And then Antonia glanced at the man next to her. Aiden could be that man. That morning, when she’d woken up in his embrace, she’d seen the sleeping face of a content man. His arms had tightened around her body when she shifted against him. He hadn’t wanted to let go. She had especially enjoyed the way his face lit up when she met him by his car. He’d complimented her outfit and gushed over how she styled her hair. Another thing Derek stopped doing long ago. Derek had usually regarded her with spot-inspections that made her feel more doll than woman. Her mother once told her that if a man’s face didn’t brighten when she entered a room, there was something missing.

“What’s on your mind?” Aiden asked, interrupting her thoughts.

“Nothing,” she lied.

“You’re an introspective little lady,” he said, glancing over at her. “When you’re quiet, I feel like you’ve gone somewhere deep.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she said.

“I’ve watched your face when you’re not looking. Your eyes get darker and your nose twitches like a rabbit.”

Antonia was startled. “That’s not true!”

He laughed. “Maybe not like a rabbit.”

“I don’t know when you’ve had the time to observe me like that.”

“I had more than enough time to observe you,” he said.

Antonia blushed. That much was true. “I think my sister and I are generally pretty quiet people.”

“Then I don’t know how you’d feel hanging out with the Byrnes Clan. We’re a pretty loud bunch.”

“Octavia and I were raised by a theatrical woman who was loud enough for everyone,” Antonia said, recalling some particularly embarrassing highlights from her childhood. “But she gives pretty solid advice and she’s...protective over her girls.”

“You’re also very diplomatic,” Aiden noted.

“You enjoy telling me about myself, don’t you?”

He nodded. “I like learning about you.”

Antonia grinned as her gaze drifted toward the scenery. She remembered driving through this a few days earlier and was glad to see it again from a passive position. As they drew closer to the small town of Letterfrack, she grew excited by the change of scenery. Tully Cross was lovely and quaint, but she did want to hang out in a slightly busier area.

“That look on your face is quickly becoming my favorite thing in the world,” he said, parking the car.

Redness flooded her cheeks as she turned to look at him. His masculine energy suffocated her when she was near him. She had already sampled a small taste of his passion and couldn’t imagine what the rest might feel like. “Yeah?”

He saved her from having to reply with anything intelligible by leaning in and giving her a sinful kiss. His lips, pliant and crushing, left fire in their wake as his tongue against her own. She was shocked by her eager response to the touch of his lips as she parted her own and raised herself to meet his kiss. A small moan escaped her throat as she angled her head for more. Before she could drink in the sweetness of it, he pulled away, leaving her aching for more. He sat back, letting her catch her breath, which was quickly getting away from her. Aiden’s gaze roved lazily over her body. “I wanted to do that while I was driving. You’ll let me know if I’m behaving too impulsively, won’t you?” The smoldering flame in his eyes startled her.