9
Aidan - 2016
Aidan checkedhis watch for the third time and wondered if it had broken. Then the display lit up, indicating he had received a new text message on his cell phone. The damn thing was working. Why the heck time didn’t go by fast enough? He used to be a patient man. That was before meeting a certain blonde siren who had stolen his heart and wrested control of his brain. And that was just the G-rated list of the parts of his body in which Moira had been reigning since they first met a few weeksbefore.
He crossed his arms again over his chest. His butt was getting numb from leaning against her car for over an hour, but there was nothing he could do about that. He glanced around the parking lot behind the restaurant. It was packed full of customers’ cars who had arrived for dinner. He snapped his head up when the backdoor squeaked open. His heart skipped a couple of beats, then deflated like a pierced balloon when he recognized Ana. She sauntered toward her car, parked beside Moira’s, as he found out when she stood in front ofhim.
Hands fisted on her hips, almost as tall as him, the red-haired waitress didn’t wear a friendly expression in her amber-colored eyes. Their hue was close to Moira’s, but the effect they had on Aidan was light-years apart. “Moira is one of the best people I know. I would hate to see her suffer more than she had already endured. You may be a great guy. I don’t know you, so forgive me if I speak out of turn.” Ana stepped into his personal space, something common with Brazilians, but her squinted eyes and thinned lips left no room for doubt that her intent wasn’t to be affable. “If I spot Moira shedding so much as one single tear over you, run. But, consider yourself warned. I will hunt you down and make yousuffer.”
He bit the inside of his mouth to contain a smile. Not out of disrespect for Ana. On the contrary, he was touched Moira’s friend watched over her like that. It confirmed his gut feeling that Moira was an amazing person. The smile stemmed from the fact that Moira’s friend had no reason tofear.
“I believe you would. I’ve got only the best intentions toward your friend. You don’t need toworry.”
The formidable waitress eyeballed him before relaxing her shoulders. Aidan could see why she had stolen Noah’s heart. Too bad his friend was blind to his own feelings. Ana’s features softened, and a smile graced her lips, like the sun after a rain cloud passed in front of it. “I believe you too. You be good to her then, but you might consider being a little naughty from time to time as well.” Her wink was captivating as she opened the door and climbed in, then drove out of thelot.
Noah was a lucky son of a bitch. Aidan had witnessed his interactions with Ana, and he didn’t understand why the couple thought they were just friends. How could two smart people be sodense?
Tristan parked his roaring M4 at the spot Ana had just vacated and killed the engine. He hopped out of the convertible without opening its door. “Hey. Moira hasn’t come out yet?” Aidan shook his head. “I’ll tell her you’re waiting forher.”
“She doesn’t know I’mhere.”
Tristan’s expression darkened. “So, why are you here? I thought you two were goingout.”
“I was hoping to convince her ofthat.”
The American knitted his eyebrows, then clasped Aidan’s left shoulder, and lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’ve known Moira for a few years. I care for her like a little sister. Life has dealt her a bad hand, but she’s aced it. She’s a hard-working, single mom, who doesn’t need more grievance. You get my drift,right?”
“Loud and clear. No need toworry.”
“Good. I’d rather not have to explain to the police why I had to rearrange your features.” He winked and let go of Aidan’sshoulder.
Pumping the fist that Tristan held up for him, Aidan smiled. “I wouldn’t like thateither.”
“Hey, boss. Bye, boss.” Moira’s lilt sparked delicious reactions on Aidan’s skin and muscles, but when Tristan got inside the restaurant, she scowled at him. “Tell me you’re not waiting for me here in the parking lot of my place of work, leaning against my car as a freakingstalker.”
“You stopped replying to my texts and wouldn’t pick up thephone.”
“I’ve got to work, take care of my house and my family. Texting you every ten minutes isn’t a priority forme.”
Aidan heard in her voice the smile she was struggling tocontain.
Hope was still alive andwell.
Praying the charm of the Irish would work on Moira, he filled his eyes with as much warmth and tenderness as he could summon. Then, tipped his head to the left and lifted her chin until their stares met. She had been talking to his chest, and he wouldn’t have any of that. Their eyes locked, and there was no mistaking the spark he witnessed in her whiskey eyes before she dropped her lidsdown.
“Please, don’t hide from me. I need to know I’m notcrazy.”
She dragged her eyelidsup.
Electrifying.
The fire in her stare matched his own, setting his soul ablaze. His cock strained against his jeans. Aidan bent down until his lips were at level with hers. He watched her throat bob up and down with her swallow. A thin vein throbbed on her temple, a thick one beat under the skin of her neck. Her lower lip twitched, but she didn’tmove.
She didn’t try to escape, but she didn’t encourage himeither.
“I’m going to kiss you now.” He waited. Her eyes fixated on his mouth made blood rush down to his crotch. His hard-on twitched against the rough material of his zipper. “If you don’t want me to kiss you, you’ll have to stopme.”
He moved a couple of inches closer and stopped again to give her time to react. She glided the tip of her tongue over her lip, and it undid him. Barely containing the urge to plunge his tongue inside her warm mouth, plundering her sweetness, Aidan rubbed his open mouth against hers. A light caress, a tentative touch to gauge herreaction.
