Heat sparked into Aiden's deep blue eyes and quickly caught, consuming everything in its path until all I could see were roaring flames melting the glaciers that normally filled his gaze. I leaned back, startled. I was going to burst into flames under that stare.

The timing would have been fantastic to prove my morphine-induced point if I burst into a pile of ash right before his eyes. Like a burst of colorful, "I told you so" confetti. He would have gotten a front-row visual representation of what his stupidly hot gaze did to the poor female heart. He induces flatlines with his freaking blue phoenix fire eyes.

I tried to yank the blanket back up over my face from where I sat in the hospital bed, but Aiden held it tight in his hand. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like for you to look at me as I tell you this," he said gently.

My gaze bounced around the room for a moment until it finally landed on Aiden's face. His determined gaze made my heart start beating faster, forcing me to take several deep breaths when the heart monitor went wild for a moment. I HATE THAT THING!

"I like how honest you are, even when it leaves you with that look on your face that you have right now." A smile lit up his face, showcasing his dimples. It was such a unique moment that my breath hitched, as he looked at me from under his dusty dark lashes. My gosh it's even more powerful than his stare!

He ran his fingers through his raven black hair, smile disappearing. "But I haven't been as honest with you as you have been with me and that's not okay." My head spun. What was he talking about? I didn't think I could handle any more emotional turmoil. Not for a long, long time.

My voice was unsteady. "Aiden... you don't have to explain anything. Not right now anyway."

He shook his head. "I do. It's better that I tell you now." He shifted, looking uncomfortable, staring down at his hands for a moment before looking back up at me. "You asked me a question a month ago... A question that I blatantly lied about after you had been nothing but honest with me. And I'd like to fix that."

I stared at him, my mind too foggy to track down what conversation he was referring to. "You asked me if I regretted kissing you," he clarified.

I sucked in a breath. "Ohhhhhh." I nodded like that was the most obvious thing in the world, even though I had no clue what he wanted to change his answer to.

I was surprised to see Aiden's entire face turn bright red. The kind of bright red that I thought only I was capable of. "I'd... like to change my answer."

"To what? Yes?" I blurted like a moron who couldn't wait for the punch line of a joke so had to ruin it. Good going Laliana.

He shook his head, eyes dark, his lips quirking up in amusement as he turned the full power of those stupidly beautiful eyes on me again. "No. I don't regret kissing you Laliana Summers. And every moment since then, I have done nothing but regret my words. Regret letting you walk out that museum door believing a lie that should have never been expressed."

"Then why'd you say it?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around the idea that Aiden Dalton, very hot, very very hot, VERY VERY VERY HOT, Aiden Dalton, my hero, and protector didn't regret kissing me.

"Because I was scared. I knew that if I told you the truth... that I wanted to kiss you every moment of every day for the rest of my life, that I wouldn't be able to let you go... and that terrified me."

I stared up at him slack-jawed, my brain short-circuiting, giving my mouth full reign. "Well... that seems crazy. You can't possibly kiss me every moment of every day. When would you have time to breathe? It's not really practical unless you have gills. Which means we'd have to live underwater and I don't think I could pull off the mermaid look but you'd make a great—"

He leaned down and stopped inches from my face, his breath tickling my cheeks. "Sorry," I breathed, my brain shutting down fully.

Aiden smiled softly down at me. "You are one weird girl Laliana Summers."

That is an understatement.

His eyes hovered down to look at my mouth. "And unless you've changed your mind—"

Spurred by morphine-filled courage, I yanked Aiden towards me by his shirt and pressed my lips firmly against his. He let out a surprised gasp but took the hint and dug his fingers into my hair, skin hot against mine, and tugged me closer. His lips moved from my mouth to my neck, hungry for more places to explore.

Aiden's fingers were gentle and cautious as he ran his hands down my neck, leaving brushstrokes of fire as he went. Hands trailed sparks, leaving a path of goosebumps, as they wove down my arms and landed at my waist, caging me in his strong grip.

I snaked my hands down his well chorded back, enjoying the feeling of him shivering under my fingers. I was in awe of the effect I had on him. This unflappable man melted under my touch. He moved his lips back to mine, making it impossible to think past the feeling of his body against me.

The smell of citrus and earth, the smell that was solely and purely him filled my lungs, igniting my insides like a firework display. He groaned against my lips, sending my heart into another speed. It was like fireworks, bright and beautiful and suddenly loud as the heart monitor blared, protesting my Aiden-filled heart attack. But I refused to let him go. Not yet. Not when he had declared that he wanted to kiss me every moment of every day for the rest of his life. It was more than I had ever dared hope for.

I was afraid that it was all a morphine-induced dream and if I let him go, I would lay in the hospital bed alone, being mocked by the heart monitor for my very vivid imagination.

Eventually, and reluctantly, Aiden leaned back and we stared at each other, breathless. "That was..." his eyes were bright, his face flushed, seeming suddenly flustered. It was so cute that I couldn't help but beam. I could get used to flustered Aiden. It was disarming and made me want to kiss him all over again.

"You don't know?" I guessed. "Regrettable?" I hedged in a teasing tone.

He shook his head and leaned towards me, eyes as dark as night. "Not in the slightest." He kissed me lightly on the lips and then leaned away again before I could yank him back for another kiss. "I don't think we should set off those heart monitors again. Or your room will be flooded with nurses."

"But we have to make up for lost time," I said with a mock pout.

He slowly kissed the nape of my neck, sending my heart spiking again as he trailed painfully slow kisses along my skin, making it hard to breathe. Holy crap! I'm going to die!

"I like the way you smell," Aiden murmured at the nape of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine. "Like honey and sunshine," he breathed.

Aiden leaned back as the heart monitor warned him of yet another near-death level spike in my pulse speed. He shook his head, slightly concerned even as a small smile sent the corners of his mouth up.

"It can wait." He gently touched my lower lip. "You aren't dying on my watch," he said in a mischievous teasing tone.

"Cocky much?" I snorted, trying to get my breath back.

Aiden scooted up so he sat next to me on the bed, his hip against mine. I leaned my head on his shoulder, enjoying the feeling of him next to me. "One of us has to care about your welfare."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm fine."

He tapped my cast gently. "I'd be scared to see what you look like... not fine."

His face grew thoughtful. "I'm not going anywhere," he murmured in my ear. "Just please for the love of all that is good in this world, try not to do anything else stupid and give your heart a rest? Sleep maybe?"

I raised a brow at him. "Are you saying that kissing you was stupid?"

He shot me a devilish grin, wrapping a strand of my hair around his finger. "Dangerously idiotic."

Leaning into him, I enjoyed the warmth that enveloped me. I fought sleep, enjoying reality far more than any possible dream. But in the end, sleep won, just as it always did.

...

I stared at a set of beautiful light pink roses and smiled at the wonderful perfume that tried to kill the cleaning supply smell. Aiden's mom had left me flowers and four boxes of leftovers because, as she put it, "Hospital food is as terrible as their taste in the one piece of art they hang in each room. Identical in appearance and uninspiring."

She could be a food critic. She was savage but very right.

Sanders had come through like a whirlwind soon after, bringing me extra blankets, pillows, and BOOKS! YES! But when I had asked for my laptop, she shook her head, insisting that I needed to rest. Work would be there when I was ready.

I could tell by the extra lengths that Sanders went through to make me comfortable that she was wrestling with something. When she couldn't seem to do more than pace, I reached for her hand, forcing her to stop. "Sanders. It's okay."

She suddenly burst into tears, her strong composure cracking as she folded in on herself. "I'm so sorry Laliana." She wiped her tears quickly to assure her mascara wouldn't run. "I shouldn't have pushed you into that contract. I should have hired legions to keep you safe. I should have done a lot of things."

I gave her hand a hard squeeze. "I know..." I couldn't say much else past the lump in my throat. I had never seen her look so heartbroken.

"I brought... I brought our contract. I have another agent lined up for you if you want her. She's wonderful and frankly much better for you than me." Sanders placed the folder down under the vase filled with Katherine's roses. She cleared her throat several times and began to back out of the room. "This is such a mess..."

"It is," I said, my voice even. "What you did was really messed up."

She nodded.

"But even though you went all crazy ninja and added a relational clause to my contract..." I smiled to myself, thinking about Aiden. "I really should have read it before I signed." I sighed. "So... your manipulation really taught me a lot."

Sanders laughed bitterly. "I should have been the one protecting you."

I nodded and glanced at the contract on my nightstand. "Yes."

Sanders turned to go.

"Sanders?"

She stopped. "For what it's worth. Thank you for taking a chance on me..." I swallowed. "For believing in me and my first story."

Sanders smiled at me sadly. "You were the best decision I ever made."

Then she had turned and left, leaving me feeling the loss of the first person who ever believed in my writing.

I sighed at the memory, looking around the empty room. Aiden had left me alone to check in on Tate, promising to return quickly. I knew he didn't like leaving me alone for long periods and I didn't blame him. Things seemed to always go wrong whenever he was gone.

But we both needed answers about Tate's well-being. So I sat, waiting in silence for him to come back, praying for good news. I was torn between giddiness over the sudden change between Aiden and myself and my utter fear over Tate's future health.

You got this Tate... hang in there.

Movement in my doorway pulled me from my thoughts as three visitors walked in. "Hey," Belle, Kristie, and Amy all said in unison, each holding a vase of flowers, their brows furrowed in concern.

I sat up, wincing slightly at the ache in my ribs. I had cracked three of them on my left side, making it a challenge to move.

"We heard what happened and thought you might like some company," Kristie said with a concerned smile. "How are you feeling?"

The morphine was wearing off, so the answer came quick and easy, sending the room into a deafening silence. "Well, considering you three tried to kill me... Not great."

---

Have you ever had to confront anyone before? How did that go?