will help. In the meantime, you can forward client calls to my cell.â
They talked a few more logistics, and Aiden promised to be in touch daily. Balancing two businesses in two different states would not be a walk in the park, but he was determined to hold on to whatever he could in New York.
His grandfather might take his freedom, but he would not destroy everything Aiden had worked so hard to build.
Aidenâs uncharacteristic urge to curse like a sailor was starting to irritate him. As he snatched one of the cookies Marie had left cooling on the kitchen counter, he contemplated the grim facts. His lawyer hadnât found a way around the legal knots James had tied. There wasnât evidence to have him declared mentally unstable. He was, but then heâd always been. If jackassery could be considered a mental condition. And any legal proceedings to steal guardianship of his mother would take too long. Aiden wasnât willing to chance his motherâs health and well-being. He owed her too much.
So his bad mood was justified, but when he found himself stomping up the narrow back staircase from the kitchen, the taste of chocolate chip cookie lingering on his tongue, he knew it was time to get himself under control. After all, he wasnât a schoolboy or angst-ridden teen. He was a man capable of engineering million-dollar art deals. He could handle one obstinate grandfather and a soon-to-be brideâbut only with a cool head.
As a distraction, his mind drifted to other days blessed with warm cookies, spent playing hide-and-seek or sword-wielding pirates on these dark stairs. The perfect atmosphere for little-boy secrets and make-believe. He and his brothers had also used them to disappear when their grandfather came looking for them. Heâd often been on a terror about something or other. Theyâd sneak down and out the kitchen door for a quick escape.
Aiden stretched his mouth into a grim smile as he rounded a particularly tight bend. Escape was something heâd always excelled at. Except with Ellen Zabinski.
He didnât hear the footsteps until too late. Heâd barely looked up before colliding with someone coming down the stairs. A soft someone who emitted a little squeal as she stumbled. Certain theyâd fall, Aiden surged forward to keep from losing his balance. Christina tried to pull back, but her momentum worked against her. Hands flailed, finding purchase on his shoulders. Her front crushed to his. Their weight pressed dead against each other, stabilizing as two became one.
Everything froze for Aiden, as if his very cells locked down. He managed one strangled breath, filled with the fresh scent of her hair, before his body sprang to life. Her soft curves and sexy smell urged him to pull her closer, so much so that his fingers tightened against the rounded curves of her denim-covered hips. The soft flesh gave beneath his grip.
Heâd been without a woman for far too long. That had to be why he was so off balance. His strict adherence to his âno attachmentsâ rule had led to a lifetime of brief encounters. His last choice had been a wrong one, a woman who wasnât happy when he walked out the door the next morning. It had soured him on any woman since.
Darkness permeated the staircase, heightening the illusion of intimacy. His and Christinaâs accelerated breaths were the only sound between them. They were so close, he felt the slight tremor that raced over her echo throughout his entire body. It took more minutes than Aiden cared to admit for his mind to kick into gear.
âDreamed up more ways to invade my territory, Christina?â
He felt her stiffen against his palms, tension replacing that delicious softness. Just as heâd intended.
Before he could regret anything, she retreated, stabilizing herself with a hand against the wall. âAiden,â she said, prim disapproval not hiding a hint of breathlessness, âIâm sorry for not seeing you.â
Iâm not.
âAnd for the record, Iâm not invading anything. So Iâd thank you to never call me by that stupid nickname.â
It was a sign of his own childhood needs that heâd resented the attention sheâd received here at Blackstone Manor when they were kids, enough to tease her with his invader tag. There had been times heâd felt as if she had invaded their chaotic life, garnering what little positive attention there was to go around. How heâd resented that. To the point that, one hot summer afternoon, heâd spoken harsh words heâd always regret.
âIâm trying to help, Aiden. I really am.â Her voice came out low, intensifying the sense of intimacy.
He had to clear his own throat before he spoke again. âWhy? Iâm nothing to you.â
âAnd I realize Iâm nothing to you, but I care very much for Lily.â
He could feel his suspicious nature, the one that served him so well in business negotiations, kick in. âSo whatâs he have on you, sweetheart?â
Christina didnât pretend not to understand. âLily.â
âWhy? There are other jobs, other people in need of a nurse.â
Her glare was almost visible in the dim light. He should feel lucky he wasnât smoldering under that fire. Instead, a cool brush of air drifted over him as she shifted back on the steps. âIf you had hung around over the past ten years, youâd know that Lily has been like a mother to me. Ever since we were kids.â Pausing to swallow, she looked down for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was once more firm and devoid of emotion. âI understand whatâs being required of me.â
Somehow that monotone didnât make him any happier than her anger, and he couldnât resist the urge to shake her out of it. âYouâd sell yourself to a stranger for what, money? Hoping olâ Granddad will give you a piece of the pie if you work hard enough for it?â
âNo,â she insisted. âIâm not selling myself, but I will sacrifice myself to do what I think is right for Lily.â She reached out in a pleading gesture, but jerked back as her fingertips brushed his chest. A deep breath seemed to stabilize her control. The professional was back. âItâs my belief as a nurse, and as Lilyâs friend, that sheâs conscious of where she is. This house has been her sanctuary since her car accident. I can guarantee that removing her from here will negatively affect her physical and emotional condition. Especially if he puts her inââ a shudder worked its way over her ââthat place. Iâll do whateverâs necessary to keep Lily out of there.... Will you?â
Aiden shifted his legs, wishing he could pace despite the confinement of his surroundings. âWould he really do that to her, you think?â
An unladylike snort sounded in the air, surprising him. But Christina obviously wasnât in the mood to pull her punches. âHave you forgotten that much already? Heâs only become more pigheaded through the years.â
âYou seem to handle him pretty well,â he said, remembering how sheâd stared James down over the medicine.
Her brow lifted in disbelief. âHe only concedes to my medical expertise because heâs afraid of dying.â
âHeâs
