Bound by Duty

Chapter Twenty-three

I hadn't remembered a hair tie and my hair was blowing everywhere in the strong wind coming off of the water. The waves were intense, leaping over each other and capped in white foam. The surfers were out in droves, hovering in packs in the distance. I would never grow tired of seeing them against the never-ending water with the sun at their backs.

Charlie and I had been walking for about an hour. I needed to go back, but I could finally breathe. The only sounds were Charlie's small snorts and the crash of the waves. The beach was pretty empty since most people were at work or school. As we kept walking, I realized I had made my way to the stretch of beach where Aidan and I had been on our date. I was standing fairly close to where we'd been when I told him I was in. That I wanted whatever we were becoming.

I stood in the sand, my face tilted up into the sun and my eyes closed, as I relived those few moments in my mind. How his eyes lit up. The way he picked me up and made me feel like I weighed nothing at all. How his arms locked around me and his hand fisted my hair. The stormy look in his smoky eyes before he kissed me. That kiss would be burned into the back of my brain for the rest of eternity.

I wanted to live in that moment just a little longer. Total calm spread throughout my system. Not only could I breathe, but I was genuinely happy. The anxiety that was a constant pit in my stomach had all but disappeared and all of my power sat back, a peaceful murmur in my mind. It was a welcome change from the constant buzzing and swirling I typically endured.

As I went to open my eyes, I had that niggling in the back of my mind that someone was there while Charlie let out a low growl. As I slowly turned around, I unclipped Charlie from his leash while pushing the message to him to stay unless I said otherwise. I was hyperaware of everything in those few seconds.

The sand under my feet was coarser. The humidity in the air settled on my skin and I tasted the salt in my mouth. As I lifted my eyes to gauge the latest threat, I also brought my power to the surface. Something was off though, she wasn't listening. In fact, she seemed happy, not angry. Then I saw him. Standing just fifty feet away, his body rigid and his mouth hanging open, was Aidan.

Well, just damn it all.

"Hi," I breathed out. It was utterly lame and literally the only thing I could come up with. Aidan just stood there. He was wearing sunglasses, so I couldn't see his expression. A muscle ticked in his jaw and he pressed his lips together in a tight line. He looked as if he couldn't decide if he should run toward me or from me.

Charlie continued to growl and I quietly commanded him to stop. He gave me a look that made it obvious he wasn't pleased with not being able to do anything but stand there. It seemed like an eternity that Aidan and I stood there staring at each other. Finally, I couldn't do it anymore. "Okay, well, it was...uh...nice to see you. So, I gotta go." I didn't want to go. I didn't want to move. But, I needed to go.

"Please don't." I didn't so much hear his whisper as I felt it. Those two words reverberated through my soul. My head dropped to my chest. That's what I wanted to hear him say, but I also knew it was the worst thing he could've said. There was no way I could walk away from Aidan right now. Not when I craved the safety of him, though I knew how foolish it was to indulge in it. I walked slowly toward him. Charlie stayed in step with me as Aidan met us halfway.

"What are you doing here, Amelia? Where have you been? Why?" He just stopped after that last word. We both knew what he wanted to ask. Why did I say those things? Why didn't I answer the door? Any of his messages? I couldn't answer any of these questions, so I just silently shook my head without looking up at him.

"I'm just walking Cole's dog. This is Charlie." I absently stroked Charlie's head as I spoke, trying to keep my hands steady as she reached out for Aidan. Traitor, I internally reprimanded.