Everything all right? Did you end up talking to your boyfriend about how you feel?
No, I think it’s too soon and might spook him.
Listen, this is me talking to you as a friend and as a man. From what I’ve seen and how he acts toward you, it won’t surprise me if he feels the same way about you. That man was seconds away from ripping my head off just for being near you.
Shoot your shot. What’s the worst that can happen?
Closing the thread, I roll my eyes.
What’s the worst that can happen? Oh, I don’t know. Aiden will end things between us, all the while reminding me that I broke the most important rule he set in the beginning.
I could always say it got weird without delving into the details, but Aiden will want to know, and he’ll likely question me until I fold and tell him. So now I’m stuck in this limbo with him, cautiously navigating my feelings while spending however long we have left to pretend he’s mine.
I squeeze past dancing couples and slip inside the house. The heat inside the cabin chases away the chill from outside and, soon enough, sweat beads on my temples and between my breasts. I search through the crowd for Aiden and make my way into the kitchen at the back of the cabin, hoping he’s there.
Arms hook around my middle, and tattooed hands settle on my stomach, tucking me against a warm body that smells like candy. I tilt my head back, grinning at Aiden.
“There you are,” I say.
He smirks and kisses the tip of my nose before drawing away and taking my hand. He leads me through the kitchen and out the back door into the chilly night.
“We need to work on you being aware of your surroundings, pretty girl.” He tucks me against his side and stops by a tree several yards from the cabin.
“Why’s that?”
Aiden circles me and hugs me from behind, lending me his body heat to keep warm. His dark chuckle vibrates through my back. “Because, like Olivia said, I’m your shadow, baby.”
My breath hitches.
“I was right behind you, and you didn’t notice.” His teeth catch my earlobe and nip the tender flesh. “I’m always right behind you.”
“I thought you were with your friends,” I whisper.
He soothes the sting with his tongue, then draws away to look down at me with a smirk. “Indi pulled Haze to go dance, so I found you”—his smile broadens, his gaze darkening and filling with heat—“and my, my, the things I heard.”
“She’s my best friend,” I say. “She’d never tell anyone. I promise.”
He tilts his head and slowly blinks, his sword earrings swaying from the movement and bumping against his tattooed neck. “You’re not in any trouble for telling her. But does she know that we’re fucking?”
“No.”
He throws his head back and laughs.
I push his arms off me and spin to face him with a huff. “What’s so funny about that?”
Aiden’s laughter lessens to a husky chuckle, and he sweeps his tattooed fingers through his silver hair. “It’s funny that everyone in our friend group is catching on.” He shakes his head, beaming a lopsided grin. “By the end of this, the whole damn city will know that we’re together.”
I giggle and poke his chest. “You make it sound like we’re actually a couple.”
He catches my wrist. “That’s right,” he mumbles. “It’s just pretend, isn’t it?”
I stare into his darkened gaze, searching for a sign that he feels the same way I do.
Aiden makes a sound in the back of his throat, between a groan and a frustrated growl, and shoves me against the tree. He captures my gasp in a kiss that he ends too soon.
Spinning me in his grasp, he pushes between my shoulders until I’m bent over. Aiden lifts the bottom of my dress, his groan sending another wave of heat through me.
“No panties?” He slaps my ass, the crack splitting through the night.
