Chapter Thirty
The next morning, Aidan woke up to an empty bed and the stirring smell of bacon and coffee. He walked naked into the kitchen and planted a soft kiss on Beth’s hair. “Morning,” he said as he sat at the kitchen table.
Bethany smiled at him, took the bacon off the burner and went to sit on his lap. “Good morning to you.” She gave him a big smacking kiss. “Coffee or tea?”
Aidan lifted her shirt and sucked on her nipples. “Tea, please,” he murmured as he continued to tongue her breasts. Moments later, Bethany was on the table, and he was thrusting inside of her. It was fast, hard and incredibly erotic.
“I like morning sex, remember?” Aidan asked, his voice rough from his climax, as he sat back on the chair and patted her thigh.
Bethany lay dazed on the kitchen table. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Aidan lifted her legs onto his shoulders, kissing her inner thighs as he worked his way up to glory. “I like morning sex a lot.”
After breakfast and a shower that involved more sex, Aidan was feeling much better about life in general. Bethany rested on the couch, listlessly changing channels on the television. He could tell he had worn her out.
He walked over to the couch and slid in behind her, wrapping his arm around her middle to keep them both in place.
“So, how are we going to do this, Beth?”
“Be together?”
“Yes.” He smiled as she rested her head on his arm.
“I don’t know. You come here when you can, I guess?”
Aidan shifted and rested his large body on top of her smaller one. “I’ve got to say, I want you with me more than that. I want to give you time, but I want to marry you, Bethany.”
Bethany smiled and raised her head to kiss his nose. “I want to marry you too, Aidan. But can it be a really simple wedding? Without my family, it seems weird to have one of those huge Hollywood-type weddings. Plus, I don’t know that many people.”
“I thought we’d get married in Ireland. It would just be Michelle, Serena, Tom and Maeve.”
Bethany’s eyes misted over. “That would be perfect.”
“I thought so, too. Next question. Where will we live when we’re married?”
Bethany frowned. “Am I going to have to quit my job, Aidan?”
“Not if you don’t want to, darling. It’s just that it would make it easier if you weren’t tied down to a job. I would really like us to spend time when we can in Ireland.”
“I’d like that, but what would I do with my spare time? And don’t say wait for you on the bed with my legs spread.”
Aidan grinned. “Hold on a minute while I picture that lovely thought.” He paused dramatically and his eyes darkened with sensuality. “I like that picture a lot.” Aidan hugged her close. “Sweetheart, has there ever been something you wanted to do, but never had the time or the money?”
Bethany blushed.
“Tell me,” Aidan said and pretended to attack her neck.
“I’ve been writing a mystery for a couple of years. Would you be okay with my taking time to finish the book and try to get it published?”
Aidan kissed her lightly on the mouth. She would never cease to amaze him. He could give her the world wrapped in a bow and she would still want to do things her own way. “I could get you an agent tomorrow, luv.”
“I want to do this myself.”
“Of course, you do. Then I will be the loving, supportive husband.”
Bethany blinked back tears. “You mean it?”
Aidan wiped her eyes. “Of course, I mean it.” He held her for most of the day as they watched television, skipping through entertainment programs, laughing at old shows, and discussing their future.
Aidan was getting into some pretty serious kissing with Bethany in the late afternoon when the doorbell rang. Cursing, he walked to the door, checked the peephole, and muttered another oath. “It’s Michelle and Tom.”
“Hi!” Bethany said with a smile after she pushed past him to open the door.
Michelle stared at her inquisitively. “Don’t tell me I interrupted again.”
Bethany smirked. “Okay, I won’t tell you.”
Michelle walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “What are you two, rabbits?”
Bethany reached for a beer for Tom, bumping hips with Michelle. “Like you should talk.”
“What does that mean?” Michelle asked as she poured herself a healthy glass of white wine.
“It means,” Aidan said smoothly as he entered the kitchen, “that you have amazingly bad timing.”
Michelle flushed, glancing over to make sure she and Aidan were alone. “You embarrassed me, Aidan.”
Aidan walked up, touched his recently poured glass of wine with hers and said, “Touché, darling. You embarrassed Beth when you and Tom went at it like animals during movie night. Amadeus was playing, I believe?”
Michelle stomped her foot. “You did it on purpose!”
“You made out with your boyfriend when Beth was feeling blue.”
Michelle glared at him. “You were the reason she was blue.”
Aidan smiled coolly. “You didn’t help.”
Michelle frowned, acknowledging her fault. “You are very protective of her.”
“So are you.” Aidan walked up close to Michelle and kissed her mouth. “Let’s make amends, okay? Friends?”
“Hey!” Tom called from the living room. “Cut that out, man, she’s mine!”
Michelle ignored her boyfriend and gave Aidan a smacking kiss on his mouth. “Friends.” She smiled wickedly.
“Dude!” Tom wailed.
Aidan and Michelle smiled wickedly at each other before he wrapped her in his arms, dipped her dramatically, and kissed the living daylights out of her.
Aidan whirled Michelle into the arms of her boyfriend, as he walked toward Bethany, and whispered for her ears only, “When will they leave?”
Bethany hugged him close and said softly, “If we feed them, they will go.”
Aidan kissed her and said, “How does pizza sound to everyone?”
Everyone agreed that pizza was a fantastic idea. Much to Aidan’s surprise, instead of ordering the pizza, or presuming that he would order it and pay for it, everyone pitched in. Aidan even forgot on occasion to be mad at the couple for interrupting his night alone with Bethany. Everyone laughed, poked fun, and in general, had a rip-roaring time.
Aidan shook his head when he happened to glance at his watch and realized it was midnight. Michelle and Tom were giving each other the eye, and Aidan knew that soon they would be off knocking boots in Tom’s truck. Aidan escorted the couple to the door, kissed Michelle and shook hands with a frowning Tom.
Bethany smiled at him as she watched Aidan say goodbye.
“What are you grinning about?” Aidan asked as he made his way into the kitchen to help clean up.
“Tom.”
Aidan laughed. “He is a good guy.”
Bethany nodded. “More importantly, he is a simple guy. He’s not stupid simple, he lives simply is what I mean. And you are not in his reference dictionary.”
“I know.”
“You are going to keep kissing her, aren’t you?”
Aidan looked at her. “Does it bother you?”
Bethany shook her head. “I’ve seen you do more than kiss another woman. Remember the scene in Crisis?”
Aidan looked uneasy. “Yeah, I remember it.”
“So do I. The scene broke all sorts of rules, and almost received an NC-17 rating.”
“Well, it was a movie about sex and the power of sex so; there was a lot of—”
“Sex? That movie made 9 & 1/2 weeks look like a kid’s film.”
Bethany was frowning, clearly remembering the scene. “People say that it is uncomfortable pretending to make love while on the set with cameras and everything. What do you think?”
Wasn’t this a dandy subject? “Truthfully?” When she nodded, he continued. “Kissing and fondling a beautiful woman, kissing her breasts, rubbing against her in simulated sex, Beth, it can be great. Sorry, luv. I’ve never cared much if people were watching me, and so I’m never uncomfortable at all.” He leaned over and kissed her mouth.
“Did you really make love to that girl in Crisis?”
“Yes, I did, I’m not going to lie to you. Bethany, look at me.” When she did, he cupped her face and continued, “I will not cheat on you. I don’t want to kiss anyone but you. I will kiss other women for work, but at the end of the day, I will come home to you.”
“You promise?”
“Yes.” Aidan scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. The dishes could wait, he could not.