Family For Beginners
Page 86
“I know, but my parents don’t.”
“How do you know?”
He turned his head to look at her. “Well for a start because they’re always hugging and kissing. Frankly I wish they’d stop. There comes a point where you just don’t want to think about the word sex in the same brain wave as parent, you know?”
“But you don’t really know, do you? What do we ever know about someone else’s relationship?”
“I live with them.” Aiden was ever logical. “If one of them was away all the time, or late home, or covered in lipstick I’d notice.”
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“Men never notice things like that.”
“I would. I’m observant.”
“What was I wearing yesterday?”
“Blue top. Jeans. Tight. Nice butt, by the way.”
She took a friendly swipe at him, but still she was impressed. “If you ever witness a crime, you’ll be able to draw one of those photofit pictures.”
“I wouldn’t. My drawing is crap. The police would take one look at the page and say ‘you were assaulted by an alien dressed in a Halloween costume.’” He shifted on his side so that they were facing each other. “And your underwear was white and lacy. Except when you jumped into the water. Then it was transparent.”
She gasped. “It was not.”
“Believe me, it was.” He flashed her a smile and she felt her face turn scarlet.
“Why didn’t you say something?”
“Why would I say something? You looked great.”
Warmed by his approval and flattered by the look in his eyes, Izzy leaned closer to him. She saw that he had tiny flecks of green in his eyes and that his lashes were thick and dark.
She wanted to kiss him, but she was afraid of doing or saying the wrong thing. Right now Aiden felt like her only friend on the planet. He was certainly the only person who came close to understanding her. She didn’t want to screw it up.
She hovered, undecided, and he raised an eyebrow.
“Are you going to kiss me?”
She felt a rush of mortification that he could read her so easily.
“What if it ruins everything?”
“What is ‘everything’?”
“I don’t know.” She gave what she hoped was a casual shrug and lay on her back next to him. The sun was warm on her face. “Us. Our friendship. Our relationship.” Whatever that was, for however long it was going to last. She wanted it to at least last until the end of this vacation.
“What if it doesn’t ruin everything?” He shifted so that he was half on top of her. “What if it makes everything better?”
“You don’t know—”
“Instead of arguing, I have a better idea. Let’s try it.”
She knew a moment of exquisite excitement as his head blocked the sun and then his mouth was on hers and he was kissing her and she was kissing him back and it was definitely the best thing that had happened to her in the past year, possibly in her whole life ever.
Aiden, Aiden.
She slid her hands over his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his skin and the urgency of his mouth on hers. She could have kissed him all day. She could have kissed him for the rest of her days. If it felt this good why didn’t people spend all their time kissing?