Free Spike by Jennifer Ryder Page A

R .
    All that stuff I’d read about “emotional intelligence” being a way in which we monitor our feelings and emotions, and then use them to guide our actions— right now I don’t feel intelligent at all.
    Maybe this will all blow over. Tara seemed to relax after I told her Aidan spoke to his father. Maybe it was that initial interaction between Aidan and his father she was concerned about.
    I guess I can’t be too upset with her that she cares for my boyfriend. As much as I don’t want to acknowledge it, Aidan had a past before me.
    Damn blinking cursor. Stop mocking me!
    Cassie’s probably right. Even though she had no idea what I was stressing over— because I lied to her too —it’s probably nothing.
    I look at the time on my laptop. I’ve been sitting here for half an hour. Maybe one day I’ll make a half-decent psychologist. In half an hour, I think I’ve convinced myself that I’m all worked up over nothing.
    The front door opens and shuts, heavy footsteps getting louder as they approach the door.
    The study door swings open. “Hey, beautiful,” Aidan says, leaning against the doorway. His shoulders drop as he lets out a loud breath. His smile barely meets his eyes. He’s dusty from head to toe, his hair is wild, and he hasn’t shaved for a week—but he’s just my kinda sexy.
    “Hey. Big day?” I ask, closing the lid of my laptop. I’ve had enough staring at the screen, and right now, a fix of Aidan is exactly what I need.
    “Fuckin’ understatement,” he says, raising his dark eyebrows. “I hope you don’t mind, but I picked up some Japanese for dinner. Thought we deserved a night off the pots and pans.”
    I walk over to him and link my hands behind his neck. “Perfect,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. I lean in and standing on tippy-toes, kiss his neck first, his earthy smell and the salty tang of sweat testimony to how hard he worked today. My mouth skims over his prickly jaw, and then I wrap my lips around his, savouring the softness as I taste.
    I need him to make me forget, to get my focus back on the things in my life that really matter, and the things I do have control over.
    I untuck the shirt from his jeans, and pull it over his head. My fingers glide over the smooth skin of his firm chest, his dark-pink nipples puckering with the touch.
    “Let’s get in the shower,” I say and kiss him on the lips.
    His mouth curls up on one side. “Yeah. Let’s,” he says, a cheeky glint in his eye.
    I start to unbutton my blouse, and create a trail of clothes as I walk to the bathroom. When I reach the shower, I turn to find Aidan naked behind me. He’s like a freakin’ sexy ninja. How he gets naked so quick and so stealth-like still baffles me.
    In silence, I let the water stream over me, tugging Aidan’s arm for him to join in. I take the soap bar and run it over Aidan’s chest, and down his arms. He grins, and tweaks my nipple between his thumb and finger, rolling it around. I move behind him and glide the soap across his shoulders, letting the bubbles flow down his body. I lather the bubbles between my hands, and put the bar down, and reach around his waist, following the curve of the muscles on his hip, down between his legs. I run my hand over his firm cock, letting the bubbles surround him before they slowly wash away. Aidan turns to face me and I wipe the water from my eyes.
    He leans me against the wall, pressing every part of his body he can against me. His erection rubs my stomach, and I move my body against him, savouring the heat and the skin-to-skin contact.
    “You want it here … or out there?” Aidan says, casual as ever.
    “Wherever you want me.”
    Aidan turns off the water, and gets out. He throws me a towel a second later, and I dip my head between my legs and shimmy the towel around my head. When I raise my head, Aidan has already left the bathroom. I run the towel over my body and then pin my hair in a messy bun.
    Covers thrown back, Aidan is