Read Online Starbright by Alexandra Richland - Free Book Online
Authors: Alexandra Richland
Tags: Fiction
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blanket. He dressed in record time and returned to the living room.
“Here.” He threw the blanket over Beth’s shoulders and wrapped her up tightly. “This should help for now.”
“Thank you.” She met his gaze, shivering under the shroud. “I’m sorry for ruining our date.”
“You didn’t ruin our date.” Aidan crouched before her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “It was really thoughtful of you to walk over here with the pie, but we need to get you back to your apartment so you can change. You’re gonna catch a cold, or worse, if you stay like this.”
Beth hugged the blanket around her. “So we’re going back out in the rain?”
Aidan frowned. His idea wasn’t too bright, was it? “Never mind. We’ll stay here, and I’ll run a warm bath for you.”
Beth’s eyes widened. He figured she was going to dispute his plan.
Instead, she replied with a timid, “All right. Thank you.”
Aidan slipped her shoes off her feet. Water poured onto the floor. He tossed the pumps aside and wrapped his hands around her toes. They felt ice cold.
After a gentle kiss to her forehead and a steadfast vow to take care of her, he headed into the bathroom and filled the tub. Thankfully, he’d scrubbed the bathroom as soon as he moved in, so it was clean for her. He didn’t have proper bath items—the kind he knew women typically used—and made a mental note to pick some up soon. Not that he was being presumptuous. He just wanted her to have everything she needed should another situation like this arise.
Aidan returned to the living room and led Beth into the bathroom with a subtle touch to her shoulder. She draped the blanket over the counter and stood before him, her hands clasped in front of her. He worked a miracle and didn’t look below her face. This was not the proper time for what he desired to happen between them.
“Okay, I’ll leave you to…” The thought of her undressing redirected his mind along a less than honorable route. “And, uh, I’ll find you something of mine to wear.”
“Thank you.” Beth took her lower lip between her teeth. The way she looked at him suggested she had something more to say.
“Is there anything else you need?”
Beth released her lip. “Um… can you unzip me?”
The request traveled on an express ticket from Aidan’s ears down to his groin. He scrounged up a reply. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”
Beth turned around. Aidan released a deep breath and stepped softly against her, appreciating the enchanting curve of her back and behind. He gathered her hair and brought it forward over one shoulder. Unable to help himself, he closed his eyes and bent down to kiss her nape. She shivered. He groaned and backed away.
Aidan gripped the zipper of her dress between his thumb and forefinger and lowered it to her waist slowly, revealing a pearl-colored silk slip underneath. He was half grateful and half disappointed she wore one.
Beth faced him and did something he couldn’t have predicted in a million years. She brought her hands up and slipped the dress off her shoulders. It fell to the floor at her feet in a plush puddle of cream taffeta, leaving her standing before him in only her slip, strapless brassiere, and he hoped for his sake, panties. The more layers covering her skin, the better for his resolve.
Or so he thought.
Beth’s slip was low enough in the front to reveal the swell of her cleavage and a hint of her bra. It draped over her breasts and hugged her trim waist and hips, falling to mid-calf—a sultry display of silk against skin, elegance against beauty.
Aidan’s arousal struck him so hard it was as though it arrived on the tail of a lightning bolt. Using every scrap of sense he had left, he made the agonizing move of turning his back on her so she could finish undressing and bathe in peace.
“Aidan?”
He closed his eyes and tilted his face toward the ceiling. With the exhale of a long and uneven breath, he grappled for the strength to
“Here.” He threw the blanket over Beth’s shoulders and wrapped her up tightly. “This should help for now.”
“Thank you.” She met his gaze, shivering under the shroud. “I’m sorry for ruining our date.”
“You didn’t ruin our date.” Aidan crouched before her and rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “It was really thoughtful of you to walk over here with the pie, but we need to get you back to your apartment so you can change. You’re gonna catch a cold, or worse, if you stay like this.”
Beth hugged the blanket around her. “So we’re going back out in the rain?”
Aidan frowned. His idea wasn’t too bright, was it? “Never mind. We’ll stay here, and I’ll run a warm bath for you.”
Beth’s eyes widened. He figured she was going to dispute his plan.
Instead, she replied with a timid, “All right. Thank you.”
Aidan slipped her shoes off her feet. Water poured onto the floor. He tossed the pumps aside and wrapped his hands around her toes. They felt ice cold.
After a gentle kiss to her forehead and a steadfast vow to take care of her, he headed into the bathroom and filled the tub. Thankfully, he’d scrubbed the bathroom as soon as he moved in, so it was clean for her. He didn’t have proper bath items—the kind he knew women typically used—and made a mental note to pick some up soon. Not that he was being presumptuous. He just wanted her to have everything she needed should another situation like this arise.
Aidan returned to the living room and led Beth into the bathroom with a subtle touch to her shoulder. She draped the blanket over the counter and stood before him, her hands clasped in front of her. He worked a miracle and didn’t look below her face. This was not the proper time for what he desired to happen between them.
“Okay, I’ll leave you to…” The thought of her undressing redirected his mind along a less than honorable route. “And, uh, I’ll find you something of mine to wear.”
“Thank you.” Beth took her lower lip between her teeth. The way she looked at him suggested she had something more to say.
“Is there anything else you need?”
Beth released her lip. “Um… can you unzip me?”
The request traveled on an express ticket from Aidan’s ears down to his groin. He scrounged up a reply. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”
Beth turned around. Aidan released a deep breath and stepped softly against her, appreciating the enchanting curve of her back and behind. He gathered her hair and brought it forward over one shoulder. Unable to help himself, he closed his eyes and bent down to kiss her nape. She shivered. He groaned and backed away.
Aidan gripped the zipper of her dress between his thumb and forefinger and lowered it to her waist slowly, revealing a pearl-colored silk slip underneath. He was half grateful and half disappointed she wore one.
Beth faced him and did something he couldn’t have predicted in a million years. She brought her hands up and slipped the dress off her shoulders. It fell to the floor at her feet in a plush puddle of cream taffeta, leaving her standing before him in only her slip, strapless brassiere, and he hoped for his sake, panties. The more layers covering her skin, the better for his resolve.
Or so he thought.
Beth’s slip was low enough in the front to reveal the swell of her cleavage and a hint of her bra. It draped over her breasts and hugged her trim waist and hips, falling to mid-calf—a sultry display of silk against skin, elegance against beauty.
Aidan’s arousal struck him so hard it was as though it arrived on the tail of a lightning bolt. Using every scrap of sense he had left, he made the agonizing move of turning his back on her so she could finish undressing and bathe in peace.
“Aidan?”
He closed his eyes and tilted his face toward the ceiling. With the exhale of a long and uneven breath, he grappled for the strength to
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