Page 38 of Demure
“That would be preferable, yes,” Aodhan answered, his voice husky in a way that made goosebumps appear on Sierra’s skin.
Knowing that now wasn’t the time to try a repeat of last night, even though other parts of her body disagreed with that sentiment, Sierra grabbed her second towel from the bathroom cabinet and handed it to him on her way across the room. “Here you go.”
Aodhan disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack as she had. As soon as she heard the water running, Sierra moved to her dresser, dropping her towel to pull on jeans and a long-sleeved turtleneck sweater. She swapped the towel to her head, hoping her hair would dry a bit before she had to head to her lab.
With a glance at the clock, Sierra confirmed she had another hour until she would be late. For the first time in a while, she was glad she didn’t have any early lectures. While later lectures made it harder to arrange shifts at the library, at least she didn’t have to worry about the fact that she hadn’t set an alarm before falling asleep during her mental meltdown the night before.
Remembering that it was morning and that Aodhan might want breakfast, Sierra moved to her kitchen corner to see what she could scrounge up. One glance at the half-sized fridge in her tiny kitchen confirmed it was indeed nearly empty, and the cabinets were just as bare. With a grimace, Sierra started the hot water potand grabbed two tea bags and two granola bars from her snack stash. It would have to do.
She turned around, only to come into contact with a wide, chiseled, and slightly damp chest. Sierra dropped the tea bags and the granola bars, lifting her chin to meet Aodhan’s green eyes, which were burning with desire.
Aodhan ducked, pressing his lips to hers in a kiss that left her breathless. The kiss continued until the hot water kettle beeped, and Sierra reluctantly tore herself away. Aodhan backed up a step, but Sierra could see he was clearly aroused by their morning interaction. But before she could come up with something else to say, the hot water kettle beeped a second time, furious that Sierra hadn’t pressed the off button yet, and she had to turn away.
When she turned back, she saw Aodhan’s back as he stepped back into the bathroom, closing the door to assumably get dressed.
Sierra gathered the tea bags and granola bars from the floor, setting them on the table, before filling two mugs with hot water. By the time she was finished putting the tea bags in, Aodhan was back and fully dressed in the same clothes he had been wearing the night before.
“Are you working today?” he asked as he slid into the chair, pushing his damp curls from where they fell in front of his eyes.
She shook her head. “No, I have a lab and a lecture today. Are you working?”
He shook his head as well. “No, I’m off today.”
Sierra thought maybe the sentence would end with an invitation to spend time together that night, but the silence stretched through her kitchen.
“So, when will I see you again?” she asked, as she unwrapped her granola bar and took a bite.
“I want to take you on a date. Tomorrow night, maybe?”
Sierra’s eyes widened. “Okay,” she breathed.
Aodhan placed his hand on hers. “Are you working?”
Sierra was glad one of them still had some sense because allthoughts of her job had left her head at his mention of a date. “Oh yes, I’m closing.” She winced.
“No problem,” he assured her. “This is Dublin, we can do a late-night date when you get off.”
“Sounds perfect,” Sierra replied, her mouth full of granola bar.
“Okay, see you then.” As soon as she swallowed, Aodhan leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips. “Did you want me to walk you to class?”
Sierra thought about it for a moment. While she enjoyed their walks together, she also enjoyed walking alone, having just some time for herself and her thoughts. Plus, after the previous night, she definitely needed some space. “I’ll be okay on my own.”
“Alright,” Aodhan leaned in to press a second kiss to her lips. “Have a good day at class, okay?” Sierra nodded in response as Aodhan disappeared from view.
It must be nice to practically teleport everywhere, Sierra thought as she stood to get ready to walk to class. She looked down to see he hadn’t touched his tea or the granola bar, and Sierra realized he probably had a breakfast buffet waiting for him at home. Oh well, more for her. Sierra grabbed the second granola bar, slipping it into her messenger bag before heading out the door for her lab. She couldn’t wait to see what Aodhan had in mind for their date.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sierra floated through her day, unable to stay focused during her lab, thoughts of Aodhan flitting every which way in her brain. As a result, she very nearly burned her partner with the hydrochloric acid they were working with when she spilled their bottle of it mid-experiment. Though she apologized profusely, her lab partner was less than enthusiastic, and Sierra knew she probably wouldn’t be willing to work with her again.
Ah well, that was future Sierra’s problem.
Sierra’s mind drifted just as much, if not more, during the following lecture, making her feel like a high school girl again. Sierra wasn’t a virgin by any means, but she hadn’t been this consumed by the thought of sleeping with a guy, or almost sleeping with a guy, in years. She wished now that she had some kind of best girlfriend because she would love to text her and get her thoughts on the entire situation. Sierra briefly thought of texting Aodhan to get Kaye’s number, but then realized it was too new of a friendship for that kind of conversation just yet.
Sierra must not have been the only one wishing they had spent more time together the night before, because when Sierra exited her classroom after her lecture, she found Aodhan leaningup against the wall outside, his eyes trained on the door she had just exited.
“Aodhan!” she said, her voice conveying her shock as it rose to a higher pitch than usual. “What are you doing here?” Although she was shocked, this didn’t stop a smile from spreading across her face.
