Executive Seduction. KRISTI GOLD

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СКАЧАТЬ hair back from her shoulder, but instead of pressing his lips against her lips, he brushed a warm, lingering kiss on her neck, right below her ear. “Remember, if you need anything, Corri, all you have to do is ask.”

      Before she could even recover from that simple, albeit sexy gesture, before she could answer his proposition, he was out the door. And she must be out of her mind to be so incredibly attracted to Aidan after what she’d been through. One O’Brien brother in her life had been quite enough, even though Aidan was the polar opposite of Kevin.

      He was also extraordinarily sexy. And strong. And tempting. Tonight she had noticed the little things about him, like how his green eyes seemed to change color at times—darker when he was serious. Lighter when he smiled, which he didn’t do often enough. Of course, if he did, she would be melting like a good chocolate fondue on a regular basis.

      Corri shook herself out of the daze and forced herself back into reality. Through her parents’ example, she’d learned to avoid overriding chemistry in a relationship at all costs. Once the passion between Bridgette and James Harris had played out, there had been nothing left—except an adolescent girl who’d become caught in the middle of her parents’ ongoing war for years.

      For that reason, among others, exploring more than friendship with Aidan was very ill-advised, because if the underlying passion finally exploded, she wasn’t certain she could resist being in Aidan’s line of fire.

      When the head-turning man entered the crowded exercise arena, Corri did a double take, and almost hurled herself off the treadmill before she had the presence of mind to turn the thing off. For a split second, she’d thought she was about to confront her past.

      She should have known it was Kieran, not Kevin, coming toward her, even though they were mirror twins. Over the months, she’d come to recognize the physical differences. They shared the same dark hair and eyes, but Kieran was left-handed, and much more buff. That stood to reason considering he was a personal trainer and owner of three successful gyms, including the one she was standing in at the moment.

      When Kieran reached her, Corri smiled, even if an exact replica of her ex-fiancé was the last thing she wanted to see right now. “Hey, Kieran.”

      “Hey, Corri.” He straddled the weight bench next to the treadmill. “I’m probably the last person you want to see right now after Kevin’s stunt.”

      She added mind-reader to the list of differences. “Then you’ve heard all about it.”

      “I saw it,” he said. “I made sure the show was on in the gyms yesterday afternoon.”

      Oh, great. The physically fit population of Houston was probably questioning her mental fitness. “Normally, I might thank you for that, but after my little tantrum, you might want to ban me in order to keep your male customers safe.”

      He grinned. “I’m not worried about that. I am worried about you, and I apologize for Kevin being an ass.”

      “It’s not your fault, Kieran. I know you’re not your brother’s keeper.”

      “Don’t think I haven’t been in the past, Corri. He’s done some pretty unforgivable things to me. So if you want me to beat him up, let me know. I’ve been looking for another good excuse for a while now.”

      At least most of the O’Brien brothers had honor, even if Kevin hadn’t retained that from the gene pool. “Aidan’s already had a talk with Kevin. Not that it did any good.”

      “I’m surprised Aidan didn’t lay him out, considering how he feels about you.”

      “He’s a good friend,” she said.

      Kieran gave her an incredulous look. “You think that’s all he wants to be to you, Corri?”

      “I have no reason to believe anything else.” Not exactly the truth. Though she’d consciously denied the subtle signs for months, they had always existed: in the heated looks he gave her, in the light touches that to most people would appear innocent. In the way he said her name—and somehow she knew exactly how it would sound coming from his mouth if he made love to her—soft, low and sexy. And she couldn’t discount last night, or that day in the kitchen….

      “What about that kiss back on St. Patrick’s Day?” Kieran asked, hurling Corri out of her mental musings.

      My gosh, he was psychic. Her mouth dropped open momentarily before she snapped it shut. “You know about that?”

      “Almost everyone knows about it.”

      Great. Just great. “Define almost.”

      “If you’re worried Mom knows, don’t be. But all the boys, including Kevin, know about it. I’m not sure about Mallory or Dad.”

      And she thought she’d suffered all the shock humanly possible in the past two days. “Did Aidan tell you?”

      “Are you kidding? Aidan never tells anyone anything. Kevin saw the two of you together.”

      Corri found the fact that Kevin had never mentioned it unfathomable. “Does Aidan know everyone knows?”

      “I doubt it. It’s no one’s business but yours and Aidan’s.”

      She flipped a hand in dismissal. “It doesn’t matter anyway. It was just one of those things. Something that happened months ago. I’d forgotten all about it.”

      Kieran looked doubtful, and rightfully so, considering Corri was lying. “Whatever you say. But I tell you one thing, if given the chance, Aidan would be with you in a heartbeat. And a word of warning. When Aidan wants something, he always gets it, so be prepared.”

      Aidan hadn’t been prepared for Corri storming into his office, wearing a pair of black form-fitting yoga pants and a bright-blue windbreaker. Her hair was piled on top of her head, with a few gold strands framing her flushed face. Every inch of her shouted sex, and Aidan’s libido was definitely listening.

      After closing the door, she leaned back against it as if her legs might not hold her up. “I’m glad you’re here.”

      He could say the same thing to her. “I thought I told you to stay home for a few days.”

      “I went to the gym and ran into Kieran. He told me something I wanted to share with you.”

      When she strode to his desk at a fast clip and braced her hands on the edge, he recognized she meant business. “Did you know Kieran knows about the kitchen?” she asked.

      He closed the lid on his laptop and kept his gaze trained on her face, even though he wanted to give her a slow once-over. “I take it he saw the show yesterday.”

      “Not that kitchen.” She pulled back the chair opposite him and collapsed into it. “I’m talking about that day at your parents’ house back in March. At the party. In your mother’s kitchen. In fact, he told me all your brothers know about it, including Kevin.”

      That would probably explain Kevin’s persistence in pursuing Corri. His little brother was nothing if not competitive. “I really don’t give a damn who knows about it, Corri. I didn’t take you up against my mother’s china cabinet.” Aidan tried to push away the images that comment evoked, without success. “It was only a kiss.”

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