I wasn’t used to being unsure. My brain screamed at me to get out of there, to run, to flee. Except, I was the predator not the prey. In that moment, though, I felt small even though I was the one who towered over him by at least half a foot.
He continued to stare at me, but his posture relaxed. I wished I could say the same for myself.
“Seriously, what do you want me to say, Aiden?” I got in his space, partially so he could hear me and there was no misinterpretation, but also because I needed to be near him.
“Nothing,” he bit back.
He was being a brat and I didn’t know if he was testing the boundaries we hadn’t even begun to establish or if it was just who he was. Either way, I knew I needed to be careful with how I reacted to him. One wrong move and this could have all been over before it really began.
“That guy was being a creep. You were clearly uncomfortable. So, I was doing what any good Daddy would, and I came over here to help you.”
With fire blazing in his eyes out of nowhere, Aiden pushed me back. “Except you’re not. And in case you’ve forgotten, I’m a cop. So I don’t need your help in getting rid of a handsy creep in a club.”
My jaw fell open as he ranted at me. With each barb he threw, it found its target and I didn’t even know where to begin to defend myself.
Hurt at his words, though I didn’t know what else I expected after forcing myself into his life, I stumbled back a few steps away from him, hand outstretched as though he were a venomous snake I was warding off.
“Right. Okay. Clearly misread the situation.”
If my victims could see me then, on the verge of a fucking panic attack over a man who didn’t want me. I didn’t knowwhere the rich, confident man I used to be was, but I wanted him back. Feelings sucked and I wanted them gone.
Zero out of ten, I did not recommend.
“Fuck, Nate,” he muttered, hands in his hair, as he stalked off the dance floor, leaving me with no other choice but to follow him. For the first time in my life, I felt uncomfortable in my skin, for an entirely different reason. I wasn’t used to dealing with people, with feelings.
And Aiden was stirring up a lot of them that I didn’t know what to do with.
He stormed up to the bar and ordered two shots. I thought at first he ordered one for each of us, but he downed the first and then the other right after. Before he could even reach into his wallet, I had my card out and handed it to the bartender.
“Should I reopen my tab or is that all you need?”
He glared at me for a moment and then let out a deep breath as he braced his hands on the bar and leaned back as he contemplated his choices.
“Can we get two waters? Then I’m good.”
I nodded to the bartender to let her know we’d take the waters and be on our way. When she handed them over, I opened Aiden’s and handed it over to him, then took a sip from mine as I watched him. “Of course, anything you need.”
He let out a sardonic laugh that left me more confused than ever.
“Talk to me, little bird.” My voice was soft but commanding, dare I say, almost pleading.
He chugged his water and watched me, as though he were studying me.
“Why do you call me that?” he asked.
I was pretty sure he asked me that night we slept together, too, but I couldn’t remember if I gave him an answer or not. Looking away, I shrugged. There weren’t adequate words tomake him understand. Especially if I wanted to try to keep him in my life.
Which opened up a whole other can of worms and unanswerable questions.
The frustration was easy to read on his face, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I couldn’t give him the answers he wanted, even if I had been inclined to tell him the truth.
“Fuck it,” he said, chugging his water before he grabbed my hand and dragged me away from the bar.
11
AIDEN
It was a night full of bad decisions. And it didn’t look like it was going to get any better.
