Her words had him snorting. “You haven’t imagined me doing anything in anyway positive by the sounds of it.”
“Maybe.” She shrugged. “I haven’t painted you black, James. I just… I don’t always trust you. That’s all.”
Her words stung. “That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, I love my brother. If you never hurt him or put him in any danger, then we’re good to go.”
Somehow, call it a sixth sense or his instincts, he knew she was lying. Her opinion of him was wrapped up in her feelings for him. Which, to be fair, were undoubtedly as convoluted as his for her.
Nothing about what they had was simple. Nothing.
Because of her relationship to Aidan, he’d always had to tread carefully around her. He had eyes, dammit. He knew she was hot, and he’d never acted on his attraction to her for fear of damaging his friendship with Aidan, which, up until now, had been the priority. What had changed last Labor Day, he couldn’t say, and what was changing today, was even more confusing.
Why had protecting his friendship with Aidan always meant more to him than acting on his attraction for her?
Sisters are a no-go zone? Bro code?
He wished to hell he knew.
She looked so beautiful in the dying sunlight—her blond hair turning strawberry with the day’s last rays, her face a play of shadows as darkness started to fall. The striated skyline was glorious to behold, and yet, it didn’t even begin to compare to her.
He closed his eyes a second as he realized he wanted more than just sex. That was what had changed all of a sudden.
What-the-fuck?!
The what-the-fuck? thought had him curling his fingers into fists, but though he tried to contain himself, he just couldn’t. Before he could withhold the words, before he could tempt providence or Aidan’s wrath, he whispered, “Have dinner with me tomorrow, Hailey.”
His offer surprised the both of them, but what stunned him more than anything was when she turned to him with confused but wistful eyes, and said, “OK.”
5
“You’re such a dickwad sometimes.”
Aidan’s storm of anger was the last thing James wanted to be dealing with right at that moment, but he could understand his partner’s irritation. The prototype was beyond valuable and he’d been a prick by taking it off the test tracks.
“I know,” James confessed as Aidan went around the car, studying it with a microscope to ensure there was no damage to the vehicle in any way. “
Look, it was just the tire, Aidan. You really don’t have to go that far. Anyway, we both know the outer fascia is my area, not yours.”
Aidan narrowed his eyes at James. “I’m making sure you haven’t messed with anything at all. Why the fuck did you have to go out in her anyway? What were you trying to do? Hailey’s the last person you need to impress. It’s not like she’s one of your bunnies you’d want to impress—”
When he broke off, mid-sentence, James shot him a perplexed look.
“What’s wrong?”
Aidan looked like he could puke. “I just thought… You were trying to impress her. And at lunch, you were…” He took a sharp breath in. “You were flirting with her. Jesus, James, what the fuck are you trying to pull? This is Hailey we’re talking about. Hailey. My sister. I mean, you know she’s off limits.”
“I like her, Aidan,” James confessed softly.
Though he looked like he’d been punched in the belly, Aidan managed to stutter out, “She’s dating someone.”
“I know she is,” James confessed again.
Aidan’s mouth worked a few seconds, before he leaned against the car and sank on the hood. The very fact he did that, potentially damaging the front of the car with his weight, had James’ stomach gurgling. He wasn’t used to feeling nervous. In fact, it was the last thing James was used to feeling. Nerves didn’t have a place in his life because they’d never been necessary.