Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“Yeah.” She narrowed her eyes at the change in subject but finally said, “I feel like I got hit by a train, but I have another class tomorrow.”
“It might seem counterintuitive, but working those same muscles every other day or so will keep them from tightening up and will help with the soreness.”
“That’s what the instructor said.”
“He’s a smart man.” She sat back and considered how to approach the art thing—or if she even should.
As Aiden kept reminding her—she wasn’t here to fix his family.
But she’d seen the way he’d relaxed last night at the dinner once he’d had it out with Carrigan and then Teague.
It was like some part of him that was always coiled had actually relaxed for once.
He had rocky relationships with several of his siblings, but Keira was the one who worried him the most.
She worried Charlie, too.
The Krav Maga helped, but it wasn’t a magic pill that would fix everything. Learning a new skill that worked her body as well as her mind was just the first step of the journey—an opportunity, if Keira chose to take it.
That gave her an idea. “Could you teach me?”
“You’re a fucking brown belt, Charlie. It will take me years to get to a point where I actually have the ability to take you down, let alone teach you anything.”
She laughed. “You’ll be there before you know it. But no, I meant will you teach me to paint?”
“Why the hell would you want me to do that?” Despite the incredulity in her voice, there was a spark of interest there. Just like there’d been when Keira had watched the two black belts spar at the gym the first time they’d gone.
That’s as good of an opportunity as I’m going to get.
Charlie set the book aside and sat up. “Sure. My dad was big on shooting ranges and hand-to-hand grappling, and that sort of thing. But I’ve never even taken an art class.
You liked Krav Maga when I shared it with you.
Maybe I’m harboring an artistic streak.”
Keira snorted. “Let’s stop pretending that you’re trying to do anything but manipulate me by bringing this up.”
“For fuck’s sake, Keira. I’m not trying to manipulate you.
Call me a fool, but I thought we were getting to the point where we were something like friends.
Friends share shit. If you want me to back off, just say so, but don’t pull the pissy teenager act.
You want to be taken seriously as an adult? Then be one.”
Too harsh, Charlie. What the hell are you doing?
But Keira sat up and really looked at her. “No one talks to me like that.”
“We covered that already.”
“I know.” She ran a hand through her hair. “Look, if you haven’t noticed, I’m not all that good at the friend bit—probably because I don’t actually have friends. There isn’t a convenient playbook, and I’m kind of an asshole by default.”
Charlie frowned. “You’re not an asshole.”
“Yes, I am. And that’s okay.” Keira stood. “We can play with charcoal for a little bit. You can’t do too much damage with that.”
Charlie laughed, but the sound faded as Aiden walked into the room.
She drank in the sight of him, feeling like it’d been days since she saw him last, instead of a few hours.
He looked tired, but that seemed to be the norm for him.
It made her want to take him away from here and spend a week or three on a beach with white sand and turquoise water.
Keira made a disgusted noise. “You two are so gross.” She headed for the door. “It’s going to take me some time to hunt down the supplies if mine have gone bad—and they probably have, since I just tossed them into a box instead of storing them correctly. We’ll do it tomorrow afternoon.”
“Sounds good.”
Aiden waited for his sister’s footsteps to move away before he sat next to Charlie on the couch and pulled her against his side. “What was that about?”
“Keira’s going to display the patience of Job and teach me how to paint.
” She cuddled into his side, the feel of him settling something deep inside her.
“I think she’s starting to make peace with the fact that I want to be her friend.
” Surely they could stay friends even if she and Aiden weren’t together. Stop thinking about it.
Just like that, the frown disappeared, replaced by a hope so fragile, it broke her heart a little. “She’s painting again?”
Charlie hated to crush his optimism, but she didn’t want to lie. “Not exactly. She hasn’t done anything of her own, but she also didn’t totally tell me to fuck off when I asked her to teach me. So I guess it’s not all bad?”
“It’s more interest than she’s shown in years.
” He shook his head. “You know, she used to have a full scholarship to RISD before she dropped out. Not that she needed it. The point is that she was good enough for one of the most prestigious art schools on the East Coast. That’s probably the saddest part of this whole thing. ”
“She’s got time.” Even though she’d spent the last few years spiraling, she had more life than most people Charlie knew. If she had the chance, she’d recover and be one of those people who changed the world. “She’ll be okay.”
“Not if she marries Dmitri Romanov.” The light went out of Aiden’s eyes. He cursed and squeezed her shoulders. “Sorry. I didn’t track you down to talk about that Russian bastard.”
“It’s fine.” She shifted to straddle him, like it was the most natural thing in the world. It felt like the most natural thing in the world. “What do you want to talk about instead?”
Aiden sifted his fingers through her hair. “I ended up enjoying last night.”
“I did, too.” She’d been unexpectedly taken with Callista Sheridan. The woman was smart and driven, and she obviously had a deep love for her family.
That seemed to be the common thread that ran through all the power players in Boston, with the possible exception of the Hallorans—they valued family above all else.
They were also everything she’d been taught to hate by both her father and other cops—career criminals who would never totally leave the life, no matter how many of their businesses they took legit.
But even with all they’d been through, they still reached out with forgiveness, instead of cutting the very people out of their lives that they were supposed to protect.
Then there was Carrigan, who spoke so passionately about the work she was doing to combat sex trafficking.
And Callista, who had mentioned in passing that she was working with several key people in Boston to fund a program that provided designated drivers to reduce the number of drunk-driving accidents.
These people were doing good in way she never could have dreamed. It didn’t mean they weren’t also bad, but it was a factor Charlie had never considered and didn’t know how to process.
“Are you hungry?”
“Actually, yes.”
Aiden guided her to her feet and stood. “I have something to show you.”
He led the way up the back stairs. He paused in front of a door that led out to a deck that she hadn’t had time to explore yet.
“Wait here.” Charlie didn’t have a chance to argue.
He ducked down the hallway and reappeared two minutes later with jackets for both of them and shoes for her. “It’s not exactly warm outside.”
“Thanks.” She pulled on the jacket and stepped into the shoes, her heart warming in a way that had nothing to do with the extra layers. It was thoughtful of him…as if he wanted to take care of her.
Her breath caught at the sight of candles flickering on a table laid out with a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a whole spread of Chinese takeout.
She let go of his hand and wandered over to peer into the boxes.
“How did you know that crispy pork belly was my favorite?” Just like that, the pieces clicked together.
She snapped her fingers. “You had Keira feel me out.” She’d thought the other woman was asking about her favorite food so they could pick a place to eat the next time they ventured out of the house. “Shady. Very shady.”
“I prefer to call it resourceful.” He poured them both a glass of wine. “I have it on good authority that this Cab pairs well with Chinese takeout.”
“How classy of you.” It was like stepping into another realm of existence as she sat down and accepted the glass of wine while he filled two plates.
“You know, when you said you wanted a dinner date with just the two of us, I assumed you meant dressing in those fancy clothes you insisted I buy and dragging me out to some restaurant with a menu I can’t read, because it’s in another language. ”
He snorted. “Those kinds of dinners serve a purpose. Either you’re making a point, or ensuring you’re seen by someone specific, or conducting a business meeting.
We’ve been making points and playing parts since we met.
I’d like to try something new—having a relaxing conversation where we’re not coming down off an adrenaline high for one reason or another. Just me and you—Aiden and Charlie.”
“Dropping all the masks? Do you think that’s even possible?
” She’d seen so many different versions of Aiden in the time they’d been together, she could almost convince herself that she didn’t know the real one.
Almost. But the truth was that she still felt like she knew Aiden on a soul-deep level.
How could she not when his actions spoke louder than any of the words he doled out so carefully?
This was a man who loved his family and was fighting against the legacy his father had left him in order to make something better for all of them. He’d done bad things—of that there was no doubt—but he had more honor than most people she’d met who were supposed to be on the side of good.
I like him.
I might even love him.
She didn’t know how she could reconcile their differences. She didn’t know if they should even try. Hell, with her luck, Aiden was only enjoying her body and would enjoy seeing her walk out of his life just as much.