Modern Arrangements: Complete Trilogy (Modern Arrangements #1-3) (27 page)

"There are hot springs not far from
here. I figure we could go there after we eat." Shrugging, I grabbed my
beer and walked into the living room. Turning on the TV, I plopped down on the
couch.

"That sounds nice."

From the corner of my eye I watched her
slip the shirt over her head.  Truth be told, I had to sit down to hide my hard
on. Plus, unbeknownst to Lilli, her nipples had hardened under the thin bathing
suit material. When I noticed, I almost exploded in my pants.

Listening to and glancing at Lilli, she
clanged around the kitchen. At one point I thought I caught her staring at me,
but shook off the hopeful thought.

She was putting food on plates when I
entered the kitchen. It smelled and looked amazing. She set the plates on the
kitchen island.

Grabbing some wine from the wine cooler,
I watched her start to clean up and put things in the dishwasher.

"You don’t want to eat at the
dining room table?"

She stood up straight and shrugged at me
before walking around to the stools.

"I’ve never really done the
‘formal’ dining room thing."

"Formal?" I raised a brow.

She sighed. "I’m used to eating at
a kitchen counter or on the couch in front of a television."

"Sounds good to me."

Grabbing our plates, I took them into
the living room. At the sound of clinking glass, I turned. Lilli brought in the
wine glasses and bottle of wine. Smiling at her, she sat down next to me on the
couch.

We ate quietly and watched TV for about
an hour. Halfway through the bottle of wine Lilli stood up and cleared the
plates. I grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"You cooked, I’ll get this."
Taking the plates from her, I also grabbed the glasses.

Once everything was cleared, I grabbed
Lilli’s hand so she would follow me. We slid our flip flops back on before I
led her down the dirt path towards the hot springs. It was a good two mile walk,
which we spent most of talking about AIS.

"Here we are," I motioned to
the spring lined with both big and small rocks, steam billowing from the edges.

"This is just here naturally?"
Walking to the edge, she dipped her toe into the water.

"Yeah," Concerned she may slip
on a rock, I moved closer to her.

After removing my t-shirt from her body,
Lilli climbed slowly into the water. I followed closely behind.

"It’s nice," she smiled
closing her eyes.

"It’s great," Keeping my voice
low so she didn’t hear me. I wasn’t referring to the spring.

We spent a few hours at the spring
before heading back to the house. On the way back I talked to Lilli about
college and her interest in writing.

As the sun started to set, we returned
to the house. We took turns showering and throwing on some lounge clothes. I
suggested a movie and Lilli picked out a comedy. With each of us on our
respective ends of the couch, we laughed, snorted, and enjoyed the movie. When
Lilli fell completely silent, I looked over and saw she was fast asleep.
Picking her up from the couch, I carried her to bed.

After placing Lilli in bed, I climbed in
on the opposite side. Lying on my side, I watched her sleeping form before
giving in to my own exhaustion.

A movement and a gasp pulled me out of
my vivid dream. Squinting one eye open into the harsh morning light, I
discovered the cause of Lilli’s gasp.

Her face was pressed against my chest,
my chin on top of her head, with our arms wrapped around each other. A twitch
of her right leg told me it was squeezed between both of mine. My arms
tightened around her. We were straddling each other’s thigh, my hard on pressed
firmly against her leg. To top that off, heat radiated from between her legs.
She shifted and I locked up. I didn’t want her to move. In fact, I don’t think
I could’ve let her go if I wanted to.

"Don’t move, please?" I
whispered.

Chapter Three

The Interruption

Lilli

"Don't move, please?"

With my head buried in his chest, I
barely heard him.  Each breath I took saturated my nostrils with his scent.
Heat built in my stomach and traveled between my legs. My mind was spinning and
his massive erection was pressed against my thigh. Then his hand slowly moved
down to my lower back and I shivered.

"Aid –"

His hand cupped my ass. My eyes widened
and I jerked my head back to look at him. Finally, I got my voice back.
"Aidan –"

His warm, sweet mouth crushed against mine
and his hand grasped firmly onto my ass. Gasping, Aidan took advantage and
dipped his tongue in my mouth. With thrusting reciprocation, our tongues
battled. My fingers knotted into the fabric of his t-shirt.

The phone rang.

Aidan moaned into my mouth, ignoring the
shrill ring and rolled me to my back, hovering over me. My hands slipped into
his hair and gripped. He moaned again pressing his body against mine.

The phone rang again.

He growled and put his forehead on the
bed next to my head. Panting, my brain slowly caught up to my body and actions.

Aidan sighed heavily but wouldn't let me
move as I tried to shift out from under him. Again, his phone rang. He growled
once more and rolled over. Banging the table next to the bed, he tried to grab
his phone. His other hand held onto my wrist, not allowing me to get too far
away. From the corner of my eye I watched him hold his phone out and then hit a
button with his thumb.

"What is it?" he wasn’t too
happy. "What?" "How?!" "I’ll arrange –"
"Liam this is my responsibility." "Of course –" "Yes,
I know, but –" "I'll set up my laptop now."

His grasp loosened just enough, allowing
me to slip out of bed. The weight of his watchful eyes rested on my shoulders,
but I refused to look at him. Already feeling the blush overpowering my face,
neck and chest, I reached into my luggage, pulled an armful of things out, and
darted to the bathroom. After closing the door behind me, I locked it and
leaned back trying to catch my breath.

What the hell was I doing? Trying to
justify the want to finish what’d been started this morning, I began telling
myself I would have to eventually sleep with him. I’m his wife.

I’m supposed to have a kid. Sex will
just complicate this more than it already is, why make this harder than it has
to be? I mean, surely sex will happen.  It’s four years together for lord’s
sake, but can't I be strong enough to wait until its necessary, or at least
until I know him better.

Taking a deep breath, I looking at
myself in the mirror. I’m talking to myself, I have officially lost my mind.
Aidan Iverson was driving me crazy!

I turned on the shower, setting it to
cold. I hoped it would kill the fire consuming my body and the ache between my
legs. I screeched as the ice cold water hit my body, it definitely helped to
cool my libido.

Climbing out of the shower, I dried off
and sifted through the pile of clothes on the floor. Finding a blue bikini, I
slipped it on.  Once my hair was brushed and braided, I quietly unlocked the
bathroom door and grabbed a towel. To chicken to face Aidan, I exited the
bathroom through the frosted glass door to the outside.

The bright sun greeted me by instantly
warming my skin. I decided to walk to the beach.

Tossing the towel to the sand, I walked
ankle deep into the water. Slowly wading until the water almost reached my
waist, I eased forward and dove. The water was so clear, crystal clear, and surprisingly
warm.  Swimming out well beyond where I could touch, I dove down into the water
and resurfaced to float.

Finally, my body tired, I swam until
ankle deep once again. Kicking the water and picking up shells, I walked the
shoreline.  When I reached a large piece of driftwood, I sank down into the
warm white sand in front of the washed up tree. Looking out over the water, I
rested back on my hands, closed my eyes and let the sun bathe me.

I wasn't sure how long I'd rested, when
a shadow fell over me. With a hand over my squinting eyes, I stared up to the
beautiful man I woke next to this morning. He was grinning.

"I wondered where you got off
to." He gave the panty dropping crooked smile.

"Umm..." I bit my lip trying
to think of something to say. "You seemed busy, so I figured I would let
you be." I half smiled. He sat down next to me. It didn't feel
uncomfortable, but it didn't feel easy like yesterday. This morning had
completely put the sex issue back out there.

He sighed.

"It was Liam." I nodded silently.
"There’s an issue with a new venture and things are getting crazy."

"Oh, should we go back?" I was
half hopeful and half disappointed at the idea of leaving.

He looked at me quickly with a furrowed
brow.

"Uh, no. I mean, I don't think we need
to, not yet, at least." He took a breath. "Liam’s handling it."

"Oh," was my only response.

"Lilli, I am –"

"Don't worry about it. You hungry?
How about breakfast?"

Quickly I stood and started walking back
down the beach. He caught up to me and grabbed my hand, stopping me. I didn't
look at him. I couldn't look at him.

"Lilli, please?" I still kept
my eyes off of his, choosing to look at my feet. "I'm sorry if I made you
uncomfortable this morning, and I...hell, I just couldn't control myself and I
got carried away."

"It's fine," I said quickly.
"Don't worry about it." Smiling halfheartedly, I started walking
again, Aidan's hand slipping from mine.

The rest of the day there was slight
discomfort between us. We were both very aware of each other’s bodies at all times.
I sat on the patio, trying to get over jet lag, my eyes drifting to Aidan. I
watched the muscles in his back flex as he was picked up wood for the fire he
was building.

Aidan started the fire. I lay back on a
lounge chair to read my book while he typed away on his laptop and talked to
people back in his office. Once the sun completely set, I laid my book across
my chest and stared into the fire, watching the flames dance and flutter.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning we woke in a better
position, though most of the king sized bed was going to waste. We weren't
tangled up in each other's limbs this time. Instead, I lay stomach down with
half of his body covering me and his arm curled around my body.

I quietly sighed, slid out from under
Aidan, and headed to the kitchen. Once I got there, I started the coffee
machine and began pulling out the ingredients necessary for French toast and
sausage. After creating the egg mixture and placing the pieces of bread in a
pan, I set it in the fridge.

Once the sausage was started, I went out
to the patio and grabbed my book from the cushion I’d left it on last night. 
Sitting down at the breakfast bar, I read while sipping at my coffee.

"Good morning," he yawned out.

I looked up, prepared to smile and
respond, but, F my life, he was stretching his arms over his head, rubbing the
back of his head. His shirt rode up, revealing the toned section dipping into
his low riding pajama bottoms. Burying my eyes back into my book, I mumbled
‘good morning’.

"So, what do you want for
breakfast?" He leaned on the bar next to me.

"Oh," moving away from his
delicious scent, I stepped toward the refrigerator, "I already started.
Just waiting for you to wake up."

Grabbing the prepped bread from the
fridge, I sat it on the counter and turned on the griddle.

"What are you making?"

Heat and minty breath washed over my
body.  Damn him! He knew what he was doing.

"French toast." My words a bit
more curt than intended, I was feeling a little irritable, "You may want
to move unless you prefer getting splattered with hot food."

"Sorry," he grumbled and moved
away from me.

Aidan pulled out some orange juice and
filled two glasses while I finished cooking. Setting the plates at the
breakfast bar, Aidan sat one glass in front of me.

"Come on," he said grabbing
his plate and walking outside. We sat at a table on the patio and ate
breakfast.

"Mmm..." Aidan's eyes were
closed. "This is really good." He smiled.

"Thanks," Smiling, I put
another bite in my mouth.

When he was finished he sat back in his
chair with his hands folded over his stomach.

"So, what do you want to do
today?"

Chugging the rest of my orange juice, I
gave a small shrug.

"I have an idea."  He perked
up, getting my full attention.

"Let's get dressed," he stood,
collecting the plates and the glasses. "You'll need clothes good for
touring the island." The dishes clang as he put them in the sink.

Once in the bedroom, I grabbed some
clothes and headed into the bathroom. After showering, I slipped into some long
cargo shorts and a tank top. Pulling my hair up into a loose knot at the back
of my head, I stepped out and Aidan took his turn getting dressed.

He led me to a small, white, wooden
shed. Once open, I glanced in and saw an off-road vehicle. He walked in and
started the quad, pulling it out of the shed.

"Hop on." He shouted over the
noise of the engine, holding a helmet out to me. Securing it to my head, I
straddled the seat behind him. "Hold on!" I wrapped my arms around
his waist.

He gunned it and I tightened my arms.
Burying my face into his back for a minute, I finally got the courage to peek
over his shoulder.  It wasn’t the quad scaring me.  It was my lack of self-control.

Stopping at the top of a large cliff, we
looked over the horizon. It was beautiful. He continued to drive until we came
upon a small waterfall and large creek of fresh running water. We took our
shoes off and submerged kneed-deep into the natural spring. The water was
refreshingly cool, but the rocks lining the creek were slippery.  Taking a step
deeper into the water, Aidan slipped. I reached to catch him, but his weight
took us both into the water.

"Ahh, this water is cold."
Flopping around in the water, pushing at Aidan to get off of me, I tried to get
up. My efforts were worthless, since Aidan wouldn't budge. Pausing, I took in
our position.

"It's kind of refreshing."
Aidan's grin morphed from amused to seductive. His eyes focused on my mouth, as
a bead of cool water lingered on my upper lip.

"Uh huh," I breathed. I
couldn't pull my eyes away from the way he watched my mouth.

When I swept my tongue up to catch the
bead, his grin faltered. He leaned forward, inching his face closer to mine.
Leaning back on a palm, bracing for his mouth to touch mine, the slime
underneath my hand sent me back into the water.

Spluttering as Aidan pulled me out from
the water and onto my feet, I began to laugh.

"Get me out of here before you
drown me." I giggled.

"That last attempt was your own
fault." Grinning, he helped me climb back onto solid ground.

 Once back on the quad, he took me
further around the island. The warm air and sun dried our clothes and our
bodies.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Aidan

Taking the longest routes possible just
to keep her arms wrapped around me, her body pressed against me, was pathetic. 
However, I would take what I could get. I wonder if she realized how many times
we had passed some of the same places?

After spending most of the morning
driving around the island, I surprised Lilli with a packed lunch. We sat on the
beach at the far end of the island eating and talking. Once finished, we drove
around until the sun was on the other side of the sky and shadows started to
form.

Getting back to the house, we brushed
off as much dirt as possible before taking turns in the shower. Turning off the
spray of the shower, I could hear music playing. I dressed quickly and went to
investigate. Lilli was dancing around while cooking. Leaning up against the
wall, I stood and watched.

Watching her hips and ass sway while
stirring and mixing the food was hypnotizing. She was gorgeous without even
trying. My cheeks started to ache from the smile I had on my face. Her eyes
widened the moment she spun and caught me watching.

"How long have you been standing
there?" she narrowed her eyes at me but I could see a small smile forming.

"Oh...long enough," I laughed
out.

"Loser," she giggled.

"I love you too..." I laughed.
Then, it dawned on me. Taking in her stiff posture, she had realized too.
"I-I didn't mean –" her body relaxed.

"I get it." Turning back
around, she finished cooking.

That night we ate in front of the TV
again and watched movies. Just like every night since we had gotten here, Lilli
fell asleep and I carried her to bed.