The Purple Heart by Christie Gucker Page B

watching me, as though if he took his eyes off me,
I might disappear.
    Aiden fell asleep somewhere around ten,
halfway through the movie. I couldn’t keep myself from watching him
this time. I had to keep checking to make sure he was really here
with me. Maybe I was afraid if I took my eyes off him , he’d disappear. He was just so peaceful. I
cleaned up dinner, and then woke him.
    “ Hey, sleepyhead, why don’t
you head on up? I’m going to finish watching the movie. You can
stay here with me, if you want.”
    “ Oh, did I fall asleep?
It’s so easy to rest when you’re next to me. You’re so comfortable
and warm. Plus, I don’t have any nightmares when you’re beside me.
I think I’ll go on up. I’ll see you in the morning.”
    “ Wake me if you get up
before me so I can make coffee and breakfast.”
    “ I will.” He kissed me
gently on the top of my head and ran his hand down my cheek. I
watched his sexy ass walk up the stairs. God, this man was
really just too hot. I thought about following him, but then
thought better about it. I didn’t want our relationship based on
only desire, especially after we had our first disagreement
today.
    After the movie was over, I shut
everything down and moved upstairs to bed. I threw on a cami and a
pair of boy short panties, and headed to the bathroom to brush my
teeth. I could hear small whimpers coming from Aiden’s room. I
checked the door, and it was unlocked, so I went in.
    He was lying in bed, tossing and
turning, making small noises that I could tell were not pleasant
ones. He seemed extremely distressed. I crawled into bed to spoon
him. I couldn’t help myself. As soon as I was next to him, I heard
him let out a long, soft sigh, and he was back to restful sleep.
Sleeping next to him made me feel safe and comfortable, too.
Everything about him made me feel that way. I hadn’t realized how
nervous I had been all this time living here alone. I also needed
to be close to him. The fights we had during today had drained me
emotionally. Not sleeping beside him was quickly becoming something
I could not live without.
    * * *
    When light filtered into the room in
the morning, I felt his fingers run down my arm. I stirred
slightly, but he was so warm and cozy that I didn’t want to move. I
gave him a slight smile, and then drifted back into
semi-consciousness. His fingertips soon transformed into his lips,
and he was running them up and down my arm. I could feel goose
bumps starting to rise, along with a sweet ache forming between my
legs. I turned toward him and started to kiss his chest and
neck.
    He responded quickly by flipping me
onto my back, and then rolling on top of me. Soon our lips were
locked in a passionate kiss. Our hands began to wander everywhere.
I was becoming increasingly hot for him, every touch, and every
kiss overflowing with extreme desire for this man. His breath
became ragged and his eyes were heavy with lust.
    “ Sydney, I can barely hold
back. We need to stop or this is going to get to a point where I
won’t be able to. I want you so badly. You have no
idea.”
    “ Yes, I do. Right there
with you.” Yet I continued to paw, nibble, and kiss.
    He took my hands, brought them above my
head, held them there and stared deeply into my eyes.
    “ I want you, Sydney, more
than you can even imagine. But I want all of you, your body, your
heart, and your soul. Do you understand?”
    His eyes bored into me. I felt like he
was melting into me, as though we were connecting on some strange
cellular level. My hips involuntarily started to grind into his. My
body started to hum and tingle all over. His body responded in
kind, and soon we were going through all the tender motions of
making love but still in our clothing.
    I was aching for him so badly, but he
continued to hold my arms captive above my head. I wanted to run my
hands over every inch of him. It was almost torturous to be held
back. As if he could read my thoughts, a deep groan escaped his
lips