Free Missing (The Brannock Siblings Book 3) by Jessica Wilde Page B

sweet side, all sugary and smiling,
you're Aiden. She's been around a lot more lately."
    Her arms dropped to her sides and her chocolate eyes
widened. I couldn't take my gaze off of her, but I heard Lily gasp and saw her
start to fan herself out of the corner of my eye.
    "I-I… I'm not sweet," Aiden argued, her blush now
covering her neck and collarbone, just above the neckline of her dress. It made
me wonder how far down that blush would go.
    "You are when you want to be and when you want to be,
it's spectacular. Almost as spectacular as when you throw me that sass."
    I needed to stop myself or she was going to run.
    "What's for dinner?" I finally tore my gaze from
her and looked at Lily who was still fanning herself.
    "I, um… gosh, I can't remember," she breathed.
    So much for baby steps.
     
    ***
    The thickness in the apartment faded only slightly during
dinner. I kept my thoughts to myself, but every time I locked eyes with Aiden,
it became that much harder to keep my mouth shut. The brief moments we had
shared in the past - mostly negative and ending in one of us seeking revenge on
the other - suddenly felt like foreplay. Aiden Murphy had a passionate side
that contrasted with the sweet MysteryGirl I had fallen so hard for. She was
strong and stubborn, but so incredibly giving when it came to the people she
loved.
    To say the sexual tension between us felt stifling, was an
understatement.
    Lily noticed, but she was too busy trying to keep Aidy from
throwing her food around her plate. Her occasional wicked grin didn't go
unnoticed, however.
    Dinner was chicken parmesan with garlic bread and the beer I
had brought over. Dessert was ice cream and apple cobbler and so mouthwatering.
It was baffling to see that Lily was an amazing cook and her sister was, well,
the worst cook I had ever seen.
    I didn't bring it up, but the glares from Red every time I
complimented the meal told me she knew exactly what I was thinking.
    Lily asked questions left and right about me and my family.
I told them about Ash and Luke and their upcoming nuptials and about just
finding out that my little sister was pregnant. Lily gushed and asked about a
hundred questions I didn't have the answer to. When is she due? Is she having
morning sickness? Do they have any names picked out?
    Men don't know this shit, do they?
    She acted disappointed when I told her that I only knew she
was pregnant and the wedding was moved up from December. Then she rolled her
eyes and muttered, "Typical".
    Aiden listened as I spoke, commenting here and there, but
never asking one question. Even Little Aiden asked me how old I was and what my
favorite color was.
    "Red," I'd told her without hesitation and winked
at Aiden, wanting to fist pump the air when that blush covered her face once
more.
    When I told them vague details about what had happened to
Ash months before, they were speechless. Then, I explained the situation with
Conall and Emily and how they got together and everything that happened in
between. Telling someone else about it brought back all the melancholy I had
been feeling since I came back to Detroit. I missed my family like crazy and
constantly mulled over the idea of moving closer to them.
    "How do you guys do it?" Lily asked.
    "Do what?"
    "Be cops. Detectives or whatever. How do you deal with
that stuff when you get home? When you're family is so affected by it?"
    I shrugged and took the last bite of my dessert before
saying, "You have to have a support system. My family is the best around
and have been there for me. My dad also had my mom, Luke has Ash, and Con has
Emily now. It works when there is someone at home ready to welcome you back."
    "And you?" This time, it was Aiden.
    "Me?"
    "Yes. How do you do it?"
    I looked at her for a long moment, hoping she could see
everything running through my mind so I wouldn't have to say it out loud. I
hadn't ever had anyone but my family. After Mom died, that hole in my heart
never filled and I knew I'd never be