His rules float to the forefront of my mind for the hundredth time since learning about them.
No kissing.
Yet, Aiden kissed me, and I want him to do it again.
No cuddling.
He cuddles me all the time, unable to keep his hands to himself, and I love it.
No hickeys.
He stopped me before I left one on his throat, and I hate I didn’t get to leave a mark on him.
No sex facing each other. I don’t do oral. I don’t fuck bareback. And most importantly, no catching feelings.
The last four rules haven’t happened, and I’m now unsure about my stance on the no-sex rule I made.
Maybe if I talked to him about it, he’d be open to?—
I mentally shake away the confusing thoughts and put more distance between us.
I need space. And fast. I can’t think clearly when my body responds to him like he really is my boyfriend and not my brother.
He’s offered to teach me things in the bedroom, but I don’t believe he means it. I meant what I said to him the other day about not being his type. The women he’s brought home are all the same—gorgeous, with flawless makeup and hair. Often, they’re brunettes. They aren’t the type to break out of social norms. And they screammoney. Lots of it too.
I don’t hate them for it. In fact, I don’t hate them at all.
But Aiden was right. Iamjealous, and I don’t understand why.
Maybe it’s because I know he’d never go for someone like me. It took making a deal with him for him to treat me as more than a little sister. But there’s also the fact that I’ve always been greedy for his attention.
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand in awareness right before a large body dressed in all black appears by my side. Aiden slings his arm over my shoulder and tucks me against his side. I breathe his sweet, clean scent into my lungs, realize what I’m doing, and turn my head to suck in fresh air to chase away the rest of his addicting scent.
“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re mad at me,” Aiden whispers in my ear.
I flash a half-smile. “I’m not mad. Just excited to see Brandon.”
My stomach sours at the lie.
Yeah, I’m excited about finally seeing my crush in person, but that’s taken a temporary back seat to new developments. I need away from Aiden. Far, far away from the things he’s making me feel and the thoughts he’s making me think.
Aiden nods, a strange look passing over his face before he locks it away. “Did he tell you when he’d be here?”
I glance down and reach for my phone in my front pocket, then stop. “He didn’t, but he said he’d let me know when he’s here, and that was two hours ago.”
“Good. That gives us time to have fun and for you to practice on me.” He pulls away and grabs my hand, then laces his fingers through mine. My heart skips a beat at the small gesture we’ve done thousands of times before. This time feels different.
It’s just curiosity. I’m curious about what it’d be like to sleep with him. That’s all it is.
Once Brandon shows up, everything will snap back into place, and I won’t have these weird feelings about Aiden.
The pep talk puts more spring in my step, and the anxiety fades.
I grin and squeeze Aiden’s hand. “Perfect. I can’t wait to start.”
“You can start any time, pretty girl.” He leans into my space again and murmurs in my ear, “And you know the drill. You’re now my girl, and I’ll treat you?—”
“Yes, yes. I know.” I playfully shove him away from me. “Anything you say is all pretend. It’s not like we’re going to fuck, so you don’t need to keep warning me about the things you’ll do or say.”
