He flashed her a dark look. “No, I have not been lusting over her.”
The disappointment on Shelby’s face made all the men laugh.
“Motherhood and wifehood have gotten boring, huh?” Cash teased. “Is that why you’re trying to turn the D-Man’s life into a soap opera?”
Seth cursed. “You’re right. The name doesn’t work. Stop using it to spite me.”
“I’m not bored at all,” Shelby said in response to Cash. “But you’ve got to admit, the whole situation is very soap-opera-esque.”
Dylan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, only if I had a thing for Claire. Which I don’t.”
“Fine,” she said glumly. “Maybe she and Aidan will hook up then. The poor woman got dumped on her wedding day. She deserves to indulge in some sexy time with a sexy guy, and Aidan totally fits that bill.”
Yep, Aidan certainly had sexy guy down to a T, but Shelby’s suggestion only succeeded in making Dylan feel edgy as hell. Didn’t escape him that Aidan was back at the condo with Claire at this very moment, just the two of them, alone together…
Swallowing a sigh, he claimed the last banana muffin and said a silent prayer that his lover would remember to keep his dick in his pants.
Son of a bitch. She’d kissed Dylan last night.
Claire couldn’t erase the memory of that explosive kiss from her mind, no matter how hard she tried. It was the last thing she’d thought of before falling asleep last night, and the first thing she’d thought of when she’d opened her eyes this morning. And each time the image of Dylan’s heavy-lidded green eyes and sexy mouth popped into her head, she was overcome with equal doses of lust and shame.
It had been a good kiss.
Oh, who was she kidding? It had been the hottest kiss of her entire life. Which didn’t make any sense, because she didn’t even like the man! Not only that, but he was Chris’s brother. Chris, the man she’d almost married. What kind of woman made out with her ex-fiancé’s brother?
“You slept late.”
Claire jumped as the husky male voice sounded from the other side of the kitchen. Her water glass nearly fell from her grip. She managed to hold on to it, then turned to give Aidan a tentative smile.
“Too late,” she answered. “I crashed at eight and woke up at noon. That’s a good sixteen hours of my life I’ll never get back.”
Aidan chuckled. “You needed it. Yesterday was stressful for you.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
The kitchen offered an eat-in counter, so Claire slid onto one of the tall stools and watched Aidan rummage around in the enormous double-door fridge.
“You want something to eat?” he asked without turning around.
As if on cue, her belly grumbled, but she didn’t quite trust that part of her anatomy at the moment. Even though she hadn’t woken up with a hangover or an upset stomach, she’d consumed nearly half that scotch bottle last night, and she knew from past experience her stomach was going to be a little sensitive.
“Depends what,” she told him. “It’s gotta be something light that I can keep down.”
He tossed her a sympathetic look over one broad shoulder. “You feeling queasy?”
“No, but I don’t want to push my luck.”
“Good plan. Okay, well, I’m all about the bacon and eggs after a night of drinking, but maybe you should stick to some toast?”
“Aw, but bacon and eggs sounds so yummy,” she said in a glum voice.
He flashed that dimpled grin, and her heart promptly did a happy flip. Gosh, this man was so freaking adorable. Not to mention so incredibly sexy. How was that combination even possible?
Aidan’s dark eyes narrowed. “Now what’s the secretive little smile all about?”
“I was trying to figure out if it’s possible for a man to be sexy and adorable at the same time.”
He let out a surprised laugh. “I see.” His grin widened. “Do you always blurt out whatever’s on your mind like that?”
“Usually.” She took another sip of water. “I try not to be so forthcoming at work, but in general I’m pretty opinionated and not afraid to be honest.”
“Honesty’s a great quality to have.”
“I’m glad you think so. But not everyone appreciates it.”
As he started pulling ingredients out of the fridge and setting them on the counter, Claire got up and tried to help, but he led her back to the stool and forced her to sit.
“You’re the guest, and I’m cooking you breakfast. Deal with it.” His commanding tone brooked no argument, and for some reason, it turned her on like crazy.
“Yes, sir,” she said with a little salute.
“So, did we decide whether you’re having toast or taking a risk?” Aidan flipped open a carton of eggs.
Claire sighed. “I’m taking the risk. I’m a sucker for bacon.”
“Good call. And look, if you end up puking it all up, I’m willing to be a gentleman and hold your hair back.”