Page 67 of Beautifully Complicated

“Same.” I grin like a fool, but I’m not even self-conscious about it. Not since it makes him smile in return.

“So, my dirty little secret—” I playfully pinch the thigh that’s still within arm’s reach “—should I expect you at my house this weekend?”

“The whole weekend.” Aiden lights up like the beautiful angel he is, making me feel like a damn superhero.

“Obviously.”

“Yes, please. Just text me—I mean write down your address on a piece of paper I will commit to memory and then destroy.” He bats his lashes in a way only someone with his youthful looks could get away with.

“Smartass,” I mutter as I reach for a pen and scribble out my address.

“You love my ass.” He leans forward a few inches, stopping about a foot away from my mouth when he realizes what he’s doing.

“See, Leanbh. It’s a slippery slope,” I caution despite the fact I make no move to pull back. I’m too focused on his full lips, tempting me to close the distance.

We linger there far longer than is advised, savoring the chemistry we’re finally allowing ourselves to feel. Even though we don’t act on it—not yet—it’s palpable. A tether between us that only seems to have grown stronger in the months we’ve been trying to ignore its existence. I knew it hadn’t gone anywhere, of course, but giving it free reign to flow through me has me vibrating with restless energy. A bone-deep need for more of the man before me.

Soon.

Aiden seductively wets his lips and stands up, chest rising and falling in carefully measured breaths designed to help him maintain some semblance of control. I know because I’m breathing the same way.

“Friday?” He takes the paper from my hand, fingers brushing ever so slightly over mine.

“Friday.” My hooded eyes follow him out the door, though it’s another several minutes before my heartbeat returns to normal.

Chapter twenty

Aiden

My knee bounces erratically in the back seat of the Uber taking me to Kier’s house for the first time.

I’m so nervous.

Why am I nervous? It’s not like we haven’t done this before. True, that was nearly a year ago, and since then we’ve grown even closer. We’re planning a future together for God’s sake. Is that what has me freaking out? That this isn’t just a hookup solely to get off?

I mean, there is that. I haven’t had a proper orgasm since we watched each other jerk off several weeks ago, and before that—hell, before that it dates back to that first night. But even then, what started as lust morphed into something deeper the instant we came together. It sounds corny, but it’s almost like our souls knew what our bodies were just figuring out, and everything sort of morphed together to create this magical connection.

That doesn’t just sound corny, it sounds delusional.

Oddly enough, that assessment doesn’t give me second thoughts. Yes, things are moving at lightning speed, and yes, that’s contrary to everything my science-minded brain is wired for. But sometimes, even in science, you have to go with your gut.

Besides, I told myself after that first brush with heartbreak that I wouldn’t hold back the next time I was interested in someone, and I’m going to honor that. It’s what led to that first night with Kier, so obviously that decision served me well.

Still, as I watch the dot on my phone move closer to the destination, I feel anxious.

Our one night together was life changing, not only because it bound us together in ways that altered the course of our lives, but because the sex was off the charts.

Seriously, I had no idea it could be that good.

You could make the argument that I should’ve realized that based on the soundtrack that plays on a near constant loop in my house, with one of the three couples invariably fucking at any given time. But hearing other people come undone doesn’t fully prepare you to experience it yourself.

You want to, obviously. I challenge anyone to hear my roommates going at it and not dream about having the kind of sex that pulls inhuman noises from your throat. And when it was my turn—holy hell. It became instantly clear why my roommates fuckall the time. Who wouldn’t if it turned your world upside down on the regular?

And like any sane person, I’ve wanted to repeat that experience every day since then. At the same time, that was ages ago, so I’m worried things might be different now. I don’t know how they would be, but eight months is a long time, so who knows.

Supposedly sex with someone you love is the best kind there is, so Kier and I should have nothing to worry about. Being in love doesn’t put me at ease though. It only adds more pressure to make things perfect.

Maybe I should’ve let things evolve naturally rather than scheduling sex. If I didn’t know it was going to happen, I wouldn’t have time to build up all these worries in my head.

---