Aidan didn’t point out that Ashley should’ve been proud of her sister, so damn proud.
Lily shook her head. “I know what you’re thinking, and she would’ve been happy for me. Later. It would’ve come to her, really it would have, but in the moment all she saw was that I had something she wanted. I shouldn’t have told her like I did, I shouldn’t have—” She let out a low sound of regret. “We were already in a fight because she’d been bugging me to take her up to Dead Man’s Cliff and I’d refused. It was way too dangerous for her. She was only an intermediate climber at best, but she was determined to beat me at something.”
“Listen to me,” Aidan said. “All siblings are like that, okay? Hell, Gray and I nearly killed each other a hundred times over when we were growing up. Never mind the bad example we set for Jacob and Hudson.”
“This was different,” she insisted. “I knew the Boulder admission letter would hurt her. She got straight A’s through every single semester of high school in preparation and I …” She shook her head. “Didn’t. I didn’t get A’s at all. I wasn’t into school. I wanted to be outside.”
“On the mountain,” he said quietly. “I know. You were out there exploring every single day that you could, which was just about every day in the summer.”
She looked surprised. “How … how did you know that? I saw you a few times but … every day?”
He hesitated to tell her. She was like a bird with a broken wing, nursing her past hurts, afraid to forgive herself and be happy. He wanted to soothe, to help ease the pain, but wasn’t sure how to do that without losing his heart and soul to her. Again.
“Aidan?”
“Gray and I took turns going up after you,” he said. “Making sure you were okay.”
She gaped at him. “Why?”
“Because no one should be out there by themselves, Lily.”
“I was fine,” she said. “I knew what I was doing. I’d been out there hiking those mountains all my life.”
“It was your escape,” he said. “It was always mine too. We all got that, and no one wanted to impede on the only time you ever had to yourself.”
“But you watched me. Which means that I was never really by myself at all.”
He ran a finger along her temple, tucking a strand of wet hair behind her ear. He loved the silkiness of her hair and how when she was outside, it always caught the sun, a thousand different colors that he couldn’t possibly name. “No, you were never alone,” he said, purposely switching up the words.
She studied him, her eyes softening. “I didn’t ask for you to watch over me.”
“I know. I wanted to,” he said, and stroked a finger over her temple again. “I loved watching you up on the mountain, whether on the trail or taking years off my life when you went rock climbing. I saw the love of the place all over your face. We had that in common, Lily. I thought it was just a friendship only. And then that night at the dance when I kissed you and you kissed me back like I was the greatest thing that had ever happened to you …” He smiled a little at the memory. “Best day ever.” Lifting his other hand, he slid his fingers into her hair, letting his thumb lightly glide over her.
And damn, he needed to taste her again. Slowly, knowing she’d be stopping him any second, he backed her to the wall and then lowered his head.
She didn’t stop him.
Instead she gripped his biceps and tugged him the rest of the way to her, closing the distance to kiss him.
And kiss him …
Slow.
Sweet.
Achingly so.
He told himself he would stand there and let her have her way with him for as long as she wanted, but he underestimated the speed with which she could decimate his self-control. Still he hung on until he knew he was close to scooping her up and tossing her on her bed, from which there would be no going back.
And he wanted that.
God, how he wanted that.
But he wouldn’t take it there. He couldn’t. Because soon enough she was going to leave. And he didn’t want to feel that pain ever again. Heart heavy with regret, he caught her wandering hands in his and slowed the kiss, gentling it. A good-night kiss now, one that was still sexy as hell but not going anywhere.
Lily stilled as if her wits had just come back to her. She blinked and stepped back. “Crap. That … shouldn’t have happened. Again.” She shook her head. “Especially on her birthday.” She paused. “You should go.”
He wasn’t sure he understood the significance of kissing her on Ashley’s birthday, but she was right about one thing—he needed to go. He stepped outside and turned back … just as she shut the door.
Smart girl.
Welcoming the cold wet air slapping him in the face, Aidan jogged down the stairs and to his truck.
As he started the engine, he looked up and saw Lily at the window, watching him. But then she must have hit the light because the room went dark.
And he drove off, telling himself it was for the best.
Chapter 12