“Babe, nobody could hold a candle to my snorting girl.”
She made an appalled sound. “I seriously do not snort.”
He rolled her onto her back and moved over her, kissing her freckled cheek. “It’s okay, Abs. I like your snort-snoring and the contented little hum that comes afterward.”
“I don’t do that. And I don’t snort.” She laughed.
“You definitely snort.” He kissed her lips. “You also grabbed my junk in your sleep. Not that I’m complaining.”
“I did not!”
“Why do you think we ended up making love again at two in the morning? You were working me like a stick shift. Thank God I thought ahead and ran out to the car to get the box of condoms after the second time we fooled around.”
Her cheeks flamed, but her smile never faltered. “Oh my . . . You’re terrible.”
“That’s not what you were crying out last night as you—”
“Stop!” She wrapped her arms around him.
“Why? You don’t like it when I talk about you coming?” He nuzzled against her neck, kissing her there.
“Aiden,” she said, her voice thick with embarrassment.
He dragged his scruff along her cheek, earning a sexy moan. “I like when you come.” He nipped at her earlobe and said, “I like hearing the noises you make.”
“Stop,” she said breathily.
He trailed kisses down her body, teasing her breasts.
“God, I love when you do that.” She grabbed his head as she had last night, holding him there as he taunted her into a wiggling, needy mess. She pushed him lower, her hips rising to greet his talented mouth.
His eyes shot up to hers, and he said, “And I fucking love when you do that.” He raked his eyes down her body, between her legs, and said, “Mm. Breakfast.”
Her knees fell open, and he gave her what she wanted, earning all the sexy sounds he adored. Then he loved her with his body, slowly and passionately, until they were both too satisfied and worn out to move.
After a lazy, sensual morning, they hung up the hammock, filled the shells they’d collected with birdseed, and set them out on the porch. Abby looked gorgeous in jeans and the tank top he’d bought her, with an open zip-up sweatshirt over it. They rode their bikes to the Silver House so he could change his clothes, and then they biked to the Sweet Barista, where Keira and Abby chatted up a storm. When Keira said she liked a man who knew coffee, Abby glanced at him and said she liked a man who savored his breakfast. The sexy little minx knew exactly how to turn him on.
After eating breakfast, they biked to the Bistro to work on the budgets, checking off bike ride from their list. Aiden hadn’t ridden a bike since he was a kid. He’d forgotten how rejuvenating it was to feel fresh air whipping against his skin instead of stale air-conditioning within the confines of his car.
“It’s really beautiful here,” he said as they made their way around to the front of the restaurant and were greeted by a cool breeze coming off the water. He stepped off the patio into the sand and sat down. “Come sit with me. Let’s enjoy the view for a few minutes before we get started.”
“You’re really good at taking time to enjoy your surroundings.” As she sat beside him, she said, “Are you sure you’re a workaholic?”
“Absolutely. You heard Remi. But I’ve got this new woman in my life who’s changing me in more ways than I’d like to admit.” He put his arm around her, pulling her against him. “She’s even got me riding a bike, which I haven’t done since I was a kid.”
“That was fun riding together this morning. Did you rent the bike daily, or weekly?”
“I didn’t rent it. I bought it.” He looked at the overgrown bushes and fencing a few feet away, making a mental note to put landscaping into her budget.
“You said you hadn’t ridden since you were a kid. Do you plan on riding it after you leave the island?”
“I hope so.”
“Really?”
“Sure. You seemed to enjoy biking to work. I thought I should give it a try.”
“I love riding my bike here. I tried biking when I first moved to the city, but it was terrifying trying to navigate the busy streets. Luckily, I love walking, and the subway was easy to use. You’ll probably find this hard to believe, but I’ve never owned a car. I have my mom’s car now, assuming Cait doesn’t want it. I guess we can share it. I need to remember to talk to her and Deirdra about the car and the house, although I know Deirdra won’t want either.” She rested her head on his shoulder and said, “I’m rambling again. Sorry. How will you get your bike home? You said you’re going overseas when you leave.”
“I like your rambling, and I am going overseas. I was hoping my hot new girlfriend would let me keep my bike in her garage. It would give me a reason to come back to the island.”
“A reason, huh? It’s nice to know where I rank on your priority scale.”
He took her chin between his finger and thumb, moving her face so he could see her eyes, and said, “You have no idea how far you’ve tipped my scale, Abigail de Messiéres.” He kissed her, slow and sweet, and said, “But if you’d rather I take my bike with me . . .”
“I didn’t say that. I’m just not sure you can afford my high storage fees,” she said flirtatiously.
Man, he liked her style. “Maybe we can work something out.”
“If this morning was any indication, I’d say the chances are pretty high that we can. Although, bikes often need maintenance, which might mean more visits, especially in the winter, when days are shorter and nights are longer. I might have to charge double for those months.”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“Thanks to this new guy in my life, I’m learning to bargain to my advantage, and a hard bargain sounds like it might be worth looking into. But first we have a budget to tackle.”
“I’d rather tackle you.” He brushed his lips over hers and said, “Here in the sand. Naked.”
After a few steamy kisses and more sexy banter, they finally went inside and headed into the small, paneled office. Pictures of Abby and Deirdra as little girls were thumbtacked to a corkboard on the wall beside an old metal desk. Abby was adorable, with lanky limbs and thick, messy hair that hung nearly to her waist. Her eyes looked even bigger and greener in her tiny face, and her effervescent smile was just as beautiful as it was now. Deirdra looked happier then, too, before the situation with their mother had stolen her childhood. There were several pictures of their mother when she was young. She was tall, painfully thin, and unconventionally pretty, with sandy hair and a gap between her two front teeth. He saw hints of Abby in her cheeks and nose. On the desk was a framed picture of their family. Her mother wore a denim miniskirt and a white shirt. She had one arm around Deirdra, who held a fistful of flowers. Her mother’s other arm was around their father, who looked nothing like Aiden had pictured. He had long white hair tied back in a ponytail and an unkempt beard to match. He wore sandals, his clothes were rumpled, and he had a bit of a belly. But his eyes danced with the same light Aiden saw in Abby’s. Her father had one arm around his wife, and he was holding Abby in his other. Abby’s hair was in long pigtails, and she wore red shorts and a white top. One arm was draped around her daddy’s neck, and the other held the fingers of his hand wrapping around her knee, like she wanted to touch as much of him as she could. Aiden’s heart felt full and sad at once. He longed for her to have her family back, and in that moment, he longed for his, too.