18

"I knew he wasn't going to take her home first." Collin grumbled. "He doesn't want us to see where she lives."

She and Aiden shared a look and smiled as she covered her head and got out of the truck. She linked hands with him and headed to the door. Listening as the guys murmured.

"Oh shit. He's not taking her home at all!" Eddie muttered.

"That Chad dude is gonna go bat shit! That ankle thing is gonna go crazy in a minute! "Ryan whispered, as they stepped into the building.

"Wait! What the fuck? It blinked green?" Ethan exclaimed.

She smiled as Aiden continued to lead her by the hand to the elevators. Once inside, she leaned in her corner of the elevator as she had done the night before while he stood beside her holding her hand, until they reached their floor, she and Aiden walked out hand in hand and stopped in front of her door.

The boys stopped gasped pointed and laughed as she took out her key and unlocked her door.

"I told you! I knew it!" Ethan said, in a not so quiet voice.

"Shut up!" Aiden said, sternly and they got quiet. "No one can know she lives here."

Their eyes went to her and she looked away. "It's not safe for me right now." She pushed the door open and stepped inside and her bracelet dinged, signaling Chad that she was inside her apartment.

"Lock up, Princess. Check in with Morgan and call me." He instructed, and she nodded, closing the door and putting all the locks on.

KATIE: Home alone. Good night.

CHAD: OK. Mandy says good night too.

KATIE: Tell her the same for me

She called Aiden and he answered on the first ring. "Get showered and ready for bed. I'm spending the night." He hung up and she shivered but, she obeyed. Twenty minutes later she got another text.

AIDEN: Open up

She went to the door dressed in her sleep shorts and tank and let him in. All of the lights were off in the apartment except the one over her kitchen sink. He closed the door behind him and locked all of the locks. She noticed he had an overnight bag with him which he tossed on the floor next to the couch before pulling her into his arm and kissing her dizzy.

"Bed." He said, hoarsely, grabbing the bag, as she led him to her room. He dropped the bag bedside her bedroom door and closed it. She climbed in and onto her favorite spot on the bed and watched in dazed awe as he stripped out of his shirt and jeans and crawled into bed beside her. "Come here." He said pulling her into his arms. "Make no mistake. I want you. Badly. But, you're still not ready for that. I just want to hold you tonight."

She snuggled against him in the darkness and let his arms engulf her. "Okay."

"Thank you for today...those girls really get to me." He said, as he rubbed her back

"They just wish it was them." She sighed. "Now they know it never will be."

He chuckled. "Why do you say that?"

"Like you said, Mr. Lawrence. Mine." She said, hugging him tighter.

He chuckled again. "Is that what that kiss was about? You marked your territory?"

"Maybe." She smiled. "And they were pissing me off because they were upsetting you."

"You know you just made yourself a whole new set of enemies, right?" He laughed.

She shrugged. "Same enemies, different reasons."

"That was your first kiss though, right?" He asked, thinking about how their lips had moved together like flowing water...so natural.

"Mmm-hmm." She sighed. "So good, too." And then she drifted off to sleep.

He chuckled again, and drifted off too.

When she woke up the next morning, he was gone but, there was a text on her phone.

AIDEN: Good morning, Princess. I didn't want to wake you. I have to leave for work at five-thirty because I work in a plant an hour away. I work twelve hour shifts three days a week and eight hours on Fridays. I know we don't have any classes together tonight so, text me when you get home. About last night... I knew I had to work today and I wouldn't see you tonight so, I needed to see you before I left this morning and staying with you last night was the only way. My phone will be turned off while I'm working. I'll check it on my next break if you want to send me a message.

She smiled and decided to send him a video message of her still lying in bed where he left her blowing him a kiss and saying, "Good morning, to you too. Your spot next to me will be waiting for you again tonight too if you want it. Have a great day! Muah!!!"

She got up then, did her morning Pilates, showered, drank a smoothie, dressed for class, did a couple hours work for her research companies because she didn't have classes until after lunch on Tuesdays. Around eleven o'clock her phone buzzed and she saw a message from Aiden.

AIDEN: Fuck that was sexy! I'm the envy of my shift.

KATIE: OMG I'm so embarrassed

AIDEN: Don't be embarrassed, Princess. I was sitting with my crew when I opened your message and it started to play automatically. Before...everybody gave me shit because I came home to look after the boys and study. Now...everybody's talking about my sexy woman waiting at home for me. LOL

KATIE: I'm glad I could make your day better then.

AIDEN: Princess, you make my WORLD better. ttyl.

KATIE: Looking forward to it ;-)

Soon, it was time for her to go to school. Chad picked her up at noon, and they grabbed lunch—he was on his lunch break—and then, he dropped her on campus. It was a long night for her as Tuesdays and Thursdays tended to be. She wouldn't get in until close to eleven. All she would have time to do was text Aiden that she was home and crawl into bed with him...if he decided to stay the night.

School was the same as always except now she was getting the stink eye from the girls that kept harassing Aiden about K'ressa Dean. He had kissed her, who was way past jailbait age and took her home the night before so that killed their theory that he was only interested in hooking up with jailbait.

She sat in the library surrounded by the Lawrence men, minus Aiden, studying and helping with assignments as usual, between classes. Around three she got a text buzz notification.

AIDEN: You with my boys?

KATIE: Yes, darling

AIDEN: Darling...I like that... do you call them stuff like that?

KATIE: No...first time using that word

AIDEN: I feel special

KATIE: You are... to me

AIDEN: I need a pic NOW

She grinned at how demanding he was being. Katie took a selfie with the boys working in the back ground as she blew him a kiss and sent it to him.

AIDEN: Perfect. My crew is jealous. My woman is chillin' with my family helping them with their studies while I work and sending me sweet and sexy messages to get me through the day. Theirs don't do that.

KATIE: Awww. Poor them. I'm all yours though.

AIDEN: Damn straight. Breaks over baby. Ttyl

KATIE: XOXO

Promptly at ten-thirty Chad was sitting on the curb outside the school library as she exited with the boys. They waved to her as she climbed in to the cab with him. They were driving Collin's little Honda since Aiden was working.

"Where's Aiden tonight?" He frowned, scanning the group.

"He doesn't have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He works twelve hour shifts at some plant an hour away three days a week so, he only does night classes two days a week." She explained. "He's probably at home asleep by now. He got off at seven, I think. He has to be on the road by five-thirty because he has to be on plant property thirty minutes before shift."

"Oh." He frowned, again. "So, you really did go home alone, last night?"

She laughed. "Yes... but, he came back later, Chad."

He tensed up.

"Don't worry. My virtue is still intact. I'm not ready for that and he's more aware of that than I am." She sighed, tiredly sinking down into her seat.

"You're mad at me for not wanting you to sleep with him?" He said, shaking his head.

"I just don't understand why it bothers you so much. I mean, your being with Amanda doesn't bother me, at all." She pointed out.

"I noticed." He grinned, wryly. "Despite how much she hated you, you like her for me don't you?"

Katie smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I do. She's a lot like her Dad."

He blew out a breath. "I just feel like if you get together with Aiden Lawrence, you'll forget about me. That's how I felt back then too. That's why I told your Dad and Mr. Edgar. I didn't want to lose my friend to the big bad Aiden Lawrence. I still don't."

She laughed. "You idiot. You're my best friend. We're a package deal, No you-no me. Katie and Chad forever, remember?"

He snorted and laughed at their kindergarten promises. He had broken them so many times over the years, yet, here she was sitting next to him in his truck grinning at him with her head and face covered by dark glasses, a baseball cap, and a hood to shadow her face to protect her from people who would want to hurt her, trusting him to be there for her and have her back. "Alright, alright. I'll let you alone about Lawrence, as long as he takes care of you. I meant what I told him last night."

She nodded. "I know. You're important to me too."