Free Heat Exchange by Shannon Stacey

against the kitchen island and crossed his arms. “To be challenged, I mean. Not many people talk back to him.”
    She took a swig of the juice and screwed the cap back on the bottle. “Is Danny here?”
    He noticed the tightness around her mouth—since he was still looking at it—and knew she still wasn’t okay with Danny staying at the Kincaid house, no matter which unit he was in.
    “Yeah, he’s in his room. Uh, the guest room. We have some free time, so we’re going to do...some stuff.”
    She smiled, then, and that curve of her lips made him acutely glad the island was between them so she couldn’t see him from the waist down. “Stuff, huh? Sounds very mysterious and guy-like.”
    “Men of mystery. That’s us.”
    “Maybe a little trip to the strip club? Hit the gun range or the batting cages? Maybe stop at the salon and get pedicures?”
    “Pedicures?” He laughed. “Hey, you never know. Those boots are hard on our feet.”
    “I’d pay good money to get my hands on a blackmail photo of Scotty getting a pedi—”
    She broke off when Danny walked into the room, and Aiden felt the tension ratchet up a notch.
    When Danny saw Lydia, he stopped in his tracks and his expression seemed to close off, as if he was feeling no emotions whatsoever. “Hi, Lydia.”
    Aidan watched her, hoping she wouldn’t lose her temper or simply walk out the door. That wouldn’t do anybody any good, and he knew for a fact Scotty being at odds with his sister upset him. If he heard her yelling and rushed out to defend Danny, it would get ugly and Scotty would be almost impossible to work with until it was resolved.
    But Lydia’s expression softened and she crossed the kitchen to wrap her arms around his neck. “Hi, Danny.”
    They embraced for a moment and then, when they broke apart, Danny gave her a half smile. “I wasn’t sure if you were going to hug me or kick me in the balls.”
    “Neither was I,” she said, and they all laughed. “I’m kidding. It’s good to see you.”
    “I hear it makes you unhappy that I’m staying here. Because of Ashley.” He gave a little shrug of his shoulders. “I can find a couch to crash on at somebody else’s place if you think this is too hard for her.”
    Since Aidan had overheard Lydia’s feelings on the matter when she expressed them in no uncertain terms to Scotty the day before, he was surprised when she shook her head. “I might have overreacted. A little.”
    Danny’s mouth quirked into a smile. “A little?”
    “I was so focused on Ashley and being a good sister and making sure somebody stood up for her that, until I saw your face, I forgot we like
you
, too.”
    “A little?”
    She grinned. “A little.”
    “Are you sure? Because I don’t want to cause problems between you and your brother, or your old man.”
    “I’m sure. And I know Ashley wouldn’t want you couch-surfing, either.”
    “How’s she doing?”
    Aidan watched Lydia struggle with an answer, even taking a sip of her orange juice before answering. “She’s okay, I guess. Maybe you should call her.”
    “Yeah, maybe.” He slapped his hand on the counter and forced a smile. “I’m running to the corner market for a few things before we head out. You guys need anything?”
    Scotty walked in at that moment, a towel wrapped around his waist while he scrubbed at his hair with another. “What’s going on?”
    “I’m heading to the market. You need something?”
    They were all good, and as soon as Danny was gone, Scotty gave his sister a look. “I didn’t hear any yelling.”
    “It’s all good,” she said. “And I’m supposed to apologize for causing a scene yesterday.”
    “I guess I’m supposed to accept it, then.”
    Aidan shook his head at the strangeness of the Kincaid family dynamics and went into the living room space. The apartment was too open concept to give them any real privacy to make their half-assed apologies, but he didn’t need to stand at the island and watch. He