Moonlight Road (Virgin River #11)(50)

“Was it a horrible experience for her, too?”

“I don’t think so. I think she got exactly what she was after. And I think the experience goes a long way toward explaining why I found it difficult to have a trusting relationship after that. So. You? In love?”

She shook her head. “Never. Not even as a young woman. There were a couple of men I dated more than twice, but nothing much happened. We’re still friends.” Then she laughed. “Not really friends. They’re clients.”

He grinned largely. “Now, that’s something that never happens to me,” he said. “Former girlfriends never want to be my patients.”

The timer buzzed and he pulled the chicken and fries out of the oven. She tossed and dressed the salad. He carved the chicken; she pulled out plates. She had to retuck her towel around her several times. “Are we really going to eat dinner in towels? Naked, in towels?”

“You want to ditch the towels?” he asked with a smile.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” she admitted. “Nothing even close. In fact, I haven’t done most of what we’ve done today.”

He held out her chair for her. “Will you tell me something?”

“I’ll try,” she said.

“That first day—I caught you crying. Don’t deny it—I caught you crying. Why?”

She laughed uncomfortably. “It’s pretty silly.”

“Try me.”

“Oh—I was feeling kind of lonely, like maybe the dumbest thing I’d ever talked myself into was a whole summer alone on a mountaintop. I did something I don’t usually allow myself to do—I was having a pity party. Somehow I started listing all the cheats of my life—including the fact that I never went to a prom.”

“You asked me that—about the prom,” he recalled. “What is it with girls and proms?”

“We never get over them,” she said, shaking her head. “We say they’re stupid and meaningless, but if we never got asked, or if we’re stood up or have a disastrous time, the misery can last a lifetime. I haven’t done that since, by the way. I’m completely over it.” She lifted one eyebrow. “The loneliness. And the prom.”

He carved off a slice of chicken breast and put it on her plate. “Eat. I’m going to take you back to bed and show you something more fun than prom.”

Aiden found it difficult to get a good night’s sleep while lying beside the sweet, beautiful, na**d body of Erin. But he didn’t begrudge the lack of sleep at all. In fact, he felt as though he could run ten miles. When the morning sun finally flooded her bedroom, he started nuzzling her neck again. “I think I just spent the best night of my life,” he whispered to her.

“Mmm. Me, too. And I’m completely exhausted,” she replied.

And he thought she might be just a little sore, too. “I’d be glad to make you breakfast,” he said. “I’d be happy to roll you around in the sheets some more. But, honey, I bet you’ve had about enough. And you need sleep before your family arrives.”

“I hope you like me a lot,” she said through a yawn. “Because if you don’t, I’ll have to give this up. And I like this.”

He laughed lightly. “I like you a lot,” he confessed.

“Oh, good.” She snuggled up to him.

“Are you hungry, honey?”

“No, I’m sleepy, Aiden. Every time you rolled over in your sleep, you had a new idea.” She yawned hugely. “I’m very, very happy, but I’m tired. I need a little nap before company comes.”

He kissed her on the cheek. “I’m going to set up your coffeepot and leave you. We’ll see each other over the weekend, families all over the place. Then I want a date with you the second you’re alone.” He rolled over to scrape what was left of his box of condoms into the top draw of the nightstand and what did he find? “Whoa,” he said, pulling out a not-very-mysteriously-shaped vibrator. “Toys. I didn’t know we had toys!”

She yawned again. “Didn’t I mention that? I told you—I didn’t really date that much…”

He put the device away. “Gotta love a modern woman. We’ll play with that another time.” He rolled back to her and pressed his lips against hers. “Thank you, honey. I had a wonderful time.”

He began to roll away from her when she said, “Aiden?” He turned back. “What is this? Is this a summer fling?”

He gave her another kiss. “At the very least.”

“Hmm,” she hummed, smiling and closing her eyes.

Aiden had worked up a pretty good appetite. He didn’t want to bang around in Erin’s kitchen looking for food, because she needed her sleep. He, on the other hand, felt as if he could bench-press three-fifty and eat a cow. He readied the coffeepot so she would only have to flip the on switch, and left the cabin.

He wasn’t sure what he had in his place for food, and since he’d gone missing for a couple of days and it was 10:00 a.m., he ran through town and decided he’d get a bite to eat at Jack’s. When he walked in, the place was nearly deserted. Mel sat up on a stool while Jack was behind the bar. They appeared to be having a cup of coffee together. When Mel turned toward him, her eyes lit up. “Hey, Doc! Haven’t seen you in a while. How’s it going?”