Looked good to me,” I said, scrolling through the photos of it I'd taken with my phone.

“When they just touch down in the country like that and nothing but the landscape gets damaged…it's different to watch those. There's no sick feeling, you know? No racing to the town to see if anyone's hurt.”

I reached across the seat and put a hand on his thigh, wondering if he was thinking about his family.

We rode in silence for the last five minutes of the drive back to the campground. When we pulled in behind the Funnel Finder, Tex was leaning against the station wagon, waiting.

“Let's go to Slippery Steve's,” he said to Aiden. “That's the place with the frog legs, right?”

“It's Sneaky Steve's,” Aiden said. “And yeah.” He looked at me. “You up for some dinner at a dive?”

I nodded. “I could eat anywhere right now. I'm starving.”

“Why'd you just eat a Pop-Tart for lunch?”

“I wasn't hungry then.”

“You guys comin'?” Tex called to Millie and Murph. “We're goin' to Sneaky Steve's.”

We all piled back into Aiden's truck and he drove to a cinder-block building about five miles from the campground. Inside, it was filled with music and the smell of spicy fried food.

A pretty blond server approached our table, breaking out in a wide smile. “Oh my God! I've been wondering if you guys were coming by this summer.”

I looked at Aiden and saw him exchange a quick glance with Tex.

“Can we get a pitcher of beer?” Tex asked the waitress.

She looked at everyone, one face at a time, and then her face fell.

“Where's Colby?”

Tex blew out a breath. “Uh…he passed away last year.”

She covered her mouth with a hand, her eyes welling with tears. “No. Oh, God. How did I not know?”

My inner voice was yelling at me. Something wasn't right here. Why would a waitress at a campground be bawling about Colby's death? Why would she remember him, know his name?

I looked at Aiden, whose expression was impassive. Tex looked uncomfortable and Millie and Murph were both staring down at the table.

Our waitress's nametag told me her name was Brandi. And Brandi now had dark eye makeup running down her face from all the crying. She turned and ran for the bathroom.

“What the hell is that about?” I asked as soon as she was out of earshot.

Tex cleared his throat and looked away.

“Aiden?” I turned to him expectantly.

He shrugged.

“How well did Colby know Brandi?” I looked at them one by one. No one spoke, and it looked like they all wanted to be anywhere but here.

My face heated with anger. “Guess I'll have to ask her. I'll just order a cheeseburger with a side of
did you fuck my fiancé
?”

“Drew…” Aiden met my eyes, sadness in his expression.

Brandi returned then, sniffling as she pulled out her order pad.

“Sorry,” she said. “So, a pitcher of beer and what else?”

“How did you know Colby, Brandi?” I asked.

Her eyes widened as she looked at me. “I just…”

“Don't,” Tex said to her. “She was his fiancée.”

“Oh.” She stared at the ground. “I'm sorry for your loss.”

My tact was long forgotten. “Apparently it was
your
loss, too. So how did you know him?”

Brandi looked at Tex. “I'll ask another server to help you guys.”

She left without looking at me again and I glared at Aiden.

“Fucking tell me. Now.”

“Let's go outside.”

I followed him across the concrete floor of the bar, telling myself to stay calm and give him a chance to explain.

He led me outside, where I glared at him. “How does she know him, Aiden?”

Aiden's gaze clouded as he took my wrist and led me across the parking lot to his truck, which we both got in. Not good. He was expecting yelling, then.

“Don't make me pry it out of you,” I said, forcing my voice to stay level. “Just tell me.”

He sighed. “I'm not sure it's my thing to tell, Drew.”

My heart thudded fast and my face heated as I turned toward him. “Colby's not gonna be able to, is he? Should I go back in and ask Brandi again?”

“Why does it matter, Drew? He's gone.”

“Obviously the four of you and Brandi know something about Colby I don't. Murph and Millie looked ashamed of themselves in there. I was engaged to him. Don't I deserve to be let in on this? I was back in Lipton working at the salon and hoping he wouldn't get hurt or killed chasing after tornadoes, and he was…what?”

Aiden sighed again before speaking. “He was friendly, Drew. You knew that.”

Tears stung my eyes. “Don't put me off, Aiden,” I said, my voice trembling. “Don't put me off to protect him. All I'm asking for is the truth.”

“He was a lot friendlier with women than you probably knew. When we went out places, they'd…sit on his lap. He'd buy them drinks.”

My stomach churned with sickness. “No, I wasn't aware of that. Is that it?”

“That's all I ever saw. He'd grab an ass every now and then, I guess.”

“What do you mean,
all you ever saw
?”

Aiden rubbed his forehead, looking pained. “We were here one night last year. Me, Colby, and Tex. All of us were shitfaced. Colby went into a back room with Brandi and came back a while later.”

I was numb for a few seconds, the shock leaving me unable to speak.

“What…do you…” I stumbled, suddenly dizzy. “Colby?”

“Drew, don't—”

“What happened?” I demanded. “Tell me. What did he do, Aiden?”

“I don't know. I made a comment to him once about not deserving you if he couldn't keep his hands to himself and we got into a fight over it. He gave me a black eye and I busted up his nose. After that we never talked about it again.”

“How could you not tell me?”

My question came out a pitiful-sounding cry. Aiden reached for my hand and I pulled it away.

“I'd be married to a guy who took random waitresses into back rooms,” I said softly. “I'd be at home right now and he'd be here with you. Or in there, with
her
.”

“Colby loved you. I don't think he would've broken his marriage vows.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, anger surging through me. “Cheating isn't okay before marriage, either.”

“I know. I'm not saying that.”

“Don't defend him, Aiden. Don't you fucking sit here and tell me it all would've been okay.”

He stared out the windshield at the blinking neon sign for Sneaky Steve's. “I'm not saying that. I don't know what happened in that back room, Drew.”

“Well, it seems pretty obvious to me. You think they went back there to discuss World War Two?”

“Look, I know you're angry—”

I cut in. “Damn right I'm angry.”

“But he's gone. That anger at him won't get you anywhere now.”

“You should've told me. If you cared about me, why wouldn't you tell me? Why wouldn't the others tell me? Not even Millie?”

“It wasn't my place. Or theirs.”

I wanted to fly across the seat, pull on his shirt, and yell in his face. “Whose place was it?”

“His.”

“I would've given him his ring and told him to have a nice life. He knew it, too.”

“I'm sorry you're hurting, Drew.” He reached for me again, and again I pushed his hand away.

“What an idiot I am. Coming here, thinking I'd ever belong. You've all probably been laughing your asses off behind my back. Every time we go into a bar and someone asks where Colby is, you all know why and I'm the clueless idiot. Why the hell did you guys invite me to storm chase with you? You fucking knew I could run into this. Was it fun and games to you guys? Payback for something I did? And don't you fucking dare call me irrational, finding out your fiancé is chasing every skirt in sight allows me to be irrational!”

The tears came hard and fast. I covered my eyes and cried.

“Drew, no.”

“Take me back to camp,” I said through my hands. “I need to not be around anyone right now.”

He took out his phone, sent a text, and started up the truck. We were just a couple miles down the road when he turned to me.

“I hate leaving you alone like this. Stay with me. I'll go pick up the others when they're done. We don't have to talk.”

“I want to go home,” I mumbled. “Back where I belong.”

“You belong
here
.”

“What, on my back in your camper?” I shook my head, disgusted.

“No, on this team. Not because of us, Drew.”

“We fuck one time and now we're
us
?”

Aiden's arm muscles tensed as he gripped the steering wheel. “Look, I'm not fighting with you, so bait me all you want. It's not me you're mad at, it's him.”

“I'm mad at both of you. How could you not tell me? You would've let me marry him.”

“You didn't marry him, though.”

“Because he
died
.” I ran my fingers through my hair, pulling it with frustration. “Why didn't you at least tell me then?”

“What's the fuckin' point of that?” Aiden's voice had an edge of anger. “He was my friend. He did stupid shit sometimes, but so do I. And I'm telling you, he loved you, Drew.”

“Don't defend him.”

“I'm just giving it to you straight. I know in my heart Colby wouldn't have fucked another woman. He did something he shouldn't have, but not that.”

“So that makes it okay? Jesus, no wonder you don't do relationships. You'd be as bad at it as he was.”

He made a hard turn into the campground.

“Watch yourself,” he said, his voice more like a growl. “Don't compare me to him. I've never broken a promise to anyone.”

“That's because you never make any,” I muttered.

Aiden pulled to a stop and I reached for the door handle.

“Wait,” he said. “You stay in my camper tonight. I'll stay in the motorhome.”

“No.”

“Yes. Don't fuckin' argue with me, Drew. You wanted space? There you go. And if you try leaving here in the night, you won't like me when I find you.”

I opened my mouth to make a comment but he stopped me.

“Keep your shitty comment to yourself. You're just pissed off.”

“Can I go now?”

“Yeah. Let me know if you need me.”

I turned and gave him an incredulous look. “What…you mean if I get horny or something?”

He quirked a brow at me. “Sure, that. Or if you want to talk.”

“I'll be fine. Enjoy your night in my coffin bunk.”

“Hey, if you decide to make a snack, you might want to wipe off the table before you use it,” he called as I stepped out of the truck.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Low blow, reminding me he'd just given me oral sex on that table yesterday. Apparently he wasn't afraid of inciting me further.

But I was too emotionally drained for more. I went into the camper, its coffee and woodsy cologne scent giving me an immediate pang for Aiden.

I turned on the lights and went to the fridge, taking out some cheese and grapes. Tonight this would be dinner.

My heart hurt as I replayed the night. I wasn't so much angry at Colby as I was at the ruin of my idealistic notions about relationships. I wanted to believe people were capable of loving someone more than themselves. But maybe not. Maybe Aiden had it right, never breaking promises by never making any.