Page 49 of Clear Shot

“Easy, baby.” Aiden is next to me in an instant, hand at my waist. “Just some thunder.”

“I wasn’t expecting it to be so loud,” I whisper, shivering a little.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve never been through a hurricane but it’s not like I’ve never heard thunder before. We get thunderstorms here all the time. In Philadelphia, too.

“You think it’s going to be as bad as they say?” I ask, leaning into his touch.

“If it hits as a category 5, yes. It will be devastating to the entire community.”

I shudder again, this time with genuine concern. Not for myself so much as the rest of the city because like most large cities, there are quite a few poverty-stricken areas, trailer parks, and people who live on the coast who don’t have the protection we do here at Remy’s multi-million-dollar estate.

“Let’s try to rest,” he says. “The worst will probably be in the morning.”

“Okay.” I slide into bed and he disappears into the bathroom.

I must have dozed off because a crack of thunder loud enough to shake the house wakes me with a start. I sit straight up in bed, heart pounding against my ribcage, and I feel Aiden stir beside me.

“It’s okay.” His voice is raspy from sleep but he reaches out a hand, resting it on my thigh.

“Scared the crap out of me,” I admit.

“Come here.” He holds out his arms and without hesitation, I lie back down and curl against him. “I’ve got you,” he whispers, lips against my forehead. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

There’s nothing he can do if the wind rips the roof off the house, but I believe him anyway. He might not be able to save me if something like that happens, but I know he would probably die trying.

With my head in the crook of his shoulder and his arms around me, I feel safer and warmer than I have in a longtime. I can tell by his uneven breaths he’s not sleeping, and neither am I. I’m calm now, no longer frightened by the howling wind, cracks of thunder or flashes of lightning I get glimpses of through the slits in the shutters.

There are a million other places I could be right now, but for some reason, this is the only place I want to be. I couldn’t imagine leaving Aiden here and flying off to safety when the opportunity presented itself. No matter how much it annoyed my brother.

I shift restlessly, suddenly finding it difficult to sleep.

Aiden’s strong, muscular body is a whole new level of temptation, and though I’d love it if he made the first move, I know he won’t. If there’s a move to be made, it’s going to have to be me who makes it.

Slowly, I run my hand down the side of his chest, fingers light against his warm, bare skin. I slide one of my legs between his and I’m aware the moment he realizes what I’m doing. His body tenses for a moment, and then strong fingers curl into my hair, tilting my head back just enough for him to look at me.

“What are you doing, baby?”

“I think you know.”

“I thought we decided…” His voice trails, and I nod.

“I changed my mind.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Hana.”

“I’m a grown woman. And this is something I want.”

Neither of us moves, eyes locked together, as the storm rages outside. Wind and thunder and the rattling of shutters are the background music to whatever is about to happen between us.

“Aiden.” My voice sounds funny—thick with sleep and emotion and lust. “Kiss me.”

“If I start, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop,” he whispers, golden eyes boring into mine.

“If I wanted you to stop, I wouldn’t have started this. I need you, Aiden.”

“Fuck.” The curse is soft but powerful, because he uses both hands on the sides of my face to drag it closer to his. Then he kisses me.

His lips are warm and gentle, but firm and possessive, like he’s taking something that’s his. Like this was inevitable.