Page 57 of Winning the Nightcap

“Tonight too? A little greedy, don’t you think?” I ask, a bit breathless from the way his mouth feels against my skin.

Sitting back to look at me, Aiden asks, “What if I wasn’t ready to let you go just yet?”

“What happened to one date at a time?”

“This can be a first date extension or a second date, you decide. Either way, I want you in my bed tonight…if that’s what you want. Nothing has to happen, I just…I leave for Spring Training soon. I’m being selfish. I want more time with you before my schedule gets crazy. I’ll need a few more memories to distract me when I should be focused on my job,” he jokes as he smiles at me. He pauses and lifts his hand to palm my cheek, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip. “I’ve worn out all the memories I had with you while I was waiting for this second chance.” For as confident as he seems, there’s an undercurrent of vulnerability too. It’s a relief to hear my own uncertainty reflected back to me, to know we’re both swimming in unknown waters makes it a little less daunting. I like being on equal footing, and I like that he’s asking for what he wants instead of leaving me guessing.

“Last night probably gave you some new material to work with,” I say, and we both laugh.

“Yeah, you bet your fine ass every detail is permanently etched in my mind. Let me help you today with work. Give Hop and me a job.”

“Well, I’ve never had an assistant.”

With a wink he says, “Look at that, I’ll be the best you’ve ever had.”

He is. No contest.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that? You don’t mind tagging along? I have to run to the store and then get a few things prepped at home. It’s nothing exciting. You probably have way better things to do with your day.”

“Bec, trust me when I say I can’t think of a better way to spend my time. I don’t care what we do. Just try and bore me, baby. I don’t think it’s possible. But first things first, breakfast,” Aiden says over my lips, stealing a soft kiss as he gently pushes my chest back onto the bed with the weight of his own body. He slowly drags his T-shirt up from my waistline toward my collarbone, exposing me to the cool air. He kisses his way down my stomach, causing my pulse to quicken and heat to trickle up my thighs.

“I thought you said breakfast was in the kitchen,” I say in a breathless whisper.

“Your breakfast is, but mine is right here. And I’m fucking starving.”

Okay, Aiden isn’t just the best I’ve ever had. He’s the best I’ll ever have.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Aiden

“You sure I can just…walk in with him?” I hesitate in the doorway of the hardware store with Hopper at my side as I scan the entrance, waiting to get reprimanded by a passing employee.

Bec strolls leisurely ahead of me, grabbing a large cart. “Yeah, most home improvement stores are dog friendly. Sometimes when dogs in training are having a lot of trouble with socialization, I meet them here with their families to practice leash walking and working through their anxiety. I don’t think Hop needs any help there, but it’s good practice all the same.”

“Then lead the way, Miller. What are we looking for exactly?”

“So, most of the staff at the Center volunteer at New Hope, a local animal shelter. Our organizations have a strong relationship. We partner together often.”

“The shelter you got Lucy from, right?”

The look on her face when she quickly turns to face me tells me I’ve surprised her, which honestly pisses me off, but I keep my expression neutral. She’s shocked I remembered that detail she told me just last night. What low bar have the people she’s dated been failing to meetthat it surprises her that I’d remember something clearly important to her? I have questions, but I won’t push her.

“Yeah, I met Lucy girl there. Of course, I have completely professional boundaries and no overly emotional attachments to their work,” she jokes.

“Naturally,” I flash her a grin as we round the corner of one of the aisles and weave into the next.

“Well, they’re hosting one of their biggest events next month, their annual adoption fair and fundraiser. Every February, they rent out the convention center and bring in all of their ready-to-adopt pets to try to offset the influx of animals they take in after the holidays. People who realize too late that the pet they were gifted was too much responsibility for them to take on. New Hope secures a lot of local sponsors in order to organize everything, and the money raised supports the shelter’s operations for several months out of the year. At the last meeting, I signed up to create the adoption board that’ll be at the entrance. I need supplies to build the frame that I’ll secure canvas fabric to, and then I’ll attach slots for us to slide the photos into. Since animals can be adopted at any time, we need to be able to update the board quickly. It works better when we can shift things around leading up to and during the event. Last year, we didn’t have a centralized place where all of the animals could be seen at a glance. This year the board will give them an idea of what pets are at the event and where to locate them in the convention center. It’s one of several things we’re updating this year to hopefully make us more efficient and help more animals find their families.”

Selfless. This girl is fucking selfless. Her unmistakable passion for helping animals makes me admire her even more. As she explains everything to me, her expressions and gestures become more animated and she talks more quickly as we work our way through the store, gathering the supplies she needs, clearly excited about the project andall the nuanced details that have clearly been given a lot of thought to make this event as successful as possible.

“I gotta say, I’m impressed. The event sounds really cool. When is it?” I ask.

“Oh…no. You don’t have to come if you don’t want…I’m sure you’re busy and you already have a dog and Spring Training is coming up and—”

“Bec…” I turn my body to face hers and place my hand over her abdomen to stop her from walking any farther. She pauses and looks to me as I step beside her. I gently turn her face toward mine with two fingers under her jaw. “I don’t think you’re hearing me, babe. This is important to you. Which means it’s important to me. Iwantto be there, if I can. Don’t doubt the truth in what I’m saying, please. Give me a chance to show you that I’m being genuine before you tell yourself that I’m just saying what you want to hear. I’m not that guy.”

She stares at me for a moment, measuring the sincerity of my words before I see her sweet smile slowly blossom, the beauty of the moment hitting me in my chest.

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