Girl Next Door - The Complete Series by C.C. Wood Page B

top sheet over us.
    Aidan positioned me on my side, facing him, and then mirrored my pose. He brushed my wet hair away from my face.
    His face became serious. “It’s time to talk.”
    I swallowed audibly. Oh, crap. I was still trying to convince myself I wasn’t in love with him, and he wanted to have a “talk”. I traced patterns on his collar bone, keeping my eyes down.
    “Okay. So talk.” My voice was soft and, to my embarrassment, shaky.
    Aidan cupped my face and brushed his thumb over my cheekbone. “Will you look at me, Natalie?”
    I closed my eyes. “Do I have to?”
    Again, Aidan laughed. I wasn’t trying to be amusing. I mean, I was glad he wanted a relationship with me, but I had a strong suspicion he wasn’t as deeply invested as I was. And I could understand why he might not be, but it still hurt. Being with someone every day who did not, and might not ever, return my feelings would tear me down. It wouldn’t break me, but it would damage me, maybe even irreparably.
    “I guess not,” he sighed. “Just promise me you’ll listen to everything I have to say before you respond.”
    I focused my eyes on his collarbone again, tracing light and aimless patterns on his skin again. “Okay.”
    He pulled my face into his chest, and I rested my cheek against his skin, hearing his heart thumping away. When he started speaking, I felt the vibrations under my cheek. I liked it. A lot.
    “Natalie, I meant what I said last night. Last Sunday, when you came into my house, being smartassed and cute, I realized that I would be missing out on a lot if I only spent time fucking you and nothing else. I was right. I think I’ve had more fun with you the last week than I have in the last year. You’re funny, you’re sexy, and you’re spunky and I like all those things about you.”
    Okay, so far, I liked this “talk”.
    “What I don’t like is that you kept things from me, especially since those secrets put you in danger. I also don’t like that you assumed I was only interested in fucking you, when I went to a lot of trouble to show you otherwise.”
    Now, I didn’t like the conversation so much, so I spoke.
    “Aidan, according to you, we were friends with benefits. With the exception of fucking my brains out, all your other behavior is the same as my other friends, hence, my confusion about your thoughts on our relationship. If you had mentioned this to me, I would not have been confused. I never would have let that conversation with Anya freak me out. I mean, she was pretty nice, but she also acted like we were going to be sisters or something. After she left, I realized that I was getting too emotionally invested and was trying to get a little distance. Also, I haven’t shared my problems with Jack with any of my friends. I only need one obsessed stalker on my ass. If Cat and Michael heard about this, they would be glued to me every second of every day. Amy would just try to figure out a way to take Jack out and make it look like an accident.”
    Aidan stiffened halfway through my spiel. “When did you see Anya?”
    I closed my eyes. Crap, I hadn’t meant to blurt that out. I blew out a breath. “She came by this,” I paused. Technically, it was after midnight. “Yesterday morning. She wanted to let you know she didn’t need your help moving because she and Patrick made up. She mentioned that I seemed nicer than your other girlfriends. I realized that I liked the idea of your family liking me more than your other girlfriends and Anya wanting me as a sister-in-law and it freaked me the hell out, so I came home and holed up. I thought taking a day to think that I would be able to get my head together.”
    Aidan’s muscles were rock hard now. “She and Patrick made up?”
    I patted his back. “I know you don’t like her, but she seemed okay to me.”
    Aidan snorted. “Don’t let her fool you. She can go from sweetness and light to bitchiness and bitterness in five seconds flat.”
    I shook my