Page 81 of Veiled

I pull back, my heart sinking a little. I should’ve known better. I should’ve expected it, but the rush of relief, of everything finally being over, made me forget who I was working with.

I force a smile, though it feels hollow now. “Yeah. We did.”

The drive back to Scion should be filled with excited energy. We got the hard drive. We made the drop early. We completed our mission and will be getting back with time to spare.

But it’s not.

We’ve been in the car for over an hour, and I can’t get Aiden to say more than two or three words at a time.

It’s like when the sun rose this morning, it burned away the warmth we’d found from the roles we’d been playing all weekend. The teasing stopped. The easy companionship we’d shared during our “newlywed” charade turned abruptly professional.

I thought his behavior change was his way of coping with us preparing to break the law and complete the mission, which was understandable; I was nervous and needed to focus too, but now it’s all done, and he’s still distant.

I don’t know if I upset him when I tried to kiss him after we made the drop. Or maybe none of it was real.

I’ve tried bringing up anything I thought that might get him talking: Sports, his family, dragons, hell—I even tried asking how he and Lucas met. His response was a grumbled, “Scion,” and nothing more.

The high of the mission and the adrenaline that came with it have worn off, and I have woken up from the dreamworld I’ve been living in all weekend, where, stupid me, I thought Aiden and I could have something real, yet again.

So now I’m sitting here, staring out the window at fields I’d been too distracted by Aiden’s charm to notice on our way here, as I try to ignore the tears that want to fall.

“I can’t do this anymore!” Aiden shouts as he abruptly swerves off the highway and onto a gravel road.

Chapter thirty

Aiden

-12 hours earlier-

Iwatch her walk back inside out of the corner of my eye.

I thought I had snuck out quietly enough that she wouldn’t hear me, but apparently, I was wrong. Add it to the list of my mistakes this weekend.

How could I have been so stupid to fall for her act again?

It doesn’t matter right now. I need to stop thinking about her and focus on the mission like I said I was doing when she asked. I can’t afford for this to go wrong, especially not right before we enter our final track choices. There can’t be any mistakes made today, which means I need to be at my best. Unfortunately, to do that, I probably need to get some more sleep myself. I would crash on the couch to avoid having to sleep next to her, but at my height, I barely fit on most beds; the loveseat here isn’t going to cut it.

Luckily, she’s already asleep when I get back into the room. She rolls toward me the second I get under the covers, so I push one of the spare pillows between us, hoping the small wall will keep her on her own side.

It feels like only minutes have passed when the alarm wakes me up.

“Good morning,” she says in that still sleepy voice.

She’s completely unaware of my inner turmoil, and for us to be successful today, it needs to stay that way.

“Good morning,” I let out. I need to get out of this bed. Out of this room. I need space from her. “I’ll go make our coffees if you want to get ready and finish packing your stuff.”

She gets started doing just that, and again, I can’t help but watch her walk away. ‘Mission first.’ I repeat over and over to myself as I get dressed and head to the quiet kitchen to make her coffee, setting it on the counter closest to the bedroom when it’s done before making my own cup.

Hearing her footsteps approaching, I take a sip of my coffee to avoid having to talk to her. But then I spot her, and without thinking, I’m spitting my drink back into my cup.

She looks like a walking wet dream in skin-tight leggings, a black sports bra that pushes her already perky tits up on full display, and an almost makeup-free face. The slight shine to her lips like a beacon, making me imagine sliding my already hardening cock between them again.

Shit, she’s been talking this whole time, and I have absolutely no clue what she’s been saying. Not sure of the right response, I settle on ‘hmmm’.

Apparently, she didn’t ask me a question, so my answer is enough for her, thank the gods. She walks past me and curls up in one of the deck chairs, innocently looking out at the ocean.

I can’t help but stare at her as last night replays in my mind. Lucas was right, I realize, not for the first time.