Page 88 of Veiled

Chapter thirty-two

Annalise

Pulling back into Scion is like a déjà vu of the beach house. Aiden picks up our bags and what was left of the groceries in one scoop and ignores every protest I give.

“Lead the way to your room, Sweetheart.”

I huff, crossing my arms. “Fine. But you’re not carrying everything for me every time we go somewhere, you know that, right?”

He grins. “We’ll see about that.”

When we get back to my room, he takes a minute to look around, seeing it for the first time in daylight, not that there is much to see in here anyway.

“Hey, I want to shower before debriefing. Any chance you want to join me?” I ask as I try to decide what playlist I’m feeling in the mood for. “Please tell me you like country music.” I plead.

“Yeah, I like a bit of everything.”

I hit play on “The Right One” by Spencer Crandall, and walk into the bathroom to turn on the speaker. As it connects, the song is interrupted by a new message chime.

“Can you read that for me? My code is 0331,” I call out.

“Uhm, Ana, Sweetheart…” he says as he walks in carrying my phone. “Why is your best friend talking about what time he’ll be over for your sleepover tonight?”

Another quick chime, “Oh, and if you want to cuddle, you’ll need to swap sides. Apparently, he hurt his shoulder on his mission.”

Gods help me…

“Aiden.”

“Not my name to you, Sweetheart. Try again.”

I roll my eyes, “Ace, I know how bad that sounds, and I promise it’ll all make sense tonight, but can you try to trust me until then that it isn’t what it sounds like? And trust me, I know I’m asking SO much of you right now.”

“For the record, Ana, I’m not mad. Just…curious.” His hand slides to the back of my neck, holding me there only long enough for the world to narrow to the space between us. “I know this is going to take time to adjust to, but I’m not going anywhere. You’ve said you’ll tell me tonight, so I’m waiting. I’ve already made the mistake of jumping to conclusions with you, and I like to think I learn from my mistakes.”

“Thank you,” I say, releasing a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

Holding his gaze, I slowly undress and step into the steamy shower.

“I should probably warn you, Sasha lives next door, so as soon as she finds out you’re here, she’s going to want to meet you.”

“Thank all that is good in this world. Finally, a girl friend!” he jokes. “Alright, give me the rundown on her.”

“Well, first, she’s thought you were hot since the Staggering Ox, and she’s the nicest, so she’ll be the easiest to win over. She’s quiet when you first meet, but she warms up quickly. She’s brilliant at healing and spell casting, and genuinely the sweetest person ever. She has a smile that’s infectious, she loves coffee almost as much as I do, and the dragons scare the crap out of her. I’m warming her up to the idea of riding with me when I bond, though.”

“Easy enough to remember,” he says, stepping under the water behind me and running his hands down my arms. “So that’s what you want? To bond?”

“Yeah, flying last week was possibly the most free I’ve ever felt. I didn’t want to land.”

He smiles down at me, “Will you ride with me this week?”

“You’ll be there? I thought that was the only class they brought in all of the Bravo riders for.”

“I’ve been there for all your classes, Ana. I’m one of the assistants for the class.” He admits, and my mouth drops open. I hadn’t even noticed him until he was confronting me about Josh. “I’m guessing your friend Josh will be asked to be one soon, too, since he’s bonded.”

“I know this is a new relationship and all, but can I ask you for another big favor?”

His dick twitches against my backside, and I can’t help but giggle. “Not what I had in mind, but I can’t say I’m opposed to that, too.”