“What does that mean?”
“I never bring women to Silver Glen. If they think you and I are an item, they’ll hound me without mercy.”
“Surely you’ve introduced them to women in the past.”
“No.”
She waited for him to continue, but that was all she was going to get.
He sat down on the edge of the bed and touched her cheek. “Thank you for last night. It was pretty damned incredible.” Finally, she was able to see past his reserve to the genuine warmth and affection in his eyes.
Her face heated. “That must have been all you. My sexual prowess ranks one notch above old-maid schoolteacher.”
Curling a hand behind her neck, he pulled her close for a long, sweet kiss. “Don’t underestimate your appeal, Emma.”
His tongue stroked hers gently, raising gooseflesh on her arms. What would he do if she threw herself into his embrace and begged him to stay? She mimicked his caress, no longer shy about letting him see what he did to her. When she bit his lip gently, teasing him with the sharp nip of her teeth, he rested his forehead on hers.
“Don’t start something,” he muttered.
She winnowed her fingers through the silky hair at the back of his head. “Why not? It’s still early.”
“You have a store to open, and I have to get home and take a shower.”
“I have a shower,” she pointed out.
“I’m wearing a tux, Emma. If I have to do the walk of shame, I’d rather get it over with before there are too many witnesses out and about.”
“Ah.” She pondered that. “You don’t have a vehicle.”
“I’ll call Liam to come get me at the coffee shop down the street. He’ll give me hell, but at least I won’t have to walk back.”
“It’s not the walking that’s a problem, is it? You don’t want people to know you spent the night in town.”
He shrugged. “Small communities thrive on gossip. I’d prefer to keep my affairs private.”
“Is that what this is?” she snapped. “An affair?”
“I wasn’t using that context, and you know it.”
“Honestly, I don’t understand much about you at all. You’re an enigma, Aidan. My own personal sphinx. Once upon a time I thought I knew you inside and out. But no more.”
“And whose fault is that?”
They had gone from hot kisses to bickering at warp speed.
“I take it the suspension of hostilities is over?” Stubborn, stubborn man. Why wouldn’t he listen? “In case you forgot, you were the one who came to my bed, not the other way around.”
“I don’t want to fight with you,” he said, shoulders slumped, his tone rough with fatigue.
“Fine. Then leave. And don’t worry. When we see each other tonight, I’ll act as if I barely know you. After all, it’s the truth.”
For long, heated seconds their gazes dueled. Hers angry and defiant, his stony with indifference or bitterness or both. When the standoff seemed at a stalemate and there were no more words to be said, he turned on his heel and strode out of the bedroom. Slamming the apartment door behind him, he left her, his rapid steps loud on the staircase down to the street.
She bowed her head, raking her hands through her hair. That certainly wasn’t how she’d planned to end one of the best nights of her adult life. Why did she have to provoke him? Why couldn’t she be satisfied with the knowledge that he had wanted her enough to show up in the middle of the night despite his better judgment?
The pillow beside her still carried the imprint of his head. She picked it up and sniffed the crisp cotton pillowcase, inhaling his scent...warm male and expensive cologne. For a brief time, it appeared that his enmity had vanished in the mist. Reconciliation had seemed possible.
Truthfully, she was spinning dreams out of thin air. Aidan was a man. He wanted sex. She was available.
There was no more to it than that. Maybe before he went back to New York he would relent and let her clear her conscience. But based on tonight, she wouldn’t bet on it.
* * *
Aidan had to endure a merciless ribbing from his older brother in exchange for a ride up the mountain. Though Liam poked and prodded and did his best to ferret out information, Aidan wouldn’t be moved. It was bad enough that he had caved to temptation and ended up in Emma’s bed. He wouldn’t compound his mistake by letting his family know the history he shared with one of Silver Glen’s newest residents.
Fortunately, by the time he cleaned up and changed clothes and headed out to Dylan’s place, Dylan and Mia were more than happy to see him. Cora was not in the best of moods. The housekeeper was in the kitchen cooking all the side dishes that would accompany the meal. Dylan was still insisting on barbecuing despite the outside temperature.
“I’ll bring it all inside,” he said. “When everything is done. It’s no big deal.”
Mia glared at him, the baby on her hip. “You’re the host tonight, Dylan. And this party was your idea. Just because it’s family doesn’t mean you can hide out by the grill.”
Aidan inserted himself as peacemaker, raising his eyebrows. “I thought you were the party animal among us, bro,” he said. “What’s with this burning desire to play chef?”
Dylan snickered. “Burning. Get it? Maybe no one trusts me with raw meat. Is that the problem?”
Mia put her foot down. “I am your almost-bride, Dylan. And I’d really like a bubble bath, a glass of wine and some downtime, not necessarily in that order. Instead of dragging out the grill, why can’t you let Aidan handle the barbecuing later so that you can entertain Cora for a little while?”
Aidan shrugged. “She has a point. I’m here to help. Why not take advantage of my culinary skills and kick back?”
“I’ve seen you cook,” Dylan pointed out. “You have a tendency to burn water.”
Mia wasn’t impressed. She hugged Aidan. “Thanks for offering. And we accept.” She handed a cranky Cora over to the baby’s adoptive father. “Don’t disturb me unless the house is on fire.”
Aidan chuckled as he followed his brother back to the sunroom. “That woman of yours is a firecracker. Plain paper wrapper on the outside, but when you get her ticked off...boom.”
“Are you saying my wife is plain?”
“God, no,” Aidan said, backpedalling. “She’s amazing, of course. I only meant that she seems quiet and shy until you get to know her.”
Dylan made a sound something like a harrumph. In the middle of the cozy, sun-warmed den, he reclined on the floor with the baby, letting her climb over him like a play gym.
Aidan sprawled in a recliner, telling himself he wasn’t envious. He didn’t want kids. Though they were cute as hell. He had almost dozed off when Dylan’s voice snapped him back to attention.
“So how long are you going to grieve, Aidan? Danielle has been gone a long time. She wouldn’t want you to wear sackcloth and ashes forever. You’ve honored her memory. It’s time to move on, don’t you think?”
Aidan swung a foot lazily, his leg draped over the arm of the chair. “What I think is that my whole damned family can’t mind their own business. Do I look like I need help with my love life?”
“Who knows? Whenever any of us visits you in New York, you pretend to be living like a monk in that fancy-ass apartment of yours.”
“I didn’t know I needed to introduce the occasional female guest to my extended family.”
Dylan tickled Cora’s tummy. “Is there really no one you can see yourself settling down with?”
Aidan shook his head in amazement. “I can’t believe it. You and Liam get hitched and suddenly you’re handing out advice to the lovelorn. I’m okay, I swear. My life is perfect. And if it’s ever not perfect, you’ll be the first to know. Now, can we drop it?”
His brother eyed him suspiciously. “There’s something to be said for getting laid every night.”
“Hell, Dylan. You’re impossible. I’ll have you know I did have sex last night.” As soon as the words l
eft his mouth, he realized what he had done. Crap.
Dylan perked up like a retriever spotting a quail. “Say what?”
“Nothing. Forget I mentioned it.”
Dylan rolled to his feet, holding Cora like a football. “Now I get it.”
“Get what?”
“You look like you’ve been up all night. Liam told me he had to pick you up in town this morning. And that you had given him some lame excuse about an early morning walk.”
“The two of you gossip more than a couple of old biddies. Have you checked your testosterone lately? I think you may be a quart low.”
“Do we get to hear about her? Is it anyone I know?”
“Nothing happened. Nothing at all.”
Eleven
Fortunately for Emma, her day was full. With the sun shining, Christmas shoppers were out in force. She and Mrs. Correll barely had time to take a breath in between customers.
Mia called midafternoon. “I wanted to make sure you were still coming to my house this evening,” she said. “You left the party early last night, and I was afraid you were feeling bad.”
Emma blushed, even though her friend couldn’t see her. “I’m fine, honestly. I’ve been trying to pace myself.” Except for the several hours last night she spent making love to Aidan instead of sleeping. “Do you need me to bring anything?”
“We’ve got enough food to feed half of North Carolina, but if you wouldn’t mind coming an hour early, I’d love some help with my hair and makeup. Would that rush you too much?”
“Not at all. Mrs. Correll has offered to close up the shop today, so I can be there whenever you want me.”
* * *
Emma had been to Dylan and Mia’s house once before when she babysat little Cora. Even during this cold winter, she had to marvel at the home Dylan had built before he met Mia. The approach was a narrow lane flanked by weeping willows that in summer would create a foliage-lined tunnel. Today, though, the trees were sparse and bare.
As the house came into view, she sighed in envy. Dylan and his architect had created a magical, fairy tale of a place. The structure, built of mountain stone, dark timbers and copper, nestled amidst the grove of hardwood trees as if it had been there forever.
She parked in the area that had been roped off for cars and took one last look in the visor mirror. Coming face-to-face with Aidan was inevitable this evening, but even if they were going to ignore each other, she wanted to look her best.
The jersey dress she had ordered from England was comfortable and fit like a dream. The lace duster dressed it up and made the form-fitting fabric a bit more modest for a family dinner.
As she walked toward the front door, the unmistakable smell of meat cooking teased her nose, making her stomach growl. She’d grabbed a cup of yogurt for lunch, but that was a long time ago.
Mia answered the door herself. “Thank God you’re here. Look what I’ve done to myself.” She whipped the towel off her head.
Emma did her best to cover her shock, but it was bad. “Oh, dear...” She managed a smile. “We’ll fix it. What did you do?”
“I was sick of having boring hair, and I didn’t have time to make it to the salon, so I tried a home color—highlights actually. But all I got was this.”
Emma winced inwardly. “Not to worry. But let’s get started. We don’t have much time.”
Fortunately, the orangey red was mostly on the ends of Mia’s dark brown hair. Even so, this intervention was going to require desperate measures.
* * *
Aidan carried a tray of bison burgers into the kitchen and snagged a handful of potato chips before he went back out into the cold. Playing chef wasn’t a bad gig, though. The down jacket he wore was plenty thick, and standing so close to the grill, even his hands were warm.
It wouldn’t be long until his entire family came roaring down the lane. The momentary peace and quiet of a beautiful winter afternoon would get lost in the chaos. Even Cora was napping at the moment. And Dylan...who knew what Dylan was doing?
Seasoning and flipping meat didn’t require much concentration. Aidan had plenty of time to think...and plenty to think about. Was Emma going to show up? Or had he been such an ass that she would decide to make an excuse to Mia and skip the whole thing?
He’d tried to speak to her before he came out to Dylan’s. But when he parked in front of the antique shop, he could see through the window that her small business was packed with customers. Since he certainly didn’t need an audience for a conciliatory conversation, he had put the car in gear and driven away.
After all, it wasn’t as if anything he said to her last night wasn’t true. But he felt bad for making her question her right to come to the party. She was Mia’s friend, and Dylan and Mia could invite whomever they pleased to their dinner.
Aidan was the one with the problem, not Emma. Now, he had complicated his life even more by sleeping with the woman who had dropped back into his life so unexpectedly. Did he still wonder why she came to Silver Glen? Yes. Did he still want her? Yes.
The question was, what was he going to do about it? Already he felt himself softening toward her. Seeing her, talking to her, sleeping with her...all of that was dangerous. Clearly, Emma regretted the past. But he couldn’t open himself up like that again.
Losing his father had left him to flounder in a world with too many temptations for a young boy. He’d missed his dad fiercely, but at the same time resented him for dying.
Aidan found Danielle in college and had latched on to her as if he had found his life’s mate. But the magic had faded. That relationship ended in tragedy.
And then, there was Emma. Losing her had been the worst of all. He had learned his lesson. Emotional distance was key to his survival. Hats off to Liam and Dylan for committing to a future that held no guarantees. Aidan couldn’t do it. Wouldn’t do it. He’d had enough loss and suffering to last a lifetime.
He wanted Emma more than he wanted his next breath, but sharing her bed came with too many dangerous side effects. Emotions. Yearning. Hope. Hope for a different outcome this time.
If he had to go cold turkey to keep away from her, he’d simply have to do it. Last night had shown him a disturbing truth. He would never stop wanting Emma. And because being with her permanently was not in the cards, he had to protect himself. Even if Emma had some notion of getting back together—and that was a long shot—he was not interested.
He had to guard his impulses where she was concerned. Their interactions would take place only in public or amidst a crowd. That way he could avoid the temptation to share her bed again. He was a grown man, not a kid. Self-control was a product of maturity. Until it was time to go back to New York, celibacy was his friend.
The trouble was, everywhere he looked he could see her. In his mind’s eye. Smiling at him. Flushed with pleasure. Arms outstretched to welcome him into her embrace. Her scent was in his head, the feel of her skin imprinted on his fingertips.
He poked at a half-done burger, scowling at it blindly. There was nothing special about Emma, other than her accent. If he still carried baggage from the past, it was only because he’d been an impressionable college kid, and she had made him feel like a man.
But he was smarter now. The sex last night was nothing out of the ordinary. No reason to think he was at risk for doing something stupid. He had enjoyed it, but it was over.
* * *
By the time Aidan finished his assigned task and carried the last of the main course into the kitchen, Dylan had come out of hiding and was talking to the housekeeper in between stealing bites of the appetizers. He took the heavy tray of meat from his brother. “Thanks, man. These look great.”
“I guess we’ve got, what, twenty minutes until everyone shows up?”
“Maybe less. You know our crew. They can smell food from a mile away.”
Before Aidan could respond, Emma appeared in the doorway. “I need to see you both in the living room, please.”
Aidan frowned. �
�What’s wrong?”
“Just come.”
They followed her into the empty room. Emma, as always, looked effortlessly stylish. The form-fitting wine-colored dress she wore hugged her shape lovingly. If Aidan had his way, she would remove the lacy overdress thing so he could get a better look at her curves.
Dylan looked puzzled. “Where’s Mia? I thought you were helping her get ready.”
Emma wrinkled her nose and grimaced. “Mia had a little accident with some hair color.” She fixed Dylan with a determined gaze. “You can’t tease her about this, okay?”
“About what?”
“The color was dreadful, a cross between tomato-red and jack-o’-lantern-orange. We had no choice but to cut it off.”
Aidan blanched. “You cut her hair?”
She shot him a look. “Not to worry. In boarding school we weren’t allowed to go to the salon without our parents’ permission. So anytime one of the girls wanted a new cut, I was the stylist.”
Dylan firmed his jaw. “Is she crying? I want to see her.”
Emma put a hand on his arm. “She’s okay now. But the new ‘do’ is short. She wants you to see it before your guests arrive. But don’t make a big deal, okay?” She turned to Aidan. “And when your family begins to show up, it would be nice if you could give them the same message.”
“Of course.”
Emma walked toward the bedrooms. “Hang on. I’ll go get her.”
Moments later a hesitant Mia appeared from around the corner. Her eyes went immediately to Dylan. “I feel like a fool.” Her bottom lip trembled visibly.
Dylan put a hand over his heart. “Holy hell, woman. That is so hot.” He went to her and feathered his fingers lightly over the ends of the pixie cut. “We may have to cancel the party,” he said in a stage whisper, kissing the side of her neck.
Though Mia’s eyes were pink-rimmed, she smiled and threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, Dylan.”
He lifted her off her feet in a bear hug. “And I adore you, my sexy little fairy. Your hair is beautiful.”
She pulled back, her gaze dubious. “You really think so?”
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