I swallow and lick my bottom lip, catching a drop of filling that escaped. Opening my eyes, I smile and nod. “Yeah. I know it’s silly, but these have always been a comfort food for me.”
“Good. I want my girl to be nice and full before we go out later today.” He grabs the edge of my chair, drags me closerto him until our legs touch, then winds his arm around my shoulder.
I lick more of the filling from my lip and suck the sticky mess from my fingers. “We have plans today?”
“Yeah, I still need you to hold up your end of the bargain.”
“Oh.” My eyes widen. I forgot he needed my help today. It feels like it’s been years since he pinned me to the counter while whispering his rules in my ear. “So how do you want me to help you with your problem?”
“An acquaintance of mine is throwing a house party tonight. He’s been begging me to show up to one of them for a while now, but I haven’t had the time. Hellfire Night preparation and all that shit.”
I nod.
The corners of Aiden’s lips curve, and he continues explaining the plan. “But tonight will be perfect for two reasons. The main one being that I want these women to see you with me. Once they do, they should back off for a while.”
A drop of pink filling falls from the pastry, and I barely catch it before it lands on my shirt.
“You’re such a messy girl.” Aiden tsks, leaning down while circling my wrist with his fingers. He holds my gaze and lifts my palm to his mouth, then drags his tongue over the sticky mess, licking me clean of the sweet filling until it’s gone.
I force myself to swallow the barely chewed food. My thighs squeeze together, dulling the throb between them at the memory of his tongue licking somewhere far more intimate than my palm.
Tearing my gaze from his face, I stare at the half-eaten strudel. “You think the girls will leave you alone because they’ll think I made a deal with you, right?”
Aiden releases my wrist and straightens. “Exactly. They know I stick to one for a while before moving on. So if they think you’re my current fling, it’ll buy me some time.”
“How long do your deals last?” Now would be a great time to ask him about making one with him.
He’s trying to get out of being in one. He said he wanted a break from flings for a while. Read the room, Nova.
Aiden hums in thought and plays with a strand of hair framing my face. “Three months, give or take. It depends if they follow the rules. A lot of them don’t.”
“They fall for you?” I peek at him from the corner of my eye and nibble the rest of the strudel.
He shrugs and folds his arms over his chest. “Some, yeah. Most of them want more from me. Either kissing or cuddling. They always think they’ll be an exception to my rules.”
“So they want romance from you.” I nod subtly and turn to the second strudel. “And you prefer to avoid catching feelings for any of them, so you keep an emotional distance by refusing intimacy and even going so far as only fucking them from behind.”
I wouldn’t be against having something like that with him if it meant not ruining our relationship. The last thing I want is to lose him. He’s the only family I have left.
But I’m worried about him. It must be lonely without that connection. He’s always chasing after the next person for whatever fix he’s craving. Aiden has closed himself off from the world, sometimes even from me. He doesn’t let many people get through the walls he’s built around himself—walls formed from humor as a way of deflecting instead of facing his inner wounds.
I’d like to say I could fix him. I blame the toxic trait in me for that one. A lot of women have probably said that about him too, but I don’t want him to change. I want him to heal, and I want to be there for him as he does.
Aiden leans forward, resting his crossed arms on the table. He raises an eyebrow. “You’re asking a lot of questions about my deals. Is there something you need to ask me?”
My back straightens, and I duck my head. “Nope. Tell me more about this party.”
Aiden watches me with the same amused expression and drums his fingers on the table. “It’ll be a little different from what you’re used to. I need to make it clear that I’m unavailable.”
“Whatever you have in mind can’t be that bad.”
“It may challenge your no-sex rule, but I don’t see you minding that since you showed me what a naughty little rule breaker you are.” He winks.
And there it is. The elephant in the room is finally being addressed after we danced around it and avoided talking about it.
I scowl. “I don’t break rules. You’re lucky that you caught me at a vulnerable moment.”
Aiden throws his head back, howling with laughter and filling the kitchen with the contagious sound. My lips twitch, but I hold back from joining him. He doesn’t need encouragement.
