See Megan Run (16 page)

Aiden considered the question. "I never
thought you were that kinky."

She laughed, and it only put a small chink in
the tension. "I guess the key is, we just can’t touch."

"Easier said than done."

"True, but I have faith."

"Are you willing to chance it?" Megan’s eyes
roved over him. She might as well have taken off his clothes.

"Who’s at your house?"

"Uncle Butch."

"Perfect. I always lose my libido when he’s
around."

"I think he has that effect on any woman
under the age of 35."

"So when I’m 36?"

Aiden opened the car door for her, making
sure their bodies didn’t brush, because that was all the excuse
he’d need. "Buy a chastity belt."

*****

As usual, it took Aiden less than five
minutes to get to his house. Megan kept her arms crossed when he
opened her door again. Lights shone through the front window, and
at the moment James Brown’s funk was making that window shake.
"Sounds like he’s turned your house into a gigolo lair."

"Where’s your Aunt Chandi?"

"At home," she answered, confused.

"Then it’ll be fine. He must have gotten into
the liquor."

The nonchalant attitude surprised her. Megan
imagined Aunt Chandi, maybe even Aunt Bette, coming to her house,
getting into the liquor, and blasting The Supremes. She’d be
pissed. Not relieved that they hadn’t jumped the nearest neighbor.
More so than ever, Megan didn’t feel a part of the loop that made
the people in this town hospitable. Maybe she was missing the
I-don’t-care gene.

Megan thought back. Jocelyn’s door had seemed
to be perpetually open for any of Aiden’s friends when they were
younger. The kitchen had always smelled of something decadent and
filling. The Thanksgivings and Christmases had always been
celebrated in a full house with laughter and relatives. She’d never
been invited, but in their defense she didn’t think it crossed
their minds to invite someone who was always welcome.

Megan had outcast herself, so she’d never
known what she was missing. Her mother had never wanted to go to
another family member’s house for the holidays, and Megan wasn’t
about to go visit with people she didn’t really know. How hard old
habits die, Megan thought to herself as she stopped on the porch.
"How do you do it?" she asked him.

Aiden cupped the keys in his hand. "Do
what?"

"Family."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you’re elated your uncle isn’t
humping my aunt, but he did get into the liquor, no telling how
much he’s had, and he’s in your house alone. With liquor."

A smile fought the corner of his lip. "You
seem tense with the idea."

She was tense, and it wasn’t even her house.
"I’m trying to understand why your family doesn’t drive you insane,
especially with you having at least one member living with you for
the next few weeks, and yet I can’t seem to sit in the same room
with mine three nights in a row at the dinner table."

"This is really bothering you, isn’t it?" He
put his hand under her chin and caressed her jawline. "They’re
family. I can’t change who I’m related to. I can enjoy them, or at
least not let myself get wound up over them. They’ll be gone soon.
I’ll survive, and I won’t have to worry, much, about them until the
holidays roll around."

Megan wasn’t convinced, and it must have
shown on her face. "Here let me show you."

He turned the knob and led her into the
house. Megan saw Uncle Butch first and turned her head. Seems he
liked to drink whiskey in his boxers, with his white socks pulled
up to his knees. The music stopped abruptly.

"Didn’t know you had company coming." Was it
just her, or was there satisfaction in the old lecher’s voice?

Megan kept her gaze on the door. "That’s
okay," Aiden said.

"I’ll just leave you two." The voice got
closer. Megan concentrated on the peephole.

"No, I was wondering if you brought your
playing cards."

"You want to play cards?"

Okay, if she kept her eyes on his, then she
wouldn’t see anything traumatic. Megan lifted her chin and turned
her head to meet Butch’s gaze. The disbelief was still etched on
his face.

"Hi." She didn’t offer her hand. Doing that
meant having to look anywhere below his neck line.

The disbelief was replaced by pleasure. "And
you are Megan. Haven’t you grown up."

She was sure of it. Satisfaction clung to
each word. Oh, she remembered him clearly, because she had one of
him in her family. His name was Uncle Willie. Megan was also sure
he was the family member who told dirty jokes to the boys when they
were barely teens.

"Yes, I’m all grown up."

"Let me get decent, and I’ll be back."

Megan tried not to focus on his retreating
back. "I think I’m going to need that chastity belt before 36."

Aiden grinned. "You just might."

Hours later Megan smiled around the cigar in
her mouth. "Hit me."

"We’re not playing 21." Butch said, but
smiled back. Aiden slid two cards in her direction, taking the ones
she placed face down on the kitchen table. "How do you feel about
marriage?"

Her hands clutched the cards. "I have a
slight phobia."

"About marriage?" Aiden asked.

Megan frowned. "Don’t most people get the
sweats when you say ‘death do us part’?"

Butch pushed his whole pot into the center of
the table. Megan raised her eyebrows. He had to be bluffing. Before
this, he’d thrown in what was needed to stay in the game. "How do
you feel about children?"

"Labor. Stretch marks. Lack of sleep.
Preparation H and not for the bags under your eyes. End of
thought." She lowered her cards and pushed all her potato chips
into the middle of the table. "I call."

"I fold." Aiden placed his cards face down on
the table and stuffed a chip into his mouth.

"You’re not supposed to eat the chips." His
loud crunch was his only answer. Megan pulled the unlit cigar from
her mouth. "So, what do you have, old man?"

"Well, I’ve got a full house here and, young
lady, what can you beat that with?"

She put the cigar back in her mouth. "Oh, I
don’t know. A royal flush would have done pretty good." Megan
paused, laying her cards on the table, showing her hand. "But only
a royal flush can put your mouth on the floor. Be careful not to
lose your teeth, old man."

Butch threw his head back with a quick laugh.
"I can’t believe you beat me." He turned to Aiden. "She beat
me."

To Megan’s surprise, Butch took her hand and
danced her around the kitchen. She’d barely gotten her breath back
when he twirled her around one last time. Exhausted already, she
plopped down into her seat.

"No woman has ever beaten me at poker."

She placed her hands on her head to keep the
room from spinning. "Probably because they never noticed you
cheating."

"I didn’t cheat, the last few hands."

"Because I made you take off your coat and
keep your hands on top of the table. After that, the game was so
much more fun." He grumbled something, and Megan didn’t ask for him
to repeat it. "Now, doesn’t it feel good to be honest?"

"Baby girl, I’ll be as honest as a lie." He
leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You two have a good
night. I’m going to get my beauty sleep."

He paused under the arch between the kitchen
and the living room. "No dipping, boy." He nodded one last time at
Aiden and left.

Megan waited until she heard a door close.
"No dipping?"

"Don’t ask." He shuffled the cards.

"Another game?"

"Did you have fun?"

Megan stretched out the ache in her arms. "I
actually did."

"It didn’t feel suffocating?"

"No," she said slowly, trying to see where he
was going with the questions. "Your uncle is another breed of the
opposite sex. At times I did feel like the man was trying to use
x-ray vision to see beneath my clothes, but once I got past the
feeling of being violated, things went fine." Megan paused. "Your
family isn’t so bad."

Aiden put the cards back in the silver case
his uncle kept them in. "Neither is yours. Give them a chance and
you might bypass the violated feeling and get to ‘fine’ with them,
too. You just might be surprised."

Megan was unsure of his observation. Women
tended to pry. They wanted to know more about Aiden and her
relationship with him. They wanted to know if she was going to stay
and keep the house up. They would notice how she and the evil
stepmother who birthed her rarely talked. Uncle Butch only wanted
to know her exact bra size. She made a noncommittal noise and
stuffed a chip in her mouth.

"You can’t keep avoiding them. Sooner or
later they will corner you and make you spend time with them.
That’s family."

"I didn’t come here for family."

Her voice sounded cold to her, and that’s not
what she wanted to be when she was with Aiden. She wanted to be
warm, and free, like when they kissed. She wanted to feel like she
didn’t have a care in the world. Megan wanted him to touch her with
the same abandon she felt when she was with him. She let out a
breath. Megan wanted a lot, and most of it she couldn’t have
without consequences. It wasn’t in her nature to ignore
consequences—they always came back to bite you whenever you
did.

"You’re here for the house." His eyes
darkened. "Fine and good, but you’ll have to deal with these people
whenever you come back. Are you planning to come back?"

"Of course I am." He raised his eyebrow.
Okay, it irritated, and she recognized the feeling as such, but
still. "It’s my father’s house. What am I supposed to do? Let my
mother sell it? It’s the only thing I have left of him." Her hand
went to the locket under her shirt.

"I didn’t say anything."

"You didn’t have to." And the words sounded
just like her mother. Megan clamped her lips shut. From his smile
she guessed he’d heard her mother say the same thing.

"Almost forgot." Aiden stood up and opened
his refrigerator. He pulled out a bouquet of crimson roses with
baby’s breath. How he’d remembered the exact combination of flowers
she bought—no correct that, he bought—a week ago, she didn’t know.
She softened, and the tension she felt from the conversation left.
"I figured by now all you had was an empty vase."

Try 
with withered flowers but not
able to toss them just yet
 and he would be close. She took
the bouquet and buried her face in it, taking in the strong, almost
overpowering smell of roses.

"Thanks," was all she could get past the lump
of emotion in her throat. When was the last time someone had been
this kind and considerate? Megan couldn’t recall. She took in one
last breath of the roses. "I’m ready to go."

He frowned. "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing."
Everything
. Megan’s heart
thumped in her chest. She was in love. No. No, that sounded too
final.
Falling in love
with him softened the hell out of the
reality. Falling meant she could somehow stop it if she put her
hands out and found her balance. Falling meant she could leave
again when she had to. And because Megan had to lie to herself,
everything was wrong.

Chapter 15

"What did you do?" Shep’s accusation hit
Aiden while he was still opening his front door, one eye squinted
against the morning sunlight.

"Uh, nothing lately." Aiden answered and
stepped back as Shep stomped inside. Aiden plopped on the couch,
trying to get his sleep-fogged brain around what Shep had just
asked him. "What happened?"

"She’s gone." Shep started to pace in front
of the couch. "Nicole went to get her up for breakfast and the bed
was made, and Megan didn’t leave a note. So what did you do?"

Aiden wiped the sleep from his eyes, trying
not to panic like Shep was doing. He knew how important the house
was to Megan. Hell, it was the only thing keeping her here. "She
didn’t leave a note?" He opened his other eye and looked at the
clock above his entertainment center. "It’s only eight o’clock.
She’ll probably call."

Shep kept his hand on his gun belt. If he
weren’t related, Aiden might have worried that Shep would shoot
him. "Where did you take her yesterday? What did you say to
her?"

"I took her out to Dead Man’s Lake, and then
here." Shep’s eyes narrowed. "We didn’t do anything. Calm down.
Have a seat. She’ll be back."

"How can you be so sure?"

Aiden would have been insulted if it wasn’t
so early in the morning. He decided to ignore Shep’s question.
"Here’s a better question you should ask: What did Nicole say to
her?"

Shep’s hand relaxed over his gun belt.
Apparently, the urge for Shep to shoot someone had lessened.

"They got into an argument about the
house."

"But it’s me that did something?" Aiden
sighed and stretched his legs out in front of him. "Think about
this, Unc. Nicole and Megan have never seen eye to eye on anything.
Now they’ve been thrown together on Nicole’s territory. I’m sure by
now there are a million of Megan’s relatives living in the house.
Where would you go?"

"Home. No one bothers me there."

"I’d like to point out, for the record, that
no one is staying with you." When he saw the tension leave Shep’s
stance, Aiden laid his head back on the couch and closed his eyes.
"She’ll be back."

"Why are you so sure?"

Aiden shrugged, keeping his eyes closed. "She
loves that house." And not me. The unspoken words left a mark,
because for a moment last night he’d seen just how beautiful a
woman she was now. Megan would never be his. He wasn’t what made
her light up. She’d relaxed after a while, playing poker with him
and Butch, but he knew that once Megan reminded herself she wasn’t
supposed to be having fun, the glow would dim. Reality would set
in, and she’d go back to being guarded.