Touched (The Untouched Trilogy #2)(79)

“Maybe it’s why I keep the job,” I replied.





CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Aiden and I had only seen each other once in the last several weeks; knowing he would be here for three full days was like a delayed Christmas gift. Tonight was the night I normally had a piano lesson but Aiden would be taking Vincent’s place as my instructor – nothing like being taught by someone as sexy and melodic as my own personal pianist.

“I was fascinated that you had a love of music,” Aiden said.

“It was like another strand that connected us,” I replied.

“I was looking forward to teaching you.”

“I know,” I said, saddened by the look of disappointment on his handsome face. We were both thinking back to the time when we’d been apart.

“I never really properly thanked you,” I said, remembering the day I’d walked into my condo to find his surprise.

“Yeah, you were pretty pissed at me during that time,” he said.

“That’s putting it mildly. But I’m glad you did this for me; I love it. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Princess.” He leaned over to kiss my cheek.

“So let me see what you’ve learned,” he said.

I couldn’t believe I was so nervous. My fingers were trembling.

He stroked my back, encouraging me. “Don’t be nervous, it’s just me.”

Just him? He made it seem so simple. It was just him which is why I was nervous.

I exhaled, placed my fingers on the keys and started playing. I made a few hiccups but I think that was due to the nerves. When I finished, he applauded. “That was wonderful, Aria,” he exclaimed.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yes, it was remarkable,” he mused. “Just think, a few months ago you could only play a few notes. Listening to you now, one would never know.”

“Thank you.”

Aiden played something for me and it was absolutely amazing. He started to teach me and my stomach growled. He laughed and I nudged his shoulder.

“Guess we should eat,” he said. “We can do more later.”

“Will you sing that song to me later?” I asked.

“If that’s what you want,” he replied.

“That night at the Esplande was like something from a dream, do you know that? I think about that night a lot, it was beautiful.” I said, walking toward the kitchen.

“I wanted you to know what I was feeling and I knew that singing to you would speak to you in a way that words wouldn’t.”

He was right; the words of that song had a special significance; more than I’d realized until he’d sang them to me. I’d had a fervent love of music for as long as I could remember and when he sang to me, it touched me in a way that I couldn’t explain. They were heartfelt expressions that spoke to my soul. Music always seemed to tap into that part of me that needed to be awakened. And that’s what he’d done. He’d awakened something inside of me – no longer dormant; it was a burning flame that could never be extinguished.

I started dinner; Aiden didn’t think I could do much cooking that included more than three ingredients and I planned to show him otherwise. It wasn’t that I couldn’t cook, I simply didn’t. When Mom had gone through her depression, I’d taken on many of the parental responsibilities and one of those included cooking for all of us. When cooking was no longer a necessity, I stayed away from it as much as possible; I wanted to block out the memories of my childhood. I knew it was unrealistic but I didn’t want to place much thought into anything concerning my life in Dayton.

I felt as though I was healing. Aiden’s presence, his patience and his love had brought a depth to my life that I didn’t think possible. I was the happiest I’d ever been since … since before my father disappeared. The loss of my parents was something that I needed to accept, but in a healthier way than what I’d done in the past and I was ready to do that. I was ready to move on and build a life for myself that included more than work and solitude.

I walked to the kitchen to finish our salads and check on the main course. I loved Thai food and so did Aiden so I was sure he would love the meal.

Aiden stepped behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and burying his face in my hair. I leaned back into him.

“I like this.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Coming home to you. You preparing a gourmet meal for your hard-working man.”

“Well it’s definitely not a gourmet meal. And as for you being hard-working, I never see you do much more than harass your employees.”

“Since we’re being honest, I’m actually skeptical about the cooking; I just wanted to give you a vote of confidence. As for the harassing, you’re the only employee that I enjoy harassing.”

I turned to face him. I pointed a finger as I accused him. “I knew it! I knew you did all of that shit on purpose.”

“What?” he asked, laughing. “I had to do something. My normal tactics failed on you.”

“What normal tactics?” I asked.

“Just showing up and flashing this sexy smile, usually works every time.”

“What an ass,” I said.

“You really should be nicer to me,” he replied.