Emma smiled. “That’s true. I guess we owe everything to one party, huh?”

Aidan nodded. “Yeah, we sure as hell do!”

***

Chapter One

The shrill sound of a cell phone ringing cut through the hazy levels of Aidan Fitzgerald’s subconscious. Rolling over in bed, he slapped his hand blindly along the nightstand to find it. Once his fingers made contact, he snatched it, rubbed his thumb over the bar and brought it to his ear. “Ello?” he murmured drowsily.

“Please tell me you haven’t forgotten what today is?” his father’s voice boomed into the phone.

With a groan, Aidan pulled himself into a sitting position in the bed. He cupped the phone to his ear and then furiously rubbed the grit and sleep out of his blue eyes. “Good morning to you too, Pop.”

“I swear on all that is holy that if you’re hung-over at your godson’s baptism I will personally beat your ass!”

His father’s words doused him awake. Glancing over his shoulder, he read out the time on the digital clock. 9 am. Three hours before he was expected at Christ the King for his great-nephew’s baptism. Although he was probably the least suited for the job, somehow he managed to let his niece, Megan, convince him to take the role of godfather for her baby, Mason. “I’m not hung-over, Pop. I was just sleeping late. It is Saturday, and not all of us have bodies that are regulated to military time.”

When his father harrumphed disapprovingly into the phone, Aidan formed a perfect picture in his mind of his father’s almost certain indignant expression. He could just see him gripping the cordless phone tight along with his ramrod straight posture as his snowy white head of hair shook disapprovingly. “Yes, I can only imagine you needed the rest after a late night doing God knows what,” Patrick grumbled.

A smirk curved on Aidan’s lips when he thought of the previous nights R-rated escapades. Thinking back didn’t help the morning wood he was already sporting. “Look, I’m awake, and I’ll be there to pick you up at eleven, which will give us a whole hour before the service. Okay?”

“You better be.”

“And miss another guilt trip? I wouldn’t dream of it,” Aidan said before he hung up. He tossed the phone back onto the nightstand. Burrowing back under the covers, he then spooned up against the leggy blonde who had been his Friday Night Fuck Buddy for the last six weeks.

“You have to leave?” Lydia asked with a yawn.

“Not yet,” Aidan replied, snaking his hand up to cup her breast.

As her nipple hardened under his touch, Lydia gave a soft moan. “What was the phone call about?”

He paused in kissing her bare back. “Just my dad. He wanted to make sure I was awake and sober for my godson’s baptism today.”

Lydia snorted. “You’re going to be in church at a baptism?”

“Yep, I’m the godfather,” he replied, pressing his erection into her naked backside.

Teasingly, she wiggled away from him. “I thought godparents were supposed to be moral and spiritual guides for children.”

Aidan chuckled. “Are you trying to say I’m going to be a bad influence for Mason?”

She glanced back at him. “Come on, Aidan. You’re the last person on earth who needs to be giving any guidance to a kid. All you know is drinking and f**king.”

“And I’m pretty damn good at both of them, aren’t I?”

Lydia giggled. “You and that ego of yours.”

“Can we please stop talking?”

“Except for dirty stuff?”

“Exactly.” Aidan nibbled his way up her bare shoulder. “Today is going to be such an emotional hassle. I just want to forget about all that shit by f**king you senseless. Your body is always such a good distraction.”

Instead of warming to his touch, Lydia stiffened. “So basically you want to use me?”

Aidan’s lips stilled on her neck. “No, that’s not what I meant.”

She whipped her head back to pin him with an icy stare. “That’s sure what it sounded like.”

He gave a frustrated grunt. “Wow, that’s a nice 180 on the emotions.”

“Well, excuse me that I don’t take too kindly when a man insinuates that I’m only good for screwing his mind off of things.”

“That’s not what I meant. But don’t try to call what this is between us more than it really is.”

She cocked her eyebrows. “And what do you consider us?”

“We’re f**k buddies, Lydia. What is it exactly that we do if it’s not use each other for sex?”

“I think what we’ve been for the last six weeks is a little more than your clumsy summation,” she snapped.

“Oh Christ, don’t tell me you’re now looking for an invitation to go with me to my godson’s baptism today?”

“I’m sure as hell not. I was just making conversation.”

Aidan shook his blonde head. “I can see where this is going. You think meeting my family will magically make us more than two people who meet for sex once or twice a week?”

Sliding away to the edge of the bed, she pulled the sheet against her chest before glaring at him. “You can be a real ass**le, did you know that?”

Aidan threw up his hands in frustration. “Right now all I know is I’m confused at what the hell is your problem? I thought we’d been having a lot of fun together, and we could have some more—specifically before I had to leave for a real hellish day.”

“We were having fun, but I don’t want to be used by you, Aidan. No woman likes the idea that she’s just a piece of ass to be used whenever or however some jackass wants to, especially when he wants to emotionally check-out for a while. I am a person, you know, with feelings.”

Oh Fuck. Here it was. The ‘I want more’ conversation that inevitably ruined every good friends with benefits or hook-up situation he had ever been a part of. Things had been going so great with Lydia. He’d met her one night after work at his favorite hang-out, O’Malley’s. They’d done an hour or so of drinks with the typical mindless get to know you conversation before going back to her place for the hottest sex he’d had in a long time.

After the third round of sex when he was crawling out of her bed to leave, he’d broached the subject of meeting up once or twice a week. Still in a sex haze, she’d been more than willing. So for the last six weeks, he’d been well satisfied by what they had, and he wanted nothing more.