I bit my lip and went to ask for her opinion, but I stopped myself before anything could come out. The way she eyed me, I wasn’t fooling her, but she gave me the space I needed as she settled back into her desk. When I went to open my mouth, I thought better of it once again and snapped my mouth closed.
There was no reason to dredge it up. Though, I couldn’t help but still feel the sting of rejection that I’d felt the morning after the wedding, when I woke up alone and realized Nate had left without a goodbye or even a note.
Screw him.
Except, I did, and while it was insanely intense, and there had been a few moments where I had questioned whether or not I’d been safe, it was also so fucking good. Sure, he kind of scared me a little and I didn’t usually go after the bad boy type, but he couldn’t have been all bad.
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
But my hesitation cost me. And Victoria took the decisionout of my hands on how to broach the subject of my wedding hookup.
“Sooo… when are you going to tell me about your mystery man you snuck away with?”
She plopped down in her chair next to me and leaned forward with her chin resting on her hands. Thegive it to memotion of her hand made me roll my eyes.
Why did everyone I worked with act like they were in high school and as if they were going to die if they didn’t get the gossip? And why did it have to bemylove life they were suddenly so interested in?
“I already told you, there’s nothing to tell.” I let out a disgruntled huff. She knew I wasn’t an over-sharer who had to regale her with my exploits, but I also wasn’t usually cagey about the answer, either. I wasn’t sure what therightanswer was.
Wasn’t sure of the right anything anymore.
“Still think it’s weird, and maybe a little creepy, that he was at a wedding full of cops, but yet he wasn’t on the guest list. No one knew who he was, Aiden. No. One.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, breathing steadily, and counted to ten. She meant well. I knew she did. Even if it wasn’t already appreciated.
“Technically, it wasn’t full of cops when he showed up. Just like three or four.”
The look she gave me told me she was unconvinced. My gaze caught on the figure on my desk and my heart gave a weird little flutter. “He was probably a regular hotel guest who just wanted to see if he could sneak into the wedding. Maybe get a free drink or snack. Wedding crashers aren’t that uncommon.”
She tilted her head, giving it some careful thought, and shrugged. “Maybe you’re right. Still. He seemed intense, from the quick glance I’d gotten of him.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah. You aren’t wrong about that. He’s definitely that.”
“Oh my! Are you blushing?” Victoria was way too delighted as she leaned over and hissed at me, hands covering her cheeks and eyes wide. Yeah, I didn’t normally get too invested in hookups, as few as they were in my life. But she didn’t have to be acting likethat.
With a roll of my eyes, I pushed her away from me, sending her chair skidding back toward her own desk.
“Come on, lover boy. Out with it. I told you that when I saw you, I wanted all the juicy details.”
I let out a groan. Really, I should have known better. Victoria was a great detective and she could sniff out bullshit a mile away. Why I thought I could lie to her, I’d never know.
“Not much to tell. We went back to the room. He left the next morning. And that’s that.”
The skeptical look she threw me spoke volumes, even among her silence. We knew each other long enough, and well enough, that we didn’t always need words to communicate. And I hated this was one of those times.
I didn’t want to talk about Nate or how he made me feel. Mostly because I didn’t know how he made me feel. It had been like there’d been two sides of him that night.
“Yeah, I don’t buy that for a second.” One eyebrow raised, she waited for me to spill the details.
“And you’d never seen him before the wedding?”
I shook my head, casting aside my own doubts. There had been something familiar about him. But I was sure if I’d met him before, I would have remembered.
She stared at me, her arms crossed and her eyes narrowed. “I don’t know if I like this, Aiden. Something doesn’t seem right about this guy. Maybe we should look him up.”
Chewing on her bottom lip, she turned back to hercomputer and booted it up. “What did you say his last name was again?”
I shook my head, shutting her down immediately. “Jesus, Mom. I’m a big boy, and I’m fine. Seriously, there’s not much more to tell. We met, we slept together, he left.”
