by Lori Ryan
But, with Aiden’s home, it just always seemed ... different. As though she could feel him there. And, it felt strange being there without him. As if she were invading his private space. She’d been purposefully coming when she knew he wouldn’t be home, though. Because after their last interaction, she’d decided avoiding him was a good idea. A necessary idea.
He wasn’t dating material, and Lily was a dater. She didn’t do flings. She didn’t do one-night stands, or even one-weekend stands or however long he’d want her before moving on to the next woman in line. And, she had no doubt there were plenty of women waiting for him. With his money, his fame, his looks, that body—good grief that body! With all of that, there was no doubt a line of women ready and willing to do his bidding for however long he’d have them.
And, she wouldn’t be one of them.
She bent low to move his stash of fresh fruit over to make more room on the bottom shelf for the stack of containers with his snack packs in them. She’d packed him a snack to take to the field with him each day, along with his pregame lunches and then his after game snacks. Since they went to the field in the early afternoon and didn’t leave it until late at night after their games ended, her baseball players had a little different meal schedule than her other clients.
Aiden watched the delicate sway of Lily’s hips and sweet, insanity-inducing backside as she wrestled with something at the bottom of his refrigerator. He wasn't normally here when she dropped off his meals, and he’d been torn over whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. He’d wanted to see her again, especially now that he saw her backside making itself at home in his kitchen, but he’d also known he wouldn’t be very good at keeping his hands off her if he kept running into her.
She bent further, reaching way to the back of the fridge, and her pants tightened even further. As he watched, it was possible he might have groaned. Okay, it’s actually quite probable that he groaned, because she shrieked and tried to stand up without actually backing out of the fridge, slamming her head into the shelf above her in the process. At that, she let out another yelp and backed out of there, rubbing the back of her head and glaring at him when she spun around.
Aiden stepped forward, reaching for her, but she backed up.
“I’m sorry, Lily. I didn't mean to scare you,” he said as he stepped around her and opened the freezer. He took out a bag of peas, handing it to her and gesturing to her head. “The peas will help.”
She continued to shoot daggers at him with the most gorgeous velvety brown eyes he thought he’d ever seen, her face flushing adorably as she put the peas to the bump on her head.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, or rather, accused. “You’re supposed to be at the field right now.”
He raised a brow. “You really don’t watch baseball at all, do you?”
She shook her head then winced. “No. Sorry.”
He laughed. “It’s not a requirement, Lil.” He nodded toward the windows where a major storm had been hitting the area all day and clearly wasn’t going to let up anytime soon.
“Rescheduled. Rain. We got sent home an hour ago.”
“Oh, yeah.” She bit her lip, as she looked out at the rain. “I didn’t really think about that.”
He watched her, trying to think of a reason to walk away. Nothing. He had nothing.
She pulled the bag of peas away from her head and laughed again. Why did he like that sound so much?
“Peas?”
He nodded and grinned. “The perfect ice pack for my shoulders at night.”
He didn’t miss the way her eyes flew to his shoulders, or the sadness in them at what he guessed was the thought that he hurt when he finished playing. Oh, hell no. He didn’t want pity. Time to shift the conversation.
“What’d you bring for dinner?” he asked and opened the fridge.
“Beef enchiladas, tofu lettuce wraps, or chicken manicotti.”
He groaned again. Everything she made was fantastic, but he loved that manicotti.
He knew he was paying her, but he kind of liked feeling so taken care of. Like she put thought into each dish she made for him and really cared about whether he liked it or not.
“I brought you a new snack to try,” she said, looking over his shoulder as he bent into the fridge, and pointing to a container on the right side of the bottom shelf. “They’re a banana nut pancake with agave. I’ve been snacking on them all week and thought I’d let you try them this week.”
He pulled out the pancakes, grinding his teeth together to ignore her closeness and the tortuous scent of cinnamon and sugar that followed her everywhere. She took the container from him and popped it open, removing the smaller container of agave from inside.
“Just heat them for thirty seconds,” she said and popped it in the microwave.
When she handed him the hot pancakes with a fork, and then drizzled the agave over them, he had to fight the urge to grab her and drizzle it on her stomach, her breasts, her ... other places.
She licked a drop of the sweet syrup off her thumb and he froze.
Christ, he had to get out of here.
She gestured impatiently to the pancakes. “Go ahead.”
He tore his eyes from her mouth and cut a piece of the pancake with the side of his fork, then tasted it.
Another groan. Yup. They were heaven.
“These are amazing. How are these good for me?” he asked.
She grinned. “They have oat flour in them for protein, and the pecans give them a little more protein that balances out the carbs.”
“Did you give these to all the guys?”
“I just gave them to select clients this week. Figured I’d see how they liked them before I gave them to everyone.”
He felt a grin tug at his face. “I’m select?”
She laughed but rolled her eyes at him. “You’re nice. If you don’t like them, you’ll just tell me.”
“What do people who aren't nice do?” He put the now empty pancake container down on the counter as he scowled.
“Nothing really,” she said, shaking her head at him. “It’s just that other people can sometimes be rude about it. You’re gentle. I mean your notes. When you tell me what you like and don’t like, you’re gentle about it.”
He took two steps closer, all but pinning her to the counter.
“You think I’m gentle?” he asked, incredulous. What was wrong with him? Why did he have the urge to throw her to the floor and show her just how ungentle he could be?
Her breath caught, and there was no mistaking the heat in her eyes as she lifted her head to meet his gaze.
“Yes?” she said. It was a question, not an answer.
He shook his head and lowered it, capturing her mouth, taking it gruffly, and ignoring the screaming in his head that said this was a bad idea.
Her hands fisted his shirt but she leaned into him, arching her back and pressing against him with those gorgeous breasts that had been peeking at him through her thin t-shirt. It had been slightly damp from the rain, and the show she’d been unintentionally giving had apparently redirected all decision making to his dick instead of his head.
She moaned softly and he turned his head, drawing her against him, arms banded tightly around her, deepening the kiss. She released his shirt only to run her hands up his chest onto his shoulders, and the feel of those hands did nothing to stop the fire burning through him. His own hands had taken over and he let them roam down her back, to the small of her waist and lower. He cupped her tantalizing bottom, the thing that had started this all, and pulled her against him, eliciting another mind numbing moan from her mouth.
A clap of thunder sounded outside and Lily jumped. Then looked at him, stunned as if the sound had pulled her out of a trance and she only now realized what she was doing. Eyes wide, she pulled away and began shoving all the empty containers he’d piled on his counter into her cooler bag.
“I have to ... that was … we shouldn’t … ”
He
knew just how she felt. They shouldn’t. And, yet.
He took a big step back and cleared his throat. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Lily.”
She didn’t seem to be listening as she zipped the bag, her eyes anywhere but on him, bottom lip caught between her teeth.
And, then she was gone. And there he was with a raging hard on and the taste of her, the feel of her, etched in his memory. He groaned and headed off to the shower for yet another self-service orgasm. Hell. It had been hard enough when he had only imagined what being with her would feel like. Now, he had a sampling of the real thing in his head.
This was bad. This was very, very bad.
Chapter Eight
A week went by without any Lily sightings. The only evidence of her in his life was the fresh set of meals and snacks that showed up on Thursdays and Mondays in his refrigerator.
Her in his life? Where had that thought come from? She wasn’t in his life. Hadn’t ever been in his life. She’d just been someone he helped once, and was now someone who provided him a service. He groaned. He’d been doing an awful lot of that lately, but he couldn’t stop himself at the thought of Lily and servicing in the same sentence.
He rolled over and sat up, tossing the sheet back on his bed. This was so wrong. And, it was all that damn curse’s doing. That curse had him so twisted up and sideways, he didn’t know what to do. He knew he had to stay the hell away from Lily. She was too much temptation. He ran a hand down his face and threw on sweats and a t-shirt. It was an off day, so he’d be meeting the guys to work out and then they’d all be heading to Kane Tyler’s place to play poker. Even on their off nights during the season, the guys liked to take it easy. No one wanted to party too hard. They’d have a few beers and lose some money—or win some, if they were lucky—and then call it a night. Kane was on the San Francisco Brawlers, the city’s major league football franchise, so there would be both football and baseball players there.
As Aiden went to the kitchen to grab breakfast, he thought about his problem. He had to get laid. That was all there was to it. He needed to find an outlet for all this pent up frustration, and it sure as hell couldn't be Lily. Taking the fruit, coconut, and yogurt Lily had packed for his breakfast with him into the living room, he opened his contacts on his phone and scrolled through the names there. Most women didn’t even make it into his phone book, but there were a few he called from time-to-time. Women who weren’t interested in anything more than a good time. Or women who were frank and honest about what a picture with him could do for their modeling careers and were happy to entertain him for the evening if he took them out in public first.
He knew it was a little disgusting, but screw it. That was his life. He wasn't interested in anything more and these women could provide a short distraction when he needed one and go away when he needed to focus on his career.
Brooke .... Dalia .... Elle .... Heather.
They were all beautiful, all fun, and all hotter than sin. And, he had no interest in calling any of them. His eyes fell to the strawberries on his coffee table. Lily.
Against every cell in his body, every rational thinking part of his brain—of which there weren’t many right now—and everything he knew was right, he pushed the entry for Lily. It didn’t actually say Lily. It said Living Healthy with Lily, the name of her business. He knew she had his number in her phone. She’d put it in her contacts when he signed up with her so that she’d have it readily available for any questions or problems.
“Aiden?” she asked on the third ring. “Is everything okay?”
No, he thought but didn’t say it. He didn’t say anything before she continued. There wasn’t time.
“Is something wrong with one of your meals? Did I mix something up?” He heard a gasp on the line. “Oh no! Shellfish! You didn’t get shellfish by mistake, did you? Are you okay? Are you in the hospital? Your epipen. Do you have an epipen? It’s really important that you keep that with you everywhere.”
He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it as though it could provide some kind of insight into the woman on the other line. A woman who’d apparently just jumped from hello to major health crisis in the blink of an eye without a lick of input from him.
He put the phone back to his ear. “Lily,” he said, a bit of laughter escaping from him, despite his best effort to hide it. “Lily. Calm down, Lil.”
“Oh. You’re okay? You’re not calling from the hospital?”
“No, I’m not calling from the hospital.”
“Good. Phew. That was close,” she said and he laughed out loud, as he pictured her, most likely placing a hand on her heart or fanning herself.
“Do you want to know why I’m calling, Lily? I mean, if you’re done with your little visit to panic land.”
He heard a nervous laugh from her. “Sorry. Yup back from panic land. I’m good.”
He found himself smiling ear-to-ear a lot when he was talking to her. He did so now as she babbled on the other end of the line.
“So, I was calling to see if you want to have dinner with me sometime.”
He didn’t know where that had come from. He had planned to ask if she wanted no-strings-attached sex that would last exactly one night and one night only. Just to scratch this damned itch and move on. Dinner hadn't been a part of his plan at all.
He was met with silence.
“You know. Dinner. That meal you have in the evening. Sometimes people do it out. At a restaurant. With someone else. I have tonight off. We could go out tonight.”
Jeez, he was babbling as much as she did now.
“Um, like a date?” she asked.
“Yes, like a date.”
She wasn’t babbling now. He’d stopped her from breathing, never mind speaking.
“Lily?” Wow. He sounded like the geek he’d been in high school before he’d hit his growth spurt and realized he could throw a ball faster than anyone else in town. This was going really well.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Should he give her the, “you eat dinner, I eat dinner, we might as well eat dinner together,” line? Nope. He wouldn’t be that cliché.
He could always go with, “I can make you come until you think you might cry then start all over again until you beg for mercy,” but, no. Better not to say that one out loud.
“Come on, Lily. We can just get together for a great dinner, talk, laugh, and then go our separate ways if that’s what you want. No pressure. Your choice.”
He heard her take a deep breath.
“Okay. Dinner,” she said firmly. “Just dinner.”
Aiden grinned.
“Just dinner, it is. Pick you up at seven?”
She gave him her address and they hung up. Aiden texted Kane that he wouldn’t make it to his place tonight for poker then ignored the texts from Kane, Gage, and Rafe ragging on him for missing the game and then giving him crap about who was keeping him away.
Rafe was the only one to guess it was Lily.
Chapter Nine
“Have you always wanted to cook? I mean, you do more than just nutrition. You’re a really amazing chef,” Aiden said, pushing back from his all but licked clean plate. She’d chosen the restaurant and it was fantastic. A small hole-in-the-wall in her neighborhood owned by an older couple that had traveled all over the world before opening their dream restaurant. They served dishes from Italy, France, Spain, and even Cambodia. It was eclectic, but he was stuffed and completely sated.
Well, in one arena. In another? Not so much. Looking at Lily across the table from him the whole night, the way she laughed and told stories with so much animation, so much enthusiasm, was intoxicating. He wanted to drag her across the table and pick up where they’d left off the other day, taking it much further this time.
This was not good. He’d thought he could just take her to dinner, get her into bed, get this damned itch out of his system, and be done with her.
But, actually executing his brilliant plan? Yeah,
that wasn’t working out as planned. He was hard as a rock under the table, but there was a lot more to this than his attraction to her. He was also having a damn good time. Every time she smiled at him or laughed, he felt himself drawn in more and more.
“I used to cook with my mom and sisters all the time,” she said. “We still do whenever we’re together.” She looked a little wistful, and he wondered where her family was.
“Do you see them often?”
“No, only holidays, really. They’re still all out in Wisconsin.”
He grinned. “So, lakes and cheese, huh?” He should have known she was a Midwest girl—so sweet and outdoorsy, and girl-next-doorish.
She laughed again at him. “We have more than lakes and cheese.”
But he didn’t miss the way her smile fell a little, and she toyed with the food on her plate.
“What brought you here? So far away from your family?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I came out here with an ex-boyfriend. Not only for him. I wanted a change, too. I wanted to see more of the world, experience something outside of my little cocoon. And, then we got here, it became clear I wasn’t going to be what he wanted. He left me, but I stayed here anyway. I fell in love with the city. I had made friends, and I’d started school.”
He watched her quietly, as he drank another gulp of beer, willing himself not to ask, not to go there.
“Why weren’t you what he wanted?” Epic fail, Aiden. Epic fail.
She crinkled her nose up. “He wanted a stay-at-home wife who could go to his firm’s events with him at a moment’s notice. He was a lawyer,” she said, with another little crinkle of her nose. “He needed a showpiece, and it turns out, I’m not all that good at being a china doll.”
He smiled. “No, I can see how you wouldn’t be good at that. You need your own life, your own dreams and goals.”
This earned him a wide smile as she nodded and began to eat again. And, as he watched her, he felt his boat sinking. He was done. A goner. Because there was just something too damned appealing about her. Too hard for him to resist.
