He laughs. “Apparently your nap hasn’t brightened your mood any.”
“Shut up.” I curl myself into his side and close my eyes again.
“Don’t get comfortable,” he whispers. “We’re here.”
We get out of the car and I look up at the house in front of me. The cream brick building is four stories high, with a black railing on the first floor surrounding a small balcony. The black wooden front door is sheltered beneath the same balcony, and two perfectly trimmed triangular bushes are above it.
“This is his house?”
“His parents’.” Aaron leads me forward.
He pulls a silver key from his pocket and unlocks the front door. Then he gestures for me to go first, and I step into the gorgeous townhouse. It’s the embodiment of opulence and elegance, despite essentially being a bachelor pad. The tiled floor of the hall stretches forward with several doors coming off of it. I wring my hands in front of my stomach.
Jesus. I thought my house was big.
“Come on.” Aaron takes my hand when the suitcases are lined up in the hall. The small bag we took on the plane is in his other hand. “We’ll freshen up before dinner then put those away.”
He takes me up a winding staircase. Pictures of a young boy and girl adorn the walls as we go, and it’s evident this was very much a family home at one point. As the pictures show the almost-identical children growing up, I turn to Aaron.
“Are your cousins twins?”
He nods. “Yes. Tessa will be getting married next week. We never really got along as kids despite our inclination for our parents’ businesses. I’ll be expected to attend the wedding since we’re here.”
“You sound delighted,” I note, hearing the flat tone of his voice.
He laughs. “Ty and I were boys’ boys. We were forever climbing the trees in the yard and playing soccer and getting all muddy. Tessa is a true lady. She was never seen with a hair out of place even when she was still playing dress-up with her mom’s shoes.”
I smile sadly and look down. Wasn’t I that girl, too?
“This is our room.” Aaron pushes open a heavy door and guides me into the room.
The furniture is all antique style, including the bed, and the sheets covering it are black satin. I groan at the sight of them.
“What’s wrong?”
“Do you know how hard it is to sleep in satin sheets?”
Aaron smirks, and my heart skips a beat at the look in his eyes. “Oh, Day,” he mutters, turning me into him and rubbing his thumb across my bottom lip. “Who said anything about sleeping?”
I smile at the touch of his lips to mine. “I wouldn’t want to disturb your cousin.”
“My cousin goes through women the way you go through Agent Provocateur’s latest collection. It’s impossible to disturb Tyler.”
“Well then.” I reach on my tiptoes and flick my tongue against his mouth. “That’s a different story, isn’t it?”
He slaps my ass. “Stop turning me on and get ready before I bend you over this bed and f**k you into tomorrow morning.”
I take the bag from him and throw him a flirty grin. “Is that supposed to deter me?”
“Dayton.” He growls my name. “The bathroom is next door.”
***
I roll over in bed and stretch my arm out, expecting Aaron to be beside me. When it flops straight to the empty sheets, I force my heavy eyelids open and look at the clock on the nightstand.
Ten thirty. Crap.
My sleeping habits leave a lot to be desired.
Faint voices travel up the stairs and through the small crack in the door. One is Aaron’s, and another one is distinctly British. The second voice has to be Tyler. The low hum of their conversation is broken by a bout of loud laughter. My own lips twitch at the outburst, and I climb out bed.
I haven’t heard Aaron laugh like that in weeks. He has the kind of laugh that trickles through your body and warms your insides. It’s infectious, and I have a burning desire to meet the person who can make him laugh this way.
I should probably get dressed though… I bite my lip as I stare at my suitcase. What do I wear? Doesn’t it always rain in England?
A quick peek out the window proves me wrong. The sun is filtering through a smattering of fluffy white clouds set against a bright blue sky. Not even the ground is wet.
I slip on a simple dress and quietly push the door open. In the light of this day, the house is even more elegant than I thought it was. The frames holding the pictures on the stairs are ornate, and the rail on the staircase is just as fancy.
Clearly, I have simple living tastes.
I walk downstairs quietly. Aaron is standing in the kitchen with his back to me, his suit jacket slung over the back of the chair he’s leaning against. The creak on the bottom stair gives me away, and he turns, a mug of steaming coffee in his hand.
The smile that spreads across his face makes my heart beat double-time. It’s the kind of smile where no words are needed, because everything is said with the curve of your lips. This one says that he’s very, very happy to see me.
“Good morning,” he murmurs, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into him.
“Morning,” I whisper.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Apart from sliding around several times, yes, thank you.”
“Tyler? Jesus. Where are you now?” Aaron looks around the kitchen. “C’mon, man. You can’t eat cookies for f**king breakfast.”
“Never stopped us before.”
The guy who emerges from what I’m guessing is the pantry is almost a carbon copy of Aaron. The only differences are the lack of stubble dotting his jaw and that his eyes are dark brown, not the startling blue of my man’s. His hair is also a little longer and wavier, but the grin that breaks onto his face is identical to Aaron’s.
Tyler puts down the cookie bag and gives me the once-over. I raise an eyebrow, and I immediately understand Aaron’s words from last night. The appreciative way he trawls his gaze over me would melt any other woman.
Aaron clears his throat, and Tyler snaps his eyes to him. “I know the words ‘off-limits’ aren’t something you’re used to, Ty, but look at her that way again and I’ll see to it you’re unable to entertain another woman again.”
God. I love protective Aaron.
Tyler holds his hands up. “I can look and not touch, cuz. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens.” He flicks his eyes to me quickly. “Shame though. I’ll just wait until she’s done with your boring arse.”