Page 53 of The Fall Fix Up

Oh, hell. There was no way to fight against Aiden when he got that look in his eyes and he seemed so damn sincere. Before she could stop herself, Janae lifted up on her toes and softly pressed her lips to his again. The kiss was a little off, and his lips were a little chapped from the wind, but the way it made her feel was perfect. If not for giggles coming from behind her, she might have lost herself fully to it. As it was, she pulled away in time to see Aiden’s radiant smile as he looked down at her. They both glanced over when two older women passed by, holding a pumpkin each and giggling while looking at them.

“You two make the cutest couple,” one woman said while her friend nodded enthusiastically.

Janae froze, her cheeks hot. Aiden looked just as surprised, but then he chuckled and pointed at her. “She’s the cuter of the two of us, without a doubt.”

That shook Janae from her stupor, and she snorted before swatting lightly at him. “Don’t encourage them.”

“What? They’re not wrong,” he reiterated. “We would make the cutest couple, and you are undeniably way cuter than me.”

She shook her head but had to turn away quickly to hide the smile that stretched her lips. By the time they picked out the pumpkins to bring home, she’d nearly forgotten all the complications in her life. She happily wrapped her arms around Aiden’s middle before they roared back out of the farm parking lot. She enjoyed the vibrations more this time and was able to get a full view of the trees and their gorgeous warm display. When they got to the café, she almost didn’t want to stop.

With a hot apple cider in hand and a plate of warm donuts, she couldn’t stop thinking about how this was her perfect date. Her ex, Peter, would have hated it. There was nothing flashy here and no one to be seen by. He would have talked so much shit about the place that eventually she would have just said they could go somewhere else, probably ending up somewhere that required a ball gown and an endowment. Being at the café with Aiden was pretty amazing, and when their fingers brushed as they both reached for their donuts, the spark that danced over her skin left her much warmer than before. Then again, maybe it was the way he looked at her when she talked—like she was saying something profound that he couldn’t bear to miss—that had her wishing the day would never end. When they were back at the bike, donuts and cider eaten with extras packed in a bag to bring home to Braeden, she stopped him.

“Aiden, thank you for today.”

He tilted his head and looked at her in confusion. “Why are you thanking me?”

She smiled. “Because it was kind of perfect. I mean, it would have been fine if I came alone, but with you . . . it was really something. I had fun.”

“Of course. I’m awesome,” he joked, chuckling when she swatted at him. His expression turned a little serious, but his smile remained. “Thanks for letting me come with you. I know I just sort of bulldozed my way into your plans for the day, but—”

“You didn’t,” she cut in, shaking her head. “I’m glad.”

With the way he was looking at her, she had to kiss him again. Aiden took a step closer, his hands coming up to cup her cheeks. Their warmth spread through her and she curled her arms around his waist. The world continued around them but all she cared about was tasting more of the apple cider from his lips and enjoying the thrum of electricity spreading over her skin, spreading across every place he touched. When they finally did part, they were both breathless. This close, Janae could see that his cheeks were dusted with pink.

“I will take you to all the pumpkin patches if the end result is you kissing me like that,” Aiden said, his voice rough.

“Deal.”

Chapter 21

The house settled around him and Aiden sighed as he rolled onto his back. The afternoon with Janae had been more perfect than any date he’d had in years. He stared up at the ceiling, smile affixed on his face as he tucked an arm behind his head.

The pumpkin patch had been a blast, and he was glad he’d made it there this year. The way Janae laughed when he said something funny had stuck with him long after they’d gotten back. The smell of cider clung to him, and it reminded him of her expression when the first bite of cider hit her tongue. He’d nearly bitten through his own lip as he thought about chasing the flavor onto her tongue. She was temptation personified and she didn’t even seem to know it. It was a conundrum that fascinated him.

He liked her. A lot. He liked the way he felt when he was around her. He thought about the way she fit into his days so easily and how, whenever he taught her something new about house maintenance, she always parroted it back like she really wanted to imprint the lesson onto her soul. She listened to him—really listened. It made him want to tell her things, even the small, trivial things that floated through his mind randomly. But even as he thought about how she would no doubt listen, shadows of doubt crept in.

He still needed to deal with his dad and the credit situation. He’d tried calling when they’d gotten home today, but his dad hadn’t picked up, and by the time he sat in bed, his call still hadn’t been returned. The idea of trying him again filled Aiden with guilt, a feeling at war with the fact that his credit would sink even further with every passing week.

Aiden exhaled slowly to calm the frantic thump of his heart. There wasn’t a lot he could do right now. He could handle it in the morning. He always managed to handle things. Fixing broken stuff was his whole deal and this was just another problem that needed solving. It would be fine.

A sound drifted in from the hallway, and he glanced over at his door. He listened, wondering if it was just the house settling, until he heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps against wood. Curious, he sat up and swung his legs out of bed. When he opened his bedroom door, the hallway was quiet and dark, but he could hear shuffling from out in the kitchen. He followed it, footsteps quiet and careful until he reached the doorway. He narrowed his eyes as he peered in.

“Janae?”

She jumped, turning around and brandishing a fork. When she saw it was him, she let out a loud breath. “Aiden. You scared the mess out of me.”

He raised his hands. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to. Are you okay?”

She blinked at him and laughed softly. “I’m fine. Just wanted a midnight snack so I came to pilfer half a donut.” She held it up with a sheepish grin. “Do you want to share it with me? I would’ve asked Braeden, but she is out like a light.”

“I will gladly take the other half,” he replied. He walked over to the counter and took the offered treat. The donut was still soft, the cinnamon sticking to his fingers.

They ate in comfortable silence. When he finished, he glanced over in time to see Janae lick her fingers in a way that should have been illegal. It had him remembering their night together and how she’d looked at him with a hunger that had him tightening in his pajama pants.

“Well, I should probably . . .”

He nodded. “Yeah. Same.”