Opposites Distract by Judi Lynn

when Aiden stuck his head around the door.
    Brody frowned. “Why aren’t you in bed? You have school tomorrow.”
    â€œI keep having nightmares, can’t sleep. Can I stay with you a while?”
    Harmony scooted closer to Brody on the sofa, and Aiden came to press himself against her side. “Does your mother know?”
    Paula answered from the doorway. She looked dead on her feet. “He’s been having a few rough nights. Come on, kiddo, you can sleep in my bed.”
    Aiden shook his head, snuggling closer to Harmony. “You’re watching Harry Potter.” Oops, busted. But he was too tired to be upset. “Can I watch a while?”
    Paula looked at Harmony. Harmony glanced at the boy. He looked nervous, afraid. She shrugged. “Hell, why not?” The kid could hardly keep his eyes open. Maybe he just needed something to jostle his thoughts away from whatever was bothering him.
    â€œWhen your movie’s over, I’ll leave the door unlocked, and you can bring him into our apartment and let him sleep on the couch. I’ll put his pillow and blanket there.” Before she left, Paula looked at them and mouthed the words thank you .
    Brody hit the play button on the movie, and half an hour later, Aiden was asleep. Brody nodded toward him. “I can carry him to Paula’s couch, so you don’t have to keep holding him.”
    Harmony ran her fingers through the boy’s soft hair. “He’s no bother. Let him reach deep sleep, then he might not dream anymore tonight. Poor kid, something’s eating at him.”
    When the movie ended, Brody gently lifted him, and Harmony went with him to settle Aiden on Paula’s couch. They gazed down at him. “He looked scared to me,” Brody said.
    Harmony nodded. “I used to have nightmares when my brother threatened to beat me up. He hated it when my parents made him stay home with me when they went out.”
    Brody’s expression turned grim. “What’s your brother doing now?”
    â€œHe moved to Texas. I think he’s a trucker, but he changes jobs a lot.”
    Brody shook his head. He was damned good-looking when he brooded. His gaze settled on Aiden. “If he sees war scenes on the evening news, do you think he dreams about his dad? That has to be tough for a kid.”
    Harmony pressed her lips together. “I sure as hell hope not.”
    When they left Paula’s apartment, they gathered their dirty dishes and carried them to the kitchen. Tonight, they plopped at the worktable and Brody drank another beer and she had another glass of wine.
    This time, Brody made silly small talk. He told stories about when he and Ian were little boys and how their sisters used to dress Ian up in strange costumes when they had tea parties. He told her how he and Ian had decided to sneak out of the house and had crawled out on the porch roof, then made it to the big tree and started down it when their mother shone a flashlight on them and threatened to wake their dad. By the time they glanced at the clock and decided they’d better call it a night, Harmony was relaxed and happy. When she climbed the stairs to her room, she realized Brody was every bit as appealing when he was being silly as when he was brooding and serious.
    She stared at her laptop. She was too tired to write tonight. She set her alarm for six-thirty to get an early start in the morning.

Chapter 10
    H armony jumped out of bed at six-thirty with all kinds of ideas for her new scene flying in her head. Bless the good, old subconscious. It always worked overtime, especially if she wasn’t watching. She grabbed coffee, took the last slice of coffee cake—a little on the stale side now—and hit the laptop’s keys. Things between Luxar and Serifina were heating up. Battles were brewing. By the time she went downstairs for lunch, she was beaming.
    Brody and Ian were still pounding on something in the west wing.