My Aussie Guy - Liz Lovelock Page 0,20

and takes off down the hallway, cursing along the way.

“What’s wrong?” I ask, sitting up.

Aiden sits back on the bed, now dressed in his basketball gear, and pulls his shoes on. “I’m late for practice.”

I furrow my brows and purse my lips. “On a Sunday?”

Then he stops. His head drops, and laughter leaves his mouth. “Gee, don’t I feel stupid. Those fellas played me.”

I smile. “Yep, I bet you do.”

He turns. “You wanna go grab breakfast?”

I nod. “Sure. Why not?” I reply, secretly trying to compose myself so I don’t leap up and cheer.

He actually wants to spend time with me.

Me…

We walk toward the campus café, my place of work, which reminds me I need to check my hours for next week.

“So, what are you studying?” Aiden asks.

The sun heats my back as we walk. I turn to him. “I want to help special needs kids. So, kind of like a speech therapist or occupational therapist. My mother wants me to be a doctor”—I screw up my nose—“or something professional like that.” The word doctor rolls off my tongue like a foul taste.

“What’s that about? You don’t seem too impressed with what your mother wants.”

I shrug. “Since she’s a single mom, and she’s slaved away at job after job to get me into college, she feels it’s her place to dictate what I study. I guess that’s why my brother has chosen to travel and keep his distance.”

“That must be hard,” he says as he turns toward me.

“It is what it is. There have been plenty of fights and arguments over what I want to study. With every phone call I get from Mom, she has mastered how to make me feel guilty, even though I’m a straight-A student and pass all my classes. It somehow doesn’t feel like it’s enough for her.” Aiden remains silent. “Anyway, enough about me and my drama. What about you? What are your plans with school and travel?”

“I don’t really have a plan. I’m enrolled in this college for the semester, and then I will decide if I should move on to another place or stay.” He sighs, running his fingers through his hair. “I also know what it’s like to have a parent who thinks they own the kind of person you’re going to become… My dad wants me to take over the family business.”

“Oh yeah? What’s the family business?”

“Let’s see. He’s a lawyer, his father was a lawyer, and his father…” he trails off. “You catchin’ my drift here?”

“Oh, so he wants you to be a lawyer?” She laughs sarcastically.

Aiden nods. “Yeppers, and I’m not overly interested in doing that. I’m all for extreme sports and sports in general. I don’t care much for the stress of being what they want me to be.” His voice becomes low and void of his usual happy self.

“Does it make you angry?”

“Not so much angry… more annoyed. My father didn’t want me to come here, because if I’m here, then he can’t run my life or the schooling I want to do. I want to experience everything and be happy.” Aiden looks up to the blue sky and takes a deep breath.

“I understand. If I could do things like what you’re doing, I would. I guess that’s why I don’t back down from dares. They push me out of my comfort zone. They give me an opportunity to experience things on a different level.”

Aiden takes my hand and stops. My heart rate spikes, and I stare down at our locked hands, then back up to his face. His beautiful features hold my attention and bring butterflies to my stomach.

“So, you keen to do the cliff jump?”

My stomach plummets to the ground beneath me, all good feelings now gone. “I’ll admit, I’m petrified, like to the point where it makes me feel sick with anxiety.” I laugh nervously.

He squeezes my hand. “Let’s start with the easier of the two dares. Fishing?”

My nose screws up. “I’ve been fishing once before, and it wasn’t much fun. In fact, it was boring.”

“You acted as though you hadn’t been the other night when I put it to you.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Aussie guy.” I give him a wry smile while waggling my eyebrows at him. “And I bet you thought you had gotten me.”

Aiden steps closer, shoulders squared, and his face staring down at me. Heavy eyes stir up the butterflies in my stomach again. “Oh, I’m sure I could read you like a book, you