Page 10 of Aiden & Lily

He released her immediately. “Sorry. Did I?—”

“You’re Christopher Stone.”

He blinked. Then blinked again. “You know who I am?”

Granted, she knew his alternate persona. He went by his middle name when he competed. At first, it had been for fun. Then it had become a way to keep a little space between the hospital and the rodeo crowd. Between his real life and the version of him who wore the hat and flirted too easily.

Still, he should probably correct her.

Her blush intensified, and she looked away. “I might have seen you compete a few times.” She peeked at him. “You’re really good.”

The correction lodged somewhere in his chest and didn’t come out.

“Well, angel, you have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. “Lily.”

“Lily,” he murmured, trying out the name. “It suits you.”

“Thanks, Christopher.” The way she whispered his name was so sweet, so trusting, it nearly brought him to his knees. “So does yours. Your name, I mean. It suits you.”

Aiden grinned, but something in him tightened.

Christopher suited him because Christopher was easy. Christopher was the man in the cowboy hat. The one who didn’t have history here. The one who could ask a beautiful girl to dance and not worry about what came next.

Aiden Stone was a whole lot messier.

Still, he loved the way Lily looked at him. He loved that nervous hope in her smile. His whole body felt on edge in a way he didn’t know what to do with. He didn’t even know her, and already he could tell one conversation wasn’t going to be enough to get her out of his head.

Maybe it would take a few.

That was unheard of.

Maybe the ride on that bronc last week had knocked a few screws loose, because he was actually considering asking for her number. To heck with it. That was exactly what he was going to do.

“Let me take you out,” he murmured.

Her eyes widened. “We only just met. Don’t you think we should…”

He took a half step closer, careful to leave her room to move away if she wanted to. “I want to get to know you a little better. And last time I checked, that meant going on a date.” He gave her an easy smile. “Besides, you seem to already know more about me than I do about you. It’s only fair we even the playing field.”

She grinned nervously.

For one second, he thought she might turn him down. But then she pulled out her phone.

He glanced down at the same moment she unlocked it and caught sight of a familiar face.

No. Way. Reese Crawley.

Aiden stared at the smiling face of his best friend from high school, and suddenly, he felt sick.

This was the girl. The one Reese had said he’d had to walk away from. The one he was still on good terms with. A sliver of jealousy ate at Aiden unexpectedly, sharp and immediate. But it was quickly followed by something worse.

Doubt.

Doubt that he was good enough. Doubt that Lily would be interested in him if she hadn’t been able to stay interested in Reese. Doubt that he wouldn’t end up hurting the angel standing before him.

He should ask. Right now. He should say Reese’s name and clear up whatever this was before it became anything.