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"No."
Aiden leaned back against the tailgate, all long and lanky, and fixed him with his best limpid expression. Seth choked. The innocent look didn't suit him. He was born with a devilish streak, bouncing from adventure to adventure with the exuberance of an overconfident puppy. It got him into trouble so many times…but Seth had always been there to save him.
"Look, I understand the pride thing—" Aiden began.
Seth interrupted him. "Do you?"
Aiden paused, stuck his tongue in his cheek, and gave it some hard thought. "Naw," he admitted finally, breaking into a grin, "Everyone knows I ain't got no pride."
Seth didn't want to smile, but his lips curled despite his effort to keep a straight face. Aiden took that for assent and let out a victorious whoop before hauling the fencing out of the truck.
Maybe Aiden was right; they couldn't go back—but for the rest of that afternoon, it felt like old times.
Chapter Nine
SETH
There was something satisfying about working side by side with Aiden again. He was energetic and playful but focused when something needed his attention. The work felt lighter, and the hours seemed to fly by for the first time in years.
It wasn't until that evening, while Seth stood in the kitchen, shaping ground beef into burger patties, that he finally realized he wasn't exhausted. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had something left in his tank by the end of the day. He'd been so distracted by Aiden's antics that he hadn't noticed the load being lifted from his shoulders—and Aiden still hadn't left.
He sat at the kitchen table, hat resting by his elbow, his blond curls springing up wildly all over his head. He'd ditched his wet boots and jacket at the door and unbuttoned the top buttons of his collar, making himself right at home, just like old times.
Despite himself, Seth's reluctant gaze kept drifting toward the deep V and the flash of smooth, tan chest beneath his shirt. He watched from the corner of his eye while Aiden dug around in his pocket and produced a bit of cut twine, dangling it over the head of Tessa's fat ginger cat.
"Here, kitty-kitty," Aiden cooed, swinging the twine back and forth. The cat clocked the motion with the golden eyes of a serial killer.
"That cat don't play," Seth warned. "She's gonna scratch your face off."
"She likes me. Nothing with a pulse can resist my powers of persuasion," Aiden shot back cheekily. As he spoke, he bopped the string just a little too low. The cat lashed out with a vicious swipe and sank her claws deep into his wrist.
"Damn!" Aiden cried, knocking his chair over as he scrambled backward.
Seth knew it was coming, but his head still came up with a jerk when Aiden yelled. "I warned you," he said harshly.
"You didn't say she sharpened her claws on a frickin' table saw!" Aiden clutched his wounded wrist to his chest, eyes comically wide. "What is she? Part tiger?"
"Demon," Seth corrected, lips twitching. He grabbed a clean dish towel from a cabinet and took Aiden by the arm, dragging him over to the sink and turning the faucet on blast. "You never know when to leave well enough alone."
"It's part of my charm," Aiden said between thin lips. He winced as he thrust his bleeding wrist under the faucet, watching the watery, pinkish blood streaming down the drain. The sun had drained from his complexion, leaving him a few shades too pale.
"Recklessness doesn't combine well with a low pain threshold," Seth chided.
Aiden stared forlornly at his wound and complained, "I think she opened a vein."
His lashes were so long. Seth had never noticed a man's eyelashes before, not even back when he was a walking bag of hormones and used to pop a boner over the sound of heavy breathing. But he was noticing now. It felt dangerous, allowing Aiden into the only safe space Seth had left. The kitchen was suddenly too warm and far too small. Seth swore he could smell the salt on Aiden's skin. Unbidden, his thumb stroked over the flickering pulse in Aiden's wrist. Just once.
Aiden's eyes shot to his face.
Seth cleared his throat and glanced away. He tore the dish towel into two long strips with his teeth, wrapped the wound, and tied it off. "You'll be fine," he said brusquely. "Just keep some pressure on it while I grill the burgers."
"You mean I get to stay for dinner?" Aiden asked.
The surprised, hopeful note to his question was like a kick in the gut. It reminded Seth of the scrawny kid he used to watch hoofing it across town every day, skipping homework just to load freight at the hardware store until midnight. The kid who'd never been certain of where he belonged until Seth had taken him under his wing and showed him. Here, he'd wanted to say, you belong here.
"Were you planning on leaving?" Seth's tone was harsh with guilt.
"No." A dimple popped in Aiden's cheek. "I was going to force you to kick me out. Besides, I feel woozy now. You don't want me headed back down the mountain with low blood sugar."
