Chapter 9. Double and a Half Date (2)

She had to give him credit. He certainly seemed to be trying. When the invitation arrived, she was in two minds about coming. The Aaron Condor she’d met over two and half years ago now didn’t seem to remember her, leading her to believe that nothing had changed. That he would drop her like a hot potato when he was done with her. Normally that honestly might not have been such a big deal breaker, but she was a queen now with a bounty on her head. She needed a husband, not a fling.

“I do hope you don’t burn the garden down with the fire hazard you’ve created back there,” she said with a smile.

Damn that was some smile he thought, as he pulled out her chair for her. She wasn’t playing with him or trying to tempt him. At least he didn’t think she was. This smile was soft, maybe even real. It reached all the way up to her amber eyes, making them sparkle.

She took her seat and went straight to eating.

“What do you want Aaron?” Aria asked bluntly.

“We’re on a