“You’re right.” I was being ridiculous. My anxiety attack wouldn’t force him to appear. I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my outfit. It was the thirtieth of September and still hot as fuck in the south. I had made it a point not to look dressed up. I wore jeans with a black shirt that was sheer from my breasts upward. I’d paired it with strappy black sandals.
I ran my hands through my straight blonde hair and glanced in the mirror. I was trying to retain a calm presence, or my heart would be racing before I walked out the door. “I’m just nervous. I mean …what if he doesn’t …”
“Show?” She smiled. “Honestly, I get why you’re worried, but I promise he will be here. Even when he was being an ass, he looked at you like you hung the moon.”
“Were we looking at the same person? Because that’s definitely not the vibe I got.” His looks had been full of animosity.
“He only looked like that when you weren’t paying attention.” Beth placed her phone on the bed and gave me her full attention. “It was when he wasn’t being guarded with you.”
“Why do you think he’s not being honest with me?” Was I making a mistake doing this? He’d meant it when he’d said he’d tell me what was going on when he could, but should I have held off on a date until then?
“Look, he’s been an asshole.” Beth lifted her hands to validate her points. “Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of his. But I’m softening to him. For him to look at you the way he does and act like an ass in the same breath means he’s struggling with something. And for your sake, I think you need to give him one more chance. I’m afraid you’ll regret it if you don’t.”
“But what if it shatters me?” I said softly, letting her in on my biggest fear. “It’s like I’m jumping from one guy to the next.”
“He won’t, and we both know you aren’t. You weren’t romantically invested in Jacob. This isn’t like you’re suffering from a major heartbreak and jumping into a rebound relationship. Aidan is your fated mate. There’s no getting around that, and let’s be real… you both wasted so much damn time.” Beth moved so she could reach me and gently touched my hand. “And besides, you’re stronger than you give yourself credit for. Everyone sees it but you. Hell, you scared the shit out of Aidan because you were ready to walk away. If he lets you down, you’ll pick the pieces back up, and hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.”
“Really? You’re going with the cheesy old saying?” I couldn’t hold back the smile that was spreading across my face.
“Hey, I can’t be held accountable for what comes out of my mouth.” She pretended to scowl. “But seriously, no matter what happens, you’ll be fine.”
I wished I had the same confidence in myself as she did. “I hope you’re right.”
A knock at the door startled me. I’d been so anxious about him getting here that when he did, it scared the shit out of me. My emotions were a mess. I felt like a yo-yo.
Beth chuckled at me, wide-eyed and frozen in place. “Aren’t you going to answer it?”
“Oh, yeah.” I took me a few seconds before I could force my legs to move toward the door. Now that he was here, I was petrified.
As my hand touched the doorknob, my heart pounded loudly in my ears. I could already smell his signature piney scent, and it made me dizzy. I forced a slow breath before opening the door.
It was a good thing I had, or drool would’ve been pooling at the corners of my mouth.
Aidan’s dark, short hair was fixed into that messy, sexy-as-hell style, and he wore a brown polo shirt that molded to his muscles and somehow made his eyes seem more golden. He wore jeans similar to mine, the kind that fit instead of the baggy ones some guys preferred. His eyes went straight to my lips. “Hey.”
I’d licked my bottom lip before I could catch myself. “Hi.”
“Oh, dear God,” Beth grumbled. “I can smell you guys from here, and that’s saying something.”
I should’ve been embarrassed, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I stepped into him as his arms circled my waist, causing my skin to buzz.
He lowered his head, placing his lips on mine and intensifying our bond even more. I licked his lips, which were now one of my all-time favorite things.
A moan escaped him as he opened his mouth, responding to each one of my strokes.
“Seriously? I might get pregnant just being near you two,” Beth muttered as she sat back on the bed. “You do realize that not only am I getting to watch my second show of the day, but everyone in the hallway is getting one too.”
That was equivalent to dumping cold water all over me. I pulled back slightly and smiled at him. “She’s right.”
“So what?” He grinned and winked at me. He released his hold on my waist but took my hand. His eyes scanned my body. “Are you ready to go?”
“Sure.” I turned around to grab my purse and phone. “Are we going to the Student Center?”
“Nah, I figured we could eat off campus.” He nibbled his bottom lip. “But if you don’t want to …”
“No, that sounds perfect.” I’d only eaten off campus for the away games. Jacob always wanted to eat at the Student Center with the rest of the football players, so it would be nice to get out for a change.
“Great.” He stepped into the room and nodded at Beth. “Hey, how are you?”
Beth’s eyebrow arched higher than I’d ever seen it. She pursed her lips. “Good. I don’t think you’ve ever truly spoken to me before.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ve been an ass.” He grimaced as if it had been hard for him to admit.
“Eh, no sweat.” She waved him off. “You two go and have a good time, but just know …” She narrowed her eyes at him. “If you hurt her, I’ll kick your ass.”
“Duly noted.” He placed a hand over his heart. “I don’t plan on messing up this time.”
“Good.” Beth pointed to the door. “Get out of here before you two start kissing in front of me again. There is only so much I can take. Our new friends are meeting me for dinner, so I better get going.”
I’d felt bad leaving Beth to fend for herself, so it was nice to know that Coral and Amethyst had made plans with her. “Okay, I won’t be out super late.”
Beth chuckled. “I’m not your mother.”
“Fine. See you.” I walked out the door and into the hallway. “You ready?”
“Hell, yeah.” He walked beside me as we made our way to the front door.
“Damn, Emma.” Caroline was in the common area like usual with her group of friends. “Did you and Jacob break up?”
Aidan’s hand tightened on mine.
“Uh … yeah.” She always made me feel very uncomfortable. She was nice but in that superficial way.
She turned to Aidan. “So you’re dating?”
“I’m her boyfriend.” Aidan’s voice was deep and clear.
The fact that he wanted to make sure everyone knew he was mine excited me way too much. Those were words I’d never thought I’d hear him speak.