Page 29 of Recipe for Romance

Nicole allowed herself to breathe him in just once before she pulled back, letting the pine scent ground her. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

Aiden’s hands gripped her hips tightly for a split second before he moved her back to her original spot. “Nothing to be sorry about.” His voice was low, huskier than normal.

Nicole swallowed thickly, frozen in place by his gaze that was filled with molten heat rather than ice. The doorbell rang and they continued to stare at one another, unmoving, unblinking, until their bodies drifted closer together. When it rang again, Aiden’s eyes flicked to the door before meeting hers again.

Groaning audibly, he stood and strode over the door, whipping it open so quickly it nearly flew off its hinges. “What?” he barked.

“Trick-or-treat.” Tiny voices rang out from the doorway, signaling an end to whatever was happening between them and a start to the holiday.

Snatching the candy cauldron and rushing over to Aiden, Nicole tried not to laugh at his deer-in-the-headlights expression and smiled at the children. “Happy Halloween,” she called to them. “Don’t you all look amazing?”

She held out the cauldron to the duo dressed as a pair of famous Italian plumbers and watched as their greedy little fingers dug around to find the perfect handful. Once the children had what they wanted, they sprinted back toward their watchful parents without another word.

Nicole shut the door, chuckling when she saw a sour expression on Aiden’s face. “What’s that look for?”

He pointed out the window. “They didn’t even say thank you!” He threw up his hands, his arms gesturing wildly around the entryway that she’d set up to look like a cartoon Halloween wonderland. “You worked really hard to make everything look nice, and you even got allergy and sensory friendly alternatives to candy. They could have at least thanked you for it.”

Nicole placed the cauldron on the entry table and patted Aiden’s chest. “Their smiles were enough for me.” Grabbing the pirate costume, she held it out to him. “Besides, you wearing this will be a wonderful thank you as well.”

A low rumbling sound came from his throat as he took the costume and clomped toward the stairs, but she could see his mouth ticking up in the corner before he’d turned away. Aiden may growl like a tiger, but he was really a pussycat at heart, she just knew it.

Fifteen minutes later, Nicole walked back into the family room, nearly tripping over her feet when she spotted Aiden handing out candy in his costume. He wasn’t openly glowering at the children either, instead offering them a warm and welcoming expression that was rare for him. It wasn’t just the surprise of seeing him interact so well with children that had her stumbling, but the fact that he looked ridiculously hot in his costume.

Aiden’s thick dark hair was a natural fit for the pirate, and the blousy shirt only had a few buttons lower down, giving her a better look at his firm, hairy chest. Nicole didn’t normally feel one way or another about whether a guy had a smooth chest, but in this case she was definitely all in on the natural look. Her eyes followed the dark curls down to the front of the tight leather pants that made up the rest of his costume, trying not to stare too long at the obvious outline of where his dick lay.

Whimpering, Nicole made a promise to use her vibe again later that night and joined him at the front door just as he was waving off a larger group of kids. The soft expression on his face caught her off guard slightly, and she couldn’t stop staring at it. The longer she looked the harder his expression got, but not with anger or frustration, but with lust. Aiden’s eyes roamed over her body, taking in every inch that was exposed by the green bodysuit and tulle skirt of her Tinkerbell costume.

Nicole knew the costume might get a reaction out of him, in fact, she’d been hoping for it. Just because they couldn’t act on their attraction didn’t mean she couldn’t remind him of it every now and then, and frankly the way Aiden looked at her was a nice ego boost. As his gaze continued over her skin feeling like a physical touch in itself, she wondered if maybe the costume hadn’t been a mistake. She had always liked pushing buttons, and Aiden’s were so easy and so much fun to press. Right now though, his eyes burned with an intensity she hadn’t known possible.

“Trick-or-treat,” another group called. The two of them had been locked in their stare for so long they hadn’t noticed a whole other group come up to the door.

Without a word or breaking eye contact with her, Aiden held out the cauldron to the children. Once they’d all gotten their fill, he placed the bowl in the center of the porch and slammed the door shut before backing her up against it. Hardwood pressed into her skin as his eyes closed tightly for a moment and he took a deep breath. When they flicked open, they were blue flames, smoldering and igniting the fire that simmered low in her belly since laying eyes on him again. Nicole licked her lips in anticipation of a kiss she knew shouldn’t come but wanted so badly. It was that small motion that seemed to snap whatever resolve he had left.

“Please.” The word was a low growl as he cupped her face with one hand, his forehead resting against hers. Their ragged breath mixed between them as her mind whirred at the possible consequences of the actions they might take. When his other hand slid up the outside of her thigh before grabbing onto her hip, her mind went offline, letting her body take over. “Please.”

Goosebumps erupted on her skin as his gruff voice traveled across it. Happily resigned to whatever may come of their next actions, Nicole nodded. The movement would have been almost imperceptible to anyone else, but it was more than enough for Aiden. Crashing his lips against hers, he drove his tongue into her mouth as his hand snaked around the back of her neck and held on tightly. Nicole pressed a hand against his lower back, bringing him impossibly closer as her other splayed across his chest, the wiry curls scratching her palm as a sound unlike any she’d ever made before left her throat.

Aiden continued to devour her with the kiss, tasting faintly of caramel and chocolate, probably from a piece of pilfered candy. The amount was too small to affect her, though Nicole would have gladly risked the stomach cramps from the cocoa if it meant he continued to kiss her this way. Everything he was doing felt so good, so right, but there was still enough clarity left in her lust-addled brain that she remembered why they’d stopped this the last time.

“What are we doing?” Nicole panted against his lips. Aiden’s chest rose and fell swiftly underneath her hand. She went to remove it, but he pressed one of his own against it so heavily that she could practically feel the beat of his heart. It was rapid, and it was strong, the constant beating of it soothing her somewhat frazzled nerves. “We shouldn’t.”

Aiden’s head nodded against hers. “But I want to.” Nicole huffed at his sounding a bit like a petulant child, but she felt the same exact way. He stared at her, watching as she licked her lips to get just another taste of him. “I can keep this separate if you can.”

That was the problem. Nicole was fairly certain she couldn’t keep them separate, but then again, she wasn’t so certain her feelings for Aiden were that cleanly separated from their working relationship now. She’d started this whole venture already having a crush on him, so would adding some physical pleasure into the mix be all that bad? She wasn’t sure, but the one thing she knew with absolute clarity was that she couldn’t think straight with Aiden standing in front of her looking like a bar wenches wet dream.

Cupping his cheek, she placed one last chaste kiss on his lips. “I’m not so sure I can,” she admitted.

Aiden smiled sadly as he backed away from her, the short distance leaving her feeling cold and helpless. “Fair enough.”

Nicole tugged at the ruffles on his ludicrous looking shirt to stop him from going any further. Seeing his hopes dashed was something she couldn’t stand, and maybe there was a way to work around her feelings. “Let me think about it.”

A soft smile came over his face as he nodded. “I can do that, but I might need a distraction.” Adjusting himself in his tight pants, he walked back over to the couch. Nicole watched his ass sway in the leather pants, wishing she could just make up her mind and jump him already. “Let’s watch your movie.”

Nicole joined him, smiling when he opened his arm for her to scoot in. “Sounds good to me.” The scary movie played on the screen, but she barely paid attention.

Nicole was too caught up in the memory of the kisses they’d shared and the feel of Aiden’s strong, warm body next to hers. She gazed up at him, the lights from the screen flitting across his face, highlighting just how beautiful he really was. As she watched him watch the movie, one question repeated in her mind. Was proving herself to her father, a man who had never believed in her really worth potentially losing out on something great with a man who had only ever shown that he did?

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