Read Online Made For Us by Samantha Chase - Free Book Online

wrong with that?”
    Shaking his head to clear it, Aidan turned and looked at her. “What? Oh…it’s nothing. I just didn’t realize you had a house that was, you know, right on the beach.”
    “It’s only a rental. I could never afford to actually own one of these houses, but for the time being, it’s mine. I’ve dreamed of my own beach house for as long as I can remember.” Opening the car door, she climbed down and looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful night, positively filled with stars. She sensed more than heard Aidan’s approach. Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, she said, “I love the sounds and the smells of the beach. Don’t you?”
    He couldn’t have spoken if he wanted to. There she stood with her head thrown back, her eyes closed, looking like some sort of ethereal being in the moonlight. His mouth went dry and his throat tightened. It was considerably inappropriate for him to be entertaining the idea of kissing her, but right now that was all he wanted.
    Slowly, Zoe opened her eyes and turned to look at him. “I’m not normally up this late, but now that I am, I’m going to take advantage of it and do something I’ve been dying to do since I moved here.”
    Aidan said the first thing that came to his mind. “You’re not going in the ocean at this hour.” His words were deep and harsh and fierce. He stepped in close to Zoe and gripped her by the shoulders. “Do you know how dangerous that is?”
    Tilting her head slightly, she looked at him curiously. “I was going to say I was going to walk on the beach barefoot.”
    He immediately released her and took a step back with a nervous chuckle. “Oh. Okay.” Smooth, Aidan. Real smooth. “Well, you shouldn’t do that alone either, not at this time of night.”
    “I live right here, Aidan. I don’t think it’s a big deal to walk around the back of my house.” She watched him carefully. “You could walk with me for a while. If that would make you feel better.”
    Well, since it was her suggestion…
    “Yeah, sure. Whatever.” He was going for casual, but it came out sounding on the grumpy side. Hoping that Zoe hadn’t noticed, he started walking toward the sand. Looking over his shoulder, he asked, “Are you coming?”
    She stood there for a moment, trying to get a grip on who exactly Aidan Shaughnessy was. Earlier today he had been a complete ogre, someone she was dreading working with. But now? Now he seemed like a really decent man who cared about other people and maybe just didn’t know how to express that without coming off as being bossy.
    Or grouchy.
    Aidan was standing in the sand, and Zoe noticed he’d left his shoes and socks on the stairs that led to her deck. Kicking off the heels that had been the bane of her existence for the entire day, she dropped her purse on the step and then caught up to him.
    It was the perfect night—the moon, the stars, the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, and the sand between her toes. She almost let out an orgasmic moan at the feel of it. Why it made her so happy, Zoe couldn’t say. All she knew was that relocating her life was totally worth it for this feeling alone.
    “So…you like walking on the beach?” Aidan finally asked as they strolled closer to the shore.
    Aidan’s fumbling attempts at small talk made Zoe smile. “I do. And I’ve been so busy since the move with getting settled and work and life that I just haven’t made the time to come out here and do it. I’ll stand on the deck and watch the waves…” She stopped and sighed. “I just don’t seem to make the time to do what I want the most.”
    He could totally relate. Oh man, could he relate. Hadn’t he just had the same realization Friday night? There were things he wanted, things he needed, and he kept letting life dictate how he spent his time. And it was never for anything fun.
    “Can I ask you something?” Zoe said, stopping in the sand.
    Aidan turned to look at her. “Sure.” It came out more