Shuttered Affections (Cornerstone #1) (22 page)

“The jig is up.”

“Where are we going?” I asked, realizing we were heading out
of town on the small back roads instead of the highway.

“Taking the scenic route to Pat’s shop and then out to that
property I told you about. Did you bring your film camera and some infrared?”

I nodded, and then asked, “Why are we going to Pat’s? Not
that I don’t absolutely adore the old lady, but are we just socializing or do
you need something?”

“After this morning, I feel the need to go and thank her
personally for selling us that mirror,” he said with a huge grin and a sexy
gleam in his eye.

“Aiden, don’t you dare tell her how much we enjoyed it.” I
scolded.

He threw his head back and laughed hysterically, obviously
finding humor in my embarrassment.

“Calm down, Julia,” he chuckled. “I’m not going to give her
details. I just figured you would want to thank her for selling it to us and
also get the history on the piece. I told Pat you would want to talk to her
personally about her documentation rather than have me relay it to you.”

“Well, you’re just full of surprises. You’re totally right. I
would love to talk to her about its history and origin. I’ve never been one for
collecting antiques, but this particular one just touched my heart. Now, I have
several wonderful reasons to love it even more than I did when I first saw it,”
I admitted with a bashful smile.

A few minutes later, we pulled up to Pat’s shop. As we got
out of the car, Aiden reached over and held his hand out for me.

“You don’t mind if she knows about us?” I asked, gesturing toward
the front door of the shop.

“Angel, I bought a $600 mirror for you. I think she already
knows my dirty little secret,” he said as he winked and continued to extend his
hand.

“Well, I guess when you put it that way…” I said as I rolled
my eyes and took his hand into mine. It felt good being able to hold onto any
part of him.

“Plus, I paid her husband to deliver and hang it in my
bathroom, even though they both knew I bought it for you. So, the jig is up,
love.”

With a light tug on my hand, he brought me closer and placed
a kiss on my forehead as we walked onto the porch of the shop.

The little bells chimed as Aiden opened the door for me and,
immediately, Pat came out of her hiding spot to greet us.

“Oh, Juliana and Aiden! How wonderful to see you two. And
together this time.” she exclaimed as she clapped her hands together once and
came toward us.

Aiden held his right hand out to shake Pat’s hand, but
instead, brought her hand up to kiss her knuckles, making her blush as he said,
“Pat, as always, it’s so lovely to see you.”

She grabbed her chest with her other hand and said in my
direction, “Oh, always such a charmer, he is.”

I just nodded and politely replied, “Yes, always. It’s great
to see you again so soon, Pat. I was pleasantly surprised with my gift from
Aiden last night. I can’t tell you how much I love it.”

“I’m so glad to see that piece find such a good home. It
truly is a magnificent work of art,” she praised.

“Pat, I was wondering if you could share some of the history
and origins with Julia? I’m sure she would thoroughly enjoy learning more about
it,” Aiden politely requested.

“Of course. I have the full history, or what was documented
at least, in my files.” She gestured toward her office and said, “Come, my
dear.”

I smiled at Aiden, excitement bubbling through me, as he
followed me back to Pat’s office. It only took her a few minutes to explain the
mirror’s origins and give me a brief history lesson before she handed me the
papers and told us both to go enjoy the garden.

After putting the papers in the car and grabbing Aiden’s
digital camera, we headed back to the beautiful butterfly garden on Pat’s
property.

Hand in hand, we walked through the garden, enjoying all the
wildlife fluttering around us. As we rounded a corner that caused us to be
hidden from the building, Aiden turned me in his arms and planted an adoring
kiss on my lips.

After he pulled away, it took me a moment to catch my
breath. Letting out a quivering sigh, I opened my eyes to his adorable face.

“Come here,” he said as he snaked his arm around my waist
and turned me slightly so I was facing his camera.

Putting our cheeks together, he said, “Smile.”

I did as I was told, even though I was definitely not used
to having my picture taken.

Without turning my body, I tilted my head up and gave him a
peck on the cheek. I heard the shutter of his camera click and I smiled. Hopefully,
that one would come out nice.

He met my smile with one of his own and offered me a gentle
peck on the lips. Again, I heard the click of the camera and it made me giggle.
He was being such a teenager. Taking kissy pics was usually not my style. But,
since he was using his digital camera, no one else needed to see them anyway.

Just as we kissed again, a gust of wind plastered most of my
hair in his face. We both laughed and I had to turn and face the wind just to
fix my errant curls.

A little bit further down the pathway was a set of rocks big
enough to sit on. They were positioned next to the pond so you could look down
and see all the koi enjoying their home. The waterfall wasn’t too far away,
which made the entire scene so peaceful.

I sat on one of the rocks, propping myself up on one of my
arms, and looked down into the water. Even though the waterfall agitated the
pond slightly, the surface was still enough to see my reflection.

Lost in my daydream, I didn’t realize Aiden was
photographing me until it was too late.

“Aiden, why are you taking pictures of me?” I asked.

“Because you’re the most beautiful thing I have ever laid my
eyes on,” he replied with absolutely no humor in his tone.

“Oh, please. I’m so not used to being in front of the
camera. Plus, there are so many more beautiful things around this garden…” His fingers
cut off my disagreement.

“Angel, you… You are the most beautiful woman I have ever
met. I don’t care what anyone else has told you. You’re stunning. And I live my
life capturing beauty,” he said as he held his camera up as evidence.

“How about this? You just enjoy yourself, relax, and don’t
pay any attention to me,” he attempted to compromise.

“Aiden. I haven’t been able to
NOT
pay attention to you since I first saw you,” I admitted
sheepishly, putting major emphasis on the word
not
.

He just smiled and said, “I’m glad. Very glad. But, now, I
just want you to relax and enjoy your surroundings.”

“Okay, okay. But none of these better show up on the
internet,” I scolded.

He just laughed and walked a little further down the path. I
was sure he was just trying to catch me off guard.

I did as he suggested and it felt great. I turned my body to
face the waterfall, and then laid back along the rocks, fanning my hair out
behind me so the long curls dangled over the side.

The sun warmed my skin as I lay there and enjoyed the sounds
of nature. I was wearing shorts, so any small breeze felt good upon my
sun-kissed skin.

After about twenty minutes of pure bliss, I suddenly felt
drops of water on my face. Thinking Aiden was playing with me, I sprang up and
looked for him. I finally spotted him across the garden, smiling at something
on his finger.

Slowly, I got up and walked toward him. As he saw me, he
held his finger out to show me the butterfly perched there.

I just smiled at him and walked a little closer to take a
look. The butterfly sensed my arrival and flew away.

“Oh, Aiden. I’m sorry. I scared her,” I said apologetically.

“It’s okay,” he shrugged. “I think it’s starting to rain
anyway. We better get in the car before the sky starts to fall.”

“Is that why I felt water splashing on my face? I thought
you were fooling around until I sat up and saw you all the way over here,” I
explained.

He smiled and wrapped his arm around me as he said, “Nah. You
looked way too peaceful. I would never disturb such a pretty sight.”

His gentleness made me smile.

As he walked me to the front parking lot, I suggested we
peek our heads in the door and say goodbye to Pat.

After saying our goodbyes, we managed to get in the car just
in time for the downpour to begin.

“Oh, damn. There goes our chances of checking out that other
property you mentioned,” I pouted.

“Nah, this might clear up in a bit. You know how fickle
Florida rain showers are. Plus, if the sun comes back out, the moisture on the plants
may make for some interesting shots,” he said cheerfully.

“For now, let’s just go grab a bite to eat.”

His cheerful attitude was infectious. “Sounds great!”

“Do you not realize what an exquisite person you are?”

Just around the corner from the antique shop was a cute
little café tucked away in a slew of beautiful, old oak trees covered in
spanish moss. Next door to the café was a stunning Victorian-style house turned
into a stained-glass studio.

“Oh, Aiden. There’s a stained-glass studio right next door
and they have a ‘Lunch Café’ sign out front. Can we eat there?” I asked
excitedly.

“Of course, Angel. That sounds perfect. Anything you want.”

“I took a stained-glass course last semester and was bummed
to realize they only offered one class, so I couldn’t continue learning unless
I took it upon myself. I haven’t really had the proper space to stay with it.”

“Well, that’s why you need to keep going with those
community art studio plans, Julia,” he said with a smile as he parked the car
on the road.

“Stay there, love. I’ll be right around,” he said as he
grabbed his jacket from behind my seat and climbed out of the car.

He gallantly came around the car and held the jacket out to
shield me from the rain. We both huddled together and scuttled toward the stained-glass
studio’s entrance.

The entire studio had a wraparound porch on both the first
and second floors. The lower porch had scattered patio furniture to sit, relax,
and enjoy lunch.

Hand in hand, we walked over to an open table and sat down. Even
though it was lightly raining, the sun was shining and the temperature was
perfect.

The entire front wall of the studio had several floor-to-ceiling
windows and doors. Three sets of French doors were wide open, making the place
feel inviting and friendly. On either side of the many doors were large windows
completely decorated with stained glass. Under the eaves of the porch were more
stained-glass designs and decor.

It amazed me how this old-style white house was so colorful
and inviting. I quickly realized that the upstairs area was actually sectioned-off
apartments. How cool would that be to live above a stained-glass studio?

“I love seeing you smile like this, Juliana,” Aiden said,
bringing me out of my daydreams.

“Well, you know how to treat a girl, Mr. Stone. How could I
not smile when spending such a wonderful day with you?” I said in an attempt to
flatter him.

And it worked. He leaned over and gave me a tender peck on
the cheek. I smiled and turned to meet his lips.

Just as we pulled away from our PDA, a cute teenager came up
and asked what we would like to drink.

Lunch was excellent. We both ordered different deli-style
sandwiches and split a piece of key lime pie, which was probably the best I’d
ever had.

By the time we were done eating, the rain slowed to a very
gentle drizzle. It was possible most of the drops came from the surrounding
moss-covered oak trees instead of the sky.

“Aiden?”

“Yes, love.”

“Can we just sit here and relax for a bit? Just talk and
enjoy this? I feel so at peace, so safe, here with you. I don’t think I’m ready
to go back to the real world just yet,” I boldly admitted while I grabbed his
hand on the table.

“Of course, Julia. We can stay here as long as you’d like. I’m
really enjoying having you all to myself. What time do you have to be at work?”
he asked.

“I don’t have to be through the doors until seven, but I do
have to get ready, so we might want to be back at the house by six at the
latest.”

Then I thought of something.

“Aiden, I don’t have my car. I’m not sure if the guys drove
it back to my apartment or if it’s still at the club. I should probably call…” He
cut me off by stilling my hand as I reached for my phone.

“They already took it back to your apartment. I talked with
Pete briefly about it yesterday. Which reminds me—I kept the key from under
your mat. I actually didn’t mean to, but then thought you might not mind,
especially with everything that is going on.”

“No, I don’t mind. I think it’s a good idea you have a key,”
I said bashfully.

“So, if you need to take me back to my car, we might need to
get back to your house a little earlier.”

“I planned on driving you to work. Is that okay with you? I
don’t want to smother you, but I also wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I
didn’t do everything in my power to protect you,” he said with a bit of remorse
in his tone.

I grabbed his face with my hands and held him gently as I
looked into his eyes and said, “Thank you, my sweet Aiden. I don’t think I’ve
ever been cared for so much and it makes me feel… special, cherished, loved. So,
yes, I would love for you to take me to work as long as it doesn’t
inconvenience you. I’d hate to be a burden.”

He grabbed both of my hands and pressed them to his mouth,
smothering my fingers with kisses.

“You could never be a burden, Angel. And you are all of those
things…” he trailed off as he gently turned his chair toward me and scooted so
we were close, my legs fitting perfectly between his.

After he was positioned, still holding both of my hands to
his mouth, he continued, “Special, because there is only one person who can
capture my heart like you have. Cherished, because I know each day with you is
a blessing and I would be a fool not to treat you like the fragile jewel that
you are. Loved…” he stopped, closed his eyes, and brought my clasped hands to
his forehead while he looked down at his lap.

Oh, God… either he was just about to say it, or he couldn’t.
I didn’t know which one made me more nervous.

“Aiden, I…”

“I know,” he interrupted, looking at me with his eyes sparkling.
“I know it hasn’t been long enough to say those words and I know I’m probably
going to scare you away. But you do something to me. I’ve never felt with
anyone the way I feel with you.”

Feeling the need to distance myself, I pulled my hands out
of his grasp and brought them to my mouth in an attempt to hide my astonishment
at his declaration. I didn’t need to distance myself because I didn’t feel the
same. I just didn’t understand how someone so amazing could love someone like
me.

He just looked at me with pleading in his eyes. Did he want me
to say something? I had already felt the words bubbling up, but figured I was
just too emotional to process everything.

I moved my hands away from my mouth slightly in an attempt
to say something, but all that came out was a little, breathy squeak.

“Shh, Julia. I don’t need you to reciprocate. I could
understand completely if you don’t feel the same for me yet. I just felt like I
had to tell you how I feel. I had to get it out,” he explained with pure
vulnerability.

A single tear slipped down my face and I finally found my
voice. Well, sort of.

“Oh, Aiden… it’s not that. I’ve already had these feelings
building inside me, but figured it was my emotional wreckage that brought me to
feel so strongly, so I held back. What I’m struggling with is how someone as
amazing as you could ever love someone like me.”

“Shit, Julia. Do you not realize what an exquisite person
you are? I feel like I’m the luckiest man in the world to have the attention of
someone as brilliant and incredible as you,” he said as he pulled me to his lap
and held me.

I sat up straight, slung my arms around his neck, and kissed
him, deeply and passionately, like we were the only two people on earth.

Finally, I pulled away and admitted my feelings for him. “I feel
the same for you too, Aiden.”

And with my confession, he devoured my mouth and grumbled in
approval as my tongue licked at his delicious lips.