quietly.
“A couple of months ago.”
Her fingers continued down his ribs. “Can I see it?” She sounded pained to ask.
“Sure.”
He stood and lifted his arm, giving her a view of the ink running the length of his flank. After Mom died, the subject of his first tat was a no-brainer. A red rose bursting from a tangle of thorny vines. The thorns signified hardship, the red rose his mother.
Sadie traced the flower, and Aiden swallowed hard. He missed her touch. His fist closed around the shirt in his hand as he gritted his teeth.
She stroked his skin, having no idea she was turning him inside out. “Your mom’s roses.”
God, how this woman got him. “Yeah,” he said, swallowing around a lump in his throat. “A heart with the word MOM in it seemed a little cliché.”
He heard her blow air from her nose, an attempt at a laugh that didn’t quite make it.
She laid her palm flat over the rose and the warmth expanded from his belly to chest where it wrapped around his heart. He lowered his arm, trapping her hand against him. The expression on her face, a mixture of sorrow and longing, nearly dropped him like a sack of grain.
He closed the distance between them, bringing up a hand to cup her chin as he thumbed her bottom lip. He had so many things to say. Like how sorry he was, how he’d do anything to take back the day he’d lost her for good. How he wanted her with an intensity time and space hadn’t been able to lessen.
And God knew how he’d tried to stop.
“You should put on a clean shirt,” she whispered, not speaking the words he read so easily in her eyes.
“You should kiss me,” he murmured.
Her eyes sank closed as her hand gripped him tighter. Aiden kept hold of her face, lowering his head to her glossed lips. The sweet scent of strawberry rolled off her mouth, and he wondered if her waiting tongue tasted as sweet…
“Everything okay back here?” a voice bellowed through the warehouse.
Sadie’s eyes snapped open.
Aiden stood over her, debating whether or not to kiss her even though Axle’s head would appear in the doorway in a second.
She pulled away from him before he could and busied herself by cleaning up the paper towels and washing her hands.
Axle poked his head in, his face an Easter Island statue. He took in Sadie’s flushed cheeks and Aiden’s state of undress and his eyes widened a fraction. “Lose your shirt?”
“Nope, he’s got it right here,” Sadie lifted Aiden’s hand holding his soiled shirt and pressed it over his bare chest. He could still see the heat in her eyes. Heat he’d put there.
Aiden glanced at Axle. He couldn’t have given me five more seconds? Sadie licked her bottom lip. The lip Aiden had nearly had between his teeth a moment ago. Okay, ten more seconds.
Sadie stepped away from him. “We had a minor accident. I had to patch him up,” she told Axle, her voice forcibly casual. Aiden considered dropping a kiss onto her lips just to see what she’d do, but Axle’s surly presence was sort of ruining the mood.
Aiden walked for the door and Axle backed out of the doorway to let him by. “Thanks for the first aid,” he said to Sadie.
“Thanks for saving me,” she said, her lips twitching into a smile. “I had it.”
Instead of arguing, he decided not to let an opportunity as ripe as this one pass them by. “I never gave you an answer,” he said.
Her eyebrows pinched over her nose in the cutest look of confusion.
“I’d love to go to lunch with you.” He grinned at her as he backed away from the bathroom. “I’m going to change.”
Chapter 5
S adie pressed her tongue against the back of her teeth to keep from responding.
She wasn’t about to argue in front of Axle. Aiden had used her own trick against her, roping her into lunch. Sadie was torn between being upset and impressed. She probably deserved it after the way she’d forced Aiden into signing the contract.
Axle either hadn’t noticed or didn’t care. Sadie didn’t
“A couple of months ago.”
Her fingers continued down his ribs. “Can I see it?” She sounded pained to ask.
“Sure.”
He stood and lifted his arm, giving her a view of the ink running the length of his flank. After Mom died, the subject of his first tat was a no-brainer. A red rose bursting from a tangle of thorny vines. The thorns signified hardship, the red rose his mother.
Sadie traced the flower, and Aiden swallowed hard. He missed her touch. His fist closed around the shirt in his hand as he gritted his teeth.
She stroked his skin, having no idea she was turning him inside out. “Your mom’s roses.”
God, how this woman got him. “Yeah,” he said, swallowing around a lump in his throat. “A heart with the word MOM in it seemed a little cliché.”
He heard her blow air from her nose, an attempt at a laugh that didn’t quite make it.
She laid her palm flat over the rose and the warmth expanded from his belly to chest where it wrapped around his heart. He lowered his arm, trapping her hand against him. The expression on her face, a mixture of sorrow and longing, nearly dropped him like a sack of grain.
He closed the distance between them, bringing up a hand to cup her chin as he thumbed her bottom lip. He had so many things to say. Like how sorry he was, how he’d do anything to take back the day he’d lost her for good. How he wanted her with an intensity time and space hadn’t been able to lessen.
And God knew how he’d tried to stop.
“You should put on a clean shirt,” she whispered, not speaking the words he read so easily in her eyes.
“You should kiss me,” he murmured.
Her eyes sank closed as her hand gripped him tighter. Aiden kept hold of her face, lowering his head to her glossed lips. The sweet scent of strawberry rolled off her mouth, and he wondered if her waiting tongue tasted as sweet…
“Everything okay back here?” a voice bellowed through the warehouse.
Sadie’s eyes snapped open.
Aiden stood over her, debating whether or not to kiss her even though Axle’s head would appear in the doorway in a second.
She pulled away from him before he could and busied herself by cleaning up the paper towels and washing her hands.
Axle poked his head in, his face an Easter Island statue. He took in Sadie’s flushed cheeks and Aiden’s state of undress and his eyes widened a fraction. “Lose your shirt?”
“Nope, he’s got it right here,” Sadie lifted Aiden’s hand holding his soiled shirt and pressed it over his bare chest. He could still see the heat in her eyes. Heat he’d put there.
Aiden glanced at Axle. He couldn’t have given me five more seconds? Sadie licked her bottom lip. The lip Aiden had nearly had between his teeth a moment ago. Okay, ten more seconds.
Sadie stepped away from him. “We had a minor accident. I had to patch him up,” she told Axle, her voice forcibly casual. Aiden considered dropping a kiss onto her lips just to see what she’d do, but Axle’s surly presence was sort of ruining the mood.
Aiden walked for the door and Axle backed out of the doorway to let him by. “Thanks for the first aid,” he said to Sadie.
“Thanks for saving me,” she said, her lips twitching into a smile. “I had it.”
Instead of arguing, he decided not to let an opportunity as ripe as this one pass them by. “I never gave you an answer,” he said.
Her eyebrows pinched over her nose in the cutest look of confusion.
“I’d love to go to lunch with you.” He grinned at her as he backed away from the bathroom. “I’m going to change.”
Chapter 5
S adie pressed her tongue against the back of her teeth to keep from responding.
She wasn’t about to argue in front of Axle. Aiden had used her own trick against her, roping her into lunch. Sadie was torn between being upset and impressed. She probably deserved it after the way she’d forced Aiden into signing the contract.
Axle either hadn’t noticed or didn’t care. Sadie didn’t
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