My lips part in surprise, and my stomach flips.
The sound of a camera shutter fills the quiet room as I stare up at him, too stunned for words. His thumb mindlessly strokes my throat, right over my fluttering pulse. His smirk widens to a grin, and he lowers his head until his lips are dangerously close to mine.
“Cat got your tongue, pretty girl?” he murmurs, and somehow, his voice deepens.
I snap out of the spell he put me under. If he wants to pretend and tease me, then it’s only fair if I play back. Especially when he’s looking at me as if he’s waiting for me to tease him in return.
It’s practice. He’ll let me know what I need to work on if I try this whole flirting thing.
I wiggle my hips to grind my ass against his erection that’s now nestled between my cheeks. He sucks in a ragged breath, his eyes widening a fraction.
I feign an innocent smile and roll my hips again, earning a guttural groan from him. “And what would you be doing with your head between my thighs?”
I already know but choose to play oblivious. I’ve watched enough porn to be well-versed in eating pussy. Do I have that experience? No. But for whatever reason, I want to tease Aiden and hear it come from his lips, blurred lines be damned.
Aiden’s nostrils flare, and he licks his bottom lip, as if he’s imagining eating me out, even though we both know he won’t. His fingers tighten around my neck.
“I think you know, but since you asked . . .” He releases my throat and skims his fingertips between my breasts. “I’d spread your pussy lips apart so I can suck on your little cli?—”
I jerk upright and lean forward to focus on the computer screen, though I’m unable to see anything. My heart thunders within my chest, and I bite my bottom lip to quiet my heavy breathing.
“Nova?” Aiden straightens and hesitantly touches my waist.
I thought I could handle hearing him tell me what he’d do, but the picture he was painting was . . .
My thighs squeeze together to stop the pulsing between them. It doesn’t work. If anything, it intensifies until it’s close to painful.
“Talk to me, pretty girl.” Aiden rests his hand on my stomach and squeezes.
I center myself by taking another calming breath before I peek at him. “I’m supposed to pretend to play a game, remember?”
He cants his head to the side, his gaze steady on my face as he searches for signs of discomfort. I force a smile, despite my stomach still knotting itself and my panties now being drenched. I put on an act in hopes of not upsetting him. He’s always been sensitive to my rejection, even as kids. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s letting him down or upsetting him.
Having found whatever answer he was looking for, he nods and squeezes my stomach roll. “Go ahead, then. I’ll keep taking pictures.”
The little stomach squeeze sends another wave of heat through my veins and between my legs. I turn toward the computer and pretend I’m playing, but I’m sure I’m doing a horrible job since all my attention is on him and the way he’s touching me.
He adjusts his hips, and the movement pushes his erection against my ass. The camera’s clicking fills in the silence. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip and act like I don’t feel Aiden’s hard dick.
I lean forward and work the keyboard with one hand while moving the mouse with the other. Aiden snaps more shots of us in this position. He lingers behind me, a darkened figure in the shadows, with bursts of pink highlighting his faded silver hair.
The space between us feels oceans apart now, and not just physically. He said he’d treat me like his girlfriend, and yet he’s been silent since I got embarrassed.
It’s unlike him, and I hate it. This is what I was worried about with us fake-dating. Things getting weird and ruining our relationship. I just want everything to remain the same so that I don’t lose him.
Aiden must be on the same wavelength as me because he rests his hand on my thigh, his fingers circling the exposed skin that’s dangerously close to my center. “You’re so cute when you’re trying to concentrate. You know that?”
My spine straightens, and I turn to him, my eyebrows pinched together. “Cute?”
He grins, flashing bright white teeth. “Yeah, baby. You’re cute.”
My lips pinch together, and I stare at him, unable to come up with anything to say back to him. Sometimes, I’m quick on my feet, but this time, it’s different.
I’m shutting down. Just like I do whenever I think Brandon is hitting on me.
Aiden notices—because he always does—and straightens to wrap his arm around my middle. He kisses the crook of my neck, all while snapping pictures.
“Let’s get a little more comfortable.” He kisses a sensitive spot behind my ear and snaps one more picture before lowering his arm. “We’ll move to the bed.”
