She pauses, her eyes wide. “How do you know my name?”
Aiden chuckles and leans against the kitchen counter. “You seem to know so much about me; why don’t you tell me?”
“Aiden,” I interrupt, stepping between them.
“Relax, bug,” He grips my hips and pulls me to him. “I’m just teasing.”
“Not interested in you, me arse!” Maria growls, crossing her arms over her chest.
Aiden grins over his shoulder at her. Pours hot water into his mug, then turns for the milk in the fridge.
“Make yourself at home; why don’t you?” Maria snaps.
“Don’t mind if I do.” He winks at Maria, heading back to add the milk to his cup before turning to the table.
Maria’s glare hardens as she watches Aiden confidently take a seat, unfazed by her hostility. She takes a deep breath. “If the door was open, why didn’t we hear it shut? Why didn’t we hear your approach? Why didn’t you call out to see if anyone was home?”
Aiden snorts derisively. “Katie’s car is in the garden. I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t brought up to slam doors. You were probably too busy picking me apart to hear my approach, and as for calling out—”
I yelp, feeling him grab me and pull me closer to him. “—Maybe I was hoping to catch a glimpse of you in one of those lacy outfits.” He turns his attention back to Maria, giving her an exaggerated, toothy grin.
I try to claw his hands from me and push him away, but his grip only tightens. His grey eyes jump to meet mine, intense with a hint of amusement. “You’re not embarrassed of me, bug?”
I struggle against his grip, but he seems to find my resistance amusing. “No.” I’m not embarrassed of Aiden. I’m fucking terrified of him. I found myself smiling every time he texted or rang this week, and I couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement whenever I saw his name on my phone. I’m already on a slippery slope of wanting to be around him more and more, chasing that dopamine high that he effortlessly provides.
“Good.” His smirk is positively wolfish. “Then take a seat.”
That’s not a request. I learn it pretty quickly when I land on his lap and feel his arm tighten around my waist, pulling mecloser to him.
“So, what’s your game?” Maria presses, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Get into her pants, then leave her hanging?”
Kill me. Kill me now.
His fingers trace a slow, teasing pattern along my thigh, sending shivers down my spine. “Oh, Maria,” he chuckles darkly. “If I just wanted to fuck her, I would have done it already.”
Would you? That’s very fucking kind of you!
My head snaps in his direction, and I’m sure my glare says it all. I move to stand, but Aiden is quick to hold me in place, his grip firm yet gentle.
Maria looks just as disgusted as I feel.
“Is it hard for you to believe that someone could actually care about her?” He directs this at Maria. My cheeks burn, I’m unsure if that’s down to rage or shame. “Are you simply envious that Katie has her very own ‘Zade’ and you’re the one that is left with the book?”
Oh my god, he heard that!
Aiden’s grip tightens slightly, his eyes narrowing at Maria. She stammers, clearly caught off guard by his response.
“Aiden,” I interject, my voice trembling as I meet his gaze. “Back off.”
“I’m simply defending myself, bug,” he leans back in the chair and reaches for his mug of tea.
He’s not wrong. He has every right to defend himself. Maria was calling out his character, even though she had never met him. I cannot fault him for that, but she’s still my best friend, and I know her intentions were not malicious. She worries about me, and given my track record with men, she has every right to.
“You can’t care about her,” Maria says sternly. “You don’t know the first thing about her.”
His mouth cuts into a thin line as he takes a sip of his tea, and then he places the mug back onto the table. “I know that she is a cover designer and runs book tours for aspiring authors. I know that she is the youngest of four, with two brothers and one sister. I know that she has a tattoo on her upper left thigh and sternum, but I couldn’t make out what they are in the dark. I know that she’s neurodivergent, I’m yet to discover if she’s Autistic or has ADHD.”
“Both,” Maria and I say as one.
