Hard to Handle

Aiden lowered his head, taking her waiting lips in his. Sadie went loose beneath him, darting her tongue out and tasting the Coca-Cola lingering on his lips. He pulled away from her, something intense dancing in his eyes.

“Sadie,” he murmured. “I—”

“What are you doing?” Lyon interrupted.

Aiden rolled to one side, leaving Sadie like a tree split by lightning. Sadie sat up and brushed grass from her hair and skirt.

“I, uh, was tackling her like you told me to,” Aiden said. He stood and offered Sadie his hand. She took it, loving the buzz of electricity that shot up her arm on contact.

“Looks like kissing to me,” Lyon grumbled, clearly unimpressed.

“How do you know what kissing looks like?” Aiden asked, winking at Sadie.

“Daddy kisses our neighbor sometimes,” Lyon said with a shrug.

Aiden made a funny face and Sadie cracked up, holding her stomach as she laughed. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt lighter.

She wanted the feeling to last as long as possible.

They walked the short distance from the park to Axle’s, Lyon insisting on walking between them, his hands in theirs. Aiden cradled the football and Sadie carried the food bag, and every once in a while, Aiden would look over Lyon’s head and smile at her.

She wondered if she would have moments like this with her own niece or nephew when Celeste had the baby, or if the gaping distance between them would only widen.

In the parking lot, Aiden crossed to a car and a man got out. He was Aiden’s height and build, with longish mostly gray hair and a scar on the side of his face. Lyon let go of Sadie’s and Aiden’s hands and yelled, “Grampa!” The man embraced Lyon, a proud grin on his rugged face.

“I’m going to go in.” Sadie gestured toward the store.

“Not yet.” Aiden clasped her hand and tipped his head in his father’s direction. She tensed as they approached and Aiden must have noticed. He squeezed her hand and pulled her close. “Dad.”

Sadie couldn’t tell if the older man was happy about his son holding her hand or not.

“This is my dad, Mike.” Aiden nodded at his dad. “This is Sadie.”

Mike’s face split into a smile, and the scar on his face pinched beneath his sunglasses.

Sadie tried not to stare. “Nice to meet you.”

“Never thought I’d meet you,” Mike said with a sideways smile reminding her of Aiden’s.

“He means he’s glad to finally meet you.” Aiden shot his dad a warning look.

“Yeah. Was sorry to miss Shane’s wedding. Couldn’t make it down.” He pointed to his face. “Freak muffin tin accident.”

“Dad,” Aiden mumbled.

“I kid.” Mike’s mouth curved. “It was a pizza cutter.” Sadie allowed herself a laugh. Clearly that was Mike’s goal. Before Aiden could reprimand him again, he said, “I hear it was a nice wedding.”

“Very,” she agreed, feeling guilty all over again for the way she’d ignored Aiden. A fresh wave of embarrassment crashed over her when she recalled how much she’d drunk, how she’d asked Aiden to undress her. He’d not only undressed her, but redressed her and tucked her in. How could she have been so mean after all he’d done for her?

“You’re as beautiful as he said.” At Aiden’s penetrating stare, Mike only shrugged. “Just tellin’ the truth, son.”

Four hours later, Sadie was sorting through the final box in the warehouse when she caught a glimpse of Goliath out of the corner of her eye. She tipped her head and smiled at the mountain before her. “Hi, Axle.”

“Window looks good,” he said.

“Thank you.” While digging in the warehouse, she’d found the mannequin’s missing arm and a female mannequin wedged in a corner behind some old signage. Sadie arranged the now fully limbed male and his new mate next to the custom Harley, placed a map on the seat, and drew a path with red marker. She accessorized with matching helmets and a stack of Midwest parts recommended for long-distance travel.

She wasn’t sure if the burst of inspiration had come from finding the discarded mannequin, or the fact that hanging around Aiden reminded her how much better everything was with a partner. Either way, the display finally felt right. Complete.

“Well,” Axle said. “Bye.”

With that, Axle Zoller, man of few words, made his exit. Sadie followed him as far as the store when Aiden stopped her in the hallway. Something in his eyes warned her he meant business. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Um…no?” She smiled hopefully.

He tipped his head in silent reprimand and turned, walking into Axle’s office at the end of the hall. Never one to chicken out, Sadie followed. Even though she was pretty sure this so-called talk had nothing to do with work. She entered the office and found Aiden fidgeting with a stress ball he’d found on Axle’s desk.

“Shut the door for me?”

Panic pinged around her stomach like ricocheting BBs. She thought back to the park as she closed the door with a click. There’d been a moment, a tangible, meaningful moment when Aiden had looked into her eyes and started to say something. Something that started with I. She could only hope he wasn’t planning on finishing the phrase with you and sliding a four- letter word in between.

I love you in any form was frightening, but an I love you from Aiden would be terrifying. Admitting her feelings when she wasn’t sure what they were would make her more vulnerable to him than ever.

“Lyon’s adorable,” Sadie said to fill the void in the room.

“Yeah, he is a very cool kid.” Aiden looked proud for a second, then his smile dropped. “About last night. I thought…maybe I should try to explain.”

Oh no. Worse than the park thing. What did he regret? Staying? That she’d eyed him the way a hungry lioness would meat on a hook?

Aiden licked his lips and opened his mouth to speak. Sadie interrupted before he could.

“I know I was aggressive,” she said. “I shouldn’t have…” Shouldn’t have what? She’d kissed him, unsnapped his jeans, asked him to stay. “Been so needy.” She realized that was an apt description.

“No. No, that’s not—”

“I just felt so sure, you know? I mean, I wanted it. I really wanted it.”

Aiden gave her an anguished look.

Nervously, she continued. “It was the first time I’d ever—” Oops. Back up. She hadn’t meant to go there. “I think I was overly excited.”

“Sadie, I—”

“But propositioning you was wrong. Especially when you weren’t interested in”—she gestured at his crotch with a wave of her hand—“you know. I can understand if you don’t want to—”

“Sadie,” he interrupted again, this time sternly. His expression softened, his eyebrows rising. “Please let me speak.”

Well. She’d tried to head him off. She nodded her reluctant agreement.

Aiden ran a hand through his hair, looking none too happy about whatever he was about to tell her, which made Sadie more nervous. Maybe he’d decided he didn’t want to see her any longer. What if he’d had a change of heart since the park?

“I want to.” Aiden pinned her with a deadly serious look. “Trust me. Where you’re concerned, there isn’t much I don’t want to do with you.”

Sadie’s heart beat double time. She reached for her earring, spinning the stud in her ear and trying not to faint. That…might have been the best news she’d heard today.

“But…”

Or not.

“…I promised myself…ah, I sort made a decision.” Aiden dropped the stress ball on the desk and pointed an