Then, Aaron’s lips were on mine, the sudden kiss rendering me immediately speechless. Disarmed. Weightless. I melted into him, my legs turning to butter. I couldn’t help it. Aaron would always have that effect on me; I knew it.
“Baby,” he breathed into my mouth. “Stop overthinking.” He took my lips in his again, his arms coming around me. His body gently pushing my back against the cool surface behind me.
“Did you just stop the elevator, Mr. Blackford?” My voice sounded breathless, not that I cared.
Aaron was fully aware of the power he held over me, and I wanted it that way. Neither of us wanted a single unsaid thing between us. There had been plenty of those in the past.
“Yes.” He brushed his lips along my jaw. “And we have three minutes to get all those worries out of your head before the front desk is called.” His mouth trailed down my neck, warm palms falling on my waist.
My lips parted. “Oh. Okay,” I murmured as he nibbled at the sensitive skin. My blood started swirling, certain parts of my body demanding attention. “I like how that sounds.”
“I made sure your dad would take his pills with him when I talked to him on the phone before they left the house.” Aaron’s hands trailed up, reaching the swells of my breasts. “Cristina is only bringing a few cuts of cured meat,” he continued as his legs crowded mine. “It wasn’t easy, and I might have promised a few things I shouldn’t have, but she compromised.”
A low chuckle left my mouth, but all humor died when his hips rocked briefly against mine.
“Abuela will be fine; she’s tough as nails. Or don’t you remember how I had to literally pluck her off that dance floor last Christmas?” He tugged at the lobe of my ear with his teeth. “And Isabel’s pregnancy doesn’t put her at risk; Gonzalo called the airline to ask. Twice.”
I whimpered, relishing in the sensation of feeling Aaron all around me—his warmth, the strength of his body, his breath and voice falling on my skin—but also in how deep his words and actions ran. How much love and attention there was in them, in him.
“It’s crazy how much my family adores you,” I told him, grasping both his arms with neglected need running through my body. “You are like a Martín Whisperer. How did you manage to do that?”
“I thought that my success in convincing them about how serious I was about you after we confessed the truth about our deal was pure luck, but I might have a way with words when it comes to the Martíns,” he whispered like it was his biggest secret. “With one particular Martín though, I want to believe I have a way with more than just that.”
My hands trailed up his strong arms, passing across his rounded shoulders and finally clasping behind his neck. “You do,” I murmured. “I adore you too. Treasure you. Love you. Want you. Need you.” I pulled him closer.
“Who’s being awfully distracting now?” he rasped.
I answered by grinding myself against his hard body, briefly but intently. A grunt fell from his lips.
“Look at you, teasing me like this. What an adoring and distracting woman I have in my hands.”
“How much longer do we have?” I arched my back, pressing our chests together.
He exhaled roughly. “Not nearly enough for what I have in mind.” His palm fell on my behind, as if he couldn’t stop himself. He squeezed me possessively, proving his point. His voice turned low. “Later, I swear. As soon as I get you alone in our room.”
Aaron kissed me deeply then, silently promising all the things he’d do to me much later. Hours from now, when we finally reached the house we had rented in Montauk for the weekend and our family was settled comfortably inside.
“Okay.” Cupping his face in my palms, I brushed one last kiss against his lips. “Have you talked to your dad?”
Aaron reluctantly peeled himself off me and pressed the yellow button on the panel. The elevator resumed its descent. “Yes, earlier today,” he admitted almost guardedly. Just like every time he talked about Richard.
I knew Aaron hadn’t let go of part of the guilt he carried around, but father and son had come a long way. And they both knew Richard didn’t have much time. This past year had already been a gift.
“He and Martha should be getting to the house in a few hours.”
Martha, his caregiver, was another gift sent straight from heaven. She was amazing to Richard and always kept us updated. We trusted her fully, and having her constant support and company not only reassured Aaron and me, but also soothed Richard.
“I’ll check on them again while we wait for your family at the airport.”
The elevator doors opened in front of us, and we stepped out at the same time.
“Everything will be all right, amor,” I told him, breaking my rules and reaching for his hand in the middle of the lobby. “Your dad will make it to Montauk safely, and he is going to love everyone. Just how everyone will love him.”
Breaking his own rules too, he brought my hand to his mouth, his lips brushing the backs of my fingers. “I know, baby,” he whispered just for me. “Everything will always be okay, no matter what. You know why?”
We stepped out of the building, right into one of New York’s overwhelming summer days.
“Why?”
“Because it’s you and me.” He smiled down at me then, meeting my gaze with the conviction his words held. Just as he held my heart in his hands. My love. My whole world. Confidently and completely. “And no matter what comes our way, we have each other.” That Aaron smile, which was just for me and never failed to make my heart skip a beat, widened. “We are in this together, for the long run.”
The End