Cadence tightened her grip on his hand as she continued to explain. "Meagan's sleeping, and Christian should be released soon. But he is asking for you. I'm not sure what he wants to talk to you about, but when you get a chance, you might check in."
"Sounds like you've been busy," he smiled. Why hadn't he realized she would take over? It made perfect sense, now, that she would. He had thought she might be too upset to function. He had clearly underestimated her again.
"Just trying to help," she shrugged. "I guess I thought if I kept my mind busy, I wouldn't have to think about... him."
He reached over and brushed a stray lock of hair back, lightly touching her cheek. She didn't jerk away. "I really appreciate your help," he said, just above a whisper. "I'm sorry I checked out. I just needed to stop listening to the excess voices in my head."
She was leaning in to him now, having moved her hand, the one he was holding, to his thigh. "You don't have to apologize to me, Aaron. What you did was perfectly acceptable. You need to grieve him in your own way. God knows you need a break now and again, too."
He smirked. "Yeah, I'll just go on a vacation," he replied, looking away from her eyes for a moment.
"Why not?" she asked. She stepped in front of him, between his knees, still holding his hand, only an inch or two between them. "You have got to start taking better care of yourself," she cautioned. "You spend so much time looking out for everyone else, and you never think about your own health. Let's go get these two assholes, and then you should... go to the beach or something."
He let go of her hand but only to pull her in even closer, his hands wrapping around her waist. Though he was very interested in what she had to say, the proximity was becoming intoxicating, and he was having a very hard time concentrating on anything, except for her exquisite neck. "The beach sounds nice," he admitted, fully aware that there would be absolutely no way he could ever take a relaxing vacation to the beach and still be the Guardian Leader. He moved closer to her, breathing her in, and her body shivered just a bit. His lips were hovering in the crook of her neck, and she began to lean in, as if she wanted him to kiss her. "Are you coming with me?" he asked, just a whisper.
She was biting her lips and her eyes were closed. "Mmm hmm," she moaned in agreement, her body pressed up fully against him now.
He felt her hands slip under his shirt, as he nuzzled her ear. "What about Cale?" he whispered into her earlobe.
Cadence turned her head slightly so that her cheek was pressed against his. She opened her mouth to answer, but her voice caught at first. She slowly ran her hands across his rippled stomach muscles, and exhaled sharply. He nipped her ear with his teeth, and she tossed her head back, her knees weakening. His left hand cupped her face, his lips finally making contact with the sensitive skin beneath her left ear. She moaned again and he ran his thumb across her bottom lip before moving his hand back to her neck and lightly pressing her into his kiss. As the pressure became more prevalent, she fought breathlessly to answer his question saying, "I don't think it's gonna work out."
That was all he needed to hear. He caught her mouth with his, plunging his tongue in as she pressed herself into him. His hand became tangled in her hair as the kiss deepened. He needed to taste her, to smell her, to envelop her. After a few minutes, she pulled back, gasping for air, but then came back to him, her hunger just as intense. He slid his hands down her back, continuing to pull her in further, and she moaned again, pressing against him, her hands now on his thighs.
After several moments of wild abandon, she began to slow things down, pulling away a bit, placing her hands on his chest, and finally taking a step back. "Aaron," she exhaled, "I think... I... Jamie's out of surgery," she finally managed to get out.
He kissed her one last time before releasing her. "Okay," he said, thoughtfully placing his hands on the wall behind him and taking a deep breath.
She ran her hand through her hair, and absently pulled at her shirt. "I'm just going to go check on him," she assured him.
"That's a good idea," he agreed.
"Okay," she said, still catching her breath. She took a step back toward the door, but didn't turn, not yet. "Oh," she said pointing a finger in the air, as if she had just remembered, "Hannah got us rooms at the Plaza Hotel. She said they're not much, but it's close by and that was about all that was available on short notice."
He just stared at her, thinking about how incredibly beautiful she was, and how he better figure out how not to mess everything up this time.
She continued, walking backward toward the door. "So, uhm, she has your key."
"Okay," he replied, watching her place her hand on the door.
"And don't forget about Christian," she reminded him.
"Okay."
"Oh, shoot," she groaned, "and Eliza's here."
"Got it," he replied.
"I'm going now," she smiled as she pulled the door open.
"Think I'm gonna wait here for a few minutes."
"Okay," she said stifling a giggle as she disappeared inside.
He shook his head and rubbed his face with both hands. "Well, looks like you might have gotten your wish," he said to the sky. "As long as I can figure out how to keep from screwing it up." Elliott had said he'd manage to get them back together if it was the last thing he did. Maybe it was. Aaron would find a way to keep her; this time, he was willing to do whatever it took, no matter how drastic the measures, in order to give Cadence everything that she deserved.
