Made For Us (20 page)

“Zoe…”

She held up a hand to stop him. “But I never would have stayed, never would have made love with you if I hadn’t already forgiven you. I was scared for you and I had no idea where I even was and had no way to leave.”

“But you did,” he said, and this time there was a hint of accusation.

“What was I supposed to do, Aidan?” she asked gently, clearly not wanting to fight with him. “I couldn’t reach you on the phone and I had a life and a job to get back to. I couldn’t stay at your apartment indefinitely.”

“I wanted you to stay,” he said quietly.

“I’m not going to apologize for that,” she said firmly. “I can’t. I took care of the things I needed to take care of with the house and the insurance company, but I still had to go back to work, Aidan. I had to move forward. And…we never discussed what had happened between us. You offered me a place to stay, but you also made it very clear you weren’t staying with me. And then you left. From my point of view, I didn’t know if what happened was just…a way to pass the time.”

Aidan had her pinned beneath him in the blink of an eye. “Never,” he said fiercely. “It was never like that. God, is that the kind of man you think I am?”

Zoe’s eyes were wide at first but then she seemed to relax. “I didn’t know what to think. I don’t want to think you would do something like that. I know it wasn’t like that for me.” She swallowed hard, her gaze never leaving his. “I wanted to be with you. I
still
want to be with you.”

Aidan felt as if a great weight had been lifted from him. Somewhere deep inside of him, while he had been running and hiding, he had feared that not only had he let his mother down, but that he had lost Zoe in the process as well before he ever even had a chance to really know her. Hearing her declaration filled him with a renewed sense of hope.

“That’s a good thing because I’m not just killing time here either, Zoe. I wanted you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. Every time I look at you, I feel myself struggling with my self-control.”

A slow smile spread across her face. “You do?”

He nodded. “That first day in the model home? I wanted you. When we walked through the house, every room we went into I pictured which surface I wanted to take you on.” He smiled at her gasp of surprise. “And when we went to dinner that night and walked on the beach afterward? All I wanted to do was throw you over my shoulder and march into your house and make you mine.”

“And instead you slammed the door in my face.”

“I’m sorry! I thought I was doing the right thing, by keeping distance I mean. I don’t ever get involved with a coworker. It’s just a rule of mine, but the more I got to know you, the more time we spent together, the more I wanted you and it damn near killed me to not be near you every time you were on the job site.”

She reached up and skimmed her hand down his cheek and then around to rake up through his hair. “I didn’t know. I had no idea. I didn’t even think you were interested in me.”

“Sweetheart, you were all I could think of. Day and night. I didn’t take you to the apartment before the storm with the intention of seducing you. My intentions were purely honorable. But once you were there, and I knew we were going to be there for at least a couple of days, I knew I had been torturing myself for nothing. There was no way I could keep my distance from you.” He chuckled. “Actually, I didn’t think you were interested in me.”

“Seriously? I all but threw myself at you more than once. How could you not know?”

He shrugged. “I’m a little slow with these things. But now I know what I want.”

“You do?”

He nodded and leaned his forehead against hers. “Yeah, I do. I want to spend time with you, Zoe. I want to spend time talking with you, working with you, laughing with you, and making love with you. I’m not interested in killing time. I want to make the most of the time we spend together. What do you say?”

She gave him a sassy grin. “Hmm…I don’t know. That almost sounds too good. Are you sure you can put up with me for all of that?”

Now he genuinely laughed. “Yeah, I think I can handle it, and just in case you doubt me, let me prove it to you.”

And he did, repeatedly, well until the sun came up. And then they both fell asleep with very satisfied smiles on their faces.

“So the new carpet is going to be installed on Thursday and the furniture will be delivered on Friday.” Zoe looked at her notes and added a couple of comments to them. “If we can get the painters in there on Wednesday and have them close by on Thursday just in case the carpet installers mess anything up, we should be okay.”

They’d been back on the job site for a week. Zoe was thrilled that things had been going smoothly—both on the job and off. They weren’t joined at the hip and Aidan seemed to be more at peace with himself, for the most part. He was back to being on-site as a supervisor, and it looked as if everything was back on track work-wise.

They had spent almost every night together, alternating between his place and hers, but there were certain nights that Aidan spent with his family, and Zoe was very careful not to encroach on that time. She had seen Darcy in the office almost every day, and although the teenager was constantly inviting her to dinner, Zoe made sure to keep a safe distance. She didn’t want Aidan to feel like she was pushing herself on his family time. And if not seeing him one or two nights a week so that he could have that time with them without her there was what he needed, Zoe was more than willing to go along with it.

When Aidan continued to walk around the second-floor rooms of the model home without commenting, Zoe continued to speak. “I know this is taking longer than you originally planned, but the storm put everyone behind. If you want, I can try to push things up for Monday and Tuesday. I can’t guarantee they’ll do it, but I’ll make the calls if you’d like.”

Still no response.

It wasn’t anything new; when Aidan was in work mode, it was sometimes hard to get him to respond to things. It was even harder to get him to respond when he wasn’t getting his way. Looking at him now, Zoe realized he wasn’t happy about the current schedule. Taking her phone from her satchel, she was about to tell him she’d make the calls right now, but she would have been speaking to his retreating back as he walked down the stairs.

“Um…Aidan?” she called after him but—surprise, surprise—no response. Zoe knew she should get used to this kind of behavior, but sometimes it was just irritating.

Walking back into the master bedroom, in which a leak in the roof had just been repaired, Zoe scrolled through her contacts on her phone until she found the number for the carpet installer. She ran through her list of reasons, or the way she would most likely have to beg, to convince them to install earlier. She was just about to tap the screen to dial when she heard a distinct
click
behind her. Turning, she saw Aidan standing against the closed door.

A small smile played at her lips. “Did you forget something?” she asked coyly.

Shaking his head, Aidan slowly stepped closer to her into the room. “No. I haven’t forgotten anything.”

Zoe stood still, more than willing to make him come to her. “Are you sure? Because I seem to recall watching you walk down the stairs a few minutes ago. Why would you come back?”

A deep, masculine chuckle was his first response, but he waited until he was standing directly in front of her before saying a word. “Do you remember the first time we walked through this house together?”

A small shiver of excitement tingled down her spine. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“Do you know what I was thinking when we walked through this room?” he asked as he leaned forward so that his lips were hovering right next to her ear.

Zoe had to lock her knees together and keep from purring at the feel of his breath against her skin. “That the colors were all wrong?” she teased.

Banding one arm slowly around her waist, Aidan pulled her up against him. “I was thinking of how much I wanted to lay you down on this massive bed and strip away everything you had on, except for those killer heels, and make love to you.”

His voice was a deep rumble against her ear, and Zoe shivered with delight at his words. Turning her head slightly until their lips were almost touching, she said, “Why didn’t you?” Aidan was about to respond when she continued. “Or maybe the better question is, why aren’t you doing it now?”

It was all the encouragement he needed. In one swift move, he scooped Zoe up in his arms and strode across the room to the bed. The sheets and blankets had all been stripped away due to the renovations, and that suited them both just fine. He didn’t seem to be in a rush, and while normally that was something she appreciated, right now she was mildly concerned about them being in the model home.

As if reading her mind, Aidan said, “I sent everyone home and bolted the front door. No one’s coming in.”

Winding her arms around him, Zoe pulled him down on top of her, luxuriating in the feel of him and the weight of his body on top of her. He kissed her deeply, thoroughly, and left her breathless.

“Not that I’m complaining,” she said as he worked his way from her jawline down to the slender column of her throat, “but what brought this on?”

Lifting his head, he responded, “Weeks of fantasizing about it,” and then immediately went back to teasing and tormenting her.

Zoe raked her hands through his hair, holding him to her, and was almost ready to burst with joy. There were so many things she loved about Aidan, but his recent burst of spontaneity was probably at the top of her list. He might not believe in romantic gestures—they never went dancing and he’d never sent her flowers—but he never ceased to surprise her.

His hands and lips were seemingly everywhere, and it was hard to keep from stripping off her own clothes and begging him to hurry up. The man was thorough if nothing else. “Aidan,” she whispered, anxious to get to the good stuff.

He chuckled against her throat. “So impatient,” he murmured. “You know that just makes me want to keep you here like this that much longer, right?”

The man was killing her. Feeling just a bit wicked, Zoe twisted beneath him and whispered several naughty suggestions in his ear, things she promised to do to him if he got undressed, and almost burst out laughing when he nearly jumped off the bed immediately. In the blink of an eye, he was down to his briefs.

Sitting up, Zoe unbuttoned her blouse and threw it to the floor on top of the pile Aidan had created. She stood and shimmied out of her skirt and bra. With nothing left but her panties and stilettos, Aidan put a hand over hers to stop her.

“Leave the shoes,” he said thickly.

Those were the last words he was able to speak for quite some time.

* * *

They were getting dressed when Aidan remembered there was something he had wanted to talk to Zoe about.

He had just gotten distracted.

It wasn’t anything new; just being in the same room with her was enough to distract him from anything he was doing. It was an odd feeling. One minute he was fine and completely in control and the next he’d catch a glimpse of her and all he could think was that he wanted to be near her—talking to her, hearing her laugh, touching her. He wasn’t used to feeling like this, especially not while on the job. This was why he had always stayed away from workplace entanglements. But then again, there’d never been anyone to tempt him the way she did.

“Believe it or not, I did have something I wanted to talk to you about,” he said as he finished putting his belt back on.

Zoe was fixing her hair in the mirror mounted above the dresser. “About next week’s schedule?”

He shook his head. “No.” He cleared his throat and nervously shifted from one foot to another. “I was um… I was wondering if you had plans tonight?”

She looked at him from their reflection in the mirror and shook her head. “I was just going to grab some takeout and do laundry. Why?”

For most people, Friday night was date night, but for Aidan, it was the night he spent with his family. It had never bothered him before and Zoe didn’t make a big deal out of it, but it was suddenly a big thing to him and he felt that maybe it was time for a change. “I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to my father’s for dinner.” He looked away and pretended to wipe dust from his pants. “It’s no big deal. It’s just pizza. We just hang out and talk. Darcy’ll be there, and it’s normally a good time to catch up on what she’s doing in school. She makes killer brownies.” He nervously cleared his throat again. “Sometimes we watch a movie or play video games, but…”

The next time he looked up, she was standing directly in front of him. “I would be honored to have dinner with your family, Aidan.”

He gently pulled Zoe into his embrace. “It’s not exactly a traditional way to spend a Friday night. I should take you to dinner or out someplace.”

Smiling, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. “You
are
taking me to dinner, at your father’s house. And you know I love pizza.”

Pulling back, Aidan looked at her with wonder. “You deserve more than that,” he said gruffly. “I know I should do more than that for you and that things aren’t ideal right now with the job and the long hours and—”

“Hey,” she interrupted softly. “I’m not complaining.”

Reaching up, he cupped her cheek and kissed her gently on the lips. “I promise to make it up to you. You deserve more than a quickie on a model home bed and then pizza and video games with my family.”

She laughed sweetly. “Aidan Shaughnessy, you worry too much.” Slipping from his embrace, she walked over to the bed, picked up her satchel and tablet, and checked for her keys. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Please tell me that one of those pizzas is going to have pepperoni on it.”

Taking one of her hands in his, he led her from the room and rolled his eyes. “I think you’re going to fit in perfectly tonight. Just try to eat fast. Darcy is kind of possessive of her pizza. Particularly the pepperoni.”

“Good to know.”

Outside they agreed to take their own cars, and Zoe promised to stay right behind him even though she had GPS. Aidan climbed into his truck and started driving. It didn’t take long for his mind to begin to race. He’d never done this—never brought a woman home for a Friday night dinner.

To be honest, he’d never wanted to. It was only Zoe.

It was a good thing he had spoken to his father about her before or he was certain there’d have been an awkward moment or two when they arrived. Maybe he should call and give him a heads-up before they arrived.

Taking his phone out, he first called in their dinner order and then called home. “Hey, Dad,” he said when his father answered.

“Are you on your way?”

“I just called the order in and—”

“Well, darn,” Ian said.

“What’s the matter?”

“I meant to call you earlier but things just got away from me.”

“What’s going on? Are you okay? Is it Darcy?”

“No, no, no…everyone’s fine. There’s just more of us tonight.”

Crap.
“Who’s there?”

“Owen surprised us. He’s heading to South Carolina for some seminar and on his way through, he stopped at the shop and saw Quinn, who was on the phone with Anna, and…well, before you know it, we’ve got a houseful for dinner.”

Aidan cursed under his breath. This was not the way he wanted the night to go. It was one thing to slowly introduce Zoe to his family. His father and Darcy were fairly harmless and bordered on boring, but throw in his brothers and Anna? Now there were going to be a lot of questions he wasn’t sure he was ready to answer.

“Are you all right? Do you think it’s too late to add to the order? I can call in a second one if you’d like.”

“No, it’s not that, Dad. It’s just… Damn it…I was calling to let you know I was bringing Zoe to dinner tonight.”

“Well, that’s great! I can’t wait to meet her. Your sister has been talking about her nonstop since they met. She’ll be thrilled to know you’re bringing Zoe tonight.”

“Dad,” Aidan began patiently, “inviting Zoe tonight was a big decision for me. I was expecting a quiet evening with you and Darcy. Maybe some bowling on the Wii. But now…”

“Oh stop. You worry too much. Owen can barely speak to anyone of the opposite sex and if Quinn gets out of line, Anna will smack him in the head.” Ian chuckled. “I wish he’d wake up and realize she’s the one for him. We’re all getting tired of waiting.”

“What are you talking about?” How had he lost track of the conversation already?

“Never mind. Call and order a couple more pizzas. Quinn’s bringing the beer and Darcy has already whipped up about a hundred cookies. I think we’ll be fine.”

“I don’t know…maybe…”

Ian sighed loudly. “Aidan, I am getting too old to have to lecture you. You’re a grown man. I think it’s wonderful that you are bringing Zoe over. You have a big family, and if you’re serious about this woman, then she’s going to have to meet them sooner or later. No one is going to do anything crazy. From what your sister tells me, Zoe’s already met Quinn, and as for Owen…like I said, if he says more than two words in front of Zoe I’ll be surprised. Now stop second-guessing yourself, make the call and order those extra pies, and come home.”

It wasn’t often that his father got stern with him, so Aidan knew better than to argue. “Yes, sir,” he said before hanging up and making the call for the extra food. When they stopped to pick it up, Aidan decided he’d explain the situation to Zoe and let her decide if she was still willing to go with him. Maybe she didn’t want to feel like she was on display for so many people.

He could only hope.

A few minutes later, Zoe parked next to him and climbed out of her car with a smile. “Are we allowed to count this as the place where we had our first date?”

Aidan felt like she was teasing him and pulled her in close and kissed her soundly. “No.”

“Wait…what? Why not?”

“We weren’t dating then. It doesn’t count.”

“But you totally wanted to date me,” she goaded. “Admit it.”

They walked slowly toward the takeout entrance as Aidan shook his head. “I said I wanted to get you naked. It’s completely different.” She elbowed him in the ribs as they walked through the door.

“And they say chivalry is dead,” Zoe deadpanned.

The line was as long as it usually was and people waved to him just like they always did, but their gazes lingered when they noticed Aidan with his arm around Zoe’s waist. There were so many wide-eyed stares that Aidan was tempted to stand on the counter and announce to the masses that yes, he had a date. Which reminded him…