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“H-how?” I stutter.
He laughs and shakes his head so the soft, dark strands of hair drift across his brow. I want to reach out and slide them away from his eyes but quickly remind myself that no. No, I can’t be doing this again.
“Well, an emergency flight to stay with your brother for the weekend. You clearly haven’t showered. And…” He gestures to the doorway where my pink suitcase sits unattended. “You’ve brought the world’s smallest suitcase.”
I strain through a scrunched face. “It’s not that small…”
“Oh, now come on…” He grins. “I’ve seen women heading out for dinner with bigger bags than that. You were in a hurry to get out of there. I’m just glad I wasn’t late picking you up.”
I feel myself starting to sway as I stare up at him, gawking in amazement. It’s been a long day and there is the very real possibility I’m making this all up in my head. A man so handsome, so kind and so aware of the people around him… he doesn’t exist.
And even if he did, he can’t bean athlete.
Can he?
“Whoa… Steady there.”
Aiden grabs me by the shoulders, steadying my balance with a firm hold. My vision is swirling as he guides me to the breakfast bar. With a sudden surge of heat burning my skin, he grips my hips and helps me on the stool. His hard chest presses into my back. Holy hotness. My body is more alive than it’s been in months. My mind is racing, partly because all I want right now is for him to bend me over and take me right here, right now.
Shit. What the hell is wrong with me?
I think I’m about to pass out from the spark igniting in my belly as I shuffle forward. My exhausted state could be part of the issue. What I haven’t told Aiden is that I broke up with Ethan months ago and I’ve been a trainwreck ever since.
Fuck, even that’s a lie. That’s how low I’ve sunk – now I’m lying to myself.
It’s been over a year. A year of denial. A year of broken promises. A year where I’ve let chance after chance to move on slip by as I wallow in self-pity.
Somehow, as Aiden’s hands leave my hips, I can’t help but feel like this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. Life is a pattern of flash chances and opportunities.
Could this be mine? Even if Aiden is a professional hockey player… I mean, even just being in the same room as him is going against everything I’ve sworn to leave behind by coming here.
“Maybe you should have some water?”
I support my heavy head with my palm and a glass of water slides across the counter.
His gaze slowly rakes over me. His lips curve in a smile. And wow. My heart pounds against my chest.
It hasn’t done that in a long,longtime.
CHAPTER THREE
Aiden
I’mstartingtothinkthat Bailey has done this on purpose.
He’s only mentioned Vanessa a few times before, so maybe thinking that he’s set me up with her is a bit of a stretch. Especially for someone as narcissistic as Bailey. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good guy. But putting other people’s happiness before his own?
I don’t think so.
He’s told me about her trying to make it in Hollywood. I can see her as an actress. Those bright, sparkling eyes would light up the entire set. The way Bailey’s talked about her career made it sound like she was doomed to fail, but looking at her, I can’t see why she would.
Even if he is more interested in himself than anything else, surely no big brother would willingly leave their little sister with their best friend. Isn’t that some unspoken rule between friends that’s been around for centuries? Especially when their sister is as pretty as Vanessa.
He wouldn’t though, would he?
I don’t really have the answer to that question. It’s one of a million different thoughts that are rolling around in my head as Vanessa slurps her coffee loudly. Usually shit like that would irritate me. I’ve grumbled at people for smaller infractions of common decency before.
But not her.
