“No, not really.” I shook my head, and he put his hand to his ear and growled.
“You don’t hear that?”
“No, and thank God. If I heard that sound coming from your engine, I wouldn’t still be in your car.”
“Touché.” He laughed. “Okay, are you ready to eat?”
“I’ve been ready.”
“How is your knee?” His right hand reached down and touched my leg. My skin tingled as his fingertips gently brushed across my skin and to my kneecap.
“It’s okay. It tingles a bit, but it will be okay.”
“Good.” His fingers moved back up my leg and up my thigh, and my breath caught as they worked their way towards the middle of my leg. “I love your dress, by the way,” he said and moved his fingers back to the steering wheel.
“Thank you,” I said and looked over at him. “You look very dapper in your shirt and tie.”
“I’m glad you appreciate the tie.”
“I always appreciate a tie,” I said, and he looked at me with a smile.
“In all circumstances.”
“Yes,” I said, barely breathing as he gazed at me.
“Good.” He changed the gears suddenly and pulled out into the street.
“Where are we going?” I asked him as we zipped along the road with the other cars.
“I figured I’d take you out for a nice steak dinner,” he said as I adjusted in the seat and fiddled with the radio. “Anything but Top 40, please.”
“What’s wrong with Top 40? I love Top 40.”
“I don’t need to hear Katy Perry or Beyoncé screeching in my ear about how they love being single.”
“They don’t screech. And they aren’t single.” I rolled my eyes at him. I stopped on a country music station and looked at him. “Is this better?”
“Nope. I don’t want to hear about anyone taking their dog and their pickup truck to the lake to get over their ex.”
“That’s horrible.” I laughed. “Not every country music song is about pickup trucks.”
“There’s enough for me to veto this station.”
“What about this one?” I stopped it on a Spanish station and we listened to a man singing his heart out.
“I have no idea what he’s saying.” Aiden frowned. “Something about balancing?”
“No, he’s talking about dancing.” I laughed. “Bailamos is what he’s saying, not balancing. Bailamos doesn’t even sound like balancing.”
“Hmm, I don’t mind listening to this station if you’re going to continue talking to me in Spanish.”
“Oh?” I asked him curiously. “All I said was bailamos.”
“And you sounded sexy saying it. I have a thing for Spanish accents.”
“My accent isn’t even that good.”
“It’s good enough, my sexy señorita.”
“Oh, Aiden.” I rolled my eyes.
“Say Aiiiden.” He drawled out his name as he said it with an accent.
“Or maybe I’ll call you Juan.”
“You can call me whatever you want, señorita.”
“You’re an idiot,” I said, and we both laughed.
“Seriously, though. I’m glad you came to dinner with me tonight.
“It’s not like you really gave me a choice,” I said. “It was more of an order.”
“Well, thanks for obeying orders.”
“You’re welcome,” I said, and he reached over and squeezed my hand.
“So I wanted to talk about the—” he said at the same time that I said “What’s going on with you and Elizabeth?”
“So I guess we’re both ready to talk, then?” He looked at me with a smile. “What did you want to talk about first?”
“What were you going to say?”
“I wanted to talk to you about that night you came to my room.”
“Oh, again.”
“I wanted you to know that I don’t want to be your best friend’s creepy older brother.”
“You’re not creepy at all.”
“Sometimes I think I am.” His voice sounded frustrated. “You and Liv have been best friends for so long, and I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to horn in on that relationship.”
“Aiden, I don’t know if you remember, but I was the one who snuck into your bed. Not the other way around,” I said with a small laugh. “I was the one who wanted you.”
“I wasn’t sure if I’d led you on.”
“How had you led me on?” I asked curiously.
“You know, when I used to tutor you,” he said and glanced at me before switching lanes.