Alexia’s POV
I don’t know what happened, but Aiden was behaving... odd.
You’d think he was trying to get on my good side. And the way he kept bringing up Professor Sinclair?
He was jealous.
And I didn’t know how I felt about that.
Actually, scratch that—I did know how I felt about it.
I liked it.
I liked the way his jaw clenched when I ntioned the professor. I liked the way his eyes darkened when he thought I was sneaking around. And I really liked the way he kissed back at school—bold, possessive, right in front of Professor Sinclair.
Was it childish? Yes.
Did I care? Not even a little.
Because for once, Aiden wasn’t acting like our relationship was just a contract, a convenience, a situation he had to tolerate.
No.
He was acting like a man who saw another man looking at his woman.
And that? That did things to .
Even now, sitting across from him at the table as we ate, I could feel it. The tension. The way his gaze lingered on , how he watched like he was trying to read my every move.
It made my skin heat, my stomach twist in ways I wasn’t used to.
I wasn’t supposed to care what Aiden thought.
And yet, here I was, biting my lip to keep from smiling as he slid a drink toward .
"Here," he said, voice smooth. "You always complain about your throat getting dry when you eat fast."
I stared at the drink, then at him. "You noticed that?"
He rolled his eyes, but there was sothing softer in his expression. "I notice everything about you, Alexia."
My breath caught.
For a mont, I forgot how to respond.
Because what the hell was that?
Before I could call him out on it, he smirked and leaned back in his chair like he hadn’t just sent my brain into overdrive.
"So, tell ..." He swirled his drink in his hand, his gaze locked onto . "What exactly did your favorite professor tell you about your studies?"
I groaned. "Can you stop calling him that?"
"Not when you get all defensive every ti I do," he said, eyes gleaming with amusent. "It’s cute."
I nearly choked on my food. Cute?!
Aiden never called cute.
He called annoying, stubborn, frustrating—but never cute.
I narrowed my eyes. "You’re acting weird."
"Am I?" He tilted his head, feigning innocence.
"Yes. First, you show up out of nowhere to pick up from school. Then you kiss like—" I stopped, suddenly feeling way too flustered to finish that sentence.
He grinned. "Like what?"
I grabbed my drink and took a long sip, avoiding his gaze. "Nothing."
He chuckled, clearly enjoying my reaction.
Smug bastard.
"Did you think about what we discussed?" Aiden asked, his voice smooth yet unreadable. Changing the topic.
I looked up at him, furrowing my brows. What discussion?
My mind instantly went to the professor, but no—that couldn’t be it.
"You forgot." His tone held a trace of disappointnt, and then, without another word, he continued eating.
The rest of dinner was quiet, though tension simred beneath the surface. Every ti I glanced at him, he seed... calculating, like he was waiting for sothing.
And then, just as I set down my fork, he stood abruptly, grabbed my wrist, and pulled up the stairs.
"What are you doing?" I asked, nearly stumbling as I followed behind him.
"Can’t discuss it here," he said without looking back. "Need privacy."
I didn’t argue. Privacy probably ant sothing to do with our contract marriage. Maybe he was worried the servants would overhear.
But the mont we stepped into our room, everything shifted.
Because instead of talking, instead of sitting down for so serious conversation—Aiden caged against the door.
His arms braced on either side of , his body so close that his heat pressed into mine.
My heart pounded. "Wha... what are you doing?"
He murmured sothing, low and dark, but I barely caught it.
Reminding you about our discussion.
And then—he kissed .
And suddenly, it clicked.
The deal.
The pleasure without emotions deal.
That conversation we’d had—the one I’d pushed to the back of my mind, pretending it didn’t exist.
The one where he told we could have this, could explore this, without feelings.
And now, here he was, following through on his words.
His lips moved against mine—firm, demanding, yet teasing all at once. His hands stayed on the door, not touching , not pushing , just waiting.
Testing.
As if to see if I’d rember. If I’d accept.
And the worst part?
My body wanted to.
Because despite everything—despite the complicated ss that was our relationship, despite the jealousy, the gas, the constant back and forth—when Aiden kissed , the rest of the world didn’t matter.
It was just him.
Just us.
But I knew the mont I let myself fall into this—truly fall—there would be no going back.
No pretending it ant nothing.
So I did the only thing I could.
I pulled away.
"Aiden," I whispered, my breath uneven.
His forehead rested against mine, his own breathing just as rough. "Hmm?"
I swallowed hard, my hands clenching into fists to keep from reaching for him. "This... us... It’s not that simple."
His eyes t mine, sothing unreadable flickering within them. "It could be."
But that was the problem.
It couldn’t.
I could still feel the ghost of his lips on mine, the warmth of his breath against my skin, the way his body caged in like I was sothing he wouldn’t let escape.
And the worst part?
I didn’t want to escape.
I should’ve pushed him away. Should’ve told him no, that this was a bad idea. That we couldn’t just pretend feelings didn’t exist, that this wouldn’t make things simpler—it would only make things worse.
But for once...
For once, I wanted this.
I wanted him.
For once, I didn’t want to think.
Didn’t want to overanalyze.
Didn’t want to remind myself of all the reasons this was a bad idea.
Because for the first ti in a long ti, I wanted this.
I wanted him.
I wanted to be reckless.
Couldn’t I allow myself just this one thing? In my otherwise pathetic existence, couldn’t I be selfish for once?
Maybe it was reckless. Maybe it was stupid. But in this mont, I didn’t care.
Why couldn’t I be reckless—just this once? Why couldn’t I be selfish?
Aiden’s lips trailed lower, skimming along my jaw, his breath hot as he whispered against my skin.
"Say yes," he pleaded, his voice raw with desperation, with need.
His mouth found my neck, lips pressing a soft, teasing kiss before moving to the sensitive spot just below my ear.
"I know you want this too," he murmured, his hands finally leaving the door, tracing down my sides, resting at my waist like he was giving a choice.
Aiden must have sensed the shift in because his lips curved into a knowing smirk before he dipped his head to my neck, his breath warm against my skin.
I shuddered under his touch, my body betraying .
Because he was right.
I did want this.
I wanted him.
I wanted to forget everything—the complications, the jealousy, the tangled ss of emotions that neither of us dared to acknowledge.
I wanted to just feel.
His lips ghosted over my pulse, and my body betrayed , arching into him, my hands finally clutching his shirt like an anchor.
Aiden exhaled sharply, his hands dropping from the door to my waist, gripping like he was afraid I’d disappear.
"This doesn’t have to be complicated," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
But it was complicated.
Everything about Aiden was complicated.
Yet when his lips t mine again—softer this ti, slower—I didn’t pull away.
I didn’t overthink.
Didn’t question.
Because for once, I wanted to feel.
So I made my choice.
I tilted my head, giving him better access to my throat, my fingers fisting in his shirt as I whispered the one word that sealed my fate.
"Yes."
That one word—yes—was all it took.
It was like sothing inside him snapped, the last thread of restraint completely obliterated.
"Fuck," Aiden cursed, and before I could process what was happening, his lips crashed into mine.
There was no hesitation. No gentleness. Just pure, raw hunger.
Like he was starving for this. For .
And god, why had I denied myself this?
Why had I fought it for so long when this—this—felt like the most natural thing in the world?
I barely had ti to gasp before his tongue slid against mine, coaxing, demanding, devouring.
My knees buckled, and I knew he felt it because his grip tightened in response.
Without breaking the kiss, his hands slid down to my thighs, grabbing them firmly before lifting with ease.
A surprised gasp left my lips, swallowed imdiately by his mouth as I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist.
I felt the relief that went through him at that mont—because of my height, he had to hunch slightly before, but now that I was up, we fit perfectly.
His arms locked around , one hand splayed against my lower back, pressing flush against him. The other tangled in my hair, angling my head just how he wanted—so he could deepen the kiss, so he could take even more.
And I let him.
Because fuck, I was already lost in him.
Reviews
All reviews (0)