Wake Me Up (Love Knows No Boundaries) (16 page)

I pull her down
on the couch so I can hold her, because I made a promise to myself that the next time will be special, and now is not the right time.

Now I just want to hold and kiss her, and I do just that.

~*~

.

Chapter Thirteen

Emma~

I
think it’s finally starting to sink in that someone as wonderful and attractive as Aiden really cares a little about me. That he really doesn’t mind if I touch him. That he really does want to touch me. And maybe one day he can care half as much for me as I do for him.

I’m starting to place him on a
pedestal and I know it’s wrong, people on pedestals fall. But I’ve never had anyone to look up to, and he’s just everything.

Tonight I’m not wearing jeans. I’m not doing casual. Aiden’s gone to see Zac
, who I’d really like to meet one day.

I’ve go
ne over my finances, and I have two thousand dollars to last me the next five months. If I eat sensibly, I can afford to get something for tonight at a thrift store.

I take
a bus into town. Chapel Hill is a neat town. You can get around anywhere using their free bus system. It’s a bonus. I find a real vintage one on West Franklin street. At first I’m a bit overwhelmed, the place is busy, but I join in the scavenger hunt and try to stay out of the other women’s way.

I’m not one for browsing much
, but I’m a little torn over what to get. I want to impress Aiden, but I also want to distract Katia and Colton, so I’m in a bit of a catch twenty-two. Alright, not the time to get my knickers in a twist.

It has to be something that will show of
f legs and cleavage, so I head over to the pile of dresses and skirts. After searching through some horrid scraps that can not be classified as clothes, a dress catches my eye, and I go to try it on.

I w
riggle out of my clothes and into the dress, then turn to the mirror. I squeak. I think Aiden might just freak.

It’s
cream, but just as it reaches my bottom, it flares out into powder blue. The hem is embroidered in dark blue. It’s pretty, but the material sits tight. It reminds me of one of those Lord of the Dance dresses, a ballet dress. It’s too short. If the wind catches it, my crotch will show for the entire bloody world to see.

But, i
t’s really pretty. I like the colors. There’s only one way to be sure about this. I take a picture and send it to Chloe, asking her opinion. True to her nature, she phones.

“You look stunning!” she squeals.

“Thank you, I was in two minds. You don’t think it’s a bit short?”

“No, it’s about time you show
ed those legs off. They don’t see the light of day enough, if you ask me. Where are you going that you need a dress?”

I can’t lie, especially to people
I care about. “It’s a work thing with Aiden,” I say instead.

“And how are things with dishy Aiden?”

“Smashing, Chloe. It’s like those books I read. I just need to learn to keep quiet around him. For some reason I tend to blabber whenever he’s around.”

“You don’t think it’s because you feel comfortable with him?” she asks, hitting the nail on the head.

“I suppose,” I admit. “I have to go.”

“You go and make yourself all pretty.”

“How are you?” I ask quickly, before she can hang up.

“You know me, I’m a survivor,” she laughs, but she’s not pulling it off, I can hear the heartache.

“Really?”

“Nothing has changed. I’ll let you know if something changes.”

I swallow hard. I know she needs to hear it. I’m standing in a bloody dressing room, for crying out loud! “Chloe…”

“Yeah?”

“I love you. You’re never alone.”

It’s quiet on the other side, and I wait. Then her voice cracks over the line. “I love you, too, Sunshine. Without you I wouldn’t make it.”

I blink fast to keep the tears back. “Same here. You know you’re the best, right?”

“No, you’re the best.”

I’m happy. I have Aiden, Chloe and my gran. What more could I possibly ask for?

~*~

The flock of eagles is back. They’re pecking at my intestines. I’ve curled the tips of my hair. I’ve put on gray eyeshadow and even eyeliner. Lip gloss, the bloody works.

I’m wearing the dress.

And no matter how I keep tugging at the hem, it won’t get any longer. Suddenly it feels very, very short, like it might’ve shrunk on the way back, just to spite me. I also didn’t notice the low neckline. There’s just too much skin showing. Too much cleavage, and my back, I’m not even going there. I almost swallowed my bloody tongue.

I’m not wearing those high heels the others wear. That s
hould count in my favor. I’m wearing nice little sandals. Decent enough. I hope.

I started early
. I didn’t want to keep him waiting. The apartment is quiet as I open my door and peek out. When I hear his bathroom door open, I almost close the door; my nerves are all frayed and dangling like live wires inside me.

I hear him moving
around in his room and I freeze.

Then a
wisp of hair tickles my nose, and I blow at it as he walks into the kitchen. My eyes go wide, and I move in behind the door.

“
Emma.”

H
e tilts his head and smiles. I can’t bring myself to move. He’s dressed in his sweater and slacks again. Maybe I’ve overdone it.

“Hey, you?”

“Uh-huh,” I squeak. I’m bloody squeaking. The dress has reduced me to squeaking!

“Why are you
hidin'?” he asks, starting toward me.

I
squeeze in more behind the door, and then thud my head against it. I shouldn’t have put on the dress.

OH BOLLOCKS. I have
peas for brains.

He nudges the door gently and I take a step back
, but I keep hold of the knob, feeling the need to hold on to something.

He steps
into the room and his eyes drop to my legs. They travel up slowly, and he grinds his teeth. I snap my eyes shut, not wanting to see him angry.

“Tell me,” he breathes
, and he moves fast, pressing me up against the wall with his body, “tell me I can touch you.” His voice is hoarse. I open my eyes and look up at his charcoal ones. They’re smoldering, there’s no trace of anger.

I nod
, because I’ll just squeak again if I try to speak.

He eases down
, and his hands settle on the sides of my legs. Then they grip hold of me, and he lifts me up against the wall. I wrap my legs around him and he holds me there. He doesn’t move.

“You look
… exquisite,” he whispers close to my mouth. He moves my hair away and ducks to my neck.

He bites into my neck
, and when his tongue flicks over the slight sting I squeeze my legs together around him. There’s a delicious tightening down under, and I squirm to get closer to him. But he has me pinned and I can’t move. He has been torturing me like this the whole day.

“Aiden,” I moan
.

H
e chuckles against my neck. “Emma,” he whispers teasingly, and his hot breath sends more tingles down, down, deep down.

His
hands slide up the sides of my legs, and he curls his fingers around the backs of my thighs, just below my bottom.

He is so
, so, so close.

Then he eases me down and his hands move away.
When my feet touch the floor, he pulls the dress down. I feel his fingers lightly trace up toward my hips, but then his hands swerves, and he brushes over me,
there
. I grab hold of his arms, my knees almost buckling out from under me.

His hands travel up and travel
lightly over the material, over the tips of my breasts, and then he cups my face and tilts me up to look at him.

“I have to look at you wearin
g this tonight,” he breathes hoarsely, “which is so not fair. So it’s only fair that you think of me, and that when we get home I will take this dress off, and I will make love to you until you only breathe my name.”

I w
heeze out a breath.

~*~

I’m trying to remember what those prehistoric birds are called. Those big-arsed ones. Because I have zillions of those buzzing around in my stomach.

I’m touc
hing up my make-up when Aiden’s phone rings and there’s a knock at the door, all at once. I run for the door.

“Hey, Captain,” I hear Aiden answer the phon
e.

I open the door t
o a man with black hair and sky-blue eyes. He’s as tall as Aiden, but older. There is an intense look in his eyes, and I move instinctively away. I can only guess that he’s Zac.

“He’s here now,
” I hear as I turn to Aiden. I try to smile, but it’s hard. Everything inside me feels knotted up again. It’s easy to deal with what Aiden is and does when it’s just him, but now there’s another policeman and he’s on the line with his captain, and … it’s … just.

“You must be
Emma,” Zac greets me suddenly, and guilt washes over me. “I’m Zac Hutches.”

“I’m so
rude,” I gasp. “Yes, it’s nice to finally put a name to…” I swallow, “I mean a face to your name.”

He reaches his hand out and I stare at it. For a few heart-beating seconds I stare, then I reach out and take it.

“Zac
.” I hear Aiden behind me, and pull my hand free. I make a fist, and turn away so Zac can’t see the look on my face. It’s not his fault I can’t stand touching people. “Thanks for comin’.”

Aiden’s hand takes
my fisted one, and I unclench it. I grab his with both of mine and leech onto him.

“Sure,” Zac says. We walk
in to the lounge.

“Can I make you coffee
?” I offer, so I can get away.

“I
’m good. Zac, you want somethin’?” Aiden asks as they sit, and I have to let go of his hand. I take a few steps back so I don’t come across as too needy.

“Just had some, thanks.”

“I’ll leave you then,” I say
, and start towards my room, actually relieved.

“I
f you can stay, please,” Aiden stops me, and I glance at them. “I asked Zac over so you could meet.” I turn back to them. “If something happens to me, you should know what he looks like. I need you to know you can trust to go with him.”

Aiden has this way of just ripping my world from under me. But I’ve also grown stronger because of
him, and I’m counting on that strength right now. I’ve tried really hard not to think about the possibility of Aiden getting hurt, but it’s here, staring me in the face. He could get hurt tonight.

“I wish we could’ve met under different circumstances. You should come over for lunch.” I hear the words leaving my mouth. What the hell am I on about? Huh?

I spin around and run to my room. I need their numbers. I can’t help Aiden if I don’t have Zac’s number. I need to start thinking straight. I won’t be of any use to him if I’m panicking!

I
grab my phone, and when I turn around, Aiden is standing there watching me.

“We’ll be
okay,” he says.

“No, you’ll be okay. As long as you’re okay, I’m okay. I need your number, and Zac’s. I
need his number so I can call him if you get hurt.”

He
takes a step closer. “We will be okay,” he says again, determination in every word.

Why can’t we just have a normal relationship? Why couldn’t we just have fallen in love
coughing on some bus’s exhaust fumes, like other students do? We could’ve worried about our studies, graduated, maybe got married and had two point five kids. I could’ve done something I really wanted to do, and he could’ve eaten doughnuts the whole day.

But no.
I don’t know what I’ll do for a career. Unless I do end up becoming a nurse like my mother wants me to. The lower life form of Barry, the doctor. I’ll always live in his shadow then. I’ll always be under her control.

But what’s worse – Aiden’s
a detective going on undercover operations that might get him killed one day.

There will be no maybe marriage
, because no one is insane enough to marry into my family. There will be no two point five kids.

At least I’ve
had this, this moment with him. He was worth it all to me.

~*~

Katia’s eyes zoom in on me.

“I’m off to work,” I whisper to Aiden. He tightens his hand on mine.

“Emma!” he growls in my ear, and he leans into me.

“No, you do your thing and trust me to do mine. Just this one time
, trust me,” I say, pulling back with the sweetest smile I can manage plastered on my face. I know it’s not reaching my eyes. “I won’t let you down.”

I press a kiss to his firm lips
, and turn to Katia as she squeals. “Emma, you look beautiful!”

“Thank
s, love.” I move away from Aiden and push through with it – I throw my arms around her neck, and try my best to ignore the repulsive wave building up in me. “Sorry about last Saturday, I was knackered. But I’m up and about again.”