Broken Wings

Part Seventeen - Desire and need

Chapter Seventeen

As she crossed the room, Julia felt her anger dissipate, she was suddenly exhausted. This was all so draining and she had no idea how to deal with the presence of this man. And she already had so much to do, so much occupying her brain.

Aaron's eyes didn't leave hers as she approached him, and she could see the almost grin on his face. But he was fighting it that was his saving grace.

"This is a coincidence," he announced before she had chance to open her mouth. "Before you start flaying me with that vicious tongue of yours."

That stopped her, "vicious tongue?" Her mouth fell open as she stared at him for a moment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He shrugged, staring down at her, "I'm just waiting for you to accuse me of all sorts. That's what usually happens."

That hurt. She was reasonable, wasn't she?

"You make out like I'm some sort of hysterical woman."

Again he merely shrugged, "my buddy dragged me here, it's not something I normally do."

She stared at him for a long moment; he looked so different without his glasses. Not better, not worse...just different. He turned and nodded his head towards the bar, "drink?"

Julia nodded, "gin and tonic?"

Screw the not drinking thing. She needed something to steady her nerves. Old habits die hard her inner monologue warned her, but she wasn't listening to that any more. Turning his back to her, he leaned on the bar, until the barmaid came over to him. She was left with the view of his shoulders, surprisingly broad in his dark t-shirt, and his arse, clad in denim. She'd never seen him in anything other than a suit, so to see he actually had an arse, and an awesome one at that, stunned her.

She was still gawping at him when he turned back and handed her a drink.

"You ok?" His smirk told her he knew what she'd been doing, and that killed her.

Trying to shrug nonchalantly, she offered, "didn't recognise you without your glasses, what's that all about?"

He lifted what looked like a glass of whisky, before he smiled, "contact lenses. But I can't deal with computer screens with them, so I kind of live in my glasses."

"They suit you, make you look like some boffin."

He spurted with laughter, almost spraying her with his drink, "a boffin? I've been called many things..."

Aaron watched her smile seductively, and felt his body surge in response, he'd been sporting an almost erection since their encounter on the weekend, and now he was glad that the thick denim of his jeans, hid what his suit trousers would struggle to.

"You are all a bit nerdy, a bit geeky."

It was his turn for his eyes to widen as he leaned towards her, "you...YOU the museum geek, calls me, the high powered software worker a nerd?"

Her smile was satisfactory, she loved winding him up, and he loved her winding him up, just as much.

Shaking his head lightly, he drained his drink, "I like it when we get on, when we can joke..."

She clammed up and he wanted to punch himself, what was he doing, goading her when he knew she was finding things hard.

"Don't run away...talk to me."

Shrugging she stared at him, "nothing to say, I don't want to discuss anything more than this. What we have here."

He pondered that for a moment, "so you're saying we'll never discuss the kiss?"