"Wow,” I said.

I didn’t know how else to respond.

"The things you said really hurt me, you know."

I would never admit it, but I felt a little bit angry with myself for still feeling attracted to him, the way his wet hair had fallen over his forehead made him look even more pitiful than his words belied.

I really wanted to stay mad at him for a little while longer.

"I know,” he said simply.

He raked his hands through his hair sending it standing in all different directions. Without thinking I laughed and reached forward to smooth it down, before I realized what had happened. I pulled my hand back when he looked up at me, as if I had touched a hot stove.

For the briefest moment I had let the door open once more.

A tiny inkling of that familiarity had snuck through, just enough to make me want to find it again. He noticed the moment also, and reached out to take my hand before I had pulled it back all the way. I sat frozen, caught between my anger towards him and my desire to rush into his arms.

He kept his eyes fixed on me and laced his fingers through mine, carefully as if he didn’t want to disturb the delicate dynamic. I recognized a need in his eyes, different that I had seen before, not longing, not desire, but something more, something that I couldn’t yet define. I didn’t know what I feared the most. The look in his eyes or the thought that there might be a similar look in mine looking back at him.

"Dammit Blair," he said in a low voice, almost as if speaking to himself. "I love you. I don't want to mess this up."

"What?" I said unsure if I had heard correctly.

"I said I don't want to mess this up."

"No, before that."

"'Dammit Blair'?" he said. I noticed as he spoke a tiny crook of a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Aiden..,” I said giving him another glare.

 With that he clasped my hand fully and pulled me around the coffee table and over next to him on the couch.

"I said, I love you, Blair." He hadn’t taken his eyes off of mine during the whole conversation. "Did you hear me that time? I love you, Blair Michaels."

Again I found myself unsure how to respond.

Of course this declaration didn’t change the hurt that I still felt, though it had diminished a great deal since he had arrived. But it did change the expectation of what I wanted from him. The man before me now, I knew without a shadow of a doubt was the same Aiden that I had grown up with, sweet, charming, sensitive.

Of course I loved him.

Despite this realization I wanted to stay mad at him, and part of me was still a little angry that he chose these words to break down my defenses, as if he knew they were the only words that could reach me. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly keeping my eyes steady on his.

"I love you too, Aiden Stephen Player,” I said with certainty.

"Middle name?" he said with a grin as he placed his hand behind my head and pulled me closer. "I must be in trouble,” he murmured.

"Have no doubt,” I responded before my lips succumbed to his. "You are."

We had a lot of things to work through, that much remained certain, but I had seen a darker side of him and knew that I could forgive him. He had also seen a side of me that I wasn’t proud of.

We lounged on the couch for a while, enjoying each other’s kisses, something I had thought I would never have again. Ever so slowly it began to come back. I knew this was a new beginning for both of us, but I still felt a little bit hesitant.

He held my face in his hands and took turns gazing into my eyes, almost as if seeking something there, permission or forgiveness I couldn’t tell. He kissed my face, from my lips to my eyelids and back again, around my forehead along the edge of my hair line. His fingers tangled into my hair as he held my close to him, and I nestled into his embrace placing my hands upon his chest.

The feel of his heartbeat under my palm had become the elixir to which I was helplessly drawn. My fingertips touched the flesh just at the neck line of his tee shirt, and I found myself compelled to trace along the edge of the fabric, up the side of his neck and around the curve of his ear.

He pulled in his breath as my hands moved across his flesh, making me feel a growing sense of power. My own body had begun to respond as well, all the previous anger melted away and transformed into desire for him despite myself.

I held back but my lips betrayed my need and I brought my teeth down in gentle pressure upon his lower lip. He drew back for a moment at the pain, but smiled and shook his head before he leaned in placing his mouth on the curve of my neck.

We spoke without words as our hands traveled over each other’s bodies.

I hadn’t yet decided if I wanted to invite him to my bedroom.

I knew I wanted to.

The question remained as to whether or not I should.

I considered the words of Kelsey and those of my mother, both who had encouraged me to enjoy life a little bit more. With my head lying against the back of the couch, and his arm around my shoulders, I considered the surge of adrenaline that accompanied his touch, his hand at my waist, his lips on my skin.

I knew that I had a whole world of possibilities before me.

For now I didn’t have to worry about any of them. I had the love of my life wrapped in my arms. His fingertips had found the hem of my shirt. He slipped his hands underneath the fabric and traced the flesh of my stomach, sliding along the edge of my jeans. He noticed that I my breath caught at his touch, and he smiled at my reaction. I began to tug his tee shirt off over his head but stopped before I did so.

"Wait," I whispered, smoothing the fabric back down. "Come with me."

Taking his hand I pulled him from the couch and led him down the hallway and into my bedroom. It wasn’t as spacious as his, and perhaps not as modern. I noticed that he didn’t mind the layout as he hadn’t taken his eyes off of me yet.

I pulled him down onto the mattress, pushing aside the plush animals and tossing them to the floor. He pulled off his tee shirt, revealing the sexy swirls of tattoos on his arms and shoulders.

I pulled him down and threw him over, straddling his torso. There was something I had wanted to do since the first day I had seen him and today would be the day.

I pulled my tee shirt off and watched his eyes widen upon the realization that I hadn’t been wearing a bra. I smiled and leaned down to kiss his mouth once more, letting my nipples graze across his bare chest. His fingers clutched at my hips, curling around the belt loops of my jeans. I raised back just a little bit with a mischievous smile on my face, and whispered in his ear.

"Lay completely still,” I said.

He nodded but I could sense that his teeth were clenched together and his breath had grown ragged. I moved my lips from alongside his ear and traveled down the side of his neck, letting my breath be the only thing that made contact.

Until I reached the first curl of his tattooed skin.

I flickered my tongue along the ink markings, tasting the saltiness of him and the remnants of rain that had dried on his skin. With one palm remained planted on the center of his chest, I traveled along the length of his arm, tasting and kissing as I went. His body twitched at my touch, and he let out a small moan with each breath. His arm muscles tightened underneath my touch and I traveled back up the other side of the markings.

When I reached his shoulder, I traveled down the middle of his chest letting my hand slide over, absently tracing a circle around his nipple as I found it. He pulled in a sharp breath once more, struggling to keep control.