Page 17 of Wreck Me
“Yeah, Mom’s recipe.” He reached over the bar and took her dishes before rinsing them in the sink. “Sure I can’t get you anything else?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you, though. You’ve been great.”
“My mom would kick my ass into next week if she knew I’d been inhospitable.”
More questions were on the tip of her tongue. But her head started to get fuzzy again, and going back to bed sounded like heaven.
She slid slowly off the stool, trying to make sure her stomach didn’t protest too loudly. Slow movements. So far, so good.
“I’m going to get back to bed.” She lifted a hand to the side of her head. “My head’s starting to pound again. I really appreciate you helping me, Aidan.”
“You’re welcome.” He pushed off the counter and came up behind her. When she turned to look up at him, he smiled. “Just here to make sure you don’t fall down.” He ran a fingertip down her cheek, his eyes clouded with concern. “You look pale again.”
It wasn’t much contact, but that slight touch from him sped up her pulse and made her breath come a bit faster. She swallowed hard and looked away from the stare that captivated her. “Th-thank you.”
Shit, stammering. Again.
She turned and walked down the short hall, back to his bedroom. He stopped at the doorway and leaned against it. Grateful he didn’t come any closer, she slid under the covers and pulled them up to her chin.
“Let me know if you need anything,” he said, reaching in and shutting off the lamp.
She nodded. “Good night, Aidan.”
“Good night, Megan.”
When the door closed with a soft thump, she let out a sigh. This was so not part of the plan. She could only hope her head would heal quickly, her car repairs would be swift, and she could get the hell out of Madison Ridge before she lost anything else.
Because the more she was around Aidan, the more she found she did have something to lose.
Six
No Vacancy
He was in deep shit.
With a heavy sigh, he kicked his sock-covered feet up along the deck railing, pushing off to make the chair rock. He sipped his coffee and let the silence of the air settle around him. The cool October mountain air was a welcome feeling. At least he had that going for him.
Nothing since he met Megan had gone as planned. There was something about her that he just couldn’t say no to. Obviously, since he barely knew the woman and she was sleeping in his bed. Actually sleeping. No sex involved.
And wasn’t that just the irony of it all? He wouldn’t call himself a ladies’ man. He didn’t have women throwing themselves at him like his brother Del did, and after some of the crazy things he’d seen, he was thankful for it. But he’d also never had a problem getting a woman between the sheets when he wanted one.
Lately, he hadn’t wanted one. At least, none that were in this town.
Unfortunately, now that he had no time to pay attention to a woman, one had snagged his attention and wouldn’t let go. If he didn’t start watching the way his dick got in on the thinking process, he’d be in some serious shit. He couldn’t be interim part-time sheriff during one of the town’s peak seasons and let his libido run the show.
The sunlight began to peek over the mountains out along the horizon. Aidan watched the sunrise every morning since he was always up before it, whether he needed to be or not. It was comforting to watch though, in spite of the riot of emotions running around in his head. The burst of sunlight turned the green of the mountains into an emerald sea.
A few minutes into the show by Mother Nature and a couple of deep breaths later—he’d never let his mother know he was using her meditation techniques—his mind began to quiet. Another twenty-four hours and he could get back to normal. Megan would move into the inn and finish out her time there while her car was fixed. And then she’d be on her way to Florida and whatever life she was headed to. Madison Ridge would be a distant memory.
Feeling a bit more settled that he’d be back to being solo again soon, he stood and walked inside. When he closed the back door, movement came from the kitchen. He blew out a breath, his pulse racing.
See? This is why he was looking forward to her moving on as soon as she was feeling better.
He walked through the living room and into the kitchen, where the fridge door was open with Megan bending over. All he could see was her ass. And it was a fine ass.
Fuck. He didn’t want to scare her but he also couldn’t just stand there ogling her ass.
He cleared his throat so as not to startle her like he had the night before. At the sound, she lifted up and whirled around. He was grateful she didn’t smack her head on the fridge door before spinning around.
