Page 11 of Aiden & Lily

But then Lily placed her phone in his hand, open to the contact screen.

He glanced up at her and saw that hopeful, nervous smile. The way she bit her lower lip made his chest pull tight, not with the easy flirtation he was used to, but with something softer. Something that made him want to be careful.

He might regret this later.

No. He probably would regret it if he didn’t handle this right. But right now, all he could think about was how much he wanted to see where this could go. Aiden typed in his number. Then he texted himself.

Lily’s grin lit up her whole face. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other soon,” she murmured.

“Oh, this night’s not over yet,” Aiden said, holding out his hand. “We’re going to get in at least a couple dances.”

She didn’t even hesitate before placing her soft hand in his.

And for one reckless second, Aiden let himself pretend that it was going to be this simple.

Aiden watchedMathew from down the hall.

He wasn’t looking so great. This distance between him and River was getting to him. That much was clear by the way he dragged a hand down his face right before shoving his phone into his pocket.

Aiden could relate.

Sort of.

He strode toward Mathew, then leaned against the counter beside him. “Girl trouble?” He tore a bite out of the sandwich he’d gotten from the vending machine.

“How can you trust those things in a vending machine? If the refrigeration malfunctions, then you’re going to get sick.”

Mathew avoided the question.

Typical.

Aiden smirked as he continued to chew. Then he swallowed. “It’s a good thing I work at a hospital, then.”

He turned so his hip was propped against the counter. No one else was in the break room, but that could change at anymoment. If he wanted to get this strange tightness off his chest, now was his chance. He fidgeted, wondering how he could bring up his current predicament without Mathew figuring out it had to do with Reese.

Mathew frowned, and his voice lowered to an almost growl. “What’s wrong?”

Aiden pursed his lips together.

This was going to get really tricky. “So, I have this friend…”

Rolling his eyes, Mathew twisted around and grabbed for a mug to get some coffee. Clearly, he was more agitated than Aiden had given him credit for.

Ignoring Mathew’s attitude, Aiden continued. “And he’s interested in dating his friend’s?—”

Mathew arched a brow and peeked at him over his shoulder, entirely unbothered about interrupting. “You better not say sister. I told you. Penny is off limits. Don’t even think about asking her out.”

Aiden winked at him, recalling the conversation he’d had with Penny at the club. Too bad Penny hadn’t agreed. Heaven knew Aiden could use a distraction.

“I was going to say ex, but okay.”

Grimacing, Mathew shook his head. “Victoria is definitely not worth the trouble, man. She’s…” He blew out a breath. “Just steer clear. And I’m not saying that for my benefit.”

Aiden grimaced at that statement. He’d heard plenty about Victoria. Nope, he was never going to go there. A frown pulled at his lips. Reese definitely had better taste in women.

“But if she was actually a decent person,” Aiden said slowly, “perfect even, and my friend had already accepted that it wasn’t going to work…” He avoided Mathew’s eyes.

Technically, Reese hadn’t moved on with someone else. But he had moved on in a way.