Hard to Handle

Aiden. Only Aiden could take her to the very pinnacle of desire and make her forget who she was. Or maybe, she thought in a burst of insight, when she was with Aiden she was more herself than when she was without him.

“Come with me somewhere,” he said, taking her hands in his.

There was only one answer.

“Anywhere.”

Chapter 14

Sadie’s steps aligned with her heartbeat as she walked hand in hand with Aiden out the side door and down the sidewalk. So wound up in the passion preceding their little jag, she didn’t notice he was leading her to his motorcycle until they stopped in front of it.

Sheila sat under a streetlamp at the front of the lot, her orange paint gleaming. Sadie ground to a complete halt, blood freezing in her veins. She met Aiden’s sea green eyes and shook her head. “I can’t.”

He took her face in his palms. “You can.” There was his easy smile again. “Trust me, Sadie.”

She did trust him. She trusted him implicitly. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have lost herself in his arms moments ago. For once, she hadn’t tried to hide behind her inner wall of safety. And it’d been so worth it, the freedom of it, like rolling around on decadent cotton bedding—

What do you have to lose?

They could wreck. They could get injured…And in the banquet hall, they could have been caught. They could have been kicked out. But they weren’t. It was a risk, but in a way, a safe one.

Again, she was struck by how she hadn’t overthought it. About how she had zero regrets now. She’d experienced something exhilarating she’d never experienced before. It was worth it, and it felt wonderful letting Aiden take care of all the worrying for her.

Her eyes tracked to the bike.

Aiden would take care of her. He would make sure she was safe. And maybe this would be exhilarating, too…and lead up to the most exhilarating time of her life. After what just happened, how could tonight be anything less than mind-blowing?

She looked into Aiden’s familiar, handsome face. Of course it would be. Instead of giving him an answer, Sadie pulled her skirt high on her thighs and approached Sheila. “Think I can ride in these shoes?”

“Sadie,” Aiden said, pride evident on his face, “I think you can do anything in those shoes.” He pulled a helmet from one of the saddlebags. It was pink.

She opened her mouth to ask how long he’d had it. He must have seen the question in her eyes. He answered before she had the chance to ask. “Bought it the day I dropped off your phone. I thought I might try and convince you to ride with me then.”

“And you kept it,” she murmured as he settled the helmet onto her head.

“You never know.” He adjusted the strap on her chin and laid a soft kiss on her lips. “You’ll be fine.”

“I trust you,” she said. But just in case, she closed her eyes and said a quick backup prayer.

Aiden put his own helmet on. “You need instructions?”

She opened her eyes. “Hold on tight, lean into the curves, and keep my legs away from the tailpipe.”

He shook his head, his answering smile spreading warmth through her entire body. “I didn’t think so.”

Aiden got on first and Sadie climbed on after him, settling against his back and snuggling in. She wrapped her arms around his waist as he backed them away from the curb. Before he sped off, he clasped one of her hands in his and lifted it for a kiss. Sadie smiled against his back and closed her eyes.

They’d get safely to wherever it was he was taking her. After waiting thirty years to lose her virginity, they had better get there safely.

Or Saint Peter was going to get an earful when she reached the pearly gates.

*  *  *

She said yes.

Aiden felt like throwing his arms in the air and whooping for joy. Granted, she didn’t say yes to his proposal, but Sadie had given in an inch in that darkened, empty room back at Diamond Crown Hall. And she’d given in another when she climbed onto the back of Sheila.

Wind beat Aiden’s cheeks as he took the side streets to get home. No way was he draining Sadie’s limited well of trust by zipping down the highway at seventy miles an hour. Despite wanting to get her home as quickly as possible.

She felt good nestled against him, her hands at his stomach, her body warming his back. He liked her there, liked her conceding control and letting him take care of her. That’s why he’d proposed. That’s why he’d asked her to ride. He wanted to take care of her. Wanted Sadie to see she could trust him. With her body…and with her heart.

One step at a time, he reminded himself. Even if they were slightly out of order.

Stubborn as she was beautiful, Aiden shouldn’t have been surprised when Sadie ran from his proposal. He’d stood and assured the crowd, “That was a maybe.” He’d been vaguely aware of his scowling siblings, and Shane and Crickitt’s looks of concern. No doubt they’d ask for an explanation later.

Well, they could wait.

He’d run after Sadie, understanding too late he’d pushed her too far. Understanding that Sadie wasn’t the kind of woman who reacted well to being pushed. He’d known that about her, but had thought maybe she was ready and didn’t know it yet.

Wrong.

He could only hope her languid, agreeable nature would continue after he got her home. Because getting Sadie into bed was only the start of what he had planned for her. After he got her to shout yes followed by his name at least a dozen times tonight, he intended to propose again…eventually…and get a similar response.

They were meant to be together. And if he hadn’t thought so before he’d made her come and mewl and grip on to him moments ago, seeing her guard drop so solidly at his feet would have convinced him.

And because Sadie was who she was, Aiden realized it may take longer for her to arrive at the same conclusion. Hell, Aiden, on some level, had known he wanted her for forever the first night he met her. All he needed was her undivided attention for a little while and he knew he could get her to see it, too.

It wasn’t as if he was coercing her. Sadie was the one who wanted to take him to bed, who’d made it her mission to seduce him tonight. He couldn’t think of a better way to show her how serious he was than to prove their connection was way beyond friendship, way beyond physical. To show her just how much he loved her. And he did. God help him; he loved her until it hurt. Tonight, he planned on peeling back her layers until she saw the same undeniable truth.

That she loved him, too.

He pressed a remote to open the garage and pulled the bike in. He parked and kicked the stand as Sadie let go of his middle.

“Where are we?” she asked

He allowed Sadie to climb off first, then he followed, pulling off his helmet.

“My dad’s,” he told her as she pulled off her helmet and smoothed her hair. “But not for long.”

*  *  *

Aiden unlocked the back door and Sadie slipped off her heels and followed him in. The kitchen was dark save for a light on the range above the stove, the only sound a ticking clock counting away the seconds.

Seconds until she’d be in Aiden’s arms again. A shiver of hair stood on her nape.

“My room’s through the den,” Aiden told her, his voice hushed. “Bathroom, too. Give me a minute.” He kissed her forehead and Sadie clutched her shoes to her chest.

Give him a minute to what? Find his dad and tell him he’d brought a girl home? There was a thought. She