Page 55 of Aiden & Lily
His brother laughed. “I’ve heard so much about her from you and Mathew that I feel like she’s my little sister, too. It’s like we’re one big happy family.”
Aiden whirled around and poked Parker firmly in the chest. He opened his mouth, then closed it.
His brother smirked expectantly, and Aiden lowered his hand to his side. “I’m letting you come because you’re right. You’re friends with Mathew and now some of his cousins.” As much as Aiden disliked that fact. “But I want to make it perfectlyclear that I’m not going to tolerate you spilling any more beans. What happened with…”
He cut himself off when Parker’s eyes grew wide.
“What happened with…” Mathew’s amused voice came from behind him.
Aiden stiffened. That had been close. Far too close.
Slowly, Aiden put on a mask of indifference and turned to face his friend. “My brother here has a crush on your cousin.”
Mathew’s amusement faded as he glanced from Aiden to Parker. “Is that so? Which one?”
Of course he wouldn’t care. He didn’t seem upset at all. Merely curious. What was it going to take for his friend to accept that Aiden could be a good partner, too?
When Aiden turned his focus to his brother, he almost expected a look that made it clear he’d overstepped. But in true Parker fashion, his brother just rolled with it. His eyes darted over the growing crowd of people.
He didn’t even hesitate when he grinned and murmured, “Jazz.”
Mathew arched a brow. “Jazz? You mean Jasmine?” Then he grinned, too. “You sure you’re not into Lily? How can you tell them apart?”
Aiden nearly jumped into the conversation so Parker wasn’t put on the spot, but apparently, he didn’t need to.
“Jasmine’s got this little freckle just below her left eye. And when she smiles, there’s a small chip in one tooth. Her voice is slightly lower, but you’d only be able to tell if you heard them side by side. And?—”
Mathew held up both hands. “I get it, I get it.”
Aiden stared at his brother in shock. How on earth had Parker noticed all those little things after one evening together? It wasn’t fair. Everything came so easily to him.
“Well, I wish you luck,” Mathew continued. “Jasmine isn’t the easiest to win over. I don’t think she believes in love.”
“Don’t I know it,” Parker mused. “But hey, I’ve got all the time in the world to convince her.”
The words were playful, but something in Parker’s expression shifted too quickly for Aiden to name.
After a little more small talk, Mathew slipped away.
Aiden whirled on his brother. “What was that?”
Amusement laced Parker’s tone as he shuffled them both toward the nearest refreshment table. “What was what? You threw me under the bus, and I survived.”
“That wasn’t survival. That was domination. How did you know?—”
His brother shrugged. “I notice things about people.”
“Yeah? Prove it. What did you notice about Lily?”
Parker stilled. His eyes didn’t shift to Aiden for a single second before he started his list.
“She’s got a cowlick on the left side of her crown. Sometimes a few hairs stick out funny, but she’ll smooth them down. I don’t even think she realizes she does it. When she’s happy or finds something funny, she always looks at you first to see if you find it funny, too. When the two of you are talking, she leans in closer like you’re two magnets and she can’t help it. There’s a strange kind of dimple on the upper side of her right cheek. I’ve never seen one there before. And when she’s nervous, she bites her lip. Like, a lot.” Parker glanced at him. “Does that assuage any concerns you have?”
Aiden snorted. “Concerns? Like what? I don’t have concerns.”
His brother turned to face him fully, folding his arms as though he’d forgotten he was seeking out something to snack on. “Look, I know what you might be thinking. And no, I’m not interested in Jasmine. She’s nice, and we have a few similarviews on things. But I’m not interested in a relationship. I’ve been burned before, and I’m content to never go down that road again.”
“Well, maybe you should.”
