by Diana Nixon
“Good. It means that you won’t miss today’s beach party.”
“Actually, I wasn’t going to attend it.”
I felt a little disappointed. “Owen said he wanted you to be there tonight. He even asked me to make sure that you would come.”
Megan’s cheeks turned pink. “You don’t have to babysit me, Aiden. I can get to the beach on my own. Besides….”
“There you are, Honey!” Annabel said excitedly, entering the room. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere! You never told me that Magy was just a drabbie!”
“Her name is Mary,” Megan said in a harsh voice. “And I don’t remember my parents inviting a Barbie doll to the wedding.”
O-oh … in the blink of an eye I found myself standing in the middle of a cross-fire.
Chapter 7
Megan
I stared at the girl’s trembling lips. She was furious, and she looked like she was about to cry, but I hardly cared. I didn’t know her, but she obviously knew Aiden whose arm she was holding firmly, as if it was her life saver.
“Who the hell is that?” I asked him.
“Calm down, Megan, this….”
“You tell her to calm down?” the Barbie squeaked. “What about me? She just called me….”
“Nothing happened, Annabel,” Aiden said, breaking free of her death grip. “You two need to apologize for your words, and everything will be fine.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I snapped.
“No way!” the owner of the bright-red lips said.
I turned to Aiden again. “See? We don’t need any apologies. I’m sure we will survive by simply ignoring each other. Is she one of your sweethearts?” I wasn’t going to ask the question, but somehow the demon inside me won.
Aiden rubbed the bridge of his nose, before he said, “Annabel is my friend, and she’s one of Owen’s guests.”
Who would have thought that my brother had friends like that? “Nice,” I said, smiling sweetly. “Now, when the introduction is over, would you be so kind as to leave my room to let me get dressed?”
Aiden’s jaw tightened. Obviously he wasn’t used to be kicked out of ladies’ bedrooms. Well, sometimes tables did turn. He shook his head and headed for the door, following his charming friend.
“Great…” I muttered, looking at the closed door.
Things were getting worse and worse, and I didn’t like it. I really hoped that my staying at home would be less stressful. No such luck.
When it was about time to get ready for the party, I changed into a light, white dress that went to my feet, took a jacket just in case British weather would bring us new surprises, and went downstairs.
To my huge disappointment Aiden was the only person waiting for me there.
“Where’s everyone?”
“Went to the beach,” he replied icily. “You are going with me.”
“I can take a taxi.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “Don’t make me drag you to the car, Megan. And trust me I will do that, if I have to.”
“Fine.” I met his stare, waiting for another sharp comment to follow. Instead, Aiden opened the door for me and followed me wordlessly to his car.
Our second ride together wasn’t much different from the first one. I could almost hear the air crackling around us. And there wasn’t anything super cool about that. It felt like the more time we spent together, the stronger the hate was. And I couldn’t understand the reason for it. Why would strangers become enemies? If it wasn’t for Aiden’s and my attitude to the relationship, I would have thought that we….
“Welcome to paradise!”
“Excuse me?” I stared at him, confused.
“It’s the name of the party,” he said, pointing to the sign over the entrance to the beach area, rented for tonight.
I grimaced at how ridiculously romantic it sounded.
Of course, my brother knew how to make surprises. And I never doubted that his wife would be one of, if not the happiest woman in the world. Too bad there was only one Owen Brawley on the planet.
“Shall I help you?” Aiden asked, looking cautiously at my plastered feet. The pain was almost gone. I couldn’t wear heels yet, but I could stand on my feet without anyone’s help.
“No, thanks,” I replied, stepping out of the car. I didn’t ask him about his friend, though I desperately wanted to know where she was. What the hell was going on with me?
“Do you mind if I leave you for a while? I need to find someone,” Aiden said.
“Sure, no problems,” I replied absently. My attention was focused on the decorations of the paradise, created by my brother.
Well, hell … maybe even I would love to have such a party.
There were dozens of huge, white balloons everywhere. The street-lamps were decorated with pink roses and ribbons, and the bouquets of hydrangea were swaying in the waves of a private beach, illuminated with thousands of candles.
“A real paradise,” I said quietly, admiring the view.
“Megan!” Owen called.
I turned around and saw my brother and his fiancé. They were smiling, and even from the distance I could see how happy they were.
“We are glad you’ve made it here,” Mary said, hugging me. Owen told me about the awful night you had to spend on the farm.”
“Awful is not the word,” I replied.
My brother looked at me suspiciously. And I hated when he did that. It meant that he knew so much more than I wanted him to know. Sometimes it felt like it was impossible to hide anything from him. Maybe he was right after all, and I was the worst liar ever?
“How do you feel?” he asked after a short pause.
“Almost great,” I said, trying to smile.
“Did you come here with Aiden?”
“Yes … I mean, no. He dropped me here, but I don’t know where he is.”
“Then why don’t you join us at the main table?” Mary asked. I couldn’t but admit it: she looked amazing, wearing a long, strapless dress matching the green color of her eyes perfectly.
“Do you know that Aiden’s leaving tonight?” my brother asked, walking beside me.
“What? He never told me about that…” I stared blankly at the sandy path under my feet.
“He said he forgot about some contract he needed to sign. But he’ll be back for Saturday’s ceremony, as I sure as hell don’t have time to look for another best man.”
Well, it’s probably for the best, I thought to myself. I preferred to ignore the inner voice saying that the news was not exciting. I also ignored the feelings of disappointment and sudden sadness overwhelming me.
My cell phone vibrated, and a new message came, saying, “Turn around.” I did what it said and froze, speechless.
There he was — the reason for my escape — standing in his full glory, just a few steps away from me.
I swallowed hard. “Jeff? What are you doing here?”
“And hello to you too, Megan,” he responded with the smile that still made me swoon. Seriously?
The guy was a walking dream coming true: tall and broad-shouldered; with dark-brown eyes that any girl would gladly drown in, and sandy hair that my palms always wanted to run through. I felt the predatory nervousness forming inside my chest. Unbelievable, Jeff still had that effect on me.
“I didn’t know you were invited to the celebrations,” I said. My voice cracked on the last word. Crap.
“My mother is the owner of a confectionery that bakes cakes for the wedding.”
“I see. Well, have a great time.” I felt a desperate need to get away from him as soon as possible. And suddenly I saw my rescuer.
“Excuse me,” I said to Jeff. “My boyfriend’s looking for me.” And before he would say anything in reply, I hurried to Aiden. Not the best choice of a fake boyfriend, I know, but still better than staying with Jeff.
I put on my best smile, went up to Mr. Impossible and put my arms around his waist, saying, “Hey, Baby. Would you like to dance
with me?”
Aiden spilled half of his drink, and stared at me, shocked. “Are you delusional or something?”
A few men he was talking to switched their attention to me.
“No.” I smiled at them, mentally cursing myself for being so stupid. “But I need this dance,” I added quietly, so that only Aiden could hear me.
He raised his eyebrows, trying to guess the reason for my weird behavior. “Okay. Excuse us, gentlemen,” he said to his companions. Then he put aside his drink and led me to the dance floor.
“So who’s this charade for?” he asked, not even trying to hide the disgust in his voice.
“Why would you think it’s a charade?”
“Because I know that you would rather die than ask me for a dance without a reason.”
I smirked. “How very true.”
Aiden’s eyes darkened.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it.” I lowered my eyes guiltily. My boyfriend wasn’t in a joking mood.
“Whatever,” he snapped indifferently.
Shit, I shouldn’t have used him as a distraction. But it was already too late to change anything. So I decided to talk about something else.
“Owen says you are leaving tonight.”
“Yes. Why?” Aiden’s cold eyes stared down at me. His arms were wrapped around my waist, but it still felt like we were standing too far away from each other. And even though we were dancing, and every dance meant something intimate, our case was different.
“No reason. Just curious.”
Not a muscle moved on Aiden’s face. He was like an emotionless statue. Then he smirked and looked at something behind me, saying, “Looks like I’m not the only man you are going to dance with tonight.”
Chapter 8
Aiden
My eyes bored holes in the guy’s black shirt. I didn’t know him, but apparently he knew Megan. The way he was watching us made me want to shoot him down in flames. His gaze was moving slowly up and down Megan’s body, as if he was trying to undress her with his eyes.
My blood boiled slowly.
“Is that the guy you wanted to tease by asking me for a dance?” I nodded to the jerk behind her.
She turned around slowly, and I could swear I saw excitement flashing in her eyes.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
I cursed mentally. “Yeah, right. So what did you tell him? Huh? That I’m a cousin that you haven’t seen for years? Or better — that I’m your boyfriend that you can’t live without?”
Megan stood still. Score to your brilliant mind, dude, I thought to myself.
“So you said I was your boyfriend, right?” I smirked at my own words. What an irony … who would have thought that such a scenario was possible?
I lowered my face closer to Megan’s. “You should have known better … such games include so much more than just a dance, Sweetie. And I guess now it’s my turn to play.” I smiled leisurely before my lips found Megan’s.
I pressed her closer to my chest, my palm cupped her cheek, and my tongue slid in between the sweetest lips ever. I didn’t rush to deepen the kiss. I was savoring every second of it, and I wanted Megan to kiss me back. Yes, it was a fair price for her small lie.
I ran my palm up and down Megan’s back, biting her lower lip slightly and teasing her tongue with mine. She groaned quietly, and her fingers tangled my hair; her heart was beating fast against my chest.
Her body leaning against mine, our lips kissing, her scent mixing with mine, our tongues playing in the most seductive play I’ve ever been involved in … damn, the girl knew how to kiss.
I broke the kiss unwillingly, whispering, “Come with me.”
Then I looked into Megan’s eyes, and there was not a hint of a protest. She was ready to follow me anywhere.
I swept her in my arms and headed for the car.
“The keys,” I said. “In my back pocket.”
She reached for the keys and unlocked the car. We got into the back seat, and our kissing resumed with new intensity.
I didn’t care about the people in the parking lot, or about my friend who was going to kill me for messing with his sister, or about the guy still waiting for Megan to come back to the party. Sorry, man, not tonight….
She was sitting on my lap, both of her legs over mine. I reached for the hem of her dress and pulled it up to her hips, trailing kisses down her neck and cleavage. I couldn’t get enough of her. The softness of her skin burned my lips. I found her face again and looked into her eyes, running my fingers through the silk of her hair. Right now and there I was ready to die just to make time stand still. I wasn’t ready to let Megan go. And I wasn’t going to….
I wrapped a strand of her hair around my finger and pulled her face closer to mine. “I want you,” I whispered inches from her lips. “Now.”
She looked so damn sexy, with her lips swollen from my kisses and her long hair shielding us from the world outside the car; pure fire was burning in her eyes.
I caressed her arms and shoulders, pulling the straps of her dress and bra down.
“Purple?” I asked, smiling and touching the satin that clung to her breasts. “Last time you were wearing black, and I thought it was the best view ever. But this … makes me want so much more than the embrace we shared on the farm.”
“Are you sure we are ready for this?”
“Can’t you feel how very ready I am?”
She laughed quietly. “This is not what I meant.”
“What do you want me to say, Megs? I’m just a man, and you are one incredibly attractive woman. I want this moment to belong to us, and I don’t want to think about tomorrow. Will you stay with me tonight? It’s up to you to decide. But I want you to know that it’s not just about sex. I’ve never wanted any other woman as much as I want you. And maybe one night won’t be enough to get you out of my system, but I want you to stay. Let yourself be free. At least for once.”
“No promises and no regrets?”
“No.”
Megan looked like she was still hesitating, so I tightened the embrace, saying, “I will accept anything you decide.” Then I ran my tongue over her lips again, and she closed her eyes moaning softly.
“There’s one thing you need to know first,” she said.
“Can we talk about it tomorrow?” I asked, moving my lips to her earlobe.
“No, it’s about…”
“Aiden? Megan?” Owen called.
“Shit,” I swore. “Not now, man!”
“Be quiet,” Megan said, covering my mouth with her palm. “He doesn’t know we are here.”
Thank God, the windows of my car were blacked-out, and in the darkness of the night hardly anyone was able to see what was going on inside the car.
“He’s leaving.” Megan breathed a sigh of relief. “We were seconds from being caught.”
When she mentioned the time, I looked at my watch.
“Crap, I forgot about the meeting I’m having early in the morning.” I caressed her cheek. “Come with me to Bristol. We will come back in a day or two.”
She shook her head. “No, Aiden. I can’t. Owen will kill me if I go with you.”
I inhaled deeply and pressed her forehead to mine. “It looks like fate doesn’t like our games. It keeps making new obstacles for us to go through.”
Megan readjusted her dress, and sat next to me. “Maybe she’s right, and we shouldn’t do this.…”
Definitely the magic of the moment was gone. Thanks, Owen, I said mentally to my friend. You’ve just screwed up everything.
“I think we should go back to the party,” Megan said uneasily.
“Yeah, I think we shouldn’t upset your brother.”
And just like that everything was over.
We came back to the beach pretending, as if nothing had ever happened. Megan joined her family, and I … well, I kept wandering from one group of people to another, talking about nonsense and watching her out of the corner of my eye.
; She looked lost. As if her body was still there, but her thoughts were somewhere else … and I guess I knew exactly where they were.
Something was seriously wrong with me. It was the first time that I failed to get what I wanted. Twice. And I never lost when it came to women.
But this time everything was different. Megan was different. I knew that we felt something for each other, and though we both refused to admit it, it wasn’t just about sex.
I doubted that one night spent with her would be enough. I didn’t know where that thought came from, but it was true. I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. And I needed to leave in a few hours….
I shook my head, frustrated.
I needed to talk to Megan. I waited for the party to end, but when I thought I would give her a lift back home, I didn’t find her. One of the guests said she left with her brother and his fiancé. Disappointed, I went back to Owen’s hoping to get a chance to talk to his sister.
It was almost midnight when I knocked at the door of her bedroom.
“One second!” Megan replied from behind the door.
When she opened it, she was wearing a short ivory nightgown, and she had a towel wrapped around her head.
“Aiden? I thought you left.”
“I couldn’t leave without saying good-bye. May I come in?”
She looked cautiously into the empty hall. “Sure.”
“I thought you were old enough not to be afraid of your parents, seeing a guy sneaking into your room.”
“Ha-ha, very funny.” She grimaced at my comment. “And I thought you wouldn’t dare sneak into my room after what happened tonight.” She took off the towel and dropped it on her bed. Then she went to the mirror and started combing her hair.
“That’s exactly why I’m here,” I said, standing behind her.
“Don’t even think about it,” she said, looking at me through the mirror.
“Ever?” I smiled slightly, as I put my arms around her waist.
“Not now and not here.”
“Okay. When and where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wrong answer,” I said, kissing her shoulder, my eyes never left hers. “Stop pretending, Megan. You want it as much as I do.”