Hate at First Sight

by Diana Nixon

  “So what?” She turned around to look at me.

  “Wait for a few more days. I will come back and do anything you ask me to.”

  “What if I changed my mind?”

  “You did?” I asked in a whisper. But I never let her reply, because when my lips found hers there was no time for talking. There was only pure desire that she was sending through my veins. The mere thought of my palms sliding under the thin fabric of her nightgown made me lose my mind. I was about to forget about the contract I needed to sign, about the morning meeting and everything else, but her.

  Her hands traced down my back gently, making every muscle of my body tense. Her hair was still wet, and I wanted to tangle it with my fingers. The kiss was very slow and sensual, as if neither of us wanted to deepen it, teasing each other with the sensations it made us feel. She tugged at my shoulders, pulling me closer to herself.

  I smiled down at her. “This is not fair, you know?”

  “What?” she asked softly.

  “You know what. First you are pushing me away, and now you seem to be really glad to have me for yourself. And you know that I can’t stay, but you keep responding to my kisses, knowing that it’s not making it easy to leave.”

  “Really? I didn’t notice. But you are right. You need to go,” she said, taking a step away from me.

  “Would you let me stay in your bed if I didn’t have to go?” I asked, taking a step closer to her.

  “No.”

  “No?”

  “I’m a decent girl, you know?”

  “Oh, really? So how shall we solve this small problem? Will you join me in my bed?”

  “I will think about it when you actually ask me to.”

  “Deal,” I said. Then I leaned closer to give her one more kiss, and she never stopped me. “I’ll be back in a few days. Will you wait for me?”

  “No promises, remember?”

  Yeah, well, somehow I didn’t like the sound of it anymore….

  Chapter 9

  Megan

  What the hell do you think you are doing? My inner voice kept asking me that question, and I didn’t know what to say in response. I had been pacing the room for about an hour already, and I couldn’t stop thinking about Aiden. I could still feel his presence, and every inch of my body still remembered his touches.

  Oh, God … this is so not good! I groaned, sitting at the edge of my bed. How am I supposed to concentrate on the wedding when all I can think about is running to Bristol, and straight into Aiden’s embrace?

  Every time I closed my eyes I could feel him creeping beneath my skin, and making his way into the sensuous veins to reach the point where my heart met my mind ... and oh, Lord, I didn’t want him to stop. I wanted him to make my heart beat faster, I wanted to lose my mind with him; I wanted him to make me run wild, demanding for more….

  And I never thought I could actually think about a man in such a way, with the images of him making love to me again and again. Maybe my mother was right after all, and I needed to forget about Economics at least for some time, because it looked like I was turning into one sex-obsessed disaster.

  I almost jumped out of my shoes when my cell phone rang. The message I got was sent from an unknown number, but the words made me smile. It was the first line of one of my favorite songs by The Lost.

  “Give me some sunshine, give me some rain

  Give me a chance to see you again.”

  I didn’t know how Aiden knew about my love for the band, but I was sure the message was sent by him. I remembered the next line and typed back,

  “So all you need is just one chance?

  Why don’t we start with a slow dance?”

  The response made me laugh. “And here comes my favorite part,” Aiden wrote. “And I can’t wait for it to come true….”

  “One word and the game begins,

  Enwrapping our thoughts and emotions in sins.”

  “Shameless you are,” I typed, still smiling. I didn’t dare to type the rest of the song. Nothing was wrong about the words, if it wasn’t for Aiden and me sharing them. I opened my laptop and found the song in my playlist.

  “Don’t you feel the nightingale's tweet?

  When we commit even the sins are sweet.

  Even the world stops spinning

  Watching us, creating a new beginning.

  Roll on me, and set me free

  Love me, love me, love me,

  O, my lady queen!

  Let my fingertips run across your lips,

  As my palm makes its way to your hips,

  Say that you agree

  To whatever I want us to be.

  Roll on me, and set me free

  Love me, love me, love me,

  O, my lady queen!

  Put your lips down on my chest,

  And feel the world coming to rest,

  Let us feel that we are blessed

  No more protests, what do you suggest?

  Roll on me, and set me free

  Love me, love me, love me,

  O, my lady queen!”

  “Are you listening to the song?” the next message said.

  “How did you know?”

  “Just like that … sweet dreams, Megs.”

  I sank back against the pillows, still staring at the text of the message. Yes, being with Aiden felt good, unbearably good.

  Even though our first meeting was one hell of a moment, a pleasant sensation in my belly diminished my anger and hate for the guy. I was trapped … I didn’t feel like running away anymore. Instead I wanted to follow Aiden’s advice and enjoy my life at least for once.

  The next morning started with a loud noise coming from outside my closed door. I rubbed my eyes, tossed the blanket aside and headed for the door, cursing everyone on the way.

  “What the hell is going on here?”

  “Morning, Sis. Sorry about the noise. Mom wanted us to move this sofa into the guest room.”

  Owen and my father smiled apologetically and got back to their noisy work. We all knew that fighting with our mom was a lost cause. Her orders were sacred.

  “Good luck,” I said, before I went back to my room.

  The day was going to be hard. I hated being woken up. My alarm clock didn’t count. It was just a mechanism, and no matter how many times I cursed it, it would never change.

  I took a shower, put on a pair of jeans, combined with a white shirt and went to the kitchen to have breakfast. My blisters were healing, thank God, which meant that I would be able to wear my new, turquoise shoes for the wedding — at least something positive about the whole thing.

  Mary was the only person I found in the kitchen. And she looked like she was about to start crying.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked, taking a seat next to her.

  “My wedding’s going to be a disaster!” she said, hiding her face in her palms.

  “What happened?”

  “My maid of honor is not coming. She twisted her ankle, and she can barely walk. What am I supposed to do now?”

  “I’m so sorry, Dear. Why don’t you ask someone else to be your maid of honor?”

  “None of the other bridesmaids knows me well enough to replace her.”

  “Do you need a bridesmaid?” the voice behind us said.

  Mary and I turned to the door and saw Aiden’s boopsy friend. The Barbie was still staying at our house.

  My grip on Mary’s arm tightened. “Not anymore,” I said, smiling at the guest. “She has already found one.”

  “Have I?” Mary looked at me, puzzled.

  “I will be your maid of honor.”

  “Really? Oh, thank you so much, Megan!” She hugged me tightly. “You and Aiden will make a great couple.”

  Um … what?

  “The best man and the maid of honor are the main couple at the wedding. Well, after the bride and the groom of course.”

  “Oh…” I immediately regretted my stupid proposition. Did home atmosphere do something to my brain? I
said and did the stupidest things ever!

  The Barbie behind me smirked and left the kitchen.

  “What is her problem?” Mary asked.

  “Men,” I replied angrily. “Do you know who she is?”

  “Owen says she’s Aiden’s ex or something of the sort. Their relationship is quite complicated. I don’t know the details.”

  So she’s his ex … well, that explains a lot. The only thing I still couldn’t understand was the reason for her coming to the wedding? Was she trying to restore what she and Aiden shared? Or was she after something I didn’t see?...

  “Do you need me today?” I asked Mary. “I wanted to see some of my school friends.”

  “Sure, no problem. Almost everything has already been done, so I will need you mostly on my wedding day.”

  “Okay, just call me if you need any help.”

  “Thanks again, Megan. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

  “You are welcome.”

  My mother joined us a few minutes later, and she was extremely happy to hear the news about my new role at the wedding. We had coffee and discussed a few things about the mini-golf game that was supposed to take place in the afternoon.

  I asked Owen if I could borrow his car for a while, and when I was about to leave the house, the doorbell rang.

  I was sure my mouth hit the floor the moment I saw our guest. “Jeff?”

  “Morning, Megan. I … um … wanted to see you.”

  Wow, who would have thought?...

  “What for?” I asked, frowning. I didn’t have the slightest desire to talk to him. And I thought I made it clear last time we met. Apparently I didn’t sound convincing.

  “Would you have a cup of coffee with me?

  “I already had mine.”

  “Okay, then how about a walk?”

  I looked at my watch. I was going to meet with Jessie and Angeline in about half an hour. And it looked like Jeff wanted more than just thirty minutes of walk.

  “I’m going to the town actually. Why don’t we meet later today. Around three o’clock?”

  “Perfect!” He smiled at me. “See you later, Megs.”

  Megs? Have I missed the moment when we became best friends?

  “Yeah, see you.” I waved good-bye and went to the garage, still feeling Jeff’s gaze on my back.

  Two years back I would gladly die for a chance to go out with him, but today it felt like a total waste of my time. Even though the guy still made my heart flutter.

  Jessie, Angeline and I had been best friends for ages. We did everything together: homework, shopping, partying. They didn’t like me living in London. We still talked from time to time, but now everyone of us had our own lives. Unlike me, they also had what was called a personal life, and I knew that Jessie was engaged, and Angeline dated one of our classmates.

  I was a little disappointed not to receive any messages from Aiden. I knew that he had an early morning meeting, but I still hoped to hear from him. And it wasn’t anything like me. Did it mean that I missed him? No freaking way….

  I left Owen’s car in the parking lot and went to the café.

  I immediately recognized Jessie. She was a red-headed girl with big, blue eyes. Angeline was a blond, and people always called us An Undivided Trinity.

  I smiled, waving at them.

  “Holy Moly! Just look at you!” Jessie said, hugging me. “You look fantabulous!”

  “Good to hear that from someone who has always been a Queen of style and fashion.”

  “Shut up.” She giggled in response.

  “We missed you like hell!” Angeline said.

  “Same here, ladies.” I was truly happy to see my old friends.

  “We want to know every single detail of your life in London.” Jessie hadn’t changed. And neither had her curiosity.

  “And especially those details that involve guys,” Angie added.

  I rolled my eyes. “Nothing to talk about. I’m not dating anyone. I don’t have time for men.”

  My friends shared a puzzled glance.

  “How do you feel, Dear?” Jessie asked, squinting. “You sure it doesn’t have anything to do with some big-city-life virus or anything? ‘Cause I’m sure no sane woman your age can stay without a man for so long.”

  I laughed. “I’m fine, really. And everything is okay about my big-city life.”

  “You need a good brain wash, Honey. Thank God, you have us to help you with that.” Angeline winked at me. “Don’t make any plans for tonight. We are going to the club.”

  “But….”

  “No buts!” she said strictly. “There’s no way we will let you die a virgin.”

  Chapter 10

  Aiden

  I had to work my butt off to be able to go back to Axbridge as soon as possible. I signed the contract barely looking through the text. I really hoped that Owen had already read it backwards and forwards, and I didn’t do anything wrong.

  I think I broke all the speed rules, because when I stopped at Owen’s, it was about eight in the evening. I was still wearing a suit and a tie, but I hardly cared. I was dying to see Megan.

  I opened the driver’s door and saw the very same guy I saw at the party, standing on the porch. My jaw tightened. What the hell was he doing there?

  “May I help you?” I asked, coming up to him.

  He turned around and frowned, recognition crossed his face. “Hi. I’m Jeff, Jeffry Morison.”

  I nodded wordlessly.

  “I’m a friend of Megan’s.”

  “Never hear about you,” I snapped. Why would I try to hide my irritation, if I didn’t even know the damn friend?

  “We agreed to meet here.”

  Now, that was something that immediately piqued my interest. “Really? She didn’t tell me about your meeting.”

  The guy flinched from the murderous look I gave him. And I was sure Owen would justify the motives for the murder that I was seconds from committing right on his porch.

  “Um … are you guys dating or something?” The asshole had a nerve to ask the most stupid questions ever.

  “Yes,” I replied without hesitation. “Do you have a problem with that?”

  “Don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think you are good enough for her.”

  You’ve got to be kidding me….

  “And why would you think that?” I crossed my arms, trying really hard to suppress the wild desire to punch the guy’s lights out.

  “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “Not really.” I was at the end of my patience.

  “She’s smart and beautiful, and good-natured, and you are … well, just a spoilt guy that never did a thing to get what your parents gave you.”

  I laughed aloud. “So that’s what you think about me? Seriously?” I took a step closer. “The truth is that you are simply jealous.” There was no point in trying to change his opinion about me. I didn’t give a damn about what he thought. “And you know what? Megan will never look at someone like you. Because she likes men who can protect her and take care of her, and not just guys who still read adult magazines under the blanket.”

  Jeff turned pink from head to toe, and I didn’t know whether it was due to the truth he heard from me, or due to the anger that he felt. Anyway, I knew that he got my point. He turned around and left in a hurry.

  “Hey, you are back!” Owen stood at the threshold. “How was the meeting?”

  “Great. I did everything I needed to do and came back here, knowing how much you needed me.”

  “So very true,” he said tiredly. “I think I need a few hours away from this madhouse. How about a drink?”

  “Good idea.” I nodded and the two of us went back to my car.

  “So what did I miss?” I asked my friend. “I hope it doesn’t have anything to do with Annabel?”

  “Not even close. It’s about my mother’s crazy ideas of finding Megan a husband.”

  My grip on the wheel tightened. “I don’t see any problem
with that. Megan is a big girl. She will find a husband when she needs one.”

  “That’s what I told my mom. But she still thinks that we need to help her. By the way, my sister’s going to be your date at the wedding. Mary’s maid of honor’s not coming, and Megan’s going to replace her.”

  At least some good news, I thought to myself.

  “Is there anything else you want to talk about?” I knew Owen well enough to see that something was bothering him.

  “Megan was going to the club tonight, and our mother sent a few guys there ‘To entertain our girl’.”

  “Oh, dear….”

  “Exactly.”

  “Do you know what club she was going to?”

  “Yeah, The Blue Laguna. Why?”

  “Your sister obviously needs our help.” I smiled at my friend and turned down the street where The Blue Laguna was.

  The club was half-empty. A few dozen people were dancing, and half of the chairs near the bar were empty.

  My eyes immediately found Megan. She was in the company of two girls I didn’t know. They took one of the farthest tables, where the sound of music was not so loud. A few guys were sitting at the table next to theirs, and I was wondering if they were those whom Owen’s mother sent.

  One of the guys took his glass, came to Megan’s table, and took a seat next to her. To my surprise, she didn’t mind him joining her. He outstretched his hand saying something into her ear, she giggled and shook it. And why would I think that she didn’t like men’s attention? Right now, she seemed to be enjoying it a lot.

  Owen said he wanted to buy a drink, so he went to the bar, and I stayed at the entrance watching his sister.

  She looked amazing, as always. And I couldn’t even imagine her wearing glasses and spending nights leaning over books and not someone’s naked chest. I was sure if I had such a charming financial expert in my company, no man would be able to think about numbers and documents if she was around.