“No, Aiden. Carson should know.”
“Know what?”
“Aiden and I got to talking the other night, and well, I kind of asked him out.”
“You asked him out?” Carson’s expression grew wary. “Dumfries?”
“Yep.”
“And what did Aiden say?” He glared at his star player, and I smothered a laugh.
“I… uh…” Aiden stuttered, and I rolled my eyes.
Men.
“He still hasn’t given me an answer. I guess he’s worried about what you’ll say.”
“He should be,” Carson murmured.
“Carson Bear Walsh. I know you don’t mean that. I’m a grown-ass woman, and Aiden is his own person. If we want to go out on a date. We damn well will.”
“I hate to break it to you, Bug, but Aiden doesn’t date.” Carson almost looked smug about it, but Aiden’s expression was one of sheer confusion. “It’s his number one rule.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have ambushed Aiden like this. But I wanted to prove to him that he wasn’t the guy everyone assumed he was. He was a good guy underneath all that ice and anger.
A guy I’d felt safe enough to give myself to.
That meant something.
Even if he tried to fool himself it didn’t.
CHAPTER14
AIDEN
Fuck.
This was a shit show.
I hadn’t meant to get in the middle of Dayna and Josh like that, but something inside me snapped when I heard him saying all those things to her.
She deserved better.
Better than you.
My entire life, I’d lived in my father’s shadow. Once people learned my surname, they assumed I was like him. That I was a chip off the old block.
I’d hardened to it over the years. Wore it like armor. If it didn’t make people weary of me, it intrigued them. But they didn’t want to get to know me—therealme. The lost boy underneath years of judgment and hurt.
Dayna looked at me and smiled, and fuck, if she didn’t smash her way right through my defenses.
“There’s a first time for everything, right?”
I saw the unspoken words in her eyes.
Say yes. Give me a chance.
But I couldn’t do it, could I?