Hard to Handle (Love in the Balance 2)

She didn’t know what answer she hoped for. While being bribed wasn’t flattering in the least, the idea that he’d done it because he wanted to date her was. And, she realized now, even if she hadn’t then, part of her wanted to date Aiden again. She’d enjoyed this evening with him. Enjoyed the way he touched her, was touching her now, like it was the most easy, natural thing. Enjoyed the way she’d kissed him, also the most easy, natural thing. She wanted this, she decided abruptly. Even if it was temporary.

Aiden dropped her hand and gripped his beer bottle in both of his. “That was—I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have done that.”

A more solid no could not have been uttered.

Disappointment settled on her shoulders, but she rolled them back, brushing it off, refusing to show it. She shouldn’t long to be closer to this man. She shouldn’t harbor any feelings for him. Not after everything he’d put her through, after everything she’d put herself through. But she wouldn’t get angry or pout because he didn’t say what she hoped he would.

“No, you don’t,” she said, meaning it. “If you apologized to me, I’d have to apologize to you. I got you to sign because I dared you to argue with me in front of Axle. Now you know my tricks,” she said, picking at the label of her bottle. “Looks and bribery.”

“Yeah right,” Aiden said, his voice flat. “Which is why you come to this party every year. Just to keep Rick as a client, string him along?”

She frowned.

“If that were the case, you’d still be dating him. And what about Axle’s? You do plenty of things that aren’t outlined by your contract. Like the extra hours you spend rearranging the shelves, or when you help sell merchandise to customers. And what about the front window display? That’s not something you do because you have to.”

He’d noticed. He’d noticed the way she’d been pouring herself into Axle’s, the work she’d done to ensure she left the store better than she found it. Her heart swelled the tiniest bit. She liked that Aiden noticed. And had pointed it out. It made her proud.

“And I know you’re not hanging out all those extra hours just to be near me,” he said.

That wasn’t entirely true. Sadie opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it and stayed quiet.

Aiden only winked at her. “Admit it.” He leaned in and bumped her shoulder with his. “You care.” He was close enough to kiss, his green eyes reflecting the firelight, his lips pursed slightly.

She did care. About her clients, about her friends. About Aiden. Maybe she’d never stopped caring. Eyes trained on his mouth, she found herself wanting to steal another kiss, but not the thank-you peck she’d stood on her tiptoes to give him earlier. A real one. With tongue and everything.

“And your customers know it.” Aiden said. He sat back in his chair and robbed her of his scent, of his attention.

Sadie made a tiny sound of protest in her throat. She covered it by coughing. Then she sat back in her chair, finished her beer, and considered drinking about four more of them.

Chapter 7

Sadie said her farewells, endured a few more hearty congrats on her engagement—insert eye roll here—and walked with Aiden back to her car.

“I’ll drive.” He held out a hand for her keys.

“You played Flip Cup, too,” she said of the drinking game they were talked into at the last minute.

“Yes, and I was disqualified after one round.” Aiden lifted and dropped the front of his damp shirt. “I’m wearing more than I drank, trust me.”

“I didn’t have much more than you,” she said, yawning. The beer may not have her stumbling for the car, but it had made her tired. Or maybe she was tired because it was after midnight. Truly sad. She relinquished the keys and buckled up. After a few lingering seconds, she noticed the car hadn’t moved.

“Aiden?”

He was staring out the windshield. “I shouldn’t have told everyone we were engaged.” He turned his head but kept his grip on the steering wheel. I’m sorry. It was immature. It was…” He shook his head instead of continuing. Sadie started to interrupt and tell him it didn’t matter. She saw these people once a year. Next year when she arrived without Aiden in tow, she could easily pass it off like they’d broken up.

And why did that thought cause an echoing ache in the center of her chest?

“I was jealous,” Aiden admitted.

Sadie blinked at him. “Why?”

“Why?” Aiden reversed over the bumpy ground and navigated onto the drive. He spared her a wry glance before turning onto the road. “Because you went out with that guy. And you don’t hate him.”