Page 37 of Sinful Negotiations

“Are you close to them?”

Tessa’s gaze drifted to the water again. “When I was younger, I was. They are an odd couple. My aunt can’t do anything for herself, and my uncle is absorbed with money. I didn’t understand until I was in my teens, and vowed I’d never be second in someone’s life. My grandparents showed me what real love should be like. I spent many weeks with them when I was younger. After grandfather died, my grandmother moved in for the last fifteen months of her life.”

The idea he could be in her family’s home brought a touch of sadness because he doubted it would ever happen. Chandler James was an asshole, and the aunt a coldhearted snake. To avoid the subject, he offered the fishing pole to her.

“I could’ve done it myself,” she stated, but gripped the pole in her hand.

Aidan shrugged. “I’m sure you could, but I enjoy doing things for you.”

The smile she bestowed on him ripped the breath from his lungs. “Such a gentleman,” she said, before jumping to her feet,finding the perfect spot, and casting her line. Once she fed a bit of slack into the water, she slid into one of the lawn chairs, crossed her legs, and focused her attention on fishing.

His mouth gaped watching her execute the sport with the precision of a professional fisherman.

She was the one without a doubt.

Chapter 32

The heat in his stare inflamed her more than the morning sunshine warmed her face. Details from her life were much too easy to share with him when she shouldn’t, but theshouldn’t haveson her list grew longer with each passing second, and they had ditched the rules.

Trouble, heartbreak, and permanent scars were all on the horizon. Everyone thought or assumed Aidan was consumed with profit and nerves of steel, but she saw a different side to him. He’d been nothing but considerate and fun since they first met, and this wasn’t the real Aidan Cross. She’d bet money on it.

With the whizz of his line, she chanced a quick glance over her shoulder. His jeans were cuffed to his shins, and bare feet dangled in the water. He’d discarded his shirt and reclined against his palms. Delicious and down to earth, no one would believe he was an FBI agent. Tessa licked her lips, admiring the view of a virile man in his element.

“You should come sit that hot ass next to me.”

His comment brought a devious chuckle. She’d been caught ogling but didn’t care. “I’m good. You just keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ll do what I do.” Tessa returned her eyes to her line, where they belonged, but was curious about the man in her life. He hadn’t revealed much. “What were you like as a kid?”

“Gangly, scrawny, shy, and poor. I shared a room with my sisters for the longest time. My dad was a brick layer. It wasn’t until we relocated to Lexington that he picked up steady work.”

“I always wished for siblings.”

“We are close now. It wasn’t until later in life that we learned to appreciate each other. For the longest time they considered me a pain in the ass.”

Tessa heard the smile in the comment and liked it. There were so many layers to this man.

“And you still are a pain in the ass.”

Aidan chuckled, but Tessa turned her attention to the newcomer. A pretty woman with dark hair, the same shade as Aidan’s, poised on the edge of the dock with a small cooler in her hand. “Hi there. I’m Jeanie, Aidan’s sister. You must be Tessa.”

“Hello.” Tessa nodded at the cooler. “I sure hope you brought food because your brother is starving me. I thought I’d have to catch my own dinner!”

Jeanie gave her brother a stern glance before plopping in the chair beside hers. “I hope you like cold fried chicken, potato salad, bread, chocolate chip cookies, and a soda to wash it down?”

Tessa laid one hand over her heart. “My new best friend.”

After removing the small feast from the cooler, Jeanie relaxed beside her. “I see you know your way around a fishing pole.”

“Damn straight I do,” Tessa mumbled with her mouth full. “Sorry. This is good. You’ll have to give me your recipes.”

Chapter 33

And just like that, Tessa won the heart of his sister. He nibbled on a chicken leg while the two chatted nonstop, observing and groaning with every embarrassing story from his childhood. By noon, his sister confiscated his fishing pole. It didn’t bother him because he learned more about Tessa.

By two o’clock each had caught a fish, and he laughed watching them unhook the slippery creatures. Had it not been for Tessa’s quick reaction, Jeanie would’ve fallen over the side of the dock. They had fun together, and Tessa needed that in her life. He hated to see his sister go, but it was time for another adventure when a speedboat rumbled across the water toward the dock.

Tessa pointed to it, admiring the black hull splitting the water. His sister smiled but didn’t offer any information. “Is that your boat?”

A wicked grin spread at her question and the astonishment on her face. “Is itbig enoughfor you?”