Page 24 of Aiden & Lily

Maybe it had started that way. Maybe he’d told himself it was only curiosity. Attraction. A few dates with a beautiful woman who made his pulse jump.

But after talking with her in the truck? After watching her bare what she considered her weaknesses and then look at him like she was bracing for him to walk away? He couldn’t pretend this was casual.

Heck, when she’d admitted she was jealous over his past and didn’t want to hear about the other women he’d dated, something in him had softened. He thought it was kind of cute. Of course, jealousy wasn’t something he loved.

But Lily hadn’t used it to accuse him. She’d named it, disliked it, and tried to be honest with him about it. It made him like her more, not because she was insecure, but because she was being real.

The girls he’d dated before were all far too confident as if they didn’t have flaws of their own.

Lily?

That woman was confident, but it was different, somehow. Her confidence was in herself, not what she brought to the table. She liked who she was as a person while being aware she could improve.

It was so refreshing.

And she was an open book! He didn’t get the feeling she was interested in hiding anything about herself.

Aiden dragged a hand down his face, letting it stop at his jaw. His pacing slowed, and he stared at nothing in particular as he forced himself to accept just how deep of a hole he’d dug for himself.

Lily was honest. He was not, at least not with this current situation. Not fully.

He wanted Lily Taylor. He wanted to court her. Date her. Make her his. That had never happened before.

What had happened to him?

“Nurse Stone, we need you back in the ER. There was a motorcycle accident. Get him checked in and take his vitals.”

Aiden glanced toward the door and found the doctor on staff tonight. He gave the man a curt nod and strode from the room.

The patient wasn’t in good shape, but things could have been worse. He’d been wearing a helmet, thank goodness, but his clothes were practically in shreds.

Aiden frowned as they wheeled him in.

What kind of person rode a motorcycle while in a suit? Didn’t he know better? There was far more appropriate attire when getting on a bike.

“Royce Meyers?” Aiden asked when the patient didn’t open his eyes at his approach. “I’m Nurse Stone. I’ll be getting you checked in.”

Royce opened his eyes, though it seemed to take a great deal of effort. He gave a small nod, and Aiden wheeled him back.

It didn’t take long to get his patient situated. Aiden assured him the doctor would be in soon, then headed out.

Fast footsteps clacked down the hall, and he glanced up from his tablet to see Penny running toward him. He was too stunned by the look of fear on her face to utter a single word, and she didn’t seem to notice he was there. She shot past him like a stray bullet and darted into the room he’d just vacated.

Aiden backtracked a few paces until she came into view again.

She was holding Royce like he was her whole world.

That strange feeling in Aiden’s chest stirred to life again.

The connection he had with Lily was different from anything he’d ever experienced. He knew he wasn’t going to be capable of letting her go easily. No matter how hard he’d tried to convince himself that his feelings would fade away, he knew better now. She consumed his thoughts.

The little expressions she made. The way she blurted out things that would have made a lesser man run. The honesty in her eyes, like she was willing to show him the pieces of herself she wasn’t proud of and hope he stayed anyway.

This was more than simple infatuation.

This was a connection, and he had a feeling that severing it now would hurt more than he knew what to do with.

Royce found his gaze, and Aiden dipped his head before heading down the hall to find the doctor.