“Not quite. He used the word indiscretion. But again, he didn’t offer any details.” He studied her face. “You don’t seem shocked by that.”
“That’s because I know exactly what he’s referring to.” She must have noticed the way Dylan’s shoulders tensed, because she hurried on. “I surprised him at the office one day for lunch and I had a run-in with one of his colleagues. This guy named Pres Maxwell, a total slimebag.”
Maxwell… Dylan recognized the name. That was the same man who’d warned Chris that Claire wasn’t a “good prospect”. He kept that tidbit to himself, though, mostly because he didn’t want to add more fuel to the fire burning in Claire’s eyes.
“Chris had to finish up with a client, so I went to wait for him in the associates’ lounge. Maxwell showed up and started pawing at me.” Scorn dripped from her every word. “I told him to get lost, but he was very persistent. He tried to convince me that all the associates slept with each other’s wives.”
Aidan snorted. “Nice guy.”
“I told Chris about it at lunch, but he brushed it off and insisted Maxwell must have been joking around. But that creep was not joking—he definitely wanted to get in my pants.”
“Are you sure you didn’t lead him on in any way?” Dylan regretted the question the moment it slipped out of his mouth, but it was too late to take it back.
In a nanosecond, Claire’s expression went from annoyed to enraged. “Are you serious?”
He quickly tried to backpedal. “I’m just saying, maybe the guy thought you were sending some kind of signal and—”
“Oh, because I said hello?” she interrupted sarcastically. “Because I asked him how he liked working at the firm? Is that what you consider a signal? That bastard cornered me against the wall and tried to shove his hand up my skirt, and I didn’t do a damn thing to invite it! I can’t believe you’d even think I would.”
The bite to her tone raised his hackles. “I don’t know you, honey, and I’ve never seen the way you behave around other men. Maybe you’re throwing off come-hither signals left and right to every man in San Francisco.”
Her jaw fell open. Then snapped shut.
After a beat, she rose from the couch and pinned him down with a fierce look. “When I make a commitment to someone, I don’t throw off signals to other men. I was committed to your brother. I loved him, and I was planning on marrying him. I don’t give a shit what you think about me, but let it be known that I’ve never cheated on anyone in my entire life, and if for some reason I transmit come-hither signals then it’s definitely not done intentionally. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to boot up my laptop so I can book myself a flight home.”
“Claire—” Aidan started.
“No, I don’t want to hear it,” she cut in. “A moment of weakness drove me to come here, but I have no desire to stay where I’m not wanted and with people who think I’m some kind of horrible human being.”
With that, she marched out of the living room in a huff, her red hair whipping behind her like an angry cloud.
Several seconds ticked by. Dylan had no idea what to say, and the longer the silence between him and Aidan dragged on, the more irritated he got. To make matters worse, Aidan was just sitting there, his dark eyes shuttered, his body language tense.
“Spit it out, Aid,” he ordered.
“Fine. You were a real dick to her just now, is that what you want to hear?”
“I’m a dick, huh? Why, because I asked a harmless question?”
“Harmless, my ass. You felt like antagonizing her, so you did.” Aidan stood up. “And for what it’s worth, I think the two of you have the most fucked-up perceptions of each other. Neither of you is the villain the other one thinks, and if you had one fucking conversation without sniping at each other, I think you’d really get along.”
Bitterness trickled through him. “You just want me to get along with her so you can get her into bed.”
Aidan responded with a harsh laugh. “Right, like you don’t want the same damn thing. You’ve been sporting a semi since the second she got here. You undress her with your eyes whenever she’s in the room. Oh, and you kissed her—thanks for mentioning that to me, by the way.”
“She kissed me,” he grumbled. “And I didn’t mention it because it wasn’t a big deal, nor was it ever going to happen again.”
“Can you at least admit that you want her?”
“Jesus. Fine. I want her. You happy now? But guess what, man, I want a lot of things. Wanting something doesn’t automatically mean it’s a good idea to go out and get it. So yeah, I think she’s hot, and yeah, she gets me hard, but I’m not going to act on it.” He let out a frustrated breath. “If you want to sleep with her, go ahead. You have my blessing, okay? But me, I have no intention of ever sleeping with the woman, so for fuck’s sake, leave me out of it.”
* * *
Aidan didn’t know whether to curse or laugh as he left Dylan in the living room to cool off. Last time he’d seen Dylan this worked up over being attracted to someone, it had been toward Aidan himself. Dylan had been freaked out about desiring a man out of the context of a threesome, and it had taken him a while to realize that sometimes you couldn’t help who you felt an attraction for.
And now Dylan was fighting the way he felt about Claire. A blind person could see how much he wanted her, and Aidan didn’t blame him one damn bit. He’d known Claire for only two days and he could honestly say he’d never been more drawn to a woman.
Not only that, but he found her presence strangely soothing. He was still reeling over the fact that he’d told her and Dylan about his mother’s death—that was something he never spoke of, yet when Claire asked about his parents, the confession slipped out without warning. Afterwards, he hadn’t felt exposed or embarrassed, the way he usually did when he revealed personal details about himself.
Why did he feel so comfortable opening up to Claire when he’d been denying Dylan the same privilege for months now? He had no answer for that, but there was one thing he did know—he didn’t want Claire to go yet.
Which was why he wasted no time in heading for Dylan’s bedroom so he could hopefully convince one very pissed-off redhead not to skip town.
He rapped his knuckles on the door. “Hey, it’s Aidan. Can I come in?”
A gloomy “Sure” came from the other side of the door.
He stepped into the bedroom and found her on the bed with her MacBook in her lap. Her striped shirt had fallen off one shoulder, revealing smooth skin and making his fingers tingle with the urge to stroke all that softness.
“Did you book a flight yet?” he asked.
“No.” She met his eyes. “You here to talk me out of it?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t bother. I’m not staying.”
He smiled. “We both know you don’t want to go, sweetheart.”
“Oh, really? Now you’re an expert on what I want?”
Ignoring her squeaky protest, he swiped the computer from her lap and walked over to set it on the dresser. He strode back to the bed and sat beside her. There was a foot of space between them, but he could feel the heat radiating from her body, smell her addictive lavender scent and see her pulse throbbing in her throat.
“I know you don’t want to be in San Francisco right now,” he said with a shrug. “Your parents will drive you nuts by fussing over you, you’ll be sleeping in the apartment you shared with Chris—who at the moment is enjoying your honeymoon without you. And you’ve got three weeks off, so you’re just going to sit around bored and stuck in your own head.”
Claire scowled at him. “At least that’s better than being accused of inviting a sexual assault.”
“He didn’t mean that and you know it. Dylan’s just in a shitty mood and he decided to take it out on you.”
“And that makes it right?” she challenged.
“Not at all. Look, I’m not going to make excuses for him or apologize on his behalf, but you need to know that you’r
e wrong about him.” Aidan’s heart squeezed. “He’s a good guy, Claire. And he cares about people, sometimes a helluva lot more than he should. For some reason, you just rub him the wrong way.”
“Well, the feeling is mutual.”
“What about me?” he asked impulsively.
Her forehead creased. “What do you mean?”
“Do I rub you the wrong way?”
Surprise flickered in her eyes. “Of course not.”
Smiling again, he angled his body so they were face-to-face instead of side by side. “You’ve enjoyed hanging out with me today, right?”
That appealing blush rose in her cheeks. “Yes. I’ve had fun.”
“Then keep having fun with me. Stay.”
She bit her plump bottom lip, and for a second he experienced a pang of envy that Dylan had had the pleasure of feeling those sexy lips pressed against his. Shit, he wanted this woman bad. Like trembling-hands-and-dry-mouth kind of bad.
“So, what, I stick around for a few more days and just hang out with you? Don’t you have to work?” She paused. “Come to think of it, I don’t even know what you do. Are you in the navy too?”
“Yep, but I deal in naval intelligence. I work a boring eight-to-four out of the base, but I’ve got a bunch of personal days saved up that I can use if we want to take any day trips.”
“Day trips?” She laughed, and the sweet sound tickled his heart. “What kind of stuff are you planning to drag me into?”
“Anything you want. Might as well treat this like a vacation, no? We can check out the sights, drive up the coast, hit Malibu, Catalina, spend a day in LA if you want. So yeah, sightseeing, exploring. I’m even willing to let you drag me to every department store in the state if it means you’ll stay.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you want me to stay so badly? You don’t even know me.”
She was doing that cute nibbling thing to her lip again, and he couldn’t stop himself—he reached out, grasped her chin, and swept his thumb over that pouty lower lip.
Claire’s breath caught. Her brown eyes widened before going heavy-lidded with desire.
Oh yeah, she wanted him. He hadn’t missed the way her gaze had gobbled him up when they’d first met, and today he’d seen her checking him out more than once when she thought he wasn’t looking.
“I want you to stay because you fascinate me.” His voice was so hoarse he had to clear his throat before continuing. “I want to get to know you.”
He traced her cupid’s-bow mouth with his finger, enjoying the way her breathing quickened.
“Why do I fascinate you?” she murmured, making no move to wiggle out of his touch.
“I don’t know. You just do,” he said simply. “I guess it’s because…well, truthfully, I don’t spend time with many women like you.”
“Women like me?”
He smiled sheepishly and dropped his hand from her face. “You know, the non-airhead type. The women I’ve dated, or the ones Dylan and I bring home, they’re usually all about living in the moment, having a good time for a night and then moving on. That’s not to say they’re ditzy or dumb, but they certainly aren’t serious, you know what I mean?”
“And you think I’m serious?”
“I think you’re…pretty fucking amazing, actually. You’re smart, ambitious, funny, sexy—”
“You think I’m sexy?” Her face took on a pinkish hue again.
“So sexy.” He met her eyes. “And look, I ain’t gonna lie—I’m attracted to you. But I also know you’re in a vulnerable place right now and I promise I won’t take advantage of that. I really just want to spend more time with you. I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun with a woman.”
Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “What about Dylan?”
“What about him? He’s the one who asked you to come here in the first place, and I just spoke to him and he said he doesn’t mind if you stay.”
Fine, so maybe Dylan’s exact words had been leave me out of it but Aidan was going to take that as the green light for Claire to stick around.
When she shifted in visible reluctance, he gave her the impish grin he’d perfected over the years. “Come on, you know you want to.”
She scowled again, but her lips were twitching with amusement. “Jeez, I bet those dimples got you everything you wanted when you were growing up.”
“Yep, and they still do.” The grin widened. “So what do you say? Will you stay?”
Her indecision hung in the air between them. He could see her brain working, feel her resolve crumbling.
“Okay, you win,” she grumbled. “I’ll stay. But just for another day or two.”
Triumph coursed through him, though he knew it would take more than a day or two to get Claire where he wanted her—naked, moaning and sandwiched between him and Dylan while they drove her to new heights of arousal.
Of course, he would need to work on Dylan too, but that wouldn’t be difficult, considering the hunger on the guy’s face whenever Claire was in the room.
But it was going to take more than his dimples to make this happen. He’d definitely have to up his game, but fortunately, he’d always been very, very good at games. And this was one he had every intention of winning.
8
It took three days for Aidan to reach a conclusion: he was living with the two most stubborn people on the planet. Although Claire had stuck around, getting her and Dylan in the same room proved to be impossible. They went out of their way not to spend more than five minutes together, and Aidan was growing frustrated with their childish antics.
To make matters worse, Dylan was going to bed early and waking up before dawn because his SEAL team was running training missions all week. He’d been crashing on the pullout couch in the office so he wouldn’t disturb Aidan with his comings and goings, and the grueling demos left him beaten and exhausted when he got home. Even if they had been sharing a bed, Aidan knew sex wouldn’t be on the table.
As a result, he was so sexually frustrated he felt like a teenager with blue balls after his girlfriend refused to do more than neck. Being around Claire was pure torture. Not being with Dylan was even worse.
Needless to say, it was time to shake things up.
“Hey, guys? Can you come in here for a sec?” he called from the master bedroom.
Since Claire was right across the hall, she popped her head in the doorway within seconds, looking cute as hell in denim shorts and a red tank top, with her hair tied in a low, side ponytail. The two of them had spent the morning at the pier having lunch at a bistro that overlooked the water, then gotten ice cream at Aidan’s favorite place in San Diego. Cash McCoy’s girlfriend had turned him on to the place, and Claire had absolutely loved it, demanding a taste of every unique flavor in the store.
The more time he spent with her, the more Aidan liked her.
And the more he wanted to get her naked.
Soon, he assured himself.
Claire stepped into the room. “What’s up?”
“Hold on. Dylan, I’m serious, get in here,” he called. “I’ve got something to show you guys.”
Dylan had been napping on the living room couch, having gotten home an hour ago in an exhaustion coma, so it took a few more seconds before his footsteps finally sounded in the hall.
“This better be good.” Dylan strode into the bedroom, covering his mouth as a yawn overtook him. “What is it?”
Aidan stalked toward the walk-in closet as if he was going to get something, then stopped. “Oh shit, I forgot, I left it in the office. Give me a sec.”
Nonchalant, he slid out the door, making sure to close it behind him. The second he was in the hall, he sprang into action. He might ride a desk at the base, but he’d gone through basic training the same way Dylan had, and he was quicker than most people gave him credit for.
In no time, he’d grabbed the dining-room chair he’d stashed in the office and had the sturdy wooden back
pressed up beneath the doorknob of his bedroom. The second the chair locked into place, he heard a muffled curse.
“What the hell, bro?” Dylan shouted. “Did you just barricade us in here?”
“Yessir,” he replied.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, open the goddamn door.”
“Seriously, Aidan.” Claire’s voice, laced with annoyance. “Let us out.”
“No can do, sweetheart. I’m tired as fuck of watching you two tiptoe around each other, or listening to you argue like a pair of preteens. It’s time you straightened your shit out.”
“We’re the preteens?” Dylan said incredulously. “You’re the one who locked us in here!”
He fought a grin. “It’s for your own good. And I suggest you use the time allotted to sit down and have a real talk, instead of bitching at one another the way you’re so fucking good at.”
Another muted curse, this one feminine and so vulgar his eyebrows shot up.
“Ah, sweetheart, such language,” he chided. “You’re better than that.”
“Fuck you, Aidan.”
“Yeah, fuck you, Aidan,” Dylan echoed.
Chuckling, he reached for the other item he’d liberated from the office, the cardboard box he’d set down on the hardwood.
As he opened the box, he heard Dylan murmur something to Claire, and not even the barrier between them could disguise the determination in the SEAL’s voice. But even without that telltale tone of voice, Aidan had known exactly what Dylan’s next move would be.
“Hey, man, if you’re thinking of kicking in the door, I wouldn’t recommend it,” he advised.
“Yeah, and why’s that? Because you know I’m perfectly capable of smashing this door down.”
“Yep, but just know that if you do, your mother’s Christmas present will smash right along with it.”
Still laughing, Aidan removed the fragile glass angel nestled in the protective Styrofoam. He gently placed the angel on the chair and stepped back to admire his handiwork. Nice. Any damage Dylan inflicted on the door would cause the chair—and the angel—to crash right to the floor.
Out of Uniform Box Set: Books 4-6 plus 2 Bonus Novellas Page 37
