Page 78 of My Irresistible Enemy

“I just—aren’t you worried?”

“About the show? I already told you, I’m not going to—”

“Not about the show. About yourself.” I closed my eyes. “About your safety.”

I expected him to laugh, or maybe to snap at me again, so I was surprised when he didn’t respond immediately. When I opened my eyes, he was staring into space, his lips pressed into a thin line.

“I don’t think anybody cares enough about me to do anything creepy in real life.”

I frowned. That pause. That thousand-yard stare.

“Does that mean people are doing creepy things to you online?”

He didn’t answer.

“Aiden, does that mean that people are harassing you online?”

He looked down. “Notpeople,” he said carefully. “Aperson. And it’s not harassment. He’s just…a little weird.”

“Aiden—”

“Don’t do that.” He shot me an aggrieved look. “Don’t say my name like that, like I’m some dumb kid who doesn’t know how to take care of himself.”

“I’m not saying that.”

“You don’t have to. You exude it, just by looking at me. But I’mfine. He doesn’t know my real name, doesn’t know where I live—”

“You’re onTV, Aiden. One of these days, someone’s gonna figure it out.”

“So what if they do? It’s not like he’s gonna come here and track me down. He’s just a weird guy who gets off on being aggressive online. He sends his messages, jerks off thinking about me reading them, and then forgets I exist. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine if it’s making you uncomfortable. Even if he never does anything else, if you don’t like it—”

“At least he fuckingwantsme,” Aiden snapped. “You know, I don’t even know why I’m taking advice from you. It’s not like you’ve been exactly normal in your behavior either.”

I sucked in a sharp breath of air.

“I thought—I thought everything we did was completely consensual. If I misread things, I—fuck, I’m sorry, I never meant to—”

“Notthat, you idiot.” Aiden jumped off the bed and stared at me. “Of course it was consensual. I’m saying it’s fucking weird that you won’t let me touch you. Your little power trip. It’s strange.”

My heart thumped loudly. “It’s not a power trip.”

“Then what is it? Are you still hung up on Mal or something?”

“OnMal?”

“Yeah.” Aiden looked down at me. “You told me the night of the festival that you and he had hooked up.”

“I did?”

“Yes. And I’m beginning to think that it was more than just a hookup, if you won’t let anyone else—”

“Jesus, no. I’m not still hung up on Mal. I neverwashung up on him.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“Yes. I met Mal when he first moved to DC. He was lost. In all senses of the word. He needed a job and a place to stay. We hooked up a few times early on, but it became clear very quickly that we worked better as friends. He needed someone like Deacon. And I…”

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