If it weren’t for Dmitri Romanov ruining her life, she and Aiden would perpetually be on the opposite sides of the law.We still should be, even if I’m not a cop anymore.The thought made her uncomfortable, so she poked at her food. “What are we doing, Aiden? I know I blurred the lines a bit when I threw myself at you—”
“Pretty sure I was right there with you.”
She kept going, because if she stopped, she might not have the courage to get it all out. “All the same, this has an expiration date. It’s always had an expiration date. The sex doesn’t change that.”Couldn’tchange that.
He finally raised his head and looked at her. “What if we didn’t have an expiration date? What if we just…did this?”
She went still. “What?” Surely she’d had too much wine and was now hallucinating. “Didwhat?”
“Dated. We could postpone the wedding, of course.”
“Postpone the wedding,” she repeated through numb lips. “There isn’t going to be a wedding.”
“Not anytime soon.”
She set her wine carefully on the table, shocked when she didn’t spill any of it. “Let’s pretend we were going to dothisfor real. How do you imagine that would look? I’ve spent the last two weeks basically twiddling my thumbs. I’m managing to hold it together, because there’s the endgame to think of. But that doesn’t mean I can do this indefinitely.”
“Why do you think I asked you what you’d do if you weren’t a cop?” He pinned her in place with those intense green eyes, as if he could see through all her protests to the fear of being hurt that lay beneath.
Or maybe those are my issues talking.
Aiden drummed his fingers on the table. “Of course I’d want you to have a career, and I value your happiness more than I care about using your skills to benefit the family.”
She took a hasty sip of wine and then set the glass down just as quickly. “This is a terrible idea.”
“Is it? I’ve noticed that the people in my family tend to fall hard and fast, and the feeling doesn’t dissipate over time. I had chalked it up to recklessness and youth.” He shrugged. “I was wrong. I like you, Charlie. A whole hell of a lot. I admire your strength. You’ve fought back against things that would have broken another person. You’ve been here two weeks, and already the dynamic of my family haschanged. I can actually envision a future where my siblings and I are friends again, and that wasn’t something I would have thought possible without you there to push me.”
She blinked. “I…This is a lot.”
“Tell me you don’t feel anything for me beyond lust and I’ll let it go.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Aiden read the hesitance in the way Charlie held herself and knew he’d pushed too hard. He should have guessed that she’d dig in her heels if he threw the idea of a real marriage at her with no warning, but the notion of losing her had been weighing on him for days. The last forty-eight hours, with the shootout and then the breakthrough at the fundraising dinner, had only cemented it.
He wanted Charlie in his life, and he wanted her there for good.
Obviously, she’d take a bit more convincing before she got on the same page, but he was more than up to the task. If he’d learned anything about her, it was that she didn’t respond well to feeling like she was cornered. He’d broached the subject, and now the ball was firmly in her court.
He wanted her to choosehim. And not because he’d used sex to manipulate her into staying.
Patience. You have time.He sat back and smiled. “We can talk about it later.”
She gave him a look like he’d just whipped out a poisonous snake and threatened her with it. “What’s your angle?”
They hadn’t had time to build more than a superficial layer of trust. It was tempting to try to charm her, but she’d asked for him to be justhimtonight. So he went with the honest answer. “The subject obviously freaks you out, and forcing you to talk about it isn’t going to do anything except ruin our night. I’m willing to be patient while you figure out how you feel about the whole thing. This wasn’t part of the plan you agreed to when you first came here.” He lifted his glass of wine. “So we won’t talk about it until you’re ready.”
“You’re being awfully agreeable right now.”
And she was being understandably suspicious. He scrubbed a hand over his face. “What would you do if I tried to force your hand or manipulate you into doing what I want?”
“I’d leave.”
Even hearing the words made his chest ache. He set the wineglass down. “Exactly. No games. No masks. No manipulations. Just the truth. I want you. I put myself out there and took the first step. I think you want me, too, but you need time. I get that. So take your time, and we’ll talk again after the Eldridge threat is removed.”
“Removed. Is that the only solution you have for enemies?” She flinched and held up her hand. “Sorry. I’m lashing out. That’s not fair. You just caught me off guard.”
“I know.” Aiden let himself take her in the same way she had when he’d first walked into the office. Today, she wore a pair of jeans that looked new enough that he figured theywere among the items Liam had strong-armed her into buying, with a tank top that clung to her frame in a way that made his mouth water. The jacket covered up the fact that the majority of her bandages were gone, leaving only the butterfly ones on a few of the cuts. She looked like a grunge warrior with her alternative hair and ever-present bright red lipstick.
