32
Lou was fuming. She’d woken up this morning with a delicious hangover of warm, fuzzy feelings from last night and she’d felt a little giddy about seeing Aidan again as she got ready for work. Something had shifted between them at Annie’s party and they’d been very flirty with each other. Nothing had happened, thank goodness – largely thanks to her – but it had been nice to flirt a little, to dance with a gorgeous man and enjoy feeling fancied without taking it too far. They’d given into the attraction between them for a while and had some fun together, and they’d got away with it. No harm done.
But now Aidan was acting all weird and sheepish, and it was as awkward as if theyhadslept together. It wasn’t fair! She didn’t believe for a minute that he didn’t remember the party, even if it was hazy. It was obvious from the shifty way he was acting towards her that he knew he’d been coming on to her and regretted it now that he was sober. He was trying to act like nothing had happened and everything was as normal between them. But there was nothing normal about the way he was behaving today. There was none of the easy camaraderie they usually had. Shane and the others clearly knew something wasup too, watching them warily whenever they were together, and there was a tense atmosphere in the kitchen throughout service. She hated it and it was so unnecessary.
So she was relieved when Aidan asked if she could stay behind for a little after the clean-down, glad of the opportunity to clear the air between them.
Aidan waited until the last of the kitchen crew had left and Lou waited on tenterhooks for him to speak.
‘So, I just wanted to say sorry about last night, if I was a bit…’
She turned to him, frowning. ‘What?’
‘I’d had a skinful and like I said, I don’t even remember much. Shane had to fill me in this morning. But I think I may have been coming on a bit hot and heavy.’
‘You were fine,’ Lou said stiffly.
‘Well, I just wanted to say, I’m sorry if I did anything… inappropriate.’
‘You really don’t remember?’
He lowered his eyes. ‘Not really. Just vague bits and pieces…’
‘Well, nothing happened. You didn’t do anything you shouldn’t have.’
‘Good.’ He nodded. ‘I just wanted to be clear?—’
‘For Christ’s sake!’ Lou slammed her hand down on the worktop with force and Aidan reared back, startled. ‘Nothing happened, okay? We were both drunk and we got a bit flirty, but that’s it.’
‘That’s all?’ He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Shane said I may have asked you to come back to my place…’
‘Yes, you did. And I get it, okay? You were coming on to me, but it was only because you were off your head. Message received and understood. It’s fine.’
‘That’s not?—’
‘It’s mutual, by the way, so you don’t have to worry about me running away with the idea that you’re into me. Nothinghappened, did it?’ He started to speak, but she was on a roll and she continued before he had a chance. ‘Oh, of course, you don’t remember. Very convenient – you have complete deniability.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘I know we didn’t sleep together but?—’
‘Well, let me fill you in, since you’ve so conveniently blotted it out. Nothing else happened either. We were both drunk, we danced, we flirted a bit, you asked me to come back to your place, I said no. End of story. So you don’t have to worry about me taking advantage of you when you’re shitfaced and getting ideas above my station. I know you don’t like me, and I have zero interest in being with someone who doesn’t think I’m good enough.’
‘What the fuck are you talking about? Of course I like you. I like you a lot more than I should,’ he said, the heat back in his eyes as he moved across the room towards her with the stealth of a jungle cat.
‘Yeah, you fancy me, you mean. When you have your beer goggles on, at least. But you won’t do anything about it because you don’t like me.’
‘I do like you, Lou,’ he said, and suddenly he was right in front of her.
She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly, but she stood mesmerised as his eyes locked with hers, unable to move or look away. She was backed up against the wall, the cold, hard tile at her back, the heat of Aidan’s eyes burning into hers, the warmth of his body drenching her senses.
Then Aidan’s mouth swooped down on hers and they were kissing. Lou had had angry kisses before. It had been pretty much the default with Rob – angry kisses, rough sex. So shoved up against the wall, the hard tiles at her back, while they grabbed at each other, fingers digging into flesh, teeth clashing and biting as their mouths worked hungrily felt right. It was hot and roughand familiar. It wasn’t what she craved especially, but it was what she was used to, what she knew how to cope with, and it felt good.
But then something shifted. Aidan pulled back, his mouth hovering centimetres from hers, his breath hot and humid on her lips, while his hands stilled and gentled. When he kissed her again, it was different – soft and luscious, his mouth clinging lingeringly to hers. There was a tenderness and sensuousness that was new and it felt good, exciting, but unnerving at the same time.
Then he pulled away so abruptly, it left Lou reeling.
‘Sorry.’ He held his hands up, palms out, stepping back.
‘You’re not drunk now. What’s your excuse this time?’
