“Come in,” Therese called. When he did, her nose crinkled up. “You look gross.”

Just great. Aria looked fresh and lovely in a pair of baby-blue shorts and a high-necked shirt, while he looked ‘gross’.

“I probably smell worse,” he admitted.

“Hi,” Aria said softly, chewing on her lower lip. “I thought you’d be working.”

That explained a few things. She hadn’t intended to see him. In fact, she’d probably come in the middle of the day to avoid him.

He shrugged. “I came home for lunch and a quick run. Why are you here?”

“To see Teri,” she replied, stroking the kitten’s stomach.

His sister must have picked up on the tension in the room. “Talk properly,” she said. “I can’t handle your weird silent conversation.”

“We don’t need to talk,” Aria replied at the same time Eli said, “Yes, let’s talk.”

Teri looked from one to the other and raised an eyebrow. “If you’re going to talk, you’d better do it out there.” She pointed at the door. “This is my bedroom, you know.”

Aria looked as if she was considering making a run for it through the open window.

“Please talk to me,” he said.

“Fine,” she agreed, then handed the kitten to Teri and tried to smooth the fur off her shorts.

When they were in the hall, Aria looked him up and down. “How about you have a shower, and we’ll talk afterwards?”

Was he that bad? Eli surreptitiously sniffed his armpit. Yup, he was that bad. “Give me ten minutes.”

Aria’s mouth had gone dry when Eli walked into the room, breathtakingly sexy in running shorts and a singlet. Her brain had gone blank, so she’d done the smart thing and pretended to be disgusted by him. When he came back nine and a half minutes later (she’d timed it), she focused on her chipped fingernails rather than admire the way his damp hair curled against his shoulders.

“What did you want to talk about?” she asked, taking a direct approach.

“Us.” The word was clipped.

“There is no us,” she said. If she wanted him to leave her alone before she lost her dignity and her heart, she needed to push him away. “We made a mistake. I got carried away. I shouldn’t have let it happen, and it won’t happen again.”

“Nice try,” he said, taking a few steps toward her. There was a hint of swagger in his steps, as if he was confident he would win their standoff. “But I’m onto you, princess. You want me.”

Another step forward, and his chest brushed hers. Aria’s hand came up to rest over his heart. She’d been planning to shove him away, but, instead, her fingers fisted the fabric of his shirt, drawing him closer. Maybe it was time to be honest.