Page 173 of Forget

I feel shaky after all the crying, and I nod. “Chocolate, please,” I tell him. “It’ll help my blood sugar.”

“Hot chocolate or pastry?” he asks as he puts away his equipment.

“Mmm. Pastry,” I decide as he throws his bag strap over his head.

“Then that’s our next stop, poppet,” he says, linking his fingers through mine.

My body sags at the contact and I nod. Biology is a super fucked up thing. But maybe, it’s right about needing human connection. Our strands are currently very tangled, and I need to stop running so I can help unravel it all.

Chapter 32

Aiden

I’m in the office at home when Aisling leans in the door, chewing on her lip as she gazes inside. Caelin texted us all that she’d had a rough therapy session this morning. He heard yelling and crying a few times, but said that he hadn’t pushed.

Instead he offered a safe place to land, and something sweet to help her bounce back after releasing so much emotion. He said that it was hard for him to not try to fix it.

I think that’s my job, though, since I fucked it up to begin with.

“Hey,” she says softly. “Can we talk?”

Taking a breath, I nod. I’ve been wanting her to come to me, I just hope it’s not to reject me. That’ll hurt like a bitch.

“Sure, come in,” I tell her. I’m not sure if she’ll want the door closed, so I leave it up to her.

Her steps are almost jerky as she comes inside, as if she’s overthinking things. I want to tell her I won’t bite, but curl my lips inward to keep myself from saying it.

“I think… we fucked up somewhere along the way,” she says. “It's like we’re having two different conversations, and neither of us understands the other.”

“How so?” I ask, gesturing to a chair in case she wants to sit.

Dropping into the offered chair as if her legs won’t hold her anymore, I notice her hands are shaking. She’s wearing one of Domh’s sweatshirts with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of knee high socks.

She looks like a wet dream come true.

Aisling’s eyelashes flutter as she inhales deeply, and I wince as I realize my cock is rock hard. I’m also pumping aroused pheromones into the room, and I struggle to get it in check.

“I love the way you smell,” she whispers. “Being in your car, wrapped in your scent when Caelin takes your vehicle is the best kind of torture.”

“I miss you too,” I admit, swallowing thickly. My heart is beating hard as I force myself to breathe. I swear, the edges of my vision are going black as I wait her out.

“Yes,” she sighs. I can smell a hint of burned sugar cookie in the air as she sits across from me, a clear sign of her anxiety. “I think I may have been sending you mixed signals, or something.”

“What?” I ask. “How so?”

“You’re a lot more experienced with sex and kink than I am, and I was being a brat, pushing too far,” she says. “I think I got in over my head.”

“No,” I growl.

She blames herself? Absolutely not.

“Do you think…fuck,” I mutter, pushing myself back in my chair. “Can you come closer, please? I have to say something, and I need to be able to hold you while I do.”

Nodding, Aisling stands and walks quickly over. She trembles as I put my hands on her waist, guiding her to sit. Myfingers squeeze her before I let go, but she reaches out to cling to one of my hands.

Swallowing hard, I lay her hand on my chest, so I can continue to hold it, and so I’m not in her personal space.

Not without permission.

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