She grimaced at that thought and snuggled down onto the couch to flip through the paid movies. No to horror, no to stalkers and no to danger. Okay, so she needed to find a chick flick. Ah, no. Make that chick flick minus the sex and the romance. A comedy it was. Ms. Congeniality with Sandra Bullock. That worked. She purchased it, and the doorbell rang. Pizza had arrived. She liked pizza, she ordered it several times a week, and she wasn’t changing that because Aiden had eaten pizza the night before. She didn’t even know if he’d be around and he’d said do what she normally did. That meant pizza on Saturday night and Thursday night and it was kind of embarrassing how structured and predictable she was.
She hesitated at the door, cash in hand. When she’d ordered she’d really assumed Aiden would be around sometime soon. She inhaled, wondering if this cheese pizza would be the death of her. Sixty-seconds later, the pizza boxes in hand, she was alive, and in her kitchen, collecting paper towels, a plate and a fork, and a Diet Sprite. She headed to the living room, to find Aiden, and Troy, sitting in the leather chairs that framed the couch. No doubt, they’d come through her patio door off the living room. She didn’t ask how they’d gotten past the stick she kept shoved inside the door for safety, but she would later. If they could get in, so could someone else, and that wasn’t a comforting thought.
“Smells good,” Troy said, rubbing his stomach. “Got enough for us?”
“You can have a slice,” she said.
“And me?” Aiden asked, rushing to her aid, taking the boxes from her.
“You can have two.”
“Why does he get two?” Troy asked, as Kelly sat down and opened her drink.
“He helped with the boxes.”
Troy snorted. “You mean you think he’s nicer than me.” He reached down beside his chair and set a six pack on the table. “Beer?”
“No,” she said. “And the offer doesn’t change my answer. Aiden is nice.”
“And I’m not.” Troy snorted. “You’re right. Seems I can’t pull a damn thing over on you, now can I?”
She arched a brow at the subtle reference to her asking his personal agenda in this hell that had become her life.
“He’s got a soft middle,” Aiden assured her. “You just have to cut through the bullshit to get to it.”
“Well then,” she said, reaching for the remote. “I have just the movie or you.” She punched the button to show the movie she’d chosen on freeze frame. “Ms. Congeniality. So Troy, here’s the deal. If you vow to watch the entire movie, you can have all the pizza you like.”
Aiden sighed. “Now you’ll never get rid of him.”
Troy opened the box. “I’d watch a knitting show if it had Sandra Bullock in it.”
Kelly was surprised at the little piece of personal information that somehow made Troy more likable. She laughed and turned to catch Aiden staring at her, the look on his face sent a flutter through her stomach. The connection of the contact, ripe with shared attraction, shared need. He wanted to talk to her, she could see that, and to her surprise, she saw torment in the depths of his uniquely, strangely, beautiful too black eyes. Torment that had been there in her office too, she realized, and she regretted not listening to him then.
“Push play and let’s get the movie going,” Troy said, breaking through the silent connection between her and Aiden.
Reluctantly, Kelly broke the contact with Aiden, and hit the remote. She reached for a slice of pizza and settled it onto her plate, discreetly capturing a warning glare from Troy directed at Aiden. What the heck was that about?
They ate and she never saw the look between brothers again, and she watched for it, but every time she and Aiden looked at each other, she warmed inside and out. Halfway into the movie, she was so hyper-sensitive to the man, that she headed to the kitchen for another cold drink. She snatched it out of the fridge and would have returned to the living room, but she paused a second, when she heard the brother’s soft murmurs.
“Damn it, Aiden, I’m protecting you from yourself, and her from you too. You know how this goes down for us. People we care about always end up dead.”
“Enough Troy,” Aiden said sharply. “Enough I…” His voice trailed off. Damn. She was busted listening in, and she knew it.
Kelly backed up and flattened herself against the refrigerator, her attention settling on the counter where she had been naked and wanton for Aiden the night before. His words, his actions, came back to her and the torment she’d seen in his face made sense. Troy was a wreck, destroyed by some tragedy that had compounded a previous tragedy and he was unintentionally, but very definitely, pulling Aiden into the depths of his Hell. She couldn’t let that happen, even if it meant she had to do something very out of her nature and play the aggressor. She’d seduce Aiden Brooks. It was the least she could do to thank him for protecting her.
CHAPTER TEN
Aiden felt like absolute crap for being so crass with Kelly the night before and he owed her an explanation. He stalked towards the kitchen, ignoring Troy’s warnings to stay where he was at, to stay away from Kelly. Like that was even possible. He sure wasn’t leaving her in Troy’s wildcard care. And a wildcard was exactly what his brother had become.
Besides, Aiden didn’t need Troy, or anyone else for that matter, to tell him he was no good for Kelly, or that he’d made a mess of this entire situation. Kelly was in her own home, clearly feeling uncomfortable because of what he’d dared let happen between them and then because her hating him would make his life easier, he was or he’d been a rude ass. And he still wanted her, and didn’t doubt she could see that written all over him. He couldn’t turn off his attraction to her, no matter how much he told himself he should, he had to, and that was new to him. In fact, the more time he spent around her, the more attractive she became to him. He freaking thought everything about her, from the way she held her own with Troy, to the dimple between her brows when she was in deep thought, was sexy.
He entered the kitchen and didn’t immediately see Kelly, but he sensed her, he could hear her heartbeat thrumming wildly in her chest at his approach—with anticipation not fear. His blood thickened in response, and he rounded the refrigerator, to have her suddenly in front of him, pushing him against the doors. One minute her soft curves were pressed to his, the next her even softer lips touched his.
He inhaled, telling himself not to respond, and proving himself instantly weak where she was concerned. His gums tingled, desire uncurling the animal within him—the vampire was an animal—a hungry animal that wanted her beyond reason. He pulled her against him, one hand melding her closer, the other lacing into her hair. His mouth slanting over hers, his tongue stroking hers, caressing, taking.
She moaned, her arms wrapping around him, her scent sweet with arousal. His teeth began to elongate, and somehow, he grabbed a moment of logic, and pulled back. “Kelly,” he hissed. “Stop. I told you-”
“The only thing dangerous,” she hissed right back, “is you living life in the past. It slips away too quickly. It’s here and it’s gone.”