Page 29 of Aidan

“It’s real to me.”

I swear my heart stops beating altogether. “What do you mean?”

He steps closer and threads his fingers between mine. “I’ll admit that when I blurted out to Campbell you were my fiancée, it was strictly to fuck with him. But I’ve gotten used to the idea of us being married. You’re going to be my wife. Whether it’s tomorrow, next month, or next year.”

Aidan scans my face. “We might not be starting out with the ideal marriage, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.”

Except he’s not the one who has to worry about his heart. “Why can’t we just stay engaged forever?”

There’s a flash of emotion in his eyes. “Would it really be that bad being married to me?”

“Yes.” I jerk from Aidan’s grip and turn away. Hands clasp behind my neck, I face him again with a heavy sigh. “No. I don’t know.”

“I see.” He takes a step away from me. “I’ll move into one of the rooms upstairs, then, so you can still be near Aisling.”

“Aidan, no.” I reach out, but he dodges me. Dread swirls in my stomach.

“It’s fine. I understand. You don’t have to worry about anything.” He walks away.

With that sick sensation growing, I follow him through the large living area he told me he and his brother share. Finn is gone and Aisling must still be in her room organizing all her drawing supplies. He continues into his bedroom and opens the closet. The one he re-organized just so I’d have room to put my clothes in there as well.

I hate this. He’s never walked away from me in the middle of a conversation before. Already the engagement is ruining things between us. What’s the marriage going to do to it?Why are you fighting this so hard? Didn’t I just tell myself that this is happening and I’d need to figure out how to make it work?

Besides, what woman in their right mind would turn Aidan down? He’s funny. God, is he funny. No one makes me laugh like he does. He’s sweet and kind to the kids. There’s no one more reliable and trustworthy than him—minor lying about his identity aside. Him being rich doesn’t hurt. And the man is gorgeous.

But, he’s also stubborn and often inflexible when he puts his mind to something. There might additionally be the small fact that he’s a criminal and is part of a whole family of criminals.

He take a bunch of jeans out—still on the hanger—and lays them on the bed. He adds shirts to the pile.

“Aidan, will you please stop?”

He completely ignores me as he sets a stack of boxer briefs on the bed. Then he turns toward the bathroom and my anger blows. I grab the first thing I can reach and throw it at his back. The soft wad of—oh god—underwear hits him between the shoulder blades and drops to the floor. But he stops and slowly turns around. He tips his head down—his gaze flicking to the black fabric lying there—lifts it, and arches an eyebrow.

“Did you just throw a pair of underwear at me?”

I fist my hips. “Yes, because you were being a dick.”

“Me? I’m pretty sure there is only one dick”—he pauses, darts a quick glance down, and then glares at me—“okay,twodicks in this room, and one of them can’t talk.”

There’s a stunned silence that lingers for several beats until I burst out laughing. “Oh my god, you did not just say that?”

Finally, Aidan smiles. The ickiness inside me dissipates. But then I get serious.

“You’re right. I was being a dick. I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for throwing something at you.” I extend the olive branch and make the first move this time. Closing the distance, I hug him. “Please don’t move out of here.”

At first he remains tense, but then he puts his arms around me and sighs. “You know I have a hard time saying no to you, even when I should.”

“I know. Ignore me, okay? I’m just being weird.” I breathe in the scent of detergent and Aidan’s cologne. “I don’t want to fight with you.”

“I don’t want to fight with you, either. But I also don’t want you to be miserable.”

I lean my head back to stare up at him. “I’m not miserable. Not at all.”

Before my brain can send a warning signal, I come up on tiptoes and press my lips to his. It’s a mad compulsion. One I’m going to regret in a minute. But for this brief second, I ignore the screaming voice yelling that I just made a huge mistake. Aidan’s hold tightens on me and he moves to deepen the kiss, but it’s like a tether yanks him, because in a heartbeat he’s nearly pushing me away from him.

“I’m sorry,” I rush to say. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

He shakes his head. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I think I’m giving you mixed signals.”

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