Chapter Fourteen
Wyatt drops the pizza box he’s holding onto the floor and stares at me as if I’m not real. I’m cowering behind Aiden, my heart pounding a mile a minute as I stare at Wyatt over his shoulder. Milo is barking excitedly at this new arrival, while I wish I could run screaming out of the room instead.
“Scarlett?” he cries, looking stunned. “What the fu—”
“Turn around Wyatt!” Aiden barks sharply.
Wyatt blinks, then abruptly turns around and faces the door. Aiden quickly grabs my shirt, handing it to me. With shaking hands, I pull it back over my head.
“Bro, you are NOT messing around with Rivershon’s daughter,” Wyatt says, keeping his back to us. “Do you have a death wish?”
I bite my lip at his words, knowing this is how the rest of the team would react to us.
That Aiden has a death wish—or at least a career-ending one with the Miami Manatees—by being with me.
Panic begins to claw at my stomach.
“No, I do not, and you can turn back around,” Aiden snaps.
Wyatt turns around, staring at us in disbelief.
“What are you doing here?” Aiden asks, folding his arms across his chest.
“What is she doing here?” Wyatt counters, pointing at me. “Getting naked with Coach’s daughter? Are you crazy?”
“I—I should go,” I blurt out.
“No, you’re not going anywhere,” Aiden says, grabbing my hand and holding it firmly in his.
Wyatt sees the move, stares at my hand in Aiden’s, and then he groans. “Oh my God, this is a disaster,” he says, rubbing his hand over his face. “Shit, Aiden. Are you thinking? With your brain and not your—”
“Shut up,” Aiden interrupts. “Sit down, and we’ll tell you everything.” He turns and looks down at me. “We have to, Scarlett.”
I swallow hard. I know he’s right.
Wyatt picks up the box of pizza that Milo has been trying to open off the floor and sinks down on one end of the sofa. Aiden and I sit down together, and he runs his thumb back and forth over the top of my hand that he’s still holding.
“Scarlett, nothing against you, you seem like a cool chick and all, but this is a bad, bad, bad idea,” Wyatt says, flipping open the lid and picking up a slice of pepperoni pizza.
I know it is, I think miserably. Seeing Wyatt’s reaction has reminded me of the reality of the situation.
Nobody associated with the Manatees will think this is a good idea.
Especially my dad.
“Wyatt. You remember how I was about Madison,” Aiden says slowly. “You saw how messed up I was when we broke up.”
Wyatt chews his pizza thoughtfully, then swallows. “Yeah, I do. What does that have to do with Scarlett?”
“I never told anyone how badly I was hurting,” Aiden continues, ignoring Wyatt’s comment. “But I was devastated when she dumped me.”
“Dude, I know that,” he says, an impatient tone in his voice. “Hold on, I need a paper towel.”
“And a plate,” Aiden adds. “You’re going to spill all over the sofa.”
I manage a small smile. I cannot imagine these two brothers ever living together.
Wyatt opens the cabinet and grabs a plate, then picks up the entire roll of paper towels and comes back to his spot on the sofa.
“I didn’t want to be with anyone after Madison,” Aiden says as soon as Wyatt sits down. “I didn’t think I could care about anyone the way I cared about her. I didn’t want anyone else to rip my heart out like that.”
“So you decide to go out with Coach’s daughter?
” Wyatt asks incredulously. “Again, nothing against you, Scarlett, but Aiden, think about this. You could pick a million girls to mess around with. Have a situationship with, whatever you want. But bro, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Because this is all going to fall on your shoulders, not Scarlett’s. ”
I want to cry. Wyatt is not saying anything I don’t know.
If I cared about Aiden, I’d leave. I’d end this now. I’d end this because I’m falling in love with him, and his career in Miami could be destroyed as a result. I know how my dad thinks. If we can’t win him over, and if he’s mad enough, he could request to trade Aiden.
“I know that,” Aiden says, breaking through my tortured thoughts.
“Do you really think I’d even think about taking this risk, let alone doing it, if Scarlett weren’t worth it?
We have a relationship, Wy. This isn’t a hookup.
It’s not casual. We’re committed. If I didn’t feel something intense about Scarlett, I’d never put my career on the line like this. ”
Wyatt leaves his pizza untouched for a moment, and a thinking expression passes over the face that is similar to Aiden’s.
Then he shakes his head, as if he’s pushing the thought away. “I still think this is a bad idea.”
It’s getting harder not to cry by the minute.
Aiden brings my hand to his lips and presses a gentle kiss onto my knuckles. “Don’t worry about this,” he says, shifting his attention to me. “I know what the risk is. But I also know I have you, and that’s all that matters.”
“How long has this been going on?” Wyatt asks.
Oh God, do we really want to tell him? That we’ve only been on a few dates, but we’re already in this deep? Will Wyatt even believe that what we have is real?
“I’ve been into Scarlett since Casino Night,” Aiden says.
Wyatt’s eyes widen. “A week? You’re talking like this after a week? Oh my God, you’re so screwed. Nothing can be real after a week!”
I need to say something. I need to let Wyatt know I’m not going to be reckless with Aiden’s heart.
“I know it sounds crazy, or that it can’t be real, but Wyatt, I promise you it is. I’ve never even considered dating a hockey player before. Ever. I’ve never wanted to. But when I met Aiden …” My voice trails off as Aiden’s eyes meet mine. “… Aiden was worth making an exception for.”
“How do you plan on making Coach see it this way, if you two decide this is going somewhere?” Wyatt challenges me.
“I know how to hold my own,” I say. “And my dad knows what kind of man Aiden is. He put the A on his chest, that says something!”
“But will he see it that way knowing Aiden’s been dating you behind his back?” Wyatt asks.
“He’ll have to,” Aiden said determinedly.
Wyatt rubs his hand over his face again and groans. He’s not buying into me being a worthwhile chance for Aiden to take.
Which makes me feel so sick inside, I could throw up.
“I mean, do what you want, but I don’t think this is good, A,” Wyatt says.
“Wy, I need for you to keep quiet about us,” Aiden says, ignoring his advice. “Nobody knows, except for Scarlett’s brother Jamie.”
Wyatt’s eyebrows shoot up. “Is he on board? Or does he want to kick your ass?”
“No, Jamie trusts me. He knows I’d never do this unless I thought something was here. He’s keeping the secret,” I say.
“I won’t say anything, you know that,” Wyatt tells Aiden softly. “But shit, I hope you guys know what you’re doing. You’re going to have to make sure you don’t get caught.”
“We know,” Aiden says. “We’re only keeping it a secret while we get to know each other.”
The corner of Wyatt’s mouth quirks up in a smirk. “I’d say you know each other pretty well from what I saw.”
Die. I want to die now. My face grows hot when I think of what Wyatt must have seen when he walked through the door.
Mainly, my boobs in a nice demi-cup bra.
GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
“Shut up,” Aiden snaps.
Wyatt laughs. “Sorry, it was teed up for me.”
“So why were you letting yourself into my place anyway?” Aiden asks.
“I was down the street picking up a pizza and thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to play video games. You didn’t answer your phone, and since you’ve been a monk for like forever, I didn’t think I’d walk in on you ban—er, with a girl. Catching feelings,” he adds, grinning knowingly at us.
I can’t help but laugh. Wyatt is so different from Aiden. If they didn’t have a physical resemblance, I’d never believe they were related.
“But since I did,” Wyatt says, closing the lid on the box of pizza, “I think I will take myself home.”
“Solid idea,” Aiden says, rising off the sofa, too.
Wyatt stands up, leaving the pizza box, plate, and roll of paper towels on the coffee table for Aiden to clean up. He retrieves his keys out of his shorts pocket and looks over at me. “Scarlett, um, good to see you.”
I nod. “You too, Wyatt. I’ll even wear a top next time you walk in.”
He begins to laugh, and I manage to smile.
Wyatt is a mess, and he’s the master of the hookup. He’s Aiden’s opposite in every way, but I like him.
Aiden escorts Wyatt to the door, tells him goodbye, and then turns back to me after he shuts it. He groans loudly and rakes a hand through his hair.
“I’m so, so sorry about that. But Wyatt will keep his mouth shut. He knows what this means to me.”
“Aiden,” I begin, my stomach filling with acid as I think of the words I’m about to speak. “What Wyatt said isn’t wrong.”
Aiden drops his hands. He stares at me, a stricken look entering his expressive eyes. “What are you saying?” he asks, panic creeping into his voice.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, my voice growing thick. “I understand if you don’t or if you have second thoughts. I cause so many complications because of my last name. Hearing Wyatt say them aloud just reminded me that is the reality of—”
Before I can get another word out, Aiden crosses the room, pulls me up off the sofa, and grasps my face firmly with his hands, tilting it upward. I suck in a breath as I see how Aiden’s eyes are flashing with emotion as he stares back at me.
“I know everything Wyatt said is true. I know that. But I also know what we have is real and true and I’m not willing to give that up.
I don’t care that your dad is my coach. I don’t care what your last name is.
All I care about is how I feel when I’m with you.
How I feel when I kiss you, when I talk to you, and how I think about you all the time.
I want you, Scarlett. I’ll take this risk because I know you’re worth it. ”
Before I can even respond, Aiden’s mouth crashes down on mine. The kiss is hot and desperate and telling me everything he’s feeling for me.
Everything this man is willing to risk for me.
All because of what I mean to him.
I kiss him back furiously, showing him how much I need him.
Need him, I repeat in my head.
I feel the hardness of his body, the heat coming off his skin, his hands tugging on my hair, his lips ravishing mine, his tongue taking everything I can give him.
I know what I want.
I want everything Aiden is willing to give.
I’m about to tell him that when he abruptly breaks the kiss, tearing his mouth away from mine. We both are breathing hard, and Aiden keeps his hands in my hair as he stares down at me.
“Scarlett, I want you. Tell me what the boundaries are, and I’ll follow them. Or if I’m doing something you don’t want to do, just tell me to stop and I will. I just need to be with you, baby.”
Need. Aiden needs me as much as I need him.
His eyes are a swirl of desire and protectiveness. I swallow hard as I see how Aiden is looking at me, because no man has ever looked at me like this before.
There’s only one answer to give the man who is getting pieces of my heart, who is risking so much for me, who is willing to accept whatever boundaries I need to feel comfortable with him.
I stare up at him. His chest is rising and falling rapidly in anticipation of my answer, for me telling him how far we can go tonight.
“I want to be with you, Aiden,” I say. “Now.”