Page 23 of Unmasking Love (D.C. Renegades #1)

“Sure,” I say around a yawn and I watch as he slides into his boxers and leaves the room. My heavy eyelids fall closed and I hear him come back into the room. He sets the water down and strides to the bathroom. The water runs once, turns off, then runs again and he walks back into the room.

I o pen my eyes when Aiden pulls the sheet down and gently passes a washcloth over my thighs and pussy. He covers me back up, tosses the washcloth into the bathroom and climbs into bed behind me.

He kisses my shoulder and I murmur “good night” to him through my sleepy haze.

I faintly hear him reply but am too sleepy to process the words.

***

I inhale as I wake and feel Aiden’s palm, heavy on my hip but we’re not touching anywhere else. I hope he’s not offended that I didn’t want to cuddle all night.

The effort of blinking my eyes open is paired with the pain of having slept in my contacts. My eyes burn and I swear I hear them crunch. I pop my eye lid by lifting my lashes and it helps for a moment but on the second blink the contact pops out of my eye.

“Shit.” I curse under my breath. I pinch my eye closed and walk to the bathroom. It’s not ideal but a little water should at least help me get it back in so I’m not blind as I try to leave Aiden’s later.

Gosh, how unsexy is this.

I laugh to myself because I know Wes will love this story. Make some pirate joke about me.

When I turn on the light in the bathroom I make out the shape of a travel bottle of contact solution and a case sitting on the counter. These things were not here when I washed up last night.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, especially when my eyeballs hurt, I quickly open the container and take my contacts out.

Just fifteen minutes in the solution will be amazing.

When I step back into Aiden’s room h e’s awake and sitting up against the headboard.

I can’t see details but the outline of him is still plenty delicious.

“Morning,” I smile and hook a thumb over my shoulder to ask him about the eyecare that magically appeared.

“Is that the right stuff?” He asks before I can. “For your contacts?” He clarifies.

“Oh, yeah, it was actually. When did you–. Umm, thanks.”

“No problem, I’m glad it worked.” I can’t quite connect with his eyes but his subtle head movements indicate he is taking me in. “You hungry?”

“Yeah, but I can just get dressed and go. Get out of your way.”

“Nonsense,” he dismisses. “Here, catch.” And suddenly my head is covered in dark fabric. He starts laughing. “Sorry! I forgot about the impaired vision thing.”

I pull the t-shirt off my face and give him a saccharine smile.

But as I slip it over my head I catch his smokey pine scent in the cotton and I’m washed back to being with him last night.

To his arm around me as I drifted off to sleep.

How he resettled me in the blankets halfway through the night and kept a hand on my hip. My body warms anew with the memories.

He slips past me into the bathroom and I turn and sit on the edge of the bed. My fingers play with the hem of the Renegades t-shirt and my mind reels.

I’ve never slept with someone on the first date before.

Was last night even a date?

It kind of felt like it, but also it felt spontaneous.

I’ve never experienced that level of lust.

Is that all this is?

When the bathroom door opens I spring upright. I’m not sure if this was a date or just a hookup but either way I’m not sure how to act. I don’t want him to regret this and, honestly I’d be willing to see where it goes between us, but that’s too much to share with him after one night together.

One night in bed but not on a date.

“How do you like your coffee, Harper?” Aiden asks as he walks out of the room.

“Oh, however you make it is fine.” I tell him with a smile. I follow him out to the kitchen and start to get my bearings. I squint and make out my shirt folded on the arm of the sofa and there is a delivery bag from the supermarket on the counter.

“I’ve got a fancy espresso machine and I mostly use it to pull shots. You don’t strike me as a straight espresso kind of girl, so what’ll it be Harper? I’ve got half and half, almond milk and oat milk and some local honey I can drizzle in for a little sweetness.”

“Wow, fancy. I’m not picky so make what you want.” I think I could drink wet cement if the view involved shirtless Aiden. Even without my contacts in, my memory fills in the blanks.

“Mhmm,” he hums and then pulls his phone out of the pocket of his joggers. After sending a text he looks back up to me. “And I usually have a protein shake for breakfast but I got the fixings for-”

“A shake is fine for me. And, I can, you know, head out whenever.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “I was planning to drive you home and return Felix’s car after breakfast. Maybe take a shower first.”

“That works but I can also call a Lyft. It’s no trouble.” I assure him. Why is he making me make so many choices? I don’t know what he wants me to say! This feels like a pop quiz and I hate feeling unprepared.

“What do you want to do, Harper?” I catch a break when his phone buzzes and he looks down to read the text. He types out a quick reply and then starts to work at the espresso machine. My lucky streak continues when I hear my phone ringing in my purse.

“Hi, Wes,” I say and walk back into Aiden’s bedroom.

“I know something you don’t know!” Wes taunts.

“Umm, same.” I say as I bite my lip.

“ Me first!” Wes exclaims. “I just got a text from a broody hockey player asking what your favorite coffee drink is. I think you’re about to get a surprise latte delivery!”

“Wait, what? He texted you?” I whisper as quietly as I can before moving further away from the kitchen.

“Wait.”

“Wes.”

“Har.”

“I stayed over at Aiden’s last night.” I say all on one exhale from the privacy of his bathroom.

“How?” Wes asks.

“He invited me out to the club for Bryson’s birthday and so I got dressed and went.” I hold the phone with my shoulder as I pop in my rehydrated contacts.

“And then what, you tripped and fell into his bed?”

“No.” I laugh. “At the club he held my hand, and we danced, and kissed, and then he brought me back to his place, where I stayed over.”

“Please for the love of sweet baby cheeses tell me you fucked him.”

“I did.” And I press my lips together to contain my grin. “Twice.”

“Damn, Harper! Good job.” I can almost hear the impressed nodding accompanying his words. “But wait, why is he asking me for your coffee order?”

Leave it to Wes to hit the nail on the head.

“Because I told him I’d drink it however he did.”

“Harper,” Wes says, disappointed.

“What? I didn’t want to be difficult. And now you’ve probably given him my drink order with all the modifications and he’ll know I like my coffee so diluted you can’t even taste the coffee. He was going to make me an espresso shot.”

Wes barks out a laugh.

“ Shut up. I would have choked it down.” Probably.

“I can’t wait to tell my therapist about this.”

“Why do you talk about me at your therapy appointments?”

“Honey, most of the advice I’ve been able to dispense to you comes from Dr. Walter.”

“Tell him hello for me then.” I sigh. Wes has informed me, many times, that Dr. Walter is concerned about my people pleasing tendencies and thinks I haven’t fully recovered from traumatic experiences in my developmental years.

If only he knew.

“I will, I’m gonna let you get back to your puck boy.”

“Shut up.”

“Never.” Wes says and then he adds in a serious tone. “Harper, this could be really good, go with the flow.”

“I’ll try.”