Page 105 of Heating Up (Nugget)
She scooted closer to him. Despite having worked nine hours, he smelled like that aftershave he always wore. It reminded Dana of leather, sandalwood, and musk. Very masculine. She wanted to snuggle up next to him but worried that he’d want space and time to unwind after a long day. He surprised her, though, by pulling her close and tucking her head under his chin.
“What did you do tonight?”
She started to tell him, then stopped. “I don’t want to forget: Sloane called. She said Sue was looking for you.”
He let out a groan. “Yeah, I know.”
She tugged away. “What’s that about?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll take care of it. Let’s not talk about her now.”
The phone rang.
“You get it,” Dana said. “I’ve been getting strange phone calls all evening.”
“What kind of strange calls?’
“I’ll tell you after you get the phone.”
He got up and went in the kitchen with Dana on his tail. “Hello?” Aidan answered.
There was a long pause while Aidan stared at the clock on the stove. “The battery on my cell is dead. Can we talk about this tomorrow? It’s late and I just got home.... She’s fine and I’ll deal with the other thing tomorrow.”
When he got off the phone, Dana asked, “Who was that?”
“Sloane. Now tell me about these strange phone calls.” He opened the pantry. “Where’s the Calloway candy? Damn, you rearranged the shelves.”
She shrugged. “It makes more sense this way.”
“If you say so.” He found the candy on the shelf with the sugar and flour. “The calls.”
She told him about them and how there was no caller ID. “It was probably nothing, but I got a little spooked.”
Aidan hugged her. “I’m sorry, Dana. I think it might’ve been Sue. I’ll take care of it tomorrow, I promise.”
“Why would she do that? Even Sloane didn’t think she would.”
“I told her I was seeing someone. She probably figured it was you and it made her uncomfortable.”
“But she’s married.”
He didn’t say anything for a long time. “I don’t think that’s going too well.”
Dana sucked in a breath. Just when she’d let herself fall hard—like head over heels—for Aidan, it was happening again.
“Are you planning to go back to her?” she asked.
“No. Of course not. Look, I’ll talk to her tomorrow, tell her to stop calling, okay?”
She nodded but didn’t really believe him. He’d been with Sue for three years. They had a history together. Aidan’s family loved her. He’d known Dana less than a month. She was nothing more than a convenient rebound.
“The fire . . . the cleanup . . . I’m exhausted,” she said. “I’m going to turn in early.”
She started to walk away and he took her arm. “Can I come with you?”
“Not tonight.” She let her hand caress his cheek.
After tonight, she didn’t think they’d be going to bed together ever again. Tomorrow he’d talk to Sue and they’d figure out that her marriage to the schoolteacher had been a big mistake. That she belonged with Aidan. Then he’d find Dana and in the nicest way possible break up with her. One of them would offer to move out and it would wind up being her since she was the real estate agent with the contacts. With her tail between her legs, she’d go to Griffin and ask to rent one of the homes in Sierra Heights.
