Page 19 of Heat Exchange
She was looking at a very dead plant in a ceramic black bear by her right foot when the door slid open. “What kind of loser can’t keep pansies alive?”
“I don’t know much about pansies,” a deep voice said, and Lydia jerked her head up to look into the pretty blue eyes of Aidan Hunt.
Aidan enjoyed the way Lydia’s eyes widened when she saw him standing in the doorway instead of her brother. She blushed, which made her cheeks pink, and her lips parted slightly.
He liked looking at her mouth.
“Oh. I thought you were my brother.”
“I figured as much.” He stepped aside. “Come on in. He’s in the shower right now, but he shouldn’t be too much longer.”
Unlike the first-floor apartment, the second floor had been freshened up since the last time she’d seen it. Mostly cosmetic, with laminate floors instead of the old carpet, and new paint. And Scotty didn’t own much, but what he did was good quality. Like the leather sofa and love seat in front of a huge flat-screen television.
“I’m here on the old man’s orders,” she told him, moving to the fridge.
Aidan managed to be in the perfect spot to check out her ass when she bent over to see what Scotty had on hand. “Sometimes it’s easier to go along than to argue with him.”
“So Scott and Ashley tell me.” She grabbed an orange juice and closed the door. “I haven’t gotten the knack of that yet.”
“It’s good for him.” Aidan leaned against the kitchen island and crossed his arms. “To be challenged, I mean. Not many people talk back to him.”
She took a swig of the juice and screwed the cap back on the bottle. “Is Danny here?”
He noticed the tightness around her mouth—since he was still looking at it—and knew she still wasn’t okay with Danny staying at the Kincaid house, no matter which unit he was in.
“Yeah, he’s in his room. Uh, the guest room. We have some free time, so we’re going to do...some stuff.”
She smiled, then, and that curve of her lips made him acutely glad the island was between them so she couldn’t see him from the waist down. “Stuff, huh? Sounds very mysterious and guy-like.”
“Men of mystery. That’s us.”
“Maybe a little trip to the strip club? Hit the gun range or the batting cages? Maybe stop at the salon and get pedicures?”
“Pedicures?” He laughed. “Hey, you never know. Those boots are hard on our feet.”
“I’d pay good money to get my hands on a blackmail photo of Scotty getting a pedi—”
She broke off when Danny walked into the room, and Aiden felt the tension ratchet up a notch.
When Danny saw Lydia, he stopped in his tracks and his expression seemed to close off, as if he was feeling no emotions whatsoever. “Hi, Lydia.”
Aidan watched her, hoping she wouldn’t lose her temper or simply walk out the door. That wouldn’t do anybody any good, and he knew for a fact Scotty being at odds with his sister upset him. If he heard her yelling and rushed out to defend Danny, it would get ugly and Scotty would be almost impossible to work with until it was resolved.
But Lydia’s expression softened and she crossed the kitchen to wrap her arms around his neck. “Hi, Danny.”
They embraced for a moment and then, when they broke apart, Danny gave her a half smile. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to hug me or kick me in the balls.”
“Neither was I,” she said, and they all laughed. “I’m kidding. It’s good to see you.”
“I hear it makes you unhappy that I’m staying here. Because of Ashley.” He gave a little shrug of his shoulders. “I can find a couch to crash on at somebody else’s place if you think this is too hard for her.”
Since Aidan had overheard Lydia’s feelings on the matter when she expressed them in no uncertain terms to Scotty the day before, he was surprised when she shook her head. “I might have overreacted. A little.”
Danny’s mouth quirked into a smile. “A little?”
“I was so focused on Ashley and being a good sister and making sure somebody stood up for her that, until I saw your face, I forgot we likeyou, too.”
“A little?”
