Aiden pulls me into his arms so that I’m straddling his lap. As he hugs me to him, we don’t say anything for a while, and like all the other times, he’s not bothered by comforting me.
How many times has he held me like this?
How many times has he comforted me after I’ve woken from a nightmare?
Too many times, and yet he shows no irritation for doing this small but thoughtful gesture.
I swallow around the lump in my throat and bury my face in the crook of his shoulder.
Aiden taps a finger on the back of my head, aware of my wandering thoughts. “Do you want me to lie with you so you can get more sleep, or do you want some breakfast?”
“I’m up. I’ll have breakfast.” If I try to fall asleep, I’ll end up where I left off before Aiden shook me awake. It sucks that it happens with that type of dream and never with anything good.
It takes every ounce of willpower not to ogle his body. I’m not a creep, but it’s hard to ignore how good he looks with all his tattooed muscles on display. He ditched wearing a shirt and opted for only basketball shorts that hang low on his lean waist. I glance at his Adonis belt and look away before he catches me staring.
Aiden turns his head in my direction, and if I wasn’t paying attention, I wouldn’t have caught his gaze dragging down my chest to my legs splayed over his lap. He leans back and tips my chin up with two fingers. I grip his bare shoulders, realizing how close our faces are. There’s so little space between us. Our noses bump against each other, our lips a breath away from touching.
His eyes dip to my parted lips.
This is my brother. My best friend. He wouldn’t do anything with me outside of the terms of our deal. Aiden said he’d sleep with me, but only to teach me things in the bedroom. It’d be a job in his mind, not an act based on attraction.
So why is he looking at me with hooded eyelids like he’s about to kiss me?
Aiden’s eyes slowly drag up to meet mine again. He brushes his fingers over my cheek and tucks strands of hair behind my ear.
“I’ll stay home today, too,” he whispers. “I promised you lessons.”
“Lessons?” I mumble.
He tilts his head, his dark eyebrows pinching together. “You don’t remember?”
No, I don’t. It’s hard to think about anything when I’m straddling his lap and he’s invading my every sense. He consumes all my thoughts as I wonder what his next move is.
Noticing my confusion, Aiden lets out a dry laugh and drops his hand from my head. I stiffen when he grabs my waist beneath the oversized shirt and squeezes my side roll before tapping my thigh to let me know he wants up.
I move off of him and cross my legs. “What’s so funny?”
His gaze drops to my lap, and a flash of desire flares in his eyes before he looks away while rubbing his fingers over his mouth. The corner of his lip kicks up in a smirk as he drops his hand, and then he saunters to the bedroom door. “I said I’d teach you things that will have men like Brandon eating out of the palm of your hand.”
What the hell was that look for?
Heat crawls up my neck, and I curl my finger around a lock of hair near the nape.
“What kind of lessons?” He never went into detail, and the unknown is what’s making me hesitate. For all I know, it could involve his hand down my pants again.
The look he gave me would indicate that’s what he plans.
Maybe I should let him. What’s the worst that can happen?
My stomach does the weird thing again, and I pluck a strand of hair.
Aiden pauses at the door and peeks at me, amusement shining in his eyes. “We’ll start small by working on your flirting skills.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I read your text messages. You even admitted that youthoughtyou were flirting with Brandon, so don’t try to be cute about this.”
“There’s notrying. I am cute.” I stick my tongue out at him.
