Page 206 of The Compass Series

AIDEN

I arrived at Hailee’s place before she made it home.

Penny was on her way out for the night as I showed up.

She let me in, so I sat on the steps inside the bakery that led up to her apartment.

My feet tapped rapidly against the wooden steps as I waited for her.

I created different scenarios of the conversation we’d have once she arrived.

Of how I’d convince her to give me a shot again, to give us a real chance.

How I’d give up everything, every penny, every dime of my career if it meant I could have her forever.

That was all I wanted—forever. Forever with her.

I wasn’t thinking straight. Why was forever even crossing my mind when I should’ve been trying to make it to our next conversation? Why did the idea of forever always show up when it came to Hailee Jones?

When she arrived, she had a bag of groceries in her hands. She looked confused as she stared my way. “Aiden. What are you doing here? You shouldn’t?—”

“I’m pissed at you,” I blurted out.

She arched an eyebrow. “That seems to be a reoccurring event between the two of us lately. Can I ask why you’re pissed this time around?”

“Why did you break up with me?”

She raised an eyebrow. “I thought we decided we weren’t going to rehash that anymore and?—”

“Why did you break up with me, Hailee?”

Her bottom lip trembled. She was nervous. She looked down at the floor, unable to hold eye contact. “Aiden…”

“Did my father tell you to end things with me?”

Her shocked expression when her head rose told me everything I needed to know.

The way her eyes glazed over and emotions hit her spoke volumes.

“After that Thanksgiving years ago, things were hard. My life was messy, and your father thought with my messiness, I’d screw up your world.

That was the last thing I ever wanted to do, and when you mentioned you were going to turn down that role to stay back with me, I knew had to break up with you. ”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I did.” She nodded. “I wasn’t going to let you ruin your career because of my issues.”

“I would’ve quit acting.”

“Which is why I did what I did. I wasn’t going to be the reason your dreams didn’t come true.”

I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’m pissed off. Mostly because I know if the roles were reversed, I would’ve done the same thing. I would’ve wanted you to have your dreams come true. I just wish you had realized that my dream wasn’t acting. It never has been and never will be.”

“What? Of course, it’s your dream.”

“No. Hailee… my dream was you.”

Tears streamed down her eyes as realization settled in that the greatest dream I’d ever dreamed was the one with the two of us together.

She parted her lips, but before she could speak another word, I took the bag from her hands, set it down, then wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into a kiss.

I kissed her hard so she could feel my soul.

I kissed her to apologize for all the kisses we missed.

I kissed her for so long that I no longer knew if we were two separate beings.

I pushed her against the stair railing and kept kissing her.

The best part about it? She kissed me back.

She kissed me with the same intensity, with the same heat, with the same love.

Love. It was there. She didn’t have to say it, and neither did I, but the love was there, and it was strong. It was no secret that Hailee and I were made for one another. I’d be damned if I ever allowed the universe to create another second when we were not together.

Before we knew it, our clothes were being tossed to the side.

I tasted every inch of her skin against that staircase, and she tasted every inch of mine.

My heart was racing fast, pounding erratically against my chest. I unhooked her bra with two flicks of my fingers and let it fall.

She unzipped my jeans and slid them and my boxers down in one movement.

My cock was hard as a rock, ready and willing for the opportunity to slide deep inside her.

Next came her pants, followed by her panties.

I pressed myself against her, rubbing her clit with my dick that was wide awake, awaiting permission to proceed.

I wrapped my hands around her ass cheeks and lifted her against the stair railing.

Our eyes locked and without words, she gave me one nod. Permission granted.

I slid into her and groaned from her tightness. The way she squeezed against me made me feel like I’d entered the greatest euphoria, and I had no desire to leave.

Her hands fell against my chest.

My hands stayed tightly wrapped around her.

It was everything I wanted.

All I wanted was to hold her…

Making love to Hailee against that staircase felt like every daydream I’d had over the past five years. My mind couldn’t stop focusing on how good it felt. I couldn’t slow down my thrusts. I couldn’t stop myself from...

“Shit,” I said, squeezing my eyes shut. “I’m sorry, Hailee, I can’t hold back. I’m going to…”

“Come now,” she ordered, wrapping her arms around my neck. She ground against me as we locked eyes. “Come for me, Aiden, please,” she begged, and well… As you wish, my everything.

I came hard and fast, sweat dripping down my body as I held her against me. I trembled as I kept thrusting after my own pleasure had been met. I kept sliding in and out for a few strokes, seeing how much she was still enjoying it.

When I reached my limit, I slid three fingers inside her. She moaned, tossing her head back a little to rest it against the wall. She took both her hands and gripped the railing to steady herself as my fingers went to town inside her. My thumb rubbed her clit as I pressed my mouth against hers.

“Now it’s your turn,” I ordered, my voice hoarse as my fingers worked their magic. “Come for me, Hailee,” I commanded. Nothing was better than seeing her like this. Nothing was better than pleasing her and watching her enjoy every single moment of it.

“Aiden,” she breathed out, her voice dripping with need, with want. “Right there, right there, please, yes, right there,” she moaned, shutting her eyes.

I felt her core grip my fingers as she let out a loud scream when she climaxed. My fingers pulsed with her body as she let herself unfold against me.

After she finished, I removed my hands from her body.

“Geez… that was…” I was out of breath as I lowered Hailee’s body to the steps. I sat beside her, trying to collect the words for what it was that I’d just felt. “That was?—”

“That was, uh, okay. That’s not what I expected.”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “I agree.”

“Okay, well. I have to go.”

“Wait, what?”

“That, this…” She waved her hands around, gesturing toward her and myself. “This was a lot, and um, I think my brain is overheating. Therefore, I need to take a second to process this all because, uh, yeah.” She started gathering her groceries. “Okay. We’ll talk later. Okay? Okay. Yeah. Okay.”

“You’re freaking out.”

“I am not freaking out!” she shouted. She paused, then took a breath. “Okay, I am, but that’s completely okay. I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m okay.”

“Here, let me help you.” I started to reach for one item, and she snatched it up before I could grab it.

“No!” she ordered, shaking the beef kielbasa stick my way. “Stay back.”

Something about her shaking a sausage stick at me was oddly humorous, but I didn’t laugh due to her current panic attack. “Why do I have to stay back?”

“Because when you come near me, I can’t really think straight. And in order for me to process this, I have to think straight.”

I snickered a little. “You’re being dramatic, Jerry.”

Her eyes widened and glassed over. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Don’t call me Jerry.”

“Why not?”

She swallowed hard. “Because it makes me want to cry after not hearing it for so long.”

That tugged at my heart.

Slow down, heart. You haven’t beat this much in years.

“Please don’t cry,” I urged.

She pushed out a smile. “Okay, I won’t.”

“Jerry,” I whispered. “You’re crying.”

She lightly chuckled. “Let’s not act like it’s shocking that I’m emotional.” I took a step toward her, and she halted me again. “Please, Aiden. I need a little time to process this. That’s all.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Take all the time you need.” I’d waited five years to hold her again. I could wait a little bit longer.

“All right. Well, uh, it was great seeing you. You look great like, uh…” She waved her hand, gesturing toward my body. “You look great. Okay, cool. Have a good night. Goodbye.” Her words were soaked in awkwardness as she scurried into her apartment, slamming the door shut behind her.

There I was, completely butt naked on the steps of the Joneses’ bakery, feeling like I’d been spun around in a hurricane of emotions. Yet the strongest one I was feeling after the interaction with Hailee was happiness. I didn’t know I could still feel such a thing.

“Fucking hell,” a person muttered.

I looked up to find Hailee’s father standing in front of me with his hands full of loaves of bread. “Oh shit!” I shouted, reaching across the steps and grabbing my T-shirt to cover my privates. “Hey, Karl,” I muttered, probably fifty shades of red. As if that day couldn’t get odder.

“I’ve had nightmares that started this way,” he grumbled. “It looks like you and Hailee are reconnecting. Unless you’re just waiting on her steps naked for some reason.”

“No, I mean, yeah, I mean, I, uh, I’m going to get dressed and go now.”

“Probably a solid idea. I’ll make sure to sanitize the steps once you’re gone.” Karl began walking to the back of his bakery but called out my name. “Aiden?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t break her heart, or I’ll have to rip yours out.”

“She was the one who broke my heart last time.”

“I hear you, I do, but that girl is my heartbeats. So again. Don’t break her heart, or I’ll have to rip yours out.”

Fair enough.

“And Aiden?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Put on your damn boxers. People can walk by the windows and see your balls.”

“Right, of course. It’s good to see you again, Karl,” I said, reaching out a hand toward him for a shake.

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “There’s no way I’m touching your hand. I’m honestly going to go bleach my brain and pretend this interaction never happened so I’m able to sleep tonight.”

Fair enough.