by Lexy Timms
“Hey. Nice to meet you.” Mark extended his hand and Aedan shook it. “Let’s get you all something to drink. We have a pretty good wine selection. Rosa, if I remember, you like a nice imported Chardonnay. Aedan, what’s it going to be for you?”
“Just a beer.”
“Nothing stronger?”
Aedan shook his head.
Mark moved off, returning with a chilled glass of wine for Rosa and a bottle of beer for Aedan. “I’m afraid all we have is domestic. Hope that’s okay for you.”
“Yeah. No problem.” Aedan tipped the bottle back, taking a long swallow.
“So, Aedan. Sophia tells me you saved the girls the other night from some kind of robbery?”
“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.” Aedan’s voice was tight.
“Aedan’s just being modest. He was quite...aggressive. Drove them off.” Sophia was hanging on Mark’s arm, her eyes bright.
Laura and her boyfriend Samuel joined the group. Rosa didn’t miss Laura shooting dirty looks at Aedan from beneath lowered brows.
“It was vulgar. Uncouth and barbaric.” Laura was looking at Aedan over the rim of her wine glass. Rosa caught Aedan’s scowl and involuntarily tightened her grip on his arm.
“Aedan, did you go to Columbia with Rosa?” Samuel had his arm wrapped around Laura’s waist, holding her against his hip. Her dirty looked turned into something a little more sinister.
“Yes, Aedan, tell us where you went to school.”
Rosa shot Laura a look but got only a catty smile in return.
“I didn’t go to Columbia.” Aedan took another drink of his beer.
“Laura...” Rosa said, hoping the warning in her voice would stop her friend without alerting the boys.
“Oh, state college then?”
“No college.”
“What high school?” Laura’s tone was sugary sweet. “Private? Or... No, you look like a public-school kind of guy.”
“Laura! Enough.”
“I’m just making conversation, Rosa. I didn’t realize Aedan’s educational background...or lack thereof...was an off-limit subject.” Laura took a demure sip of wine, smiling over the edge of her glass.
Aedan set the bottle down. “It’s okay, Rosa. I didn’t go to college and I didn’t finish high school. There were—”
Aedan was interrupted by a piercing female squeal of excitement from the foyer. Rosa looked up as another group of people came through the front door. Sophia was instantly tugging on Rosa’s arm.
“Leslie’s here... She got engaged to Chad yesterday. Come on! Let’s go see the ring.”
Rosa cast an apologetic smile over her shoulder at Aedan, mouthing the words ‘I’m sorry’ as Sophia pulled her across the room.
Rosa was quickly surrounded by a group of giggling girls. She had her head down, looking at the huge diamond on Leslie’s hand, when she heard raised voices and then the sound of breaking glass. The room went suddenly quiet and she heard Aedan’s voice through the silence, calm but with an edge.
“...You really don’t want to do this.”
Rosa pushed her way through the group of girls, all staring back into the living room. When she finally got herself free, she saw Aedan standing in the middle of the room, in a stance she instantly recognized: body tensed, hands curled into loose fists. The rest of the guests were pressed against the walls or standing behind the furniture.
Standing across from Aedan was Thomas, wavering slightly, obviously drunk, holding a broken beer bottle by the neck. He was waving the jagged edge in front of Aedan’s face.
“You’re not good enough for her. You’re just a punk.” He took a step forward, one hand against Aedan’s chest, pushing him back. “A boy-toy to piss her parents off.”
Rosa caught her breath. Aedan was hardly affected, barely moving as Thomas staggered backward.
“You’re a punk. A nobody.” Thomas took one more step forward, his arm coming around, sharp glass slicing in front of Aedan’s face.
Aedan ducked back beneath the wild swing. Thomas was carried forward by his moment, slamming into Aedan. Rosa watched in horror as Aedan brought his fist up, hitting Thomas in the stomach.
Thomas grunted, falling to the floor. Aedan was over him instantly, his fist slamming into Thomas’s face.
“Aedan!” Rosa finally found her voice, rushing across the floor to pull Aedan from the prostrate form of her ex-boyfriend. “Aedan! Stop!” She could hear the strangled breathing from Thomas, watched the blood streaming from his nose onto the carpet.
Aedan’s face was impassive, but she could feel the muscles bunched beneath her hands. The paralysis of the group broke and they started milling about, some bending over Thomas, helping him sit up as he coughed, trying to catch his breath. A towel appeared and someone pressed it to his nose, the white terry cloth quickly turning scarlet.
Small knots of people formed around them, the guys looking edgy, the girls whispering among themselves. Rosa caught a brief glimpse of Sophia, her face pale, clutching Mark’s arm. Mark broke away from her, striding toward Aedan. Rosa caught the nervous tension on his face and felt her stomach drop.
“Listen...” His tone was apologetic, and he glanced back at Sophia and Laura before finishing. “I think you better leave now. You’re out of control. I’m sorry, Rosa.”
“Aedan...” Rosa grabbed his arm. “Come on. We should go.” She guided him toward the door.
“Sorry about the carpet.” Aedan stepped out of Rosa’s reach, his lips pressed in a tight thin line.
As soon as they were outside, he stomped off, down the sidewalk.
Rosa struggled to keep up with him. The night had turned cloudy and cool, the scent of rain in the air. “Aedan! Wait! Slow down.”
He stopped, his back to her. She caught up to him and reached for his arm. He jerked away, taking a few more steps. Then he turned to her, his face closed, emotionless.
“Aedan...what the heck happened?”
“Nothing.” He started down the sidewalk again, more slowly, hands jammed in his pockets.
“Aedan! Would you stop walking away from me! I’m trying to talk to you.”
He stopped again, his back straight, head up. Then he spun around, closing the gap between them in a few long strides. Rosa took an involuntary step backward. “What do you want to talk about? Your ‘friends’? My behavior? You want to talk? Fine...talk. Tell me what I did wrong in there.”
“I’m trying to understand what happened...not judge you.”
“You know what happened? I’ll tell you. I was told I wasn’t good enough to be there. That I didn’t fit in, that I wasn’t one of them... one of you. And not just by that ass-hat Thomas. At least he had the balls to come out and say it to my face. Everyone else just said it behind my back.”
“No one was talking behind your back. They aren’t like that...” But even as she said the words, she knew the truth.
“Really? ‘Can he even read?’ Heard that minutes after I walked in. ‘Bet he sells drugs’, ‘punk’...but you heard that one yourself. ‘Rosa’s charity project.’ ‘Count the sterling.’ Do you want me to go on? That’s just what I overhead from the ones standing close enough, the ones who didn’t even bother to whisper.”
She didn’t want to admit it, but he wasn’t lying. She might not have noticed the conversations, but she’d seen the faces of her friends. “Why’d you hit Thomas?”
“Seriously? You need to ask? The asshole was drunk, decided he wanted to make sure I knew you were still his. Wanted to make sure I knew exactly what he thought of me.”
“They’re just words—”
“I hit him because he took a swing at me with a broken bottle!” He ran his hand over his shaved head. “Seriously, Rosa?”
“You could have walked away. You didn’t need to hit him while he was down.”
“Yeah,” Aedan answered, voice flat. “I probably could have. But I don’t turn my back when someone’s coming at me, especially wit
h a broken bottle. I did that once in my life...never again. As far as the others, whatever a bunch of rich assholes think shouldn’t make any difference to me. Those kind of people I can walk away from.”
“But...those people are my friends.” Rosa felt tears well up in her eyes. She wanted him to see it from her side.
“Then go back to them. I don’t care. I gotta go.” He turned, walking away from her.
“Wait...” Rosa grabbed his arm. Aedan spun around. “Look. I told you before, if you want out of this, leave. Stop feeling sorry for me, or whatever else you’re feeling. I’m not your pity case. You’re better off just walking away...or letting me walk away.”
“Stop telling me what to do. And stop trying to get rid of me!” Anger flared inside her, sharp and stinging. Anger at Aedan, herself—pretty much everyone and everything. “Everyone’s always telling me what to do. My parents, school, my friends. And now you! I can make my own decisions, make up my own mind, damn it!” She was standing toe to toe with Aedan, breathing hard. “You say you don’t walk away from a fight. Well, I’m not walking away from you. You may think you’re not worth the effort, but I do.” It hit her abruptly that he must have been just as much out of his comfort zone as she had been in the Bronx. It hadn’t occurred to her that her friends would treat him any differently than they treated anyone else she might have brought to the party. But they had. And Aedan was the one suffering for it. “Aedan. I’m sorry.” Her anger began to fade. “I didn’t realize...”
“Why are you apologizing? You’re not going after me with broken beer bottles. You’re not calling me names, judging me...or at least not yet.” He was scowling at her, the anger in his eyes still there, but less intense.
“I’d never do that. You know that.”
“Do I?”
There was a sudden flash of lightening; a rumble of thunder, and chilly raindrops began spattering the sidewalk.
“Aedan...” She took a step toward him. He didn’t back away this time and she wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head against his chest. He put his arms around her but didn’t return her embrace. “It’s raining...”
She felt more than heard his brief laugh. “Yeah, it is.”
“Take me home.” Rosa looked up at him.
He frowned. “Call your car service. I can take the subway.”
She shook her head “No, not my home. Take me to your apartment.”
He hesitated. “You’re sure that’s where you want to go?”
Rosa could feel the tension in Aedan’s body as he finally hugged her against his chest, his arms stiff against her body.
“It is. I know what I want...” She blinked as she watched him, the pain in his eyes making her heart hurt. “I want you, Aedan.”
Chapter 9
Aedan was silent on the cab ride to his apartment. He knew Rosa wanted him to say something, but what? His mind was spinning, his emotions out of control. It had been a long time since he’d let himself get this upset over something somebody said, especially a bunch of spoiled bastards who should mean absolutely nothing to him.
Then the ex-boyfriend with the broken beer bottle. That was the end of his patience. The guy was in his face, going on about how Rosa was with him, how Aedan was nothing but a bad-boy toy who didn’t deserve her attention and would never be what she needed. Or afford what she needed. It wasn’t anything Aedan hadn’t heard before, but somehow, this time was different. Because of Rosa. He wanted to give her the things she needed. Those assholes... they knew nothing about real life.
On the street, it was different. Fighting on the street made sense. But there, with Rosa’s friends, he was trapped and everything spiraled out of his control. He was the target. Not even given a chance to prove his worth.
Rosa sat quietly beside him now, staring straight ahead, holding his hand. Her grip was firm, steadfast. And he wondered again how he’d ended up here, with this beautiful girl, in over his head. Way over his head. “Rosa...I...”
“It’s okay. Let’s get to your place.” She squeezed his hand and for a moment, it was okay, sitting in the dark cab with Rosa. With her, he didn’t feel like... Like everything her friends thought he was.
They pulled up and got out, and he let them into his apartment, tossing the keys on the table. “You want a beer? I’m going to have one.” He went to the kitchen, caught her nod, bringing back two bottles. She was sitting on the sagging sofa and he dropped down next to her, propping his feet on the coffee table. He took a long swallow of the cold beer. Domestic beer... wtf? “Rosa...I’m sorry. I lost control.”
He turned to her. She was watching him with a serious expression.
“You weren’t the only one. Thomas should never have done what he did. Aedan, I’m sorry, too.”
“What for? Like I said, you’ve nothing to apologize for.”
“No, but I should have said something to them. And I should’ve—”
“What? Known that I wouldn’t fit in with your friends?” He tipped the bottle back again. Domestic, my ass. Cold. Beer should only be cold.
He heard her draw a deep breath, heard the slam of her bottle on the coffee table. Here it comes, the kiss off. She’s out of here.
“Why do you leap to the worst conclusion in every scenario? No, that’s not what I’m sorry for! I’m sorry my friends are jerks. Not that I took you to a party. I’m not afraid of being seen with you, Aedan. Even if you try your hardest to put up all these walls between us, to make yourself unlovable, to try to drive me away. It doesn’t matter. Because I’m not leaving, until I decide I want to.”
Aedan was still. Waiting. “Why are you still here? Why?”
She reached out, running her fingers down his cheek. “Because under all that swagger and hard-ass exterior bullshit, behind all that tough-guy façade, there’s a really great guy. And I’m waiting patiently for him to meet himself, to finally figure out he’s worth knowing, that he’s worth loving.” She blinked, her eyes glistening but no tears fell. “Aedan, your parents threw you away. That doesn’t mean you’re worthless; it means they were. They had issues and you suffered because of them. You didn’t do anything to deserve that. But, it’s shaped who you are now. For wrong or right, good or bad. But at some point, you’re going to have to let someone in. You can’t go through life doing it all by yourself.” She leaned forward, kissing him softly. “Whatever anyone thinks, it doesn’t matter. What matters is being who you really are—not someone else you feel that you need to be to protect yourself from everything that haunts you.”
Aedan looked into her eyes and saw something he’d never seen in any woman’s eyes before; something that resembled love. Or at least genuine acceptance.
His mind was a mess, his emotions torn. Instinct told him to run, bolt. Or throw her out. His head—and maybe his heart—told him to listen to her. His body, the most predictable of the three, wanted her.
But that’s what got him into this situation in the first place.
“Rosa... I can’t. I don’t know how to do what you want. I can’t be the person you think I am.”
She shook her head. “No. Aedan. You already are. You have to trust me on this.”
Now Aedan slowly moved his head side to side. “I don’t trust anyone. Maybe Frank. But it’s business with him. But this is...different.”
“I know...” Rosa slid across the sofa, curling up to him, her head on his shoulder, her fingers wound through his. “Everyone in your life has let you down, not been worth your trust. I get that. But you have to admit what we feel... it’s different. You’ve told me things you’ve never told anyone. You trusted me the other night with those things. And I think you know I’m not judging you by your past. Your life is hard. Mine’s, well, complicated.” She sighed, her breath warm on his neck. “Just let us have a chance, okay? Just because something happens, like tonight, it doesn’t mean the end of whatever we have. We just need to figure it out together.”
Aedan shifted uncomfortably. “Like I said, this
is hard. I don’t talk about this kind of stuff. Feelings, why I do things...”
She lifted her head, looking up at him. “It is hard. It can’t be easy. I’m not expecting anything with you to be easy.” Her voice was teasing, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth
He shook his head. “You’re not letting up on this, are you?”
“No, I’m not. You think you’re stubborn? You ain’t seen nothing yet.” She grinned wickedly.
Aedan laughed, despite himself, shaking his head. He’d obviously gotten himself into a lot more than he’d planned for. But he wasn’t sure any more that he minded.
Rosa shifted on the sofa, resting her head in his lap. “Let’s talk about something else. Tell me about fighting. Not like tonight. But in the gym. The good stuff, the stuff you like about it.” She looked up at him, trusting and calm.
He sighed. Time to get out of this rut...think of something else other than how I screwed up. Or that her heads on my lap, right by my cock... she just needs to turn her head. He shifted slightly and focused on what she’d asked. “I like the discipline: the daily routine, the challenges. Training’s hard. Very hard. Frank’s tough. He pushes me beyond what I think I can do, every single day. And then he wants more. But he knows how much I can take.”
“I think I like Frank.”
He smiled. “I bet you would. There’s a beauty in fighting. It’s not all blood and violence. A lot of it’s mental. There’s a rhythm. Timing’s important. Anticipating what your opponent’s going to do next and then beating him to the punch. Knowing what your own body is capable of, reaching your limits and then pushing past.” He looked out the grimy living room window, at the apartments across the alley; absently watching an elderly couple sit down to dinner. “You learn your own weaknesses, how to protect yourself, when to cover up, when to move. And you learn to control your fear. It’s always there, fear, to some extent. But you can’t let that fear control you, get the upper hand. If you do, then you’re up against two opponents in the ring instead of just one.” He was idly running his fingers through her hair, toying with the strands. He caught her smiling up at him. “What?”
