"Distracting?" I ask.
That's exactly what it was.
"Not a bit," Aiden said, giving me a grin. "Blair is professional above all else."
He gave me a knowing look across the table and I glared back at him. I would have tried to kick him under the table but refrained out of fear that I would accidentally hit my mom.
"So you two are competing for the full time position?" she asked.
"Yes," I said. "At the end of these three months the choice will be made. Me or him."
"Wow," she said.
Aiden reached over and placed an arm across my shoulder.
"We try to keep things cordial,” he said, patting my back.
I turned to glower towards him and he gave me a quick wink, that infuriating smile plastered across his face.
Ohhh paalease.
When our meals were finished and we had all pushed our empty plates away from us, my mother piped up once more. "You know what I have never done? I have never walked along the beach at night. What do you say the three of us do that?"
Not the beach again.
Last time it lead to his place.
"It's getting late, mom,” I said.
"Nonsense," she said while brushing her hand through the air. "I'm only here for a few more days. Let's go."
As we exited the restaurant Aiden held the door open for the two of us. Our eyes met briefly as I stepped past him.
My mother and I reached the car and he opened the front passenger door for my mother. Earlier they had both insisted that she take it to have more leg room. Of course she had said that she didn’t want to cause a fuss, but in the end she had taken the seat.
I began to wonder if Aiden would somehow always be there, in my life. It seemed as if our fates were intertwined and no matter what I did or where I went he would be everywhere. My mind drifted back to the night we had spent together. As much as I had tried to suppress the memories, I had replayed the events over and over in my mind.
The feel of his touch.
The excitement I had felt.
The way we had known just the perfect way our bodies connected.
I hated to admit it, but I hadn’t been able to get him out of my mind, to get that night out of my mind, and despite everything I wondered how long I could go before admitting that I longed for it to happen again.
It felt strange having my mother here with Aiden. It reminded me of childhood even more than anything so far. Every moment with Aiden had taken on a surreal quality, like the moments of long ago when we had sat at our kitchen table, Aiden and I cupping our hands around hot mugs of cocoa while our piles of snow drenched clothes hung melting in the causeway. Mom would be hovering around the counter, stirring the pan of hot water on the stove, smiling over our grinning red faces.
I couldn’t recall the exact moment I had met Aiden. It must have been through school. I tried to remember. There had to have been a moment, two small awkward children saying hello for the first time.
We stepped onto the beach as the last vestiges of sunlight faded against distant horizon. We walked along, my mother holding the arm of Aiden to steady her footsteps.
Still being a gentleman.
He had to be faking this.
He had always been there to the best of my recollection, and I was beginning to wonder if he would always be there. Then I began to wonder if I would mind him being there. They had walked up ahead a few feet, and the echo of their laughter drifted back to me. We had been friends, and now we had been lovers. I couldn’t decide which I preferred more.
A week later my mother and I stood by the ticket desk at the airport. We had spent the week laughing, shopping, eating, and exploring. The time had been a much needed break for me, and the timing had been perfect. Though the court date still loomed a few weeks away, I felt recharged, refocused and ready to face anything. After gathering her tickets, we stepped over to the security to say good bye.
"It's been good to see you Mom," I mumbled into her hair as she hugged me.
"I feel much better having seen you out here,” she said. "It seems as if you’re making your way. You're doing well for yourself."
"Thanks Mom,” I said. She held me at arm’s length giving my shoulders a squeeze as she spoke.
"Keep taking care of yourself."
"I will."
"Make sure you eat well. I don't want you wasting away into nothing."
"Don't worry, Mom,” I said, rolling my eyes.
"And Blair, be nice to Aiden."
"Mom!" I said.
"I mean it. He's a good boy."
"He's twenty-seven. Just like me. He's a little bit more than a boy."
"Listen to me, Blair,” she said, taking her best no-nonsense-mom tone. "You’re a very driven young lady, and I have no doubt that you will excel at whatever life has in store for you. But don't forget to take time to play. Pay attention to things around you. You might be surprised what you’re missing."
She said everything but Aiden’s name.
"Okay,” I said. "I get it and I will. Call me when you get home, okay?"
"Of course.”
She gave me one last hug, kissed me on the cheek and headed off towards security, rolling her carry-on bag behind her. I watched her make her way through the gate and up the stairs, where she turned and waved one last time before disappearing down the hallway to her gate.
I smiled, feeling a tinge of sadness at her absence. I turned walking towards the exit, sliding my sunglasses over my face as I pushed through the revolving door and into the bright light of the parking lot.
The days between the case dates had mostly been half days as we had a lesser work load, and I had been able to take some time off during my mother's stay. Other than the night we all went out, I hadn’t seen or spoken to Aiden during her visit outside of work.
When I returned to work the next day I felt more than eager to get back into the swing of things. I arrived and took my seat across from Aiden. Mr. Mahoney and Ms. Klein arrived within a few minutes of each other.
"We are still on course for the current court date,” Ms. Klein announced once we all got settled that morning. "The client has been remanded to family, under our advisement. The prosecution fought it, but the judge saw things our way in the end."
"That's good," I said. "It's comforting to know that he is with family and not locked up needlessly."
Aiden gave me a quizzical look. I kept his eyes for a moment before looking down at the files I had in front of me, deciding that I would much rather focus on the work than worry about Aiden's responses. I had my reasons, and he had his, for doing things the way we did. We had already determined that our work methods might be quite different from each other. It was up to the partners to decide which might be a better fit for the firm.
We all dug into our work, confirming and discussing the elements of our statements, strengthened by the collected evidence. Our client was innocent, and I stood by that knowledge as we worked. We finished just before lunchtime, and the senior partners gave us the rest of the day off. I knew that once the full time schedule kicked in there would not be so many leisurely days. Now we were working on one case, a big one but only one. Whoever received the full time position would be working on several cases at once, and have to be available most of the time. The schedule would be sporadic and hectic. Days off would become a luxury. This kind of schedule appealed to me, as I had a tendency to get antsy if I didn’t have enough to do, as my mother pointed out while she had been here.
"Blair," Aiden caught up with me at the elevator. "What are you doing for lunch?"
"I was heading back to my apartment,” I said, trying to avoid an invitation. "I've got some things I need to work on."
The elevator door opened and we both stepped inside. I still had difficulty keeping my mind from wandering when we were in this close proximity. In the office I could stay busy with work. When away from him I could keep busy and occupy my mind on something else, but in these quiet moments
between activities, if I found myself with him my mind began to wander, weakening my resolve as much as I hated to admit it. I still hadn’t been able to shake my recurring thoughts on the night we had spent together as much as I wanted to forget it.
I couldn’t.
Nor did I think that I wanted to.
"There's a place I'd like to take you,” he said. "This awesome hiking trail I've discovered. I remembered how much you loved to go hiking."
"Do I?" I said.
"We used to go all the time,” he insisted.
"I haven't been hiking in years,” I said.
He had been right that we used to go nearly every weekend, I remembered, during our later high school years. I couldn’t think of a reason to say no. I had missed being active and it would be nice to get out of the office. I didn’t want him to think I was agreeing too easily though.
"That was more of a high school thing, Aiden."
He looked at me sideways underneath his eyelashes. I averted my eyes both for the effect of aloofness and to try and suppress the butterflies in my stomach.
"But,” I started. “I don't have anything else going on today. Why not."
"Great," he said grinning as we stepped off the elevator into the lobby.
"I just want to go home and change. I'll need to grab a few things,” I said. "Pick me up at my place in an hour?"
He glanced at his watch. "Around one-ish. Yeah that works. I'll see you then."
He trotted off towards his car with purpose in his steps. I shook my head. He seemed to be up to something but I couldn’t make it out. I turned and headed towards my car.
The green sloping hills rolled up before us to the bright blue cloudless sky. The parking lot nestled just at the foot of the climb, and the small dusty path disappeared into the foliage. I had changed into a pair of shorts and an athletic top which clung to me, made of a fabric which would pull the sweat from my skin as we climbed. The heat of the California atmosphere and the work out would make me sweat and I decided to dress according to the weather. I adjusted the ties on my tennis shoes before we headed down the path and into the welcome shade of the forest.
"How long has it been since I have gone hiking?" I wondered out loud.
"Think you can keep up?" he asked playfully over his shoulder.
"Whatever," I said. "See if you can."
The path went steep rather quickly and we stopped talking to conserve our breath as we worked our way up the mountainside. My muscles started to feel it right away, aching already. I had been behind a desk for too long, but I wasn't about to let him know that. I reached inside my shoulder bag and pulled out the bottle of water, taking a long swig. My breath had gone ragged and the sweat poured off of me creating a little dark half-moons on my shirt.
Aiden had made it a few steps ahead of me and when he turned around, I handed him his bottle. We stopped to refresh for a moment. Between the trees, I could see that we had gained some altitude. The surrounding emerald hills framed by the deep blue sky took my breath away.
"Just up here a little ways is the look out,” Aiden said. "It's supposed to be a really nice view. You can see for miles."
I splashed a little bit of water into my hand and rubbed it across my forehead and along the back of my neck.
"Let's go,” I said.
We headed out again. Every once in a while we passed other hikers coming or going, young couples, one guy with a back pack. We reached a rocky outcropping in the path which we had no choice but to climb. Aiden reached back and extended his hand to me. Without thought, I reached up and took his hand, finding my footing and letting him help me up. I pushed on my knees to gain leverage on the steep path.
After a few more steps the path leveled out and came to a Y in the road. Aiden paused, peering down each branch. They both looked identical and I thought about saying something about the brochure we had picked up at the visitor's center.
"Are we lost?" I asked.
"Not at all," he said.
"Which way do we go then?"
"This way," he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me down the left path.
We walked along for a little while like this. He remained a few steps ahead of me under the guise of leading me down the path, but I didn’t pretend that I didn't notice he still had my hand tucked into his. The path curved and we came to a clearing. We had arrived close to the top of the mountain overlooking the city. We could see everything, the buildings, the surrounding hill sides rolling along the edges like concentric circles after a pebble dropped into a pond. The sky soared above us for miles.
"This is..." I said truly at a loss for words.
I pulled my hand carefully away from his and covered my mouth. The move was twofold. On the one hand I wanted to separate from him. On the other hand my jaw had dropped at the spectacular vision. I didn’t know how else to react.
Out in the distance on the horizon I saw a small gathering of clouds on the other side of the city where the Pacific Ocean lay, just out of sight. I approached the edge of the overlook, placing my hands gently on the edge of the rail. Below me I saw the dusty ground, dotted with the desert foliage and disappearing into the sloping trees.
I felt Aiden step up next to me. He turned and leaned against the railing with his back to the sprawling view.
"Blair," he said. I could hear his intention in his voice, and I closed my eyes.
He didn’t say another word, but reached up and brushed away a tendril of hair that had plastered to my forehead from the sweat. His touch made me shiver despite the midday heat. He lowered his hand and placed his palms against the rail, steadying his balance.
"You did pretty good out there on the trail," he informed me.
"You think so? Well, you didn’t do badly yourself," I said, shading my eyes with my hand and turning to look at him.
The clouds in the distance had grown larger and seemed to be drifting towards us. I silently wished they would, so as to provide us some welcome shade. Aiden had worn a tank top which hung loosely around his torso. I could easily see the outline of his muscles, still taut from the hike up the strenuous path.
I looked away and took a drink of water.
"We should do this more often,” he suggested. I could tell that he wanted to say something else, but as was his habit he was dancing around the subject, leading me to it without saying it out right.
"What are you getting at, Aiden?" I asked, turning to look him straight in the eye.
"You know we would be good together Blair,” he said.
There it was.
He couldn’t seem to take a hint or let it go. I didn’t want him to know how difficult I found it to keep him at bay.
"This again?" I asked, trying to keep the atmosphere playful, but feeling my annoyance rising.
The sky had taken on a grayish cast, now completely covered over with clouds. The pressure began to drop in the atmosphere and the air had gotten cooler by a few degrees.
"You know it's true, Blair,” he said, his voice serious as he took a tentative step towards me.
"Aiden," I said, patiently shaking my head. "The case comes first. We need to stay friends for now. If you recall, the fate of Darius Shaw rests in our hands. We have to keep that as our primary focus."
"Darius Shaw," Aiden said.
"Yes," I said in deadpan. "The man who had been falsely accused of murder, and who may go to jail for it if we don't do our job properly. That Darius Shaw. We need to focus on him, on the case."
"Ah yes. The case,” he said. "I knew that."
I could no longer take being that close to him and my anger had begun to bubble to the top. I needed some distance to gain control of my emotions. I stepped away from the rail and headed back across the clearing towards the path at the edge of the forest.
He continued speaking and kept pace a few steps behind me. "It just seems as if the case is more important to you than anything else. Every time I try to get close to you, Blair, you throw the case at me. The case isn't alwa
ys going to be there. Why is it so important to you?"
With a crack of thunder the clouds above us gave way to a sudden shower, drenching us both in the sudden downpour. I turned around fully intent on unleashing my ire on him.
"Why now, Aiden!" I shouted over the downpour.
"What?" he asked, taking a step back. I walked towards him, my fists clenched at my sides.
"Why not back in high school! Where was this then?!"
Under the rain I felt tears begin to stream down my face, relieved that he couldn’t see them.
"What do you mean, I..."
"You didn't even pretend to come on to me! Not once! I saw you with girl after girl on your arm! Do you know what that did to me back then! Do you know how much that hurt?! All those years and you never even looked at me! I had no choice but to get over you! Don't you get it! I'm throwing the case at you because it's the only thing I have! You had your chance, and it has passed a long time ago. Don't you see that! So what's so different! Dammit, Aiden. Why now?"
He stopped and let me finish my tirade. I stood with my fists tightened, white knuckles burning, as the rain soaked us fully, hair and clothes plastered to us in the down pour.
"You done?" he asked with fire in his eyes.
I nodded.
"I'll tell you why now, Blair! Because we are different now. You're different now."
"In what say am I different?" I asked.
He paced in front of me like a caged lion, furious.
"God, look at you!" he shouted. "You're stunning. Whether you’re sweating without make up or dressed up for work. I can hardly stand it when you wear those damn little skirts at the office. I mean, are you fucking kidding me! We didn't have this back in high school. Everything is different now and you know it!"
Before I had realized he had stopped talking he stalked towards me. He reached for me, took my face in his hands and pulled me towards him. My arms hung limp at my side as he kissed me. I resisted the urge to wrap myself around him.
The rain.
The fight.
The kiss.
All of it washed over me igniting the fire inside me, the same fire that had been there for as long as I could remember. I wanted more than anything for this kiss to mean something, but in this moment, this one time, I refused to kiss him back.
Tempted (A Player Brother Romance Book) (A Standalone Novel) (Player Brothers Book 1) Page 11