Page 16

EMORY

T his kiss is nothing like our wedding kiss.

Not least because Aiden isn’t kissing his thumb.

Also because he takes me by surprise. My words are swallowed by his mouth.

I fumble into the kiss, all tongue and teeth, until his hand lands on my jaw and he tilts my head just right. And then we’re really kissing.

I feel the difference as our mouths fit together. It’s the feeling of catching a ball exactly in the center of a mitt or bodysurfing the perfect wave—a zing of pressure released all at once. His teeth catch at my bottom lip, my lids flutter shut.

He tastes good.

He feels good.

Better than good, actually.

The sounds of the bar around us fade as we test the waters. His lips graze mine, then again, harder, like he likes what he found the first time. He makes a noise in his throat that vibrates through my body.

I flick my tongue over his bottom lip, testing the plushness of it. He responds by deepening the kiss until it’s open-mouthed and hot but not dominating. He sucks on my bottom lip again, and I make a noise of my own. His hand squeezes my hip. My senses belatedly catch up to my body.

He smells good . Salt and wind and Aiden. A little bit of faded cologne. He tastes even better, faintly of mint and something else that makes me dip my tongue against his again. His breath catches when I do that, so I do it again. I want to hear him make that sound in his throat again.

I want him to want me.

The thought makes me pull back. This isn’t real.

“What are you doing?” I hiss, even though I know exactly what he’s doing. I barely resist the urge to wipe at my mouth. That or kiss him again. My heart is thudding so loudly I can hear it in my ears, and it’s matched by the wild drumbeat in my blood.

Aiden’s brows lower in confusion. His eyes are hazy and half-lidded pools of gold, only clearing when he blinks. “You said we needed to sell this.”

“Not like this,” I whisper. “My brothers don’t want to see us make out.”

“Oh. Oops. Unless—” His lips tug at the corner as he scans my face. “You liked it.”

“Nope.” I swipe a thumb over my mouth. I swear I feel a tingle when it passes over the place Aiden’s teeth were tugging just seconds ago. “Hated it.”

“Sure.” He shrugs like he doesn’t believe me, and in his eyes is challenge.

My own narrow. I know his game. He got hard, and now he wants to turn the tables. Use desire against me.

I look away. “Come on. My brothers want to meet you.”

He makes a noise of displeasure, and I round on him.

“They’re willing to trust you. Maybe. If they get to know you. Can you be nice to them?”

He tilts his head. “How nice and for how long?”

“Aiden.” I scowl. “I need my brothers on my side.”

“Fine.” He raises his hands. “I wore jeans, didn’t I? Show of good faith.”

My gaze drops to the jeans in question. They’re faded, and I bet they make his ass look amazing, but I definitely won’t be looking.

“Where did you even get those?”

“Tristan. They’re a little big.” He lifts his t-shirt, as if to prove how big they are.

A small strip of skin is bared above the waistband. The jeans are loose enough that I see the top of his underwear. Briefs. Not boxers. Designer. Black.

I swallow away the dryness of my mouth, trying desperately to drag my gaze away and failing miserably.

Anyone would look. Aiden is an academic exercise in the perfection of the human form, and his stomach is a study in geometry—three-quarters of an inch of tan skin, one-quarter of an inch of pale, that line an intimate indication of where the waistband of his swim trunks must hug him.

Two veins at forty-five-degree angles cutting from shirt to jeans, a path made for the eye to measure, for fingertips to map, then lips and tongue to learn.

His stomach a flat plane, a testament to some unholy amount of exercise.

I catalog all of this between blinks before I look quickly at my brothers, who are glaring at us with arms crossed.

“Let’s go,” I say hoarsely. “Time to make nice.”

Benny and Andreas greet Aiden with sharp nods.

“Oh, goodie. Straight male posturing,” Leo mutters, and I suppress a grin.

Benny is giving Aiden a look that says he’d like to rip off his arm and beat him with it. Andreas gives him a sharp smile that says he’d really like to see Aiden be beaten with his own arm.

“These are my brothers. Benny. Andreas.” I tilt my head at each of them and then slide an arm around Aiden’s waist. Touching him never gets easier.

“I wish I could say it was a pleasure,” Aiden drawls.

I poke his side in response. His hand lands on my waist and squeezes a warning.

“We’ll be blunt,” Benedict says. “We don’t like you.”

“I don’t care,” Aiden says.

“Well, you better care,” Andreas adds, “because she has other options.” He tips his head toward Malcolm, who spots us from where he’s getting a drink at the bar.

My husband blinks at my brothers before his mouth hitches up in that smirk I’m way too familiar with.

My brothers scowl at him. Leo looks like Christmas has come early.

“What?” Andreas growls.

“Just that if you think you can make your sister do anything she doesn’t want, you’re dumber than you look.” Aiden gives him a slow, insulting once-over.

Something flutters inside me, but I shove it down. I should not enjoy my enemy taking on my brothers.

Benedict crosses his arms. “You’re not our first choice for a brother-in-law. You’re not even on the list.” His brows lower. “Don’t give us a reason to side with our father.”

“You sound like a B-list actor in a bad mafia movie,” I tell him.

Aiden shakes his head. “I’m not going to hurt her.” His voice is cool and mild. I don’t know how he does it. The times I’ve seen him mad, he sinks into this well of distaste. It’s a quality I wish I had. Instead, I’m more likely to angry cry.

“If you break her heart, we’ll kill you,” Andreas growls.

Aiden’s eyes widen briefly. He must sense that the words aren’t meant metaphorically. “I’m not going to break her heart. She—”

“Doesn’t have one,” I finish for him, giving my brothers pointed looks. “Stop threatening him. He’s here to make peace.”

Benny grunts. Andreas looks murderous. Leo just laughs into his hand.

I sigh. It’s up to me to fix this. The land. The land. CEO. Expansion. Money. I blow out another breath. “Aiden, would you like to play pool?”

He cocks his head. “Are you good?”

I roll my lips to hide my smile. “I’ve never played,” I say innocently. “I’ll need you to teach me.”

He looks skeptical but nods.

I barely control my shiver of delight. Aiden Prince won’t know what hit him.