Aiden was at a loss for words. Looking at Colton's serious expression made him pull his hand back. He didn't expect his reaction to be so negative towards him. A million things went through his thoughts as he came up with what to say.
But Claire spoke before he could say anything. "Cut it out Colton he'll misunderstand." She said as she shook her head and sighed. "And just so you know, you're still a terrible liar."
"Dammit Cece." Colton said as his intimidating expression morphed into his usual friendly and approachable one. "Why do you have to ruin it? I at least get to act brotherly don't I? I mean it's my job to bully the new boyfriend."
To Colton's surprise, Claire didn't deny that he was her boyfriend. She simply blushed again and stayed silent. A large teasing smirk formed on his face. "Oh? So you're not gonna deny it now?"
Claire felt a if her face would melt off from all the hard core blushing she had gone through in the last couple of minutes. Feeling like dying from all of the embarrassment, she quickly found a way to leave. "I-I'm going to shower." Turning to face Aiden she tried to sound as calm as possible. "Please, make yourself comfortable." She then started to walk towards one of the doors next to the kitchen. Taking the chance that Aiden wasn't looking at her, she gave her brother a death stare. It was a silent message he knew all too well.
As soon as she closed the door behind her, Colton looked up at Aiden. "Guess I can't keep up with the act huh?" He chuckled. "Colton Collins." He stretched his good arm out towards Aiden who took it with an obvious relieved expression.
"To be honest, you really had me for a second there." Aiden said as he chuckled too. After he shook Colton's hand, he did so with Ben also.
"Being in this wheelchair isn't all that intimidating. So the least I could do was throw you off track." Without waiting for Ben, Colton slowly started to wheel himself towards the sitting area. Seeing his master struggle, Ben immediately aided him. After he positioned him next to one of the lounge chairs, he pulled him up to help him into it with as much care as possible. He then placed a cushion on top of the coffee table and lifted his leg, which would stay in a cast for a while, to make him more comfortable. Colton's sighed as he gave up and accepted the help. He knew he needed it, but feeling so useless was torture for him.
Aiden joined him by sitting down on the sofa. They were facing each other when Ben spoke. "I'll take my leave now. If you need anything don't hesitate to call Master Colton." He slightly bowed his head in their direction before leaving.
"So guessing by the fact that she ran away after just a bit of my brotherly teasing, I can assume it's now official between you too?" Colton asked as he looked at Aiden.
"It is." Aiden replied.
"You're a quick one aren't you?" Colton understood Claire didn't want him to mess with Aiden, but what good brother wouldn't?
Aiden chuckled as he crossed one of his legs over the other. Settling back into his seat, he made himself more comfortable. 'He won't let me off that easily will he?' He thought to himself.
"Not really. It's just that your sister is an amazing woman. Only a fool would waste time and risk loosing his chance." Although Aiden didn't know it, his words were like daggers thrown Colton's way.
Anna's face immediately flashed in his head. Wasting time wasn't ever his style either. But when a heart is clouded with grief, fear and self doubt, it can make any person derail from their true selves. And that's exactly what happened to Colton. But he wouldn't let that happen again.
"True. She is amazing." Colton said as he pushed all other thoughts aside and focused on the conversation. His eyes chest filled with pride and his eyes turned soft. "Honestly speaking, she's whatever comes after absolutely amazing. She is as kind as she is selfless. A freakishly good baker with an outstanding green thumb. A force to be reckoned with as a fighting opponent. An outstandingly loving mother, sister and friend. And not to mention the fact that she turns into the She Devil herself when it comes to conducting business." Colton praised his sister without a hint of embarrassment. Nothing but pure sincerity and love could be sensed in his words. Being so close to someone like her was not only something he felt proud of, but is was also an honor to him. A feeling only life experiences would help him realize over the years.
"So before I let you try to get any closer to my family, I'll ask you once." Colton's eyes sharpened as his facial expression turned serious. "What makes you think you're worthy of her?" His voice stayed the same, but Aiden knew that even if the man he was looking at was in casts and recovering from a near death experience, he was not to be taken lightly. The mere fact that he even dared to speak to Aiden as if he were a mere nobody from the minute he saw him was enough to let him know that he didn't fear him in the least. But, it was the look in Colton's eyes that let him know he wouldn't hesitate to do everything in his power to make his life a living hell.
And judging by everything Aiden had seen Claire do, and especially after suspecting that he didn't know enough about them, he had no doubt that he wouldn't have much trouble in doing so. He didn't feel especially threatened by him, since Aiden was a man with very few fears that would truly worry him, but Colton was Claire's brother. And so far, he proved himself to be nothing but a concerned and doting one. Not necessarily his enemy.
Unless Aiden's turned him into one.
Aiden smiled inwardly. The thought that he, The Aiden Villan, king of an empire worth billions and feared by both day and night wasn't enough for Colton's little sister, was heartwarming. Not being fawned over and offered his sister on a silver platter as a way to gain his favor, something that would happen practically daily, was truly refreshing. Aiden couldn't help but admire the fearlessness that apparently ran in the Collins siblings' blood. They truly put everything on the line when it came to each other.
"I don't." Aiden responded after a few moments of intense staring. "I don't consider myself worthy of her." He could see that Colton wasn't impressed or satisfied by his simple response so he decided to elaborate. "Keeping the fact that we are still getting to know each other aside, I don't measure my worth against people I've just met. Not in my personal life anyway. If I started our relationship off by simply labeling her as someone too good for me, or vice versa, I'll just be jinxing myself. And like I said before, I'm not the kind of man that enjoys taking chances when it come to things or people as special as your sister."
His tone turned understanding as he continued. "Look, I can safely assume you're a capable and remarkable man yourself. There's no way you wouldn't be having such extraordinary girls around you if you weren't." Aiden said so while remembering the image of Claire and Lily giggling in the cafe booth while having breakfast together with him. There was no way any real man wouldn't do everything in his power to protect such an amazing image.
"So I won't waste my breath by trying to win you over with reassuring promises that only time can prove true or not. But I will ask you to simply keep an open mind. I know you're crucially important for Claire and Lily. Having you against the idea of me right off the bat would surely upset her and that's not the kind of feeling I want her to associate me with. Or either of us for that matter. I harbor no ill intentions towards her. The same applies to everybody she holds dear."