Текст книги "Never Say Never"

Автор книги: Emily Goodwin

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 20 страниц)

Chapter 16

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I say, staring down the doctor.

“I’m sorry, but no. You have pneumonia.”

“It’s the middle of July,” I say, like that will change the diagnosis. “People don’t get pneumonia in the summer.”

He takes the stethoscope out of his ears. “They do, more often than you’d think. And you said you spent several hours in a cold river?”

I nod. It was more than just hours, and the river wasn’t cold, it was fucking freezing. Yet we had to get the scene perfect. My chest hurts when I inhale, and I have a nasty cough. I don’t feel that bad though. I can still go out with Haley tonight. “Two days in a row,” I add.

The doctor nods and writes a prescription. “You need to rest. You’re showing signs of fatigue too,” he says, and that doesn’t surprise me. Two weeks has passed since I took Haley to dinner in Billings, and I’ve spent every minute possible with her since then. Exhausted? Yes. Staying up late, talking and fooling around, and driving back and forth from her farmhouse to the hotel wore me out. But it was worth it. “And stay out of the river.” He shakes his head, and I know he’s thinking we’re bloody insane if not completely stupid for going into cold water in the mountains just for a movie. But hey, wading through the rapids makes for a damn good rescue scene.

“How long?”

“The weekend for sure, and taking it easy next week would be wise. Bedrest is best, but get up and walk around and take deep breaths as often as you can. You want to expand your lungs to keep them from getting even more filled with fluid.”

I sigh, already planning on not taking his advice. This movie lacks half the stunts I’m used to, and I’ve been sent to the ER twice already. I almost got out of going today, but my fever spiked, which made me lightheaded and dizzy.

I give Claire the prescription and we go back to the hotel. She objects when I tell her I need a car again.

“Aiden,” she says. “You’re sick.”

“It’s just dinner. I need to eat anyway. If you don’t get it for me, I’ll get it myself.”

She grumbles but digs her phone out of her giant bag and sets up a rental. We leave the hospital, stepping into the hot parking lot. I’m all cold and shivery, despite the warm sun. I roll my eyes. This is fucking ridiculous. I seethe the whole way back to the hotel. I don’t get sick often, which is surprising, given all the shit I put in my body.

I go straight to bed when I get to the hotel. I don’t want to admit it, but I’m hurting and I’m tired. I start to doze off when my phone rings. It’s Haley.

“Hi, Aiden. I got off early,” she tells me.

“That’s good,” I say and then cough. I turn my head, not meaning to cough into her ear.

“You sound awful,” she says. “Way worse than when we talked last night.”

“Yeah, I have pneumonia.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not that bad, but I did want to ask if you cared if we had a laid back night.”

“I don’t care at all. I prefer it, actually. Are you sure you want to do something? I understand if you don’t.”

I can’t stay here alone, and I want to see her. “I do. I go stir-crazy locked in this room, plus I’d like to see you.”

“I can make us dinner,” she offers. “I’m not a good cook though.”

I smile, loving how easy it is to talk to her. I don’t have to put up any fronts. I’m just me. “That sounds good.”

She gets in her car; I hear the engine rev to life. “I feel bad. I should come see you, but I…I can’t leave the horses.”

“Don’t feel bad. I really don’t like this room.”

“That helps. So I’ll see you soon?”

“Yeah. Soon.”

I put the car in park and rub my eyes. It took everything in me to stay awake on the hour drive. Maybe I should have asked Haley to come to the hotel. I shake my head, and wince at the headache coming on. Dammit. I don’t want to be sick.

I trudge up to the porch and ring the bell. My eyelids are heavy as I wait, but my heart still skips a beat when Haley opens the door. She’s wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair is in a messy braid hanging over her shoulder, and she’s barefoot.

She’s absolutely beautiful.

“Oh, Aiden,” she says and reaches for me. Do I look as bad as I feel? Our fingers entangle and she pulls me inside and presses the back of her hand to my forehead. “You’re burning up.”

I just sigh instead of cracking a lame joke about being hot. I reach up and take her hands, letting her lead me into the living room. We sit on the couch. She rests her head on my chest.

“You sound all crackly,” she tells me.

“You can hear it like that?” Fuck. I must be sick.

She nods and looks up at me. “Yeah, but it’s hard to hear. And I know what to listen for. Phoenix had pneumonia from breathing in smoke. And we’ve had other horses with it before.” She rakes her fingers through my hair again. My eyes close.

“That feels good,” I mumble.

“You sound like you’re going to fall asleep,” she says with a laugh.

“I feel like it too. Sorry I’m a buzzkill.”

“I guess we can take turns being buzzkills.”

I open my eyes and give her smile. “That’s fair.”

Haley drapes a blanket over my lap and disappears into the kitchen, returning with a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol.

“Do you have allergies?” she asks and starts to unscrew the lid from the bottle.

“Not that I know of,” I say.

“Good.” She gives me two pills that I take right away, washing down with water. “Did you take any cough medicine?” I shake my head. “The only stuff I have has codine in it, and will make you sleeping.”

My eyes light up at the mention of the narcotic. “That’s fine,” I say quickly. “It won’t affect me.”

Haley’s eyes narrow ever so slightly, but she turns and brings me a medicine cup full of nasty tasting syrup. I take it and wash the flavor away with water. She sits next to me, and I rest my head on her shoulder, only to sit up and turn away to cough. “Are you tired?” she asks.

“I am,” I say. “I’m so much fun today, I know.”

Her arms go around me and she gently strokes my hair. “You’re sick. You’re not supposed to be fun when you’re sick.”

“Mhhh,” I mumble in response, relaxing more and more each time her fingers sweep down my scalp. We resituate and lay down together, and Haley keeps running her fingers through my hair until I fall asleep.

When I wake up, she’s gone. The sun is starting to set, and I have to pee. I get up to find the toilet and see the lights on in the barn. After using the bathroom, I go back to the couch, drink the rest of the water, and lay down. I’m feeling considerably better, thanks to the three and a half hour nap.

And Haley.

I close my eyes and wait, and think about taking another shot of cough medicine I get up as soon as I hear the door opening. I smile at Haley as she steps through, and she pauses, eyes meeting mine as she takes off her boots. I rush to her, and wrap my arms around Haley, pulling her close. She steps in, hips against mine, and looks into my eyes. I want so badly to kiss her but I hesitate, not wanting to get her sick. But when she closes her eyes and tips her head to mine, I know she’s okay with the risk. Our lips meet and her hands go to my back, holding me tight. My tongue slips into her mouth, and the warmth and wetness start to turn me on.

I cup her face and kiss her harder as desperation takes over. We take a fumbled step backwards. Then I spin her around and pin her against the door she just walked through. I couldn’t help it. Her soft lips crush against mine, and now her hands are moving down my back, taking hold of my waist.

I run my hand through her hair and over her collarbone, slowly making my way to her breast. I start getting hard when she slips her fingers under the hem of my shirt. Feeling her skin against mine sends shivers through me, and I want her so fucking badly.

My chest tightens and I struggle for air. I don’t want to stop kissing her, stop touching her. I need her against me. We haven’t slept together. Not yet. Our time together has been fleeting, with one of us needing to go back to something else that requires our attention. I want her so much it hurts, and the last thing I want is to take my lips off hers. But dammit, I have to cough. I break away and turn my head. My chest hurts and I groan, resting my head against Haley’s.

“Aiden,” she whispers as she runs her fingers through my hair. She’s noticed that I love it. Her touch is so gentle. “You should sit down.” She presses the back of her hand to my cheek.

“I feel a lot better,” I tell her, and lean in. “Promise.”

“As long as you promise,” she says with a smile and kisses me. I take her hands and lead her through the kitchen and into the living room. We fall onto the couch.

Then I grab her and kiss her again, pushing my tongue into her mouth and picking up right where we left off. My heart skips a beat, and all I can think about, all I want, is her.

Haley moves into my lap, straddling me. My hands land on her hips, and I push her down, grinding her against me. I flip her over, laying her down on the couch. I’m on top of her, between her legs. Her hands go under my shirt again then her fingers push past the waist of my trousers.

Bloody hell, I want her. Without taking my mouth off of hers, I reach down and pull up her shirt, exposing her breasts. I trail kisses down her neck and bury my head between her tits.

Her legs wrap around me and she arches her back. She wants this too, and I know it’s more than just physical lust. She needs to feel the connection, to be touched, just as badly as I do. My hands run over the smooth skin of her stomach. I unbutton her jeans and move back up, putting my lips to hers once more.

I slide my hands down, intending on taking off her trousers. I feel the scar tissue beneath my fingers and she flinches.

“Sorry,” I pant. “Does it hurt?”

She turns her head away and closes her eyes. “Yes.”

“I’ll be careful,” I tell her.

“I know.” She doesn’t look at me. “I’m just…”

“Haley?” I grind my erection against her. It’s straining against my trousers so hard it’s starting to hurt. I need to be inside her.

“It’s ugly and gross, and I’m sorry.” I sit up to look, but she pulls me back down, shaking her head. “You don’t want to see it, trust me.”

I press a kiss to her forehead. “Haley,” I pant. “Nothing about you is ugly or gross.” Our eyes lock, faces just inches from each other. “I have scars too.”

“I know,” she whispers, gently running her finger over the jagged line above my eye. “I like your scars.”

“Let me like yours.”

Still looking into my eyes, she moves her head up and down. I rock back and gently move her shirt up. Rough, raised skin stretches tightly along her side. It’s pink and rippled, mapping a web of pain from the curve of her hip up to the side of her breast. A knot forms in my stomach, but it’s not from the sight of her. It’s from knowing that her flesh has been melted, that she has felt so much pain and was left with this as a reminder she has to live with every day.

“It’s hideous, isn’t it?” she asks, unable to look at me. “Like Freddy Kruger.”

“No, not at all like him.” I move down and gently press my lips to her scar. “You’re beautiful, Haley.”

She trembles under me, and I kiss her scar one more time. “I’m glad you think so,” she says, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

I wipe the tears away. “Don’t be sorry.” She closes her eyes and nods, pushing her shirt down and covering the scar on her side. I tip my head and push up her sleeve. The scar on her shoulder isn’t as bad. The skin is flat and shiny, and not as pink. I sweep my finger over it and then press my lips against that scar too.

“I wish you could see you the way I do. You’d see that you are beautiful.”

“Aiden,” she says as tears roll down her face. Then she’s pulling me on her again, and we kiss in a fury of passion. The same tightness plagues me, and I have to turn away to cough again. I bury my face in her breasts, trying to catch my breath. “Are you feeling okay?” she asks.

No, I’m not. But I’m so turned on, so wrapped up in her, it doesn’t matter. “I’m good enough.” She smiles and everything is right in the world again. “I want you,” I confess.

“I want you too,” she says.

I grin and put my lips to her neck, softly sucking on her skin. She lets out a moan. I hold myself up on my elbows and take her hands in mine, pushing them above her head. She squirms underneath me, rubbing herself against my erection.

I trail kisses down her neck, over her soft breasts and onto her stomach. She lifts her hips, and I slip her jeans over her arse and pull them down to her knees. She kicks them off and wraps her legs around me, bringing me in.

Her phone rings. “Ignore it,” she pants, and she lifts her head up to kiss me. She doesn’t have to tell me twice. Her fingers run through my hair again, and I can hardly take it. The phone stops ringing and she reaches for me, fingers hovering over my belt.

Then her phone rings again. “It’s probably Lori,” she tells me as she undoes the buckle. Her hands are so close to my cock. She’s moving slow on purpose, teasing me, and I love and hate her for it at the same time. “She’ll leave a message if it’s important.”

“Okay,” I rush out, holding my hips up. She pulls the belt through the loops and lets it drop to the floor. She takes hold of my zipper and runs her hand over me through the outside of my trousers. Fuck, I need her.

Tantalizing, she moves her hands back up, fingernails running over the skin on my sides. I’m about ready to take off my own fucking trousers. Her hands sweep back down and unbutton my jeans. The zipper comes down on its own, unable to hold back my erection. I yank them off. She sticks her hand inside my boxers, fingers curling around my cock, and I melt at her touch.

Then her phone rings again. Three calls in a row—that’s never a good sign. She freezes, my cock in her hand. My lips are against hers, my tongue in her mouth, and I think about how good it would feel if my dick went in there.

She shakes her head and starts pumping her hand. I want inside of her. I want to connect as one, feeling physically how she makes me feel inside. I don’t want to just fuck her. I want to make love to her.

I’ve never, ever wanted that before.

She tugs my boxers down, and I’m overcome with want. I take my mouth off hers and remove her shirt, staring at her large breasts for a few seconds before moving back down. Both of her hands are on my arse, and she’s pulling me down, pressing me into her, the thin material of her nickers keeping us apart. She’s so warm, and I know she wants me as badly as I want her.

“Do you want to go upstairs?” she pants, sliding her hand around my thighs.

I don’t care where we go, as long as I’m with her. “This is fine,” I say, only because letting her go isn’t something I can do right now. We’re cramped together on the couch and a bed would be better, especially for our first time. Though the passion between us is unlike anything I’ve felt before, and I know no matter where we are, making love to Haley is going to be transcendent.

Her heart is racing against mine. She nods and widens her legs. I slip my hands behind her and unclasp her bra, slowly rolling each strap down until her breasts come free.

“You are so fucking beautiful,” I whisper before I press my mouth to her, flicking my tongue against her erect nipple. She moans again and takes hold of the hem of my shirt. I hold my arms up and she pulls it off, dropping it on the floor next to us. Her eyes sweep over me.

“So are you,” she says, and her eyes land on my cock. It turns me on to see her staring at it with hunger and lust in her eyes. I dive back down, moving to the side just enough to run my hand over her stomach and inside her nickers. My breath catches when I feel her wetness, and my want intensifies. I put my lips on the soft skin inside her neck, kissing her as I stroke my fingers over her core.

She props her leg up, eyes closed and head back, as I touch her. I circle my finger around her, taking my time to explore her body and know what she wants. She lifts her hips, bringing herself to me. I suck hard at her neck and push a finger inside. Her hands go to my face, and she brings my lips to hers. We kiss as I work my fingers, slowly pushing against her inner walls. Her body tenses and relaxes as pleasure winds its way inside. I circle my thumb over her clit, and she holds me tighter, fingers pressing into my skin. When she’s close to the edge, I stop and pull her nickers off.

I’m naked and on top of her, feeling the heat of her skin against mine. Her smooth legs curl around me and I press into her, about to push inside, when she asks if I have protection. I’m too carried away, too wrapped up with her to even think about it. I feel disoriented as I sit up and lean away, coughing as I reach for my trousers and get my wallet from the back pocket. There are two condoms in there, and I have a flash of panic that it won’t be enough. I can never have enough of her.

I roll it on and move back, falling into her arms once again. She brushes my hair back, looking into my eyes. She smiles softly before closing her eyes. I kiss her as I adjust our position, squished together on the couch. Her arms wrap around me and she holds on, her body tight with desire.

She opens her legs, pulling me in. My heart speeds up, fluttering in my chest. I hold her close for one more kiss then slide inside of her, feeling the warmth and wetness of her center. She lets out a breath as I thrust in and out, moving slowly and gently. She feels so fucking good, a perfect fit, and I’ve never felt so deeply during sex before.

It’s more than physical, and each time I pull back and push in, the façade chips away, and all that’s left is raw, unbridled passion. I can’t help myself but to push in deeper and deeper, harder and faster. Her mouth falls open and she moans, raking her nails up my back. I’m close to coming, and I don’t want to stop, don’t want to pause or slow down.

She grinds her hips into mine, and I know she’s close too. I kiss her, my tongue pushing into her mouth in rhythm with each thrust. Her legs tighten around me and her fingernails dig into the flesh on my back. She stops kissing me, head falling to the side. I slit my eyes open to see her face as she comes. Another moan escapes her lips, and her body goes rigid for a few seconds. I reach down, rubbing her clit in slow circles to draw it out for her. Her body shudders and she clings to me. The moment she’s done, I move my mouth to hers, kissing her deeply as I finish. I never want to let her go. I never want a night to go by that I’m not making love to her. I cling to her as I climax, the pleasure rippling through my entire body.

Panting, I lay on top of her, feeling the lingering pulses of ecstasy go through me. She keeps her arms around me, gently running her fingers through the ends of my hair. We stay like that for a few minutes before I sit up and pull her to me, flipping us over so she’s resting on my chest. I haven’t let her go, and I don’t intend on it anytime soon. She grabs a blanket from the arm of the couch and covers us up.

I have the urge to tell her I love her, which is completely insane, since we aren’t even together officially. Well, not yet. I keep my lips pressed together, not trusting myself to keep those three words inside. I don’t love her—yet. But I just had the most intense sex in my life, which is weird since it was just missionary on a couch. I didn’t even go down on her before, and my dick wasn’t anywhere near her mouth. Yet there was so much to it, so much more I never knew I could feel other than plain lust.

I kiss her forehead and carefully touch the burn on her shoulder. She shivers and moves closer. I turn my head, coughing, and am reminded that I’m sick. She holds onto me, and neither of us speaks. What do you say after something so raw like that? Words fail in comparison to how my heart feels.

All I want to do is keep her safely wrapped in my arms until the sun comes up tomorrow morning. Then I want to make love to her again.

Her phone rings again, jolting us back into reality.

“I should get that now,” she groans.

“You should,” I say.

She twists, her hand landing on my face, and kisses me before getting up. I bite my lip and watch her walk out of the room, admiring her bare arse. She picks up her nickers and shirt on the way out. I take a few breaths before grabbing my boxers and going into the bathroom to throw the condom away.

I catch a glimpse of Haley’s face as I walk through the kitchen. She’s holding her clothes in one hand, and the phone pressed to her ear with the other. Her eyebrows are pushed together and her jaw is tight.

“Okay,” she says. “Where?”

I go into the bathroom, peel the condom off, and glare at the toilet. I hate taking a piss with a boner, but I have to pee. When I’m done, I step into my boxers and come back out. Haley has her panties and shirt on and is leaning over the counter, writing something down. I step behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist.

She straightens up, putting one hand over mine and melting into me. “I can be there in two hours,” she says into the phone. “Okay. I’ll see you there.” She hangs up, sets the phone on the counter, and twists in my arms.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, looking into her green eyes.

“That was one of my mom’s friends. There’s a horse…” She trails off and puts her arms around my neck. “It’s wrapped in barbed wire and needs to be taken away now. It might not last much longer. She was going to go get it but can’t get her truck to start.”

“So she asked you.”

Haley nods and closes her eyes, looking guilty. “Aiden,” she starts. “I know this isn’t how you wanted to spend your night, and I—”

I lean down, resting my forehead against hers. “Haley,” I counter, interrupting her. “Let’s go save it.”