Page 42 of Aidan (The Doherty Mafia)
I could feel myself starting to crack on the surface again. I didn’t want to upset her. I didn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t trust me…no! I needed to stay on course. I needed answers.
It didn’t matter how she ‘felt’.
I breathed in deeply and finally, she plucked up the courage to meet my eyes.
“Go to the bedroom and put on your clothes. After that, you’re going to come out here and tell me the truth. I’ll answer all your questions once you’ve answered mine,” I said.
Her nostrils flared. She tried to find a suitable retort, but she knew she didn’t have one. She was trapped and had no choice but to follow my orders.
Twenty-Two
Leah
I was relieved.
When Aidan sent me to his room to put some clothes on, I couldn’t run out of the kitchen fast enough. I needed to cover up because I was stark naked. He could see just how on edge I was because I had nowhere to hide.
But as I fumbled with my black cocktail dress from the previous night, having given up on ever locating my lingerie, I couldn’t help but feel a flood of relief flood through me.
All this time while I tried to enjoy my fleeting time with Aidan—I walked on eggshells, expecting all of it to suddenly blow up in my face without warning. I had no idea that he’d seen me talking to that guy. This wasn’t the way I expected it all to come out—but now that it was happening, I felt like a huge weight could finally be lifted off my shoulder.
At first I fumbled, tried to hide the truth and distract him from the conversation by blaming him for spying on me. However, it quickly became apparent that Aidan wasn’t going to simply forget about it. He would force me to admit the truth, whether I wanted to or not.
My dress seemed awkward and inappropriate now as I walked back to the kitchen in it.
Aidan had pushed his plate full of food away and was sitting at the table. He glanced at me, but not in the same way he usually looked at me. I was desperate for him to look at me like that again.
“Are you ready to talk?” he asked, and I licked my lips nervously.
Without answering his question, I went over to the sink to pour myself a glass of water. I guess I tried to buy time even though I knew no amount of time in this world would help me prepare for what I needed to admit to him.
Aidan watched me closely. He wasn’t letting me go.
I sipped the cold water and thankfully, that soothed me a little.
What excuse would give him now? What possible explanation could I have for that guy wanting to talk to me?
By this time, it was obvious Aidan already knew I was trying to hide something. I acted fishy and defensive. He knew me too well for that. I’d already dragged this out longer than necessary.
“Leah, I’m not going to sit around here waiting for you to ‘fess up. You either tell me the truth or I’ll make you tell me.” There was real venom in his voice. I didn’t know what he meant by that and I didn’t want to know.
I knew enough about him to be sure he could be dangerous when he wanted to be.
“He came to talk to me because he wanted information on you and your family,” I replied.
Aidan sat back in the chair, clenching his jaws tightly. An angry vein throbbed in the centre of his forehead and I knew he took this badly.
I waited in silence for a response from him but nothing was forthcoming. Aidan rubbed a hand over his face and it seemed like he was trying to compose himself.
What would come next?
Threats? Ultimatums? Punishments…but not the sexy kind.
I stood before him with my arms by my side. My nails worried the skin around the edges. I dug furiously. It was a nervous tic. With every passing moment, I became more and more anxious.
Anything he chose to do to me now—would be justified.
But Aidan finally drew his hand away from his face and gave me a deep stare.
“Tell me exactly what happened, Leah. I want you to be completely honest. This is fucking important.”
I nodded. I was ready to tell him everything…well, almost everything.
“I returned to town when I got a phone call about my mom being on her deathbed. That part is completely true. I knew there was a chance I’d bump into you, but other than that, I tried not to think about you. Being with my mother in her final moments was what was important to me.”
Aidan said nothing, waiting for me to continue. Of course, he had nothing to say. Maybe he didn’t believe a single word from me and I couldn’t blame him.
