Page 39 of On The Run

I couldn’t breathe, the barely there kiss replaying in my mind repeatedly. It wasn’t my first kiss, but it was the first one with anyone who meant anything to me at all, and it was over so fast, it was hard to believe it really happened.

Max took my chin, and before I could get completely lost in my head, his mouth met mine again. This time, though, it wasn’t an innocent brush of our lips. This was all passion, all possession. Max was staking his claim on me, and all I could do was hold on as he plundered my mouth. The rest of the world disappeared with that kiss. All the worries about the sperm donor, about Pops, about taking that next step with Max just dissolved as Max absolutely dominated me.

When he finally pulled away, my brain was mush, and my dick was pushing painfully up against my jeans. Max gripped my chin, pulling my focus back to him. “We’ll continue this conversation later, baby.”

And then, with one last small brush to my lips, Max walked away and out of Gray’s room, calling to his son like nothing even happened. I was left standing alone, surrounded by action figures and dinosaurs, no air in my lungs, my dick trying to burst free from my clothing, and an emotion I’d never felt for anyone, outside of a fatherly love for Pops, battering at my chest.

Chapter18

Max

Hours later,I still tasted Aiden on my lips. No amounts of Chinese food or beer could erase him. It was so Aiden too—a combination of coffee and that bitter dark chocolate that was in the trail mix he was always eating. I had a feeling the memory of his lips on mine would be with me long after today, even if he never kissed me again.

It’d been a whirlwind of a day, and I knew Aiden was feeling it too. Somehow, we went from Aiden withdrawing from me at the library, telling me to leave, to here. If someone asked, I couldn’t even say what happened or what changed, but I was grateful for it. That wasn’t to say that I didn’t know how precarious this situation was. I wouldn’t take that kiss for granted because I was very well aware that Aiden may panic any time now and be out of my life before I could say a word.

I wouldn’t give up that easily though. I wasn’t lying when I told Aiden he had his hooks in me and I wasn’t going anywhere. Right now, though, I was going to enjoy the moment and having Aiden in my home. I was supposed to hang out with Bronx tonight, but I texted while Aiden was playing with Gray to make himself scarce. Being the amazing friend he was, he offered to pick up Gray, but I declined. I had a feeling that Aiden was using Gray as a lifeline and taking that away from him would be too fast too soon and send him into a tailspin.

There was an underlying layer of nerves running through both of us. I could see it every time Aiden glanced at me from the corner of his eye as we washed the dishes together.

I felt like he wanted to say something, but every time he opened his mouth, he closed it just as quickly.

“You know you can talk to me about anything, right? I won’t be upset or judge you.” I tried to keep my tone casual, so Aiden didn’t feel pressured.

“I, uh. Um, thank you for this. For being so understanding. And, you know, the kiss.”

Aiden looked at me from under his lashes, smiling shyly. He didn’t have product in his hair today, so the long part was falling forward and into his eyes, giving him the illusion of being shy and innocent.

“I should be thanking you for the kiss, baby. It was something special.”

Aiden’s grin got even wider as he squirmed where he was standing. Fuck, I just wanted to throw him over my shoulder and onto my bed. It was a new feeling for me honestly. I’d never been overly possessive of my partners or ever felt controlled by my passion, but Aiden awakened this new part of me—a lot of new parts of me.

Walking away from Aiden in Gray’s bedroom had to be one of the hardest things I’d ever done. But if I didn’t walk away then, I’d have taken him right then and there, in my kid’s bedroom, and that was a line I wasn’t willing to cross. I almost walked in on my parents once as a kid, and I was traumatized for life. I was going to do my best not to scar Gray too much.

I was hard as a rock though, and I knew Aiden was too. Thankfully, Gray was just a little too young to catch on and obliviously went about his business none the wiser of what almost happened.

Music was playing through the speakers I had installed in the house. Aiden heard about one song during dinner, rolled his eyes, and demanded that I hand him my phone. After about five minutes, a new, Aiden-approved playlist was blasting. It didn’t matter if I hated every single song; I knew that it would be on repeat for quite a while, even after he went home.

I shut off the water and put down the rag, stepping closer to Aiden. He was pretending to stay relaxed, but his breath hitched as I stepped into his space. I nuzzled against his jawline and up to his ear, my stubble rubbing along his smooth cheeks. This close, I could see the shiver as it ran underneath his skin.

“I need to get Gray to bed soon. Will you stay?”

His breath was ragged, like I just said something filthy to him rather than an innocent comment. My lips dragged along his cheek and down his neck. Aiden tilted his head, giving me better access, an automatic response without thinking about it.

I should feel bad that his lust was overriding his overactive brain right now, but I didn’t. I’d never do anything he wasn’t ready for, but if I could just get him to relax enough that he’d stay for us to have a conversation without little ears wandering about, I’d take it.

My teeth grazed his collarbone when finally, Aiden nodded his agreement, completely breathless. “Yes,” he whispered, his fingers digging into my kitchen counter as he arched back, trying to touch me.

The relief I felt was instant. I was trying to play it cool, but I was honestly fucking terrified he’d say no. I didn’t know why I wanted him to stay so badly. I just had this feeling that if he walked out of the door, I was never going to see him again, and I just couldn’t accept that as a viable option.

I nipped at his neck, absolutely relishing his reactions. He was already so receptive, and we hadn’t done anything yet. It was killing me, especially knowing there was a very good chance the only attention I’d be getting was my own fist tonight. It’d been so long since I’d been with anyone, so I was riled, and that was multiplied by 1,000 because it was Aiden and everything about this man turned me on.

“Wait for me.” I kissed the top of his head, breathing in his coconut-scented shampoo. I only indulged for a second, not wanting to waste any time. I quickly left and went to get Gray before Aiden had a chance to say anything, silently praying he’d still be here when I was done.

Gray was talking a mile a minute through his bath and brushing his teeth and story time, overly hyped about Aiden being here. A year ago, Gray barely said two words to me—or to anyone. And now, he was just like every overly sugared, highly excited 6-year-old. With every regret and every self-doubt I had regarding Gray, seeing this at least showed me I was doing something right.

It seemed to take forever but finally, Gray’s eyelids started to become heavy and I could see him drifting. I tucked his blankets up around him and kissed his forehead. “Goodnight, Gray. I love you.”

He smiled sleepily up at me. “G’night, Daddy. I love you too.”

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