Page 38 of Lifeline

With a sigh, I turned back and saw Aidan coming my way, shirt flung over his shoulder, skin shining in the sunlight. “Oh, hell no.”

Aidan stopped short. “What?”

I looked around because, good God in heaven, controlling myself was a lot harder than I ever remembered it being before. It didn’t matter that I’d never been one for big, sweaty guys, just that Aidan was right there, his toned body covered in sweat and looking…irresistible. It made it worse that he hadn’t yet realized the effect he had on me, which somehow made him even more attractive.

“You…stop right there,” I said and took a deep breath, trying to center myself. “I mean it. Don’t come closer.”

He looked down at himself and grunted. “Damn, I don’t think I’ve had time to stink yet, sheesh.”

“That is not the problem,” I ground out. “I know you’re probably not stinking yet, that’s not the…just don’t.”

He stared at me in such open confusion that I almost took pity on him. Except before I could open my mouth, a new light flashed in his eyes, and I groaned when an evil little smile spread across his face. “Something got your attention?”

“Quit,” I warned in a low voice. I knew Colin was going to keep Xander busy. My brother and Jake were gone. Carter and Mav were probably at the extended part of the outpost as usual, but that still left two unaccounted for. The last thing I needed was a third party to witness my struggle. “We’re supposed to be figuring things out, not…you quit.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, am I too…distracting?” he asked in a tone that told me he knew exactly what he was doing, and I kind of hated him for it.

I knew there was no way out without telling the truth. “Yes, just…if you’re not going to behave because we’re supposed to be mature adults figuring things out, not horny teens who just discovered sex, then do it so no one sees us.”

He shielded his eyes. “Is your better half with Jake?”

“My better half?” I asked in offense.

“Is he?”

“Yes.”

“Two straight men off in the woods for an untold amount of time to see some beavers,” he said thoughtfully. “Sounds about right.”

I sighed heavily, but at least dirty jokes about them were better than whatever he’d been ready to do. “You’re wrong. Now⁠—”

“So, does that mean the science building is empty?” he asked, and I froze mid-turn.

“I…yes, for a few hours but I doubt Reno’s going to go back, he never does after it gets too late,” I said because although I knew it was probably a bad idea to help with his clearly evil idea…I was helping, anyway.

“So, would it be hypothetically possible for me to show up at the science building after I take a shower and find you there by yourself, and we would be alone for a few hours?” he asked.

There was no hypothetical, and we both knew it. “It might be.”

“Hmm,” he hummed thoughtfully. “I do like ‘might’ but you know what I’d like better? A yes.”

Someone had grown direct with the years. “Ugh.”

“Or not,” he said, and I had to give him credit; his casual tone was believable as hell. Except once again, he was betrayed by the look on his face. It had been there only a moment, giving away his true feelings, but no matter how quick it had been, I saw the hurt.

“Ugh,” I repeated and drew myself up. Damn it, he was putting himself out there, something he had rarely done in our relationship, despite my wanting him to. Of course, the shithead had to pick years later to do as I asked, and now I felt put on the spot. “But…there is a fully functioning bathroom.”

He stopped and looked at me, a little unsure. “Meaning?”

“Meaning you’ll find me there, along with a shower,” I told him, wondering if I was going to regret that choice but still feeling a thrill go through me. “So…there.”

I turned and walked off before he could say anything else, a vibrating energy sitting in my chest as I made my way back to the science building. How strange it was to have the tables turned. I had always wanted him to pursue, or at least try to instigate sexual contact in the past, and now I’d got that exact wish, I didn’t know what to do with myself.

As I stepped into the science building and walked to the back to set my things on my desk, I had to admit it wasn’t completely unfair for me to be so…odd. I still couldn’t be sure it wasn’t a fluke, something that would inevitably fade when the ‘sparkle’ did. I also couldn’t decide if that was a fair concern or if I was just being paranoid and holding the past against him.

Then again, he probably had plenty of things from the past that he was holding against me. There was the obvious one, of course, because there was one big thing he could hold against me, and I wouldn’t blame him. I wondered if he was willing to accept that my concerns about him were just as valid, or if he was still prone to shrugging off any blame put on him to spare his⁠—

The door opened, and my heart rate shot up. The lights were on low, but I could see he hadn’t bothered to put on a fresh shirt, although there was a folded shirt and another piece of clothing in his hands, which he dropped on the table. He closed the door behind him, and I couldn’t help but snort at his cocky expression.