Page 26 of Wild Mistake
I’m not taking this shit.
“Hey.” Jackson appears by my side, using his hands to put space between me and this loser. “How about we all take a breath. Why don’t we go get a drink?”
I don’t need a drink.
I want to knock some sense into this dipshit.
“You buying?” the idiot asks.
“Yeah.” Jackson nods. “Let’s go put it on my tab.”
They walk away, but the adrenaline doesn’t leave my body. My fists are clenched, anger boiling in my veins. I wish I could unleash it and I know I can’t. But it’s taking all my control to check the urge.
“Aiden?” Maeve’s voice pulls my gaze from their retreating forms. “Are you okay?” She glances around. “What happened? Where’s Sarah?”
“Shit.” I push past Maeve and practically race to the bathrooms. There’s a line for the ladies ten people deep, but she’s not in it. Panic rises in my chest.Did she leave? She wouldn’t have done that, right? What if someone took her? Cornered her like the asshole who tried to fight me.Fuck. I need to find her and make sure she’s safe.
The door to the restroom swings open and Sarah steps out, wiping her hands with a paper towel. She drops it into a trash can and lifts her gaze to mine. Her brow furrows. “Aiden?”
Some of the tension leaves my shoulders as I take her in. She’s fine. Everything’s fine. There’s no threat.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, stepping forward.
“Yeah.” It’s fine, now that I have her in sight. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She smiles brightly and laughs. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Maybe I imagined it before.
Maybe I read too much into the moment on the dance floor.
Maybe I was the only one fantasizing about a kiss.
11
SARAH
I volunteerto sit in the back seat with Maeve and Rainer on the ride home. I need to put more space between Aiden and me, even if it’s only a few extra inches. Jackson is all too happy to ride shotgun, and takes over the radio, playing songs we can’t help but sing along to.
When I almost tripped on the dance floor and he caught me as if he’d been waiting all night for a chance to wrap his arms around my waist, I wanted him to kiss me.
For a second, I completely forgot where we were, who was watching, and why getting together would be a bad idea.
Even now as I catch his gaze in the rear view mirror, I can’t quite remember.
The responsible thing would be to keep my distance. Even resurrecting a friendship with Aiden is playing with fire. The feelings I have for him haven’t gone away. I thought I left them in the past when I left town, married Jake, and started a family. That might have been true at one time, but now that my marriage is over and Aiden is back, my mind is considering possibilities I never let it dream of before.
I understand why.
He’s gorgeous. The flecks of gray in his scruffy beard only add to his hotness. He’s tall and strong with muscles in all the right places. He’s also made me laugh and smile more than I have all year. I feel good when I’m around him.
But what does he see in me?
I’m broke. I have two teenage boys. I’m not the icon of what society deems beautiful. I’m not the woman someone like him should be interested in, and yet there’s no denying he is acting interested.
How many women did he turn down tonight? I lost count. The thing is, he didn’t even seem to notice their advances. His attention was on me.
We’re at a crossroads, but I don’t know what to do. We caused each other so much pain when we were younger, and a repeat would only invite more heartbreak. At least, that’s my fear.
