Chapter Eleven
A iden paced the length of the living room, his phone in his hand. He’d sent three more texts to Brooke after confessing he’d rejected her because he’d convinced himself it was the right thing to do. No reply. No read receipt, either.
From the moment she announced she was going on a date, he’d been spiraling. Jealousy and possessiveness were new to him, no doubt because he’d never had to see the results of his breakup with Brooke. Never had to think about her with another man.
Now she was out and though he didn’t think she’d go home with someone she just met, his mind ran wild with what-ifs. He might have no right to his feelings, but he owned them nevertheless.
He couldn’t stay here, waiting for her to come home. He needed a distraction and decided to take a walk. Leaving the house, he strode past the gatehouse and off the property. The suburban area was full of large estates like his father’s, but there was also a nature park nearby.
He walked, his steps unhurried as he winded around the familiar path.
He used to spend time here when he was younger and they’d first moved into the house.
He’d still been grieving the loss of his mother, and it was tough to adjust to all the changes, including a new house.
His big family could be a blessing, but at other times, a curse.
Privacy and silence were hard to come by, so he would escape.
Three hundred acres of wooded area featured trails, a pond, and preserved wildlife habitats with benches throughout.
It was beautiful and peaceful. Even as he worried that Brooke was having a great time with another man, walking down the path through the woods helped to calm his mind.
The sun was low in the sky, but there was still plenty of natural light allowing him to enjoy his surroundings. He didn’t stay long, but the anxiety that had been overtaking him earlier had receded by the time he started the short walk home.
He still wasn’t happy that Brooke was on a date, and if she’d told him where she was, he probably would have shown up there and made a scene.
This way, he spent his time at the park forcing himself to remember that Brooke had been a single woman since he departed New York.
She could have found someone else to love in that time, but she hadn’t.
He had to believe that meant he had a chance of winning her back.
His thoughts were focused as he returned to the house, and he was already halfway up the driveway before he noticed a man in a black suit standing near his car. Aiden’s gut churned as he approached.
The stranger’s presence on private property was alarming enough, but his shaved head, tattoos, and expressionless face told Aiden he wasn’t here for a friendly chat.
The man was tall and broad, bigger than Aiden.
But his unnatural stillness sent a shiver down Aiden’s spine.
He didn’t shift his weight from foot to foot or adjust his clothes.
He stood in place, his arms at his sides. Not even his eyes moved.
They just stayed focused on Aiden and he braced as he approached. “Who are you?” Aiden asked, stopping farther than arm’s length away. “This is private property.”
“You already know what I want,” the man said, his accented voice deep and commanding.
Yes, he did, but the reality still had a tight knot forming in Aiden’s stomach. They’d done enough research on him to know where he was staying. He straightened to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t appreciate being threatened.”
There was a moment of tense silence as the man stared at him, but Aiden held his ground.
“It wasn’t a threat, Mr. Sterling. We never start with threats. But most people appreciate a friendly warning first.”
The man reached in this pocket, and Aiden stiffened, preparing for him to pull out a weapon, but it was just a pair of leather gloves. Considering the season, late summer, the move was meant to intimidate. Aiden wasn’t afraid to admit it worked and his heart slammed against his chest.
“Apparently, the earlier messages might not have been clear enough,” the stranger said, pulling on one glove, then the other. “So, I’ll give you some clarity. If you don’t kill the story, trouble will find you.”
That sounded a hell of a lot like a threat to Aiden. “Who are you?” he asked again.
“Me? I’m the messenger sent to get you to see reason. If a friendly warning won’t get you to act in your own self-interest, then name your price to destroy the article. You might be wealthy but everyone wants more money, no?”
“What?” Aiden hadn’t anticipated being bribed, but he had his answer ready. “You can’t buy me,” he said. “The truth will come out.”
The man shook his head slowly, almost mockingly. “Such a shame. I thought you were smarter than that. I suggest you think about it. Do. The. Right. Thing .”
Oh, he planned to, Aiden thought. They just didn’t agree on what that was.
With a salute and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes, the man walked away and into the woods. Aiden watched him go, unease slithering down his spine. They knew where he lived and had obviously done a background check on him if they knew about his trust fund.
Once the man disappeared from view, Aiden went inside for a glass of his father’s brandy. The house was quiet and he assumed Lizzie and his father were in the TV room on the other side of the house.
He took a healthy sip and over time, the stiff drink calmed his nerves. The stranger’s threats—because that’s what they were—and the attempt to bribe him weighed heavily on his mind.
He’d known that writing the article would be dangerous but once he returned home, that risk seemed far away. Even when he’d received the note telling him to kill the story, the threat didn’t hold nearly as much weight as this stranger who’d made his way onto the property.
Aiden thought about calling the police, but he had no proof, no idea who the man was, and escalating the situation and potentially making it public seemed like a bad idea.
But his brother, Remy, used to be NYPD and now worked as a private investigator.
If anyone could help him, it would be his brother.
Except Remy and his wife, Raven, were on the other side of the world on a luxury vacation in Japan.
They’d planned for it and had been excited for a while and Aiden didn’t want them to cut the trip short.
Raven might throttle him if he did, he thought with a grin.
Of course, she’d understand, but he refused to disrupt their vacation.
With two and a half weeks until publication, he had time to wait until Remy returned.
Headlights flashed through the windows from the driveway as a car drove past the main house and toward the gatehouse. Aiden rose to his feet and strode out the back door by the kitchen, assuming that car was Brooke’s. He had no plan, no idea what he’d say, but he knew he had to see her.
He reached her as she exited her car, her back to him, her concentration on locking the vehicle.
“Brooke.”
She spun around, her eyes round with surprise. “Oh my God, Aiden, you scared me.”
He held his hands up in an I mean no harm gesture, and she relaxed, her shoulders dropping as she laughed.
Her reaction had him grinning while he barely held back the urge to pull her into his arms. For just a moment, it felt like old times, when they were friends and things weren’t so complicated.
But as much as Aiden missed their friendship, he wanted to recapture their feelings for each other more.
He wanted the relationship they could have had if he hadn’t been young and stupid, and he’d chosen differently.
As the laughter faded, he gave in to the urge to touch her. Stepping closer, so only inches separated them, he grabbed her by the hips and pulled her body into his. Her delicious curves aligned with his harder edges, and he groaned.
Brooke’s eyes flashed with heat as his erection pressed against her stomach.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said.
She splayed her hands across his chest, and tilted her head, staring into his face. He sucked in a long breath. Her flushed cheeks, glazed eyes, and plump lips beckoned to him, and he hadn’t even kissed her yet.
His heart pounded as he lowered his head, ready to get a taste of her after all these years. Taking him off guard, she rose onto her toes and kissed him first.
Her soft lips met his and with a groan, he wrapped an arm around her waist and deepened their connection. His tongue slid into her mouth and as he tasted her, he found heaven. Everything he’d been looking for was right here, in his arms.
He lifted her, and she hugged him tight, wrapping her legs around his waist. He wasn’t certain how long they stood making out on the driveway, but he could have gone on forever.
His dick was hard, but his focus was on kissing her. He slid his lips to the side, trailing damp kisses down her neck and back up, nuzzling his nose into her neck.
“You smell so good,” he said in a gruff voice. “I dreamed of that scent.”
Without warning, she pulled her head back, breaking their connection. “Aiden. No. We shouldn’t.” She released her arms, then her legs, and slid down his body.
Respecting her boundaries wasn’t easy, but he stepped back and waited for her to explain what was going on in her head.
When she remained silent, he met her gaze, turned on by her kiss-swollen lips and flushed cheeks. “Is it your date? It went well?” He hated the possibility yet asked in a calm, reasonable voice.
“Actually, it went very well,” she said.
He stiffened and forced himself not to react or give her a reason to shut him out.
“But I’m not going to see him again.”
Yes! He curled his hands into fists but kept his elated emotions in check.
She sighed. “Look, you and I have unfinished history. And it’s obvious we’re still… attracted to each other. But we need to work on our friendship, that’s all. Me ignoring you, and you trying to sabotage my date, won’t work.”
An inappropriate smirk lifted his lips. “Is that what I did?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you tried to mess up my night. What else would you call it?”
He really shouldn’t say what he was thinking. “Staking my claim. And that kiss just proved it.”
She raised her hands and lowered them fast in frustration. “Argh! You can’t stake a claim on what you willingly gave away.”
He folded his arms across his chest, determined to get his point across. “We are long overdue for a conversation.”
She placed her hands on her hips and raised her brows. “You mean acting like an asshole about my date doesn’t count as a proper conversation?” Despite being serious, her lips lifted in an amused grin.
“I get it. Now, why aren’t you going to see him again?” If the date went as well as she’d said, he wanted to know the reason.
She shook her head, and let out groan, her exasperation evident. “Because he isn’t you, okay? I’m still angry, I’m hurt, I need to get over you, but dammit, Aiden, it isn’t easy. And then you go and kiss me—”
“Umm… I hate to point it out, but you kissed me first.”
“Aiden!” Her hands flew up in more frustration.
He held in a laugh, surprised by his good mood, but no matter what she said now, she couldn’t erase that kiss from his mind.
“I need to go inside,” she muttered.
He knew when to call it a night. “Okay, sleep well.”
“Thank you.” She turned and walked back toward the house, delicately due to her heels.
He had no doubt she’d feel better if she could stomp back and slam the door in his face. Again. She wasn’t upset with him, she was angry with herself for letting down her inhibitions and walls, if just for a short time.
As she topped the few steps of the front porch, he called her name. “Brooke.”
She looked over her shoulder.
“I missed you, too.” She hadn’t said those words, but he could read between the lines—or should he say, between her lips with that kiss. “And I want more from you than friendship.”
Ignoring him, she let herself into the house and shut the door behind her.
He stood there for a moment longer, unreasonably pleased with how things between them had gone. First, she wouldn’t be seeing her date again because of him. She hadn’t pushed him away and she’d been all in on that kiss. And despite her frustration with the past, and the present, he’d made headway.
Either that or he was delusional. Regardless, he’d take it.
Shoving his hands into his pants pockets, he strode back to the house in a much better mood than when he’d left.