Page 189 of Manhattan Bossholes

“Thanks,” I said.

He pressed a long, lingering kiss to my forehead, then headed out the door to the kitchen.

I sat up on my elbows, blinking myself awake. We’d obviously relocated to the bedroom at some point. Long, dark curtains had been pulled closed across the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, but the material was thin enough that I could still make out the room. The highlights were the massive king-sized bed with the nicest sheets I’d ever slept on and an impressive TV. Aiden’s furniture wasn’t the sleek, modern stuff I’d imagined, but dark wood that looked vintage. I wondered if that was due to Trent and Nana Dee’s influence. There was a picture on his nightstand of a group of guys. Aiden was there and so were Trent and Dominic, baby-faced, along with two other guys. This must have been his college friends.

I climbed out of bed, completely naked. Aiden had laid my dress neatly over the end of the bed, but hell if I was putting that back on right now. Instead, I walked into his closet—walk-in didn’t even begin to cover it. This place was like a small luxury store. The lights flicked on automatically, probably motion activated.

Wow.

I spun in a slow circle. Every inch of the space was filled with racks of fancy, tailor-made clothes—the man must have owned at least two dozen suits. I ran my hands along the smooth material. There was an entire wall of shoes, both fancy Italian leather loafers and high-end sneakers, and drawers filled with watches and cufflinks and sunglasses. My eyes roamed over a row of shirts—the fancy ones on hangers, the casual ones folded and stacked—lighting up when I spotted familiar colors. I yanked the shirt down, finding an old high school gym tee. Aiden must have held onto it from his football days. My thumb drifted over the worn fabric.

I pulled it over my head. It was long on me, reaching my thighs.

I headed for the bathroom next. Unsurprisingly, it was huge, with a deep, luxurious looking tub that overlooked the city. I sort of hoped we’d get up to some frisky business in there, if only for the views. I poked around in the cabinets, finding a spare toothbrush. Everything I went to look for I found. In addition to all the toiletries that were clearly Aiden’s, there were plenty of essentials obviously meant for guests—specifically female guests. A new pack of hair elastics, bobby pins, tampons, fancy soaps and shampoos, and hand creams. I bit my lip. It didn’t seem like there was any particular woman around who used the bathroom regularly, considering everything was still new in the packages, but more like this was a full-service hotel.

When I was suitably freshened up, I joined Aiden in the kitchen. He’d been cooking up a storm judging by the number of plates on the island counter. I snagged a piece of bacon from a platter, pressing a kiss to his lips as he made scrambled eggs at the stove.

“Find everything you needed?” he asked, his brow arching as he took in my clothing choice.

“Yes.” I chuckled as his hand slid under the hem of the shirt to squeeze my ass. “Do you list this place on Airbnb or something?”

“Huh?”

“You have a lot of stuff in the bathroom that clearly isn’t for you.”

“Oh.” He shrugged. “I mean, I’ve had my share of overnight guests, and I’ve learned over the years what they need to be comfortable. I like to have those things on hand, I guess.”

The bacon in my mouth went down hard. I suddenly remembered the way those women at the bar had fawned over the Cocktail King. They couldn’t wait for a chance to get Aiden into bed. It made me a little uneasy thinking about his playboy reputation. Again, my mother’s cautionary words flitted through my mind. Was Aiden committed to what we were building? Or would he have a new woman on his doorstep the moment whatever this was fizzled between us?

“You must have someone who keeps the bathroom stocked, then,” I said, probing a little. “Everything I saw looked brand new.”

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve had an overnight guest.” He smiled down at me.

“Right.” I wanted to ask exactly how long it had been—and how long since he’d had a guest who stayed for more than one night. But would I seem nosy if I asked?

“What is it?”

“I…well, you know about Levi,” I said carefully, not wanting to pry while also wanting the information.

“And you’re wondering when my last serious relationship was?”

I lifted my shoulder. “A little. Yeah.”

He stared down at the stove, frowning like it was difficult to remember. “It ended about ten years ago. Right before I started Elixir. Actually, it sort of prompted the whole Elixir idea. But yeah, it’s been a while.”

Ten years ago? I tucked my head against his side to hide the look on my face. Something about that bothered me more than Aiden’s possible string of one-night stands. If he hadn’t had any kind of long-term relationship since then, did that mean he hadn’t wanted one? Or was there another reason? Was he incapable of commitment?

I tried to keep the uncertainty off my face as he tilted my chin to kiss me, tried not to let him see the worry as I wondered what the chances were of him being able to commit to me. Concern rattled around inside me as we sat down to the wonderful breakfast he’d made, and despite my best efforts, the fear wouldn’t go away, nor would my mother’s words.

I just don’t want to see you get hurt again.

21

AIDEN

@VinForde June weddings are supposed to be lucky. Not that you need it. Congrats, man!

I posted the message to Snug with dueling pictures: one of Vincent and me from our college days and one from today with our tuxes on. I didn’t know how much more luck Vincent really needed considering he’d already snagged Piper and now had a beautiful baby girl, but I supposed a little extra good fortune couldn’t hurt—if you believed in those kinds of things. Which I definitely didn’t.