"Good morning." Claire said as she relished in his embrace.
For whatever reason, just the mere sight of him was calming. His presence was overwhelmingly strong, making the effect of being in his arms all the more powerful.
"So, are you gonna tell me what kind of hug this is?" Aiden asked since he suspected it wasn't a simple greeting. Although they were growing closer, it wasn't enough for her to initiate physical contact unprovoked yet.
"It's a recharging hug." She answered as she took in his intoxicating scent. It was a smoky oak she was starting to miss when it wasn't around.
Aiden hummed in response as he took a closer look around the office. It was neatly organized and clean. Similar to his own work environment. Scanning around the room he noticed a door near where they stood.
Without saying a single word, he bent down to place his arm behind her knees and picked her up in a fluid movement making her yelp in surprise. Before she could understand the reason for his sudden action, he had already opened the door.
"Great minds think alike huh?" Aiden chuckled as he ventured into the room behind the door.
Just as he had suspected, it was a bedroom. A large bed was placed in the middle of it. There were no windows, another door to what he assumed was a fully equipped bathroom and a dresser. He knew it was probably filled to the brim with professional outfits and maybe a few of her cute pajamas just in case she ever needed to stay overnight at the office.
"Apparently so." Claire chuckled as she responded. It wasn't surprising that his assumption about the room was right. Considering how much they both spent time in their offices, it wasn't totally unusual.
Aiden sat her down on the edge of the bed before he knelt in front of her and took off her heels. The action filling Claire's heart with warmth. After doing so he stood up to his full height.
"Nothing better than a quick nap to re-energize Angel."
Claire looked up at him and appreciated everything she saw. He was wearing a three piece dark blue suit. There was an overcoat hanging from his shoulders and he had paired it with a dress shirt similar in color to Claire's dress. Thinking of how they were unintentionally matching made her slightly smile.
"But what about our meeting? We have important things to discuss."
"We can talk about it over lunch." Aiden said as he placed both his overcoat and suit jacket on the lounge chair next to the dresser. He then turned around and made his way back to the bed.
"Lunch? Don't you have more meetings?" Claire asked as she saw him sit down on the edge of the bed to take off his shoes.
"And miss my chance to nap and have lunch with you?" He said as he laid down on his side. Smiling at her he continued. "Not likely. Now come here."
Claire looked at his stretched out hand and again felt her body move on it's own. It was becoming a habit. Feeling drawn towards him was something she couldn't properly explain. And seeing as Lily seemed to sense the same kind of comfort he provided, she was convinced it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her.
After grabbing onto his hand, Claire made herself comfortable in his embrace again. They laid on their sides as she placed one of her hands under her cheek and an arm over his waist. Aiden gently stroked her back as she drew circles with her thumb on his.
"How come it feels so natural to be around you?" Claire asked in a hushed voice. Her gaze was fixed on his chest while she pondered on why they had adjusted so quickly to each other.
"Hmm. I can't say for sure, but nothing like this has ever happened to me before." He said as he played with a strand of her hair with his free hand.
"It just happened so fast....." She said as she looked up at him. Seeing him so concentrated on her hair was something she didn't expect would make her feel happy, but it did. "Aren't you afraid of trusting me? What if I'm not the kind of person person you want to end up with?"
Aiden looked down at her and noticed how her question was laced with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He understood she was seriously thinking about him wanting to court her and it made him genuinely happy.
'Baby steps.' He thought to himself again. She was close to answering him. He could sense it.
"Well, nobody can be one hundred percent sure of how or who they'll end up with. At the end of the day, it isn't something we can truly control. People can change, leave or die on any given day, so it isn't something I think about often." He paused for a moment and brought the hand he had on her back to her face. Using his thumb, he gently brushed her lips.
"There are much better things to think about." He grinned at her making her blush before he placed his hand back to keep on caressing her lower back. "Besides, life is too short to be second guessing myself. Especially when it comes to something, or someone, I truly feel I won't regret getting involved with."
Claire's blush slowly disappeared and was replaced with an absent minded expression. She was focused on Aiden's eyes.
'I'm such a hypocrite.' She thought to herself.
Everything he said was exactly what she scolded Colton about earlier. Yet here she was, questioning the exact same thing. The only difference being this time it was about her and her own fears.
After staring at each other for a while Aiden noticed a shift in her jade like eyes. It was so fast he almost missed it. But being so close to her he clearly saw it. Resolve.
"So what do I call you now?" She said earning a confused expression from him. "I mean are you my courting partner or should I call you my boyfriend?"
Aiden's eyes widened as his heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected her to come to a decision so quickly. Looking at her smile so gently towards him felt surreal.
He pressed her body against his while diving his head down and directly onto her lips. She responded by bunching the back of his shirt in her fist. Helping him confirm she was serious.
Claire immediately felt shivers shooting down her spine as Aiden moved the hand he had on her back all the way up to the back of her neck. She placed her other hand on his chest and could feel his heart ram against her palm. They kissed passionately for a few long seconds making her chest thump as hard as his.
"You can call me anything you want Angel." Aiden said after breaking off their kiss to hug her tightly. He could feel her heart beat just as fast as his own. A giant smile spread across his face.
"I can't promise to completely let you in anytime soon but...." Claire started to say as she caught her breath. She met his gaze and continued. "I hope we can get there along the way." She said hesitantly. Giving false hope wasn't her thing, but she also wanted to let him know she would truly try.
"No need to worry Sweetheart. It's the same for me." He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips before enveloping her in another warm embrace.