KRISTI GOLD - The Mummy Makeover / Mummy for Hire - The Mummy Makeover / Mummy for Hire

She wondered if Kieran had given her any thought since she’d left the club—given their kiss any thought. More than likely, he’d probably blow it off and go about his business, never to think about it again.

“That was one hot redhead you were ‘working out’ with, Kieran.”

As predicted, Kieran would be forced to defend himself before he’d even entered the door of his parents’ house. He’d already given himself a sufficient chastising for letting things get out of hand with Erica, and for reliving that kiss over and over in his mind most of the previous night.

“I told you, Aidan, she’s a client. End of discussion.”

“If you say so.”

At least his brother had enough class to make sure no one else was standing in the driveway before he’d started hounding him. Speaking of driveways…the minute he’d pulled up, he’d noticed the place wasn’t the usual parking lot. “Where is everyone?” Kieran asked as he followed Aidan up the steps to the porch.

“It’s just me, you, Corri and Dad. Devin’s on call and Stacy’s at her parents’ house with the boys,” he said. “Since J.D.’s with his dad, Jenna and Logan went away for the weekend.”

“Which means she’ll be pregnant by tonight.”

Aidan laughed. “Probably. Anyway, Kevin’s—”

“Not around.” Nothing new there. Kieran never expected to see his twin at family gatherings these days. “Where’s Mom?”

“She went over to Mallory’s to deliver chicken soup because Whit and the girls have colds, and that means we get sandwiches.”

“No pot roast?” Their mother’s cooking was the high point of Kieran’s week and one of the primary reasons he made an effort to be there.

“No pot roast today. But I don’t care as long as the twins aren’t here to expose the kid to a virus.”

“Which kid?”

Aidan frowned. “My kid. Emma, in case you’ve forgotten.”

Maybe he did need a chart. “Oh, yeah. I remember her now. Cute baby, curly blond hair, looks like her mother, thank God.”

“You’re damned hilarious.” Aidan pulled the screen open but continued to block the entry. “By the way, Emma’s asleep in our old room, so be quiet.”

Kieran could handle quiet. His father, on the other hand, didn’t know the meaning of the word.

He stepped inside to find Aidan’s wife, Corri, seated on the sofa, a tray of sandwiches set out on the coffee table before her, and his dad, good old Dermot, fast asleep in his favorite lounger.

Corri straightened and smiled. “Hey, Kieran. Glad you could make it. We were beginning to feel like pariahs.”

Aidan dropped onto the sofa and rested his hand on Corri’s thigh. “I was kind of enjoying the silence for a change.”

After grabbing a soda from the fridge in the kitchen and a ham sandwich from the tray, Kieran took the chair kitty-corner from the TV, focusing on the football game in an effort to ignore Aidan, who’d started nuzzling Corri’s neck. He sure as hell didn’t need to see overt displays of affection. He did need to finish eating, get out of there fast and go to the club to work off some excess energy while considering his current predicament—Erica Stevens. Maybe even fantasize about Erica Stevens. A little fantasy never hurt anyone, as long as he didn’t go down the reality road again.

“Aidan tells me he met your girlfriend, Kieran,” Corri said. “Is this the former gymnast Mallory mentioned to me a few days ago?”

If he hadn’t already swallowed the bite of sandwich, he would’ve choked. “Yeah, she’s the former gymnast. And no, she’s not my girlfriend. I’m her personal trainer.”

“I’m thinking you’d be a wise man to make her your girlfriend, son.” Apparently his dad had been roused from his nap by his normal curiosity, as well as his penchant for making his opinions known.

“Why is that, Dad?” Aidan asked, although Kieran wished he hadn’t.

Dermot released a gruff chuckle. “Because I hear gymnasts are a flexible lot.”

Aidan and Corri laughed in response. Kieran didn’t. Nothing about the remark was funny. Neither were the explicit images of Erica now running through his mind. Images he pushed away for the time being.

After wolfing down the sandwich and soda in record time, Kieran escaped to the kitchen to discard the trash. If he played his cards right, he could be out the door before the next round of verbal grilling.

“Leaving already, Kieran?”

Kieran glanced to his right to see his brother hovering in the doorway. So much for a fast getaway. “Yeah. I need to stop by the club before I head home.”

Hands in pockets, Aidan strolled into the room. “Another floor-mat training session with the gymnast?”

A few years back, Kieran would’ve attempted to knock the smirk off his brother’s face, even if Aidan did have three inches on him. They’d all learned how to fight by fighting each other. But he was more mature now, and throwing a punch in his mother’s kitchen wasn’t a banner idea. Instead, he chose a partial lie, not a fist, for his weapon of choice. “I have to do some paperwork, Aidan. That’s what you deal with when you own two businesses.”

Aidan leaned back against the cabinet and studied Kieran with blatant skepticism. “She’s getting to you, isn’t she?”

Kieran opened the pantry door and tossed the can into the recycle bin. “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Another lie.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Maybe I should say who I’m talking about. You’ve got a thing for the redhead.”

Kieran slammed the pantry door and whirled around. “I told you, she’s a client.”

“Yeah, that’s what you said, but I’m not buying it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so defensive when someone brings her up. You’d just ignore all the comments, but you’re feeling too guilty to do that.”

Unfortunately, Aidan happened to be right on target, even though Kieran didn’t plan to admit it. “Look, she’s a nice woman who wants to get into shape. She doesn’t have a lot of money, so her daughter came to see me and asked me to help out. I’m doing both of them a favor without charge.”

Aidan frowned. “In other words, you’re providing your services for free, and there’s nothing more to it?”

“Yeah.” Lie number three. “Something wrong with that?”

“Not at all, except you’re not telling me everything. Did things go beyond the trainer-client relationship last night after I left?”

Kieran gritted his teeth. “I didn’t sleep with her, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Aidan chuckled. “But you wanted to.”

He hated that his brother read him so well. “Okay, yeah, the thought crossed my mind after I—” Nope, he wasn’t going to go there.

“After you what? Kissed her?”

He didn’t have the energy for another lie. “Yeah.”

Aidan pointed at him. “I knew it.”

“I didn’t plan it. It just happened, and I’m not going to let it happen again.”

“What makes you think you can stop it?”

He didn’t have any choice. “Because it’s unethical. Aside from the standing rules of the profession, you told me yourself that it’s a bad idea to get involved with someone you have a working relationship with, even though you didn’t follow your own advice with Corri.”

Aidan ran a fast hand through his hair. “You’re right, but it turned out okay. Better than okay. And the way I see it, you have two options. You let nature take its course and see what happens. Or you cut if off now, because even if you can bench-press a building, you’re not strong enough to ignore the chemistry.”

He didn’t care for his brother’s options or opinions. “I’m not you, Aidan, so you can kiss my—”