Page 69 of Settling the Score

‘You’ve been drinking,’ he said, opening his eyes and staring right into hers.

‘Mostly soda for the last few hours.’

His eyes roamed her face, as if needing to ascertain the truth of that, and her stomach went all twisty at the small but unmistakably decent hesitation he was expressing. Of course Aiden wasn’t the kind of guy who’d take advantage of a woman who’d been slamming back alcoholic drinks. Why would he need to, anyway? She was pretty sure women weren’t thin on the ground for him.

‘What do you want, Sienna?’

‘I think I want this,’ she said, lifting up onto the tips of her toes, pressing one palm to his chest and curving her other hand around behind his neck. He was so much taller than her, but when she stretched, she could reach. Just.

Her lips brushed his; the feeling was electric and immediate. It zapped between them, a spark, a seismic shift.

He pulled back. ‘Youthinkyou want this?’ he demanded gruffly. ‘Or youknow?’

Another excellent point.

‘I know,’ she answered, any last doubt as to what she was doing evaporating in the face of the heat that was blasting through her in response to the slightest kiss.

‘You don’t think this is unnecessarily complicated?’ But as he asked the question, he was putting both his big, burly hands on her hips, holding her close against his body, so she shivered.

‘Oh, it’s definitely that.’ He was hard. She could feel it and her body was trembling. ‘But it doesn’t need to be.’

He made a noise, deep and low. She didn’t think it was a word, but it was at least an acknowledgement of her statement.

‘After the wedding, I doubt we’ll see each other again. I mean, maybe at one of Astrid and Blake’s kids’ things or a milestone birthday or whatever, but we’re never going to spend this kind of time in the same space again, right?’

It felt good to say those words. To make it clear to him she had no issues with that, whatsoever.

She wasn’t pining over him. She’d never do that again.

‘Right.’

Still, the searing disappointment at his ready agreement caught her unawares. She hardened herself against it.

‘But we’re both here now, and clearly, there’s something between us. So? Why not do something about it?’

‘I thought you were doing something about it,’ he replied, but his fingers were stroking her sides now, sending her into something like a meltdown. ‘Ignoring me?’ he prompted.

‘Turns out, you’re hard to ignore.’

His grin made her heart go mushy. ‘I’m glad to hear it.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘I just mean you’re big, and kind of everywhere I go.’

‘Riiiight,’ he laughed, pulling her hard against him again. The air seemed to whoosh out of her lungs.

‘This is probably going to be more effective.’

‘And by this, you mean…’

‘Do you need me to spell it out?’

‘Kind of. Just to be sure there’s no misunderstanding. I mean, that could be kind of awkward.’

‘I think we’re both on the same page.’

‘Which is?’

She wrapped her arms around his waist and stared right up into his eyes. ‘Take me to bed, Aiden. And this time, not to sleep.’