Saving Sloan (Sloan Series Book 2) (21 page)

But…

“I want to make you feel better.” Aaron rubbed his thumb over her jawline. “I want to protect you. I want to do all these cliché things that I shouldn’t want to do, but I do. I can’t help it. I like you, Sloan. I have for a while.”

She finally found her voice. “Are you letting your intentions be known?” She grinned, her heart pounding like a humming bird.

“Maybe.” He leaned forward. She opened her mouth, expecting his lips to touch hers any second. Instead, he kissed the tip of her nose. “But for now, you need sleep. We can talk about it more when this all blows over.”

Aaron was right. Didn’t mean it hurt less, though. “I’ll hold you to that.”

“You can hold me anyway you want.” He grinned slyly. “Man, I sound like a goober.”

“I like it.” She smiled back, despite herself. Aaron was the one good thing that had come out of this crazy ICU stuff. Now she knew Ray had understood. He’d said as much on their front porch. She could relax and just enjoy being with Aaron, as much as one could enjoy being with Aaron.

He fluffed a pillow and propped it up against the headboard. He hit it a few times to get it just right and settled against it.

She eyeballed him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Protecting you.” He shrugged.

“Uh-huh,” Sloan replied sarcastically. “My mother won’t let you stay.”

Aaron grinned. “She will if she finds out a serial stalker is still threatening you. That he got in your house without anyone knowing it. I bet she’d love to have me around then.”

Her face fell. “You wouldn’t.”

With a self-satisfied smirk, Aaron propped his hands behind his head. “Wouldn’t I?”

Yes. Yes he would. With a huff, she rolled over on her side and tried to get comfortable. She found it rather difficult with Aaron being inches from her. That and the scary stalker out there somewhere.

“How did he get in my bathroom?” she asked finally when she couldn’t fall asleep.

“No idea. Your mom and I were downstairs talking. I started upstairs and heard you yell.”

“And you didn’t see or hear anything?”

“I wish I did. But I didn’t. I was too focused on you.”

Sloan rolled on her back. Through the lamplight she could see Aaron. He looked worried. She didn’t like it when he worried. He was supposed to be the calm one.

“Checking me out?” he kidded, but she knew the truth. He was as freaked out as she was.

She couldn’t match his joking mood, even if it was an act. “I’m scared.”

In an instant she was in his arms. He held her tightly and kissed her temple. “I know. I would be too. We’ll figure this out. I know we will.”

“Where’s Ray?” She wasn’t sure why she’d asked. It had just come out.

He paused a second before he answered. Maybe he was wondering why, snuggled in her bed with him, she’d asked about his brother. It was pretty weird. “I… uh… don’t know.”

“He didn’t go home?”

“I didn’t see him if he did. Why? You two have a fight.”

“More of a mutual understanding.” It didn’t make sense, though. Where did he go if he didn’t go home? She could kick herself for not asking about what Boyd had told her. He hadn’t gone to see him? Surely Boyd wasn’t telling the truth. Why would Ray lie about it?”

“Something’s bothering you.” Aaron scooted her so he could see her face. “You worried about Ray? Why?”

Did she tell him or keep her mouth shut?

“Tell me,” he said as if reading her mind. “What’s got you down now?”

This was probably a bad idea. “When I went to see Boyd today, he told me something that has me kinda scratching my head.”

“You’re going to believe Boyd? Really? I don’t think liar is very far from attempted murderer, do you?”

“No, but it was just… strange.”

Aaron moved her so she faced him. “He’s trying to get in your head. That’s all. He’s manipulating you.”

“So now you think it’s Boyd sending the roses?”

He shook his head and pressed his palms to his forehead. “I don’t know what to think. I mean, both you and Ray said he couldn’t walk, so I don’t see him stalking you, but then again, I don’t trust him. Trying to kill me sort of takes away my trust.”

“Ray never went to see him,” she blurted out. Once she had, she wished she hadn’t.

Aaron’s face darkened. “What do you mean he didn’t go see him? He said he did. He described his house and his chair. Why… oh.” The light bulb went off. “That’s what Boyd told you. That Ray didn’t go to his house, right?”

She nodded. “It’s stupid. I know it is. I mean, if Ray said he did, he did.” She hesitated. “Right?”

Aaron was quiet long enough to make her start questioning things. “A few years ago when our mom was still around, Ray had a bit of a bad time.”

That didn’t sound good. “What sort of bad time?”

Aaron stared up at the ceiling. “I shouldn’t be telling you this.”

“Why?” Tell her!

“Because I’m afraid it’ll change how you think about Ray. I don’t want that. He really is a good guy. He just had a bad time.”

Now she really needed to know. “We’ve already decided to just be friends. He knows there’s nothing romantic between us.”

That got Aaron’s attention. “Really? When?”

“On the porch this evening. He said he knew how much I liked you and didn’t want to stand in the way of that.” She could feel her cheeks start to burn. It wasn’t like she’d ever actually admitted that she liked Aaron, much less straight to his face.

He didn’t take it like she’d expected. She supposed she’d expected his flashy grin and a big ole smirk. Instead he just looked confused.

Oh no! What if she’d read it wrong, and he didn’t want any sort of relationship with her? Maybe he was just one of those guys who liked to kiss random people. She felt she needed to backtrack somehow. “I mean… uh. You don’t have to like me back. It’s just…”

He snapped out of whatever daydream he’d been in. “Not like you back? What are you talking about? Of course I like you.”

“Oh. Good. I was just wondering. You didn’t say anything.” Why did she have to stutter so blasted much? It wasn’t very attractive.

“I was thinking about Ray. He just let you go? Just like that?” His eyes narrowed.

“I guess so. He said he saw that I liked you and didn’t want to stand in our way. Didn’t want to feel bad, especially not now when I had other things to worry about.”

Aaron shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like my brother.”

Really? Because she thought it had sounded just like him. Ray had never seemed selfish to her and would be the kind to move out of the way for someone else’s happiness. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Aaron picked at his fingertips. “Look, I didn’t tell you before because it didn’t mean anything. It isn’t who is he is now. I know what it’s like to be judged for your past.”

“Like how the cops thought you attacked me because of the girl who’d accused you before.”

“Right. And they were both false accusations. But still, people remember them whether they are true or not. I didn’t want that for Ray.”

“He was falsely accused?”

Aaron shook his head and his jaw got ridged. “Not falsely.”

“What?” She sat up straighter and wished he’d hurry up and talk.

“Look, it was a long time ago. A very long time ago. Ray was thirteen, and there was this girl in whatever city we were living in at the time that he liked. Really liked.”

“Did she like him back?”

“I don’t even think she knew he existed. Not at first. Not until the flowers started appearing.”

Her world stopped. “The flowers?”

“Please don’t freak out.” Aaron grabbed Sloan’s hands and held them in her lap. “Like I said, it’s just a coincidence.”

Too much of one. “What about them? What did he do?”

“He sent them to her house. Put a few in her locker. I bet he spent all of the money he’d made helping Old Lady London on those flowers. He never signed them, though. Never once. So she just assumed they were from someone else.”

“Who?”

“Me. Like I’m the flower-sending type.” He laughed nervously. “Anyway, Ray finally got up the nerve to ask her to meet him. It was outside of some dance. He walked toward her with a single red rose in his hand. But, I guess the girl had had a few friends come with her. When they saw it was Ray, they started laughing. Giggling like girls do, but it embarrassed the fire out of him.”

“Sounds horrible. Why would they laugh at him?”

“Believe it or not, Ray wasn’t always the stud-muffin he is now.” He smiled sadly. “Anyway, it hurt him, and I never knew him to like another girl until we got here. I knew he liked you. I also knew I did too. And I knew I couldn’t let him win you.”

“I’m not a prize.” She wasn’t sure she liked that Aaron kissed her just to
win
.

“It’s not like that. Yeah, I knew Ray had the hots for you. The walls knew it. It wasn’t that big of a secret. I had every intention of moving over and letting him have you. But then… I kissed you. And I couldn’t stop. I wanted you, Sloan. I want you more than anyone I’ve ever known.” He moved closer, like he was going to kiss her again.

Her mind raced, not knowing if it was an appropriate time to kiss. They had just been talking about his brother who had feelings for her. And now…

Thank goodness, he backed up. He cleared his throat and ran his hand over his face. “And it’s scary. I’m not scared of your stalker. I’m scared of how I feel about you. And if you feel the same way about me.” Aaron jumped from the bed and started pacing the floor. When he got to talking, he didn’t stop. “I know I’m not my brother. I’m not the good one or the saved one. Ray had his moments, but he really is a good guy, and I know I shouldn’t act this way around a girl he likes. I know I’m a jerk for kissing you when I knew how he felt about you, but…” He faced her. His eyes intense. “I know how I feel about you too. I think I’ve made it fairly obvious.”

“You have.” Her throat was so dry. This had been one of the most stressful days she’d had in a long time. Still, Aaron was there to protect her. She had a nagging feeling though. She couldn’t stop thinking about Ray. “What happened with the girl he sent flowers to?”

“Nothing.

She laughed.

“He stopped wasting his money on her. He moped a while. I saw a note he wrote her once, saying how he wanted to kill himself over her. I did some stealthy big brother bonding, and he got over it. See why I didn’t want to tell you?”

She nodded. A sick feeling knotted her stomach. “The day he was supposed to go see Boyd, did he come home instead?

“I didn’t see him. Didn’t mean he wasn’t there.” He stared at her strangely. “I know what you’re thinking. It’s not Ray. He’s not the one stalking you. Boyd’s the liar, not Ray.”

“I know.” She tried to shake the thoughts from her mind. “I know it’s not Ray. I’m worried about him. That’s all.” Okay, she wished that was all. It seemed a bit more than a coincidence that Ray had bought flowers for a girl he liked and left notes without his name. Then again, thousands of boys did that. Wasn’t it some sort of rite of passage or something?

“I can see the wheels turning in your brain.” Aaron sat back down on the bed. “Come here.” He pulled her to his chest and rubbed her hair. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out tomorrow. You’re not going to school, are you?”

“Honestly, I don’t think I can handle it. I need a sick day.” It wasn’t a lie. She did feel sick. And the thought of seeing Darcy and Tanner and everyone else tomorrow made her stomach hurt worse. “I think I’ll lay around here tomorrow. Maybe catch up on some reading. Get ready for prom.”

“You and Ray are still going together, right? Don’t tell him I said this because I will deny it straight to his face, but he looks pretty good in his tux. Almost like a grown-up.”

Sloan pictured Ray in his tux and smiled. “I bet he does. And yeah, we agreed to still go to prom together. As friends.”

“Friends. I like the sound of that with you two.” She felt his smile in her hair.

“Is that what we are? Friends?” She couldn’t keep herself from asking.

“With benefits,” he teased.

“If that’s what you are looking for, you have the wrong girl.” She laughed and settled closer to him. It was nice to be held. She wasn’t alone and that felt good, especially after what had happened the last few days.

“I know, Saint Sloan. I know.” He patted her arm. “I don’t like you for your body anyway. It’s your brain that I find sexy.”

She laughed and hit him in the stomach. “As it should be.”

The day started getting to her, and she soon couldn’t fight to keep her eyes open.

“You sleep. I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

“Promise?” she asked drowsily.

“Promise.”

With a smile, she drifted off to sleep, safe in Aaron’s arms.

CHAPTER NINE

One Day Before the Fall…

S
LOAN WOKE UP THE SAME WAY
she’d fallen asleep: pressed against Aaron’s side. True to his word, his eyes were open and staring off into space. She felt a little bad for that. She’d slept well and he apparently hadn’t slept at all.

“Mornin’.” She sat up at stretched. While it was comforting, it didn’t do her back any favors.

“Mornin’.” He smiled back. “You slept well.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you snored like you did.” He laughed and jumped off the bed when she tried to hit him.

“I don’t snore.”

“I beg to differ. But it’s a cute snore.” Aaron ducked out of the way from the pillow flying his direction.

“Thanks.” She grimaced. Her first nightlong sleepover with a boy, and she’d snored. It could have been worse. She could have drooled.

“Want me to go scope out the bathroom before you head in? Make sure there aren’t any boogeymen or creepy men in there?”

The bathroom. A place she didn’t want to go, but knew she had to. “If you don’t mind. Not that I want you to get hurt, but, you know. You’re a big, strong manly man who can protect himself from roses.”

“And boogeymen. Don’t forget that.”

“Never.” She smiled as he walked out the door.

Finally, she was alone. Alone wasn’t good. She got up and grabbed some clothes to wear for the day. Since she wasn’t going to school, she decided on some black jogging pants and a long-sleeved eggplant-colored shirt. Sure, it was May, but she was freezing. It wasn’t the coolest May on record, but it felt pretty close.