by Diana Nixon
“Not true. I saw him with other women, and he never looked at anyone the way he looked at you.”
“Well, I think I’ll deal with him later. Now, I’m here to tell you a few things that you need to know.”
“Please, Megan, don’t start….”
“Listen to me, Mary … no, listen to us.”
“To us?” she asked, puzzled, wiping away the lines of mascara, left under her puffy eyes. “Don’t tell me Owen’s here!”
“No, it’s just me,” Aiden said, getting in.
“Oh, um … sorry, I didn’t know you were here too.” Mary’s cheeks turned pink.
“It’s okay, I didn’t hear anything unpleasant.”
“You guys are wasting your time, really.”
“Can you at least give us a chance to explain things? Aiden, tell her what you know.”
“What is it about?” Mary asked cautiously, her gaze moving from Aiden to me.
“Annabel did that on purpose,” he said slowly. “She came here to ruin the wedding, because she’s in love with Owen.”
“I’ve already figured that much.” Mary grimaced at the words.
“But Owen never shared her feelings, and he never gave her a reason to think that things could be different between the two of them.”
“How do you know that?”
“Owen and I spend days working in the same office. And trust me, there isn’t a day I don’t hear him saying how much he loves you. You are the only woman he ever talks about.”
Hope filled Mary’s eyes. “Really?”
“You should have given him a chance to explain what happened,” I said, patting her hand. “My brother loves you more than anything in this world. Don’t you see that?”
“I do, but … what would you do if you saw Aiden kissing someone else two days before your wedding?”
I froze. And so did Aiden.
“We are talking about different things,” I said, trying to calm down the fast beating of my heart. For a second I imagined the situation, and I … well, I desperately wanted to kill that someone he might be kissing.
“So you think I need to go back home and talk to Owen?”
“Yes, absolutely!” I said. “Don’t let anyone or anything ruin what the two of you share.”
“Thanks, Megan,” she said, hugging me. “Will you give me a lift back to Owen’s?”
“Sure.”
The three of us left the park, got into Aiden’s car and headed for the main road that led to our house.
Mary’s words were still ringing in my head. I looked at Aiden briefly. He seemed to be totally focused on the road, but I knew better. He was thinking about them too.
Earlier today, when I woke up in Aiden’s bed, I thought it was one of the best mornings ever, even though he was nowhere near. I could still smell his scent on me, and his shirt that I was wearing. I couldn’t stop thinking about the things he made me feel last night. And I couldn’t wait for the moment to wake up in his arms, after a long night of making love with him….
We didn’t talk much about last night, but here and there we still mentioned some small things that made us smile. We didn’t make any plans for the future. All we wanted was a few days of fun, with no worries and problems.
But somehow, every time we thought it would be easy, it became more and more complicated….
Just like now. I don’t know what will happen after the bet is over. I don’t know if one night together will be enough to walk away in the morning, as if nothing has ever happened. I don’t even know if I am ready for that night, with nothing else, except Aiden and me getting closer than ever. We both know that sooner or later it will happen, and no words are needed to see that we are attracted to each other.
And I don’t want Saturday to come, because it symbolizes the end of something special, and the beginning of something unknown. And no one knows if the unknown will be a happy ending, or a failure….
Chapter 16
Aiden
I sincerely wished that karma could at least give me a break. But the bitch was far from being good to me. And today she gave me one more reason to doubt my powers.
The moment I heard Mary’s words about Megan’s and my so-called wedding, I desperately wanted to sink under the floor. And not because the perspective was scary, but rather too alluring to stop thinking about it. Was I ready to bind myself with Megan forever? Good question….
Every time we were together I wanted to prolong the moment, and every time she walked away I wanted to run after her, and spend as much time as possible with her.
And now … well, now I was trying to stop myself from running to the nearest jewelry shop and buying her an engagement ring, which meant that I was definitely out of my mind.
And there was one more thing that I couldn’t stop thinking about. This Saturday. Something told me that it wouldn’t be as perfect as I wanted it to be. And at moments like this I hated my intuition that never cheated.
Neither Megan nor I said a word to each other on the way home. When we stopped at the porch, she said she wanted to talk to her mom and left.
“Everything’s gonna be okay,” Mary said from the back seat. “You two need more time to figure out what’s going on.”
“You think so?” I asked, looking at her in the rear-view mirror.
“I’m sure about that. Owen and I had to wait a little before it happened, but we are together now, and this is the only thing that matters.”
“Well, Owen and you had to wait for almost fifteen years to realize that you loved each other, and I doubt Megan will still be waiting for me even in a few days, not to mention years.”
Mary smiled gently. “Don’t worry; time will put everything in the right place.”
“I hope it will happen in this life, and not after it’s too late.” I smiled, opened the door, and accompanied Mary to the house. “Don’t be too harsh with him,” I said quietly, seeing Owen walking towards us.
I left the turtledoves to clear the air, and went to the kitchen, as I desperately needed a cup of coffee.
“Aiden, how are you doing?” Mr. Brawley asked, closing the paper he was reading at the moment.
“Good, thank you, Sir.”
“Coffee?”
“Yeah, I need it like hell.”
“You must have had a very busy night,” he said, coming to the counter.
For a second I thought my embarrassment would kill me right then and there.
“Excuse me?” Behaving stupidly always seems to give you a few seconds to come up with an explanation.
“Owen said that Megan and you were caught in the rain again, and couldn’t make it home last night.”
Thank you, man, I said mentally to my friend. “Yes, it seems that rain likes us a lot.”
“You can say that again!” Kevin laughed, giving me the cup. “So where did you spend the night?”
Now, I was alarmed by his questions. I knew him as long as I knew Owen, but today I felt like a kid waiting for a punishment for another wrongdoing.
“I have a house in Cheddar,” I said cautiously. “It’s empty at the moment, so there were no problems with finding an overnight stop.”
“Oh … good. I bet you were the one who made breakfast, because knowing my daughter, I doubt she would ever cook for anyone.”
That made me smile. “Actually, this time she left her policy aside and made a very good omelet with bacon and tomatoes.”
It looked like Mr. Brawley was speechlessly amazed. “Wow … who would have thought?” He looked at me thoughtfully, smiled and left the kitchen.
Apparently I was missing a big part of everything happening around me.
The rest of the day was surprisingly peaceful. I didn’t see Megan, but I knew she would come to the barbeque. I took a shower, got dressed and went downstairs to meet with a few more guests that were invited to the party.
The weather was perfect for a barbeque. Guests were enjoying their drinks and the sun. And I was enjoying the view
of Megan in a pale-pink dress that reminded me of the rose that was touching her skin last night….
“No rain today, huh?” Mr. Brawley said, coming up to me.
“Nope, looks like the gods of weather will be good to us today,” I said, ignoring the inner voice, telling me that Megan’s father knew something was going on between his daughter and me.
“Hope you will enjoy the evening,” he said, before he left to welcome the guests.
I looked at him again. The old man was smarter than his wife seemed to think. And he definitely knew more than we wanted him to know.
My eyes stopped at Megan again. She was playing with the neighbors’ kids. One of the girls looked so much like her, and I could easily imagine her being Megan’s daughter. And mine….
“Aiden!” Mary called. “Come, help us! These kids are crazy!”
I smiled, put my champagne on the nearest table and went to join in the fun. “Okay, so what’s this game about?”
“We need to put as many balls as we can into the baskets that Megan and Mary are holding,” one of the boys said. “But the girls are running around the tables, and we can’t catch them!”
“Okay, and what about the prize that the winner will get?”
“If you put five balls into one of the baskets, Megan or Mary will comply with your every wish.”
“Really?” I smiled cunningly at Megan. Mary smirked at my expression. Apparently she could guess the wishes I wanted her future relative to comply with. “Let’s do this, man,” I said to one of the guys. “If we win, I’ll buy you a huge chocolate cake, and you will help me make Megan go out with me tonight.”
“Deal,” the boy replied, shaking my hand.
And so the game began. The kids were right, it was really hard to put the damn balls into the baskets that were running away from you. And so I needed to develop a strategy to get to Megan unseen. Shame on me, but I used the kids to distract her, and when she didn’t see me, I ran up to her.
“Got you!” I said, putting my arms around her waist.
“Score to The Cougars!” one of the boys screamed, taking advantage of Megan’s motionless posture.
“Not fair!” She laughed, trying to break free of my grasp.
“You should have known better, Megs: there are no really fair games with me.” I winked at her.
“You…” She kicked my shoulder, still smiling. “It’s a game for the kids, and you are too old to help them!”
“Second score to The Cougars!” I said, as I put one more ball into Megan’s basket.
“What?” She didn’t expect me to come around her two times in a row.
“You’d better watch the basket,” I said, going for another ball.
Half an hour later the game was over, and guess who was the winner?
“You are one hell of a player, Aiden,” Megan said, counting the balls in her basket. “Eight? Seriously?”
I shrugged, leaning against one of the tables. “I wanted to make sure that my victory would be fair.”
“But your playing was anything, but fair!”
“The result is the only thing that counts. And put on something … black for tonight.”
“What?”
“The date, remember? You owe me a date.”
“Yes, you do,” the boy from my team said. “So that was the deal.”
“Men … you always support each other’s crazy plans.” Megan sighed, shaking her head.
“I’ll see you at eight, on the porch,” I said.
She rolled her eyes, put the balls back into the basket, and went to help Mary clean up the rest of the mess, left after the game.
“She’s cool,” one of the boys from my team said.
“Yes, she is.” I couldn’t but agree with him. I thanked him for the great game, and he left to join his friends.
For the second date with Megan I chose a salsa bar. Apart from dancing, this place offered great food and wine that I knew was one of those things that Megan was a real expert in. Her father was half French, and his family owned a small winery in the south of France. Kevin taught his daughter how to choose the best wine, and though Owen was also a wine lover, only his sister knew the technology of its production. That’s why I hoped she would appraise my surprise.
Megan’s choice of a dress was perfect for the night. It was black, just like I requested, strapless and with a flared skirt.
“You look great, as always,” I said.
“Where are we going?”
“Nah, not going to tell you. But I already know that you will like the place.”
“You are one of the most assertive men I’ve ever met.”
I laughed at her comment. “Admit it, Megs, you’ve never met men like me.”
“Shut up, Aiden, or I will change my mind and stay at home.”
“And then I will tell the kids that you cheated, and that I didn’t get my prize. You don’t want to disappoint them, do you?”
“Sly Fox,” she said, getting into the car.
Our ride was short, and the moment I stopped at the bar, Megan recognized the place.
“Dancing again?”
“Yes, why not? I thought you liked our last dancing session.”
“Yes, but it’s a salsa bar….”
“So?”
“Come on, Aiden, you know what I mean. Salsa is like having sex on the dance floor!”
“Exactly.”
“You are such a tease.”
“I know. But I also know that you like this feature of my nature.”
“Fine. I do like it. Happy now?” She crossed her arms, leaning against the car.
“Oh, yes.” I stopped right in front of her, touching her cheek. “I’m always happy when I’m with you, Megan.”
“Liar. You were far from being happy when we were on the farm.”
“Not true. I was a little nervous, and seeing you in that barely-covering-anything blanket didn’t let me focus on my happiness. But I was definitely glad to spend some time with you.”
“Do you even know how to dance salsa?”
“Hmm … let me think. Ladies say I’m good at what you compare it with, so I think the reply is yes.”
“God, I swear I’ll kill you one day, Aiden.”
“Do it slowly, Baby,” I said, as I put one arm around Megan’s waist and led her to the bar’s entrance.
Chapter 17
Megan
Every inch of my body and mind was on alert. Salsa had always been one of my favorite dances, but sharing it with Aiden felt like putting my head straight into a lion’s jaws. And I was sure that the damn lion was good at dancing salsa. If he handled tango, there was no doubt he knew what he was doing.
“Our table is over there,” he said, leading me to the second floor.
El Fuego — that was the name of the bar — had always been one of the most overcrowded places around the coast. Twice a year salsa dancers from all over the world come here for the Championships.
“I bet you’ve been here before,” Aiden said.
“Of course. I know the owners, a very nice Spanish couple about our parents’ age.”
We sat at the table, and I looked downstairs where couples were dancing to a slow song.
“Wanna start with a dance?”
“No, let’s first enjoy the atmosphere. I like watching other people dancing.”
Salsa was a play, a sweet and sexy one. That’s why it was always funny to watch other dancers trying to show a master class of their talents.
“How about a glass of wine then?”
“Sure. I’d love one.”
Aiden motioned to the waitress and asked her to bring us a bottle of red wine. Even though salsa is always associated with tequila, the visitors of this bar prefer wine.
“Great choice,” I said, nodding approvingly toward the bottle.
“I knew you would love it,” Aiden replied, filling up the glasses.
“You know everything about me, and I hardly know anything about you.”<
br />
“What would you like to know?”
“How long did the longest of your relationships last?”
“Two or three days.”
“Wow … were you afraid of commitments?”
“No. I was afraid of making a wrong choice, as none of those women I dated was as amazing as you are.”
“Yea-sayer.”
A mischievous smile touched Aiden’s lips. “Far from it. I’m telling the truth.”
“Okay. Next question. What’s your favorite food?”
“Italian.”
“Favorite color?”
“I like all the shades of gray and blue.”
“Favorite season of the year?”
“Fall.”
“Really? What a surprise. Usually people hate fall.”
“I’m a Scorpio, and I like everything about fall, starting from the leaves changing colors, and to the rains that always make me a little nostalgic.”
Hmm … first appearances can be deceiving. The more I knew about Aiden, the more I realized how wrong I was about him.
“No more questions?” he asked, chuckling.
“Favorite place to visit?”
“Venice.”
“So you are a romantic guy.”
“It’s not about romanticism. Though I do know how to please a woman.”
I smirked. “That’s a given.”
“I like Venice for its unique charm; the mystery of the carnivals, masquerades, and the best coffee in the world of course. Wanna go there with me one day?”
In the dim lights of the bar Aiden’s eyes looked like pools of liquid silver, flashing mysteriously and making my blood boil slowly. Whatever he was saying, the intensity of his gaze always had that effect on me.
“I will think about it,” I said, taking a sip of wine. “Are you ready to dance?”
“Sure.” We emptied our glasses and joined the rest of the dancers.
The main thing about salsa was the connection between the partners: eyes, moves, steps. Men always led, and women followed, as if they were an extension of the same person; feet were drawing circles on the floor, bodies arching and twisting.
