“Which leg?” she heard him ask. A few seconds later he said, “Yeah, I’ll tell her hello.”
He disconnected the call, dropped the phone on the table, and sat down across from her. “Spencer says hello.”
“Did he have bad news?” she asked. “You sounded angry.”
“Walker was in another crash.”
“Was anyone hurt?” she asked.
“Just Walker,” he answered. “He broke his right leg and destroyed a two-hundred-thousand-dollar Lamborghini.”
Aiden’s jaw clenched, and she knew the real reason he was so angry. “You don’t care about the car. Walker could have killed himself. That’s why you’re so upset,” she said.
He shrugged. “I’m too angry to be worried. He’s not going to stop until he kills himself or someone else. It’s going to be a disaster. I see it coming, but I can’t . . .”
“Control him.”
He nodded; then he abruptly changed the subject. “What did Liam mean when he said he would see you tomorrow?”
Cordie cut her hamburger in half and said, “This thing is huge. Would you like some?”
“No.”
“You’re just going to eat sushi? That’s not very filling.”
He reached across the table and took half of her hamburger. “Answer my question.”
“While Liam and I were sitting at the table tonight, he asked me if I would like to climb to the top of the Harbour Bridge. It’s a thing here,” she added.
Smiling, he said, “Yes, I know.”
“But you need to go before dawn.”
He nodded again. “I know. I’ve done it. It’s impressive, watching the sun come up over the water.”
“It sounded exciting, but I declined.”
“Why?”
“Climbing to the top of anything doesn’t appeal to me.”
“Are you afraid of heights?”
“Not unreasonably so.”
“If you declined his invitation, why is he calling you tomorrow?”
“To do some sightseeing,” she said. “I didn’t know if I would be available or not.”
“You won’t be,” he said firmly.
“I won’t. Why not?”
“You’ll be going with me.”
His phone rang. He saw who was calling and said, “Sorry, I’ve got to take this.” He stood and crossed the room to the window. Cordie ate half the hamburger and a couple of fries, but she didn’t touch the milk shake. Her stomach hadn’t calmed down as much as she had thought. She drank a bottle of water instead. When she was finished, she went back into her bathroom and brushed her teeth. Her mind was on Walker. He was so different from his brothers, Aiden and Spencer, and his sister. They were all hardworking and responsible. Walker wasn’t. He never had been. He was the ultimate playboy, and she worried he didn’t have any sense of right and wrong. She thought about that while she brushed her hair. How could that have happened with such moral siblings? Regan, especially, was such a kindhearted woman, always thinking about the needs of others. Walker seemed to have room to think only about himself. He had never had to work for anything. And maybe that was the problem. Aiden had always felt a certain responsibility for Walker and, as he did in his dealings with almost everyone, he needed to take charge, to make things right. Maybe it was time for Aiden to step back and take a long, hard look at his relationship with his brother. He needed to see that he couldn’t change Walker . . . or save him from himself. She hated to watch the anxiety cross Aiden’s face whenever his brother made another bad decision, but she wanted him to know she understood.
She went in search of Aiden. His phone was on the coffee table, but he was nowhere in sight. The table with their dinner had already been removed, though she hadn’t heard anyone come in or leave. His bedroom door was open. She knocked and called his name.
“What do you need?” he asked. He was around the corner by the window plugging in his laptop.
She leaned against the doorframe. “Why do you always ask me that? I don’t need anything. I think I’ll start asking you that question every time you say hello. Then you’ll see how irritating it is.”
“Cordelia . . .” He said her name in what she thought was a warning voice.
“You left your phone in the living room.”
“That’s your phone. Mine’s being charged.”
“Oh.” She was about to tell him what she had concluded about Walker, but she was unable to collect her thoughts or speak. He had the most intense look on his face.
Aiden couldn’t stop staring. Was she aware of how provocative she looked? Her robe was open, and she was wearing a sexy low-cut nightgown that didn’t reach her knees. God, she had a good body. No, he thought, it was a great body. He’d been fighting the battle to stay away from her all evening, and damn, it was difficult. If he was being totally honest, the battle had begun on the night he’d kissed her. From that moment on, no matter how hard he tried to forget her and block her from his mind, she kept wandering into his thoughts. Whether he was in a meeting, on a business call, or going about his daily routine, she was there in his head, playing with his concentration. Tonight, when she’d walked out in her ball gown, she’d looked like a gorgeous movie star, and he knew every man would fantasize about her. But now, seeing her stand there with her hair down and wearing no makeup, he was certain he’d never seen a more beautiful or more seductive woman in his life.
He began to walk toward her. She was like a magnet drawing him to her, and the closer he got, the more he wanted her. Her scent aroused him. And her mouth . . . He couldn’t look at her sweet, full lips without thinking about all the ways she could please him.
As Aiden approached, Cordie’s legs went weak. The smoldering lust in his eyes sent shivers down to her toes. He wanted her. The realization nearly overwhelmed her.
“Cordelia?” His voice was rough with his desire.
In a bare whisper she asked him the same question he always asked her. “What do you need, Aiden?”
He was just inches away from her now. “You. I need you.”
“You do?” she whispered. She barely had enough breath to get the words out.
“I do,” he said as he grabbed the lapels of her robe and pulled her toward him. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tight against him as his mouth came down on hers. He made love to her with his mouth and his tongue, rubbing against hers, desperate for the taste of her again. Touching her had become addictive for him. Her lips were so soft, so sweet, and she was so giving and so damned sexy. All she had to do was look at him and he got hard.
Cordie wasn’t passive. She threaded her fingers through his hair and kissed him just as passionately. She was as ravenous for him as he was for her. She couldn’t get close enough, fast enough. In his arms all the anxiety and fear she’d felt at the ball were wiped away. Aiden made her forget everything but him. All that mattered was his touch.
By the time he ended the kiss, she was shaking with desire. He stepped back and stared into her eyes. He was panting as though he had run a long way. An endless minute passed in silence as tension crackled between them.
“Let me be clear.” His voice shook.
She let out a long, raspy breath. She didn’t know what to say, and so she simply nodded.
“I want you writhing under me, Cordelia. I want you to tell me what you like so I can drive you out of your mind. Am I clear?”