‘Harmless fun,’ Sienna repeated.
‘It’s really not that big of a deal,’ Bella encouraged, leaning forward and putting a hand on Sienna’s knee. ‘You’re just going to go to a wedding, frock up, dazzle his socks off, and move on. I don’t see anything wrong with that.’
The other two shook their heads in agreement.
Sienna sucked in a deep breath, realising they were right. This was just about levelling the playing field a bit. Who didn’t want to knock their ex’s socks off when they had the chance? ‘Okay.’ She leaned forward a little, gesturing towards the bags. ‘Show me what you’ve got.’
2
‘You good?’
Aiden felt his brother’s eyes on him, their twin connection making it almost impossible to hide any damned thing from Blake. But that didn’t mean he’d stop trying. Especially now.
Because this was Blake and Astrid’s wedding week – yes, a whole freaking week to celebrate the love of two people who hadn’t even been fussed about a big white wedding a few months ago – and Aiden wasn’t going to let it be about him. And Sienna.
God, even thinking of her name made his gut churn like he was about to lace up for the playoffs. He stared straight ahead as the golf cart cut away from the luxurious mansion the owner of their team had insisted Blake use as a wedding venue, and down towards the sparkling Mediterranean. It was a picture-perfect summer’s day. The sky was a crystal blue, the palm trees that were abundant on this island huge and green, offering spiky patches of shade. But Aiden’s focus was almost entirely on the sleek white sports boat that was bobbing beside the jetty. He could just make it out in the distance, as well as the people – as small as match sticks from here – who were disembarking.
But she was one of them.
Sienna.
His ex.
Could it be called an ‘ex’ if it had just been a teenage crush? A distant romance, that had ended so badly he’d sworn off ever thinking about it? Because to think about it, to even let his mind go there, was to feel almost on fire with shame at his behaviour.
He knew why he’d broken up with her, what had been at stake, why it had been the right decision for himself, but also for Sienna. He knew that the criminal charges against Blake meant he’d had no choice. But he’d been an asshole, how he’d gone about the whole thing, no doubt about it. He’d purposefully acted as though she was nothing to him. Nothing.
After a year of spending every afternoon together. Sharing secrets, getting to know Sienna better than anyone, and for her to know him, to really know him. Sharing each other. The way they’d made love that first time, and he’d felt like the stars were about to burst out of the sky. How they’d fallen together after that, every moment they could. They hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. And God, they’d laughed, so much.
For Aiden, who was uneasy at home, and felt the weight of the world on his shoulders out of his need to keep his mom safe from their father, and to get Blake out of the group of lousy friends he’d chosen to waste time with, having someone to simply laugh with had been like a revelation.
An addiction.
Yeah, he’d been addicted to her, all right. Addicted enough that he would have given up everything, if she’d asked it of him. And then what? Risk becoming like his father? Worse, turning Sienna into their mother?
A muscle hammered in his jaw as he tried to make out which one of the women was her. Impossible, at this distance. Except… his eyes narrowed. A blonde lifted her hand and did something to her hair, and there was just something in the gesture, the grace of her movements, that had his heart kicking up a notch in instant, soul-deep recognition.
Sienna.
Here.
On the island.
‘Bro. You look like you’re about to pass out. Or barf. Please don’t barf.’
Fuck.
He turned to Blake and forced a grin. Tried to remember that he’d been nicknamed Ice on the hockey circuit from his first college game, because nothing – and no one – could rile him. He was cold. Untouchable. He’d had to be.
Except with Sienna, who’d been the one person on earth who’d been able to turn ice to fire – the kind that could burn a guy half to death if he wasn’t careful.
He modulated his voice, forcing his large frame to relax. He was only a few minutes older than Blake but Aiden had always played that part to perfection. He was the big brother. The guy in charge. The one who kept it all together. He wasn’t about to stop now. ‘You’re the one who’s getting married. Aren’t pre-wedding jitters meant to be your bag?’
‘No jitters here, man.’ Blake returned his attention to the path. ‘I’ve never been more sure about a damned thing in my life.’
Aiden expelled a breath. That’s how he’d felt then, too. He’d acted like a shit and he was pretty sure Sienna hated him for it, but that didn’t mean it had been wrong. All his reasons still stacked up. He’d had to leave. Not just town, but Sienna.
He followed a mantra of absolute control. It was how he lived, how he played, and how he dated. Not once, since Sienna, had he been with a woman that he had anything more than lukewarm feelings for. No one that threatened his equilibrium. No one he would find it hard to walk away from.
