Chapter 160
Aria’s POV
I jerked my head up from Aiden’s chest when I realized I was still sprawled on top of him. My eyes widened as I watched his fingers methodically working their way down his shirt, unbuttoning each button with deliberate slowness.
“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice coming out higher than intended.
Seriously? Why was he suddenly stripping in front of me? I swear I hadn’t done anything to prompt this!
His dark eyes locked onto mine, intense and unwavering. “Didn’t you want to see my chickenpox p>
I froze, feeling my face heat up.
I mean, technically yes, but did that require a full striptease?
He continued unbuttoning his shirt with maddening precision, each movement slow and deliberate. My heart hammered against my ribs as more of his skin became visible. By the fourth button, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Can I maybe sit beside you to look?” I suggested desperately.
This position was getting dangerously inappropriate.
“You’ll see better from here,” he replied simply, not pausing his movements.
Of course he wouldn’t make this easy.
I remained awkwardly perched on him, watching helplessly as he undid each remaining button until his shirt fell open completely. My breath caught as his sculpted chest and defined abs came into view. Despite myself, I couldn’t help but admire how perfectly built he was – all hard planes and smooth skin.
Then I spotted what I’d been supposedly looking for – scattered across his otherwise flawless chest were about twenty chickenpox marks, mostly faded but still visible.
“I’ve seen enough,” I declared, finally pushing myself up and sliding to sit beside him on the piano bench.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had chickenpox,” I added, trying to sound casual while my pulse was still racing from our proximity.
Aiden began buttoning his shirt back up. “How did you know about my chickenpox in the first place p>
Shit. I should’ve seen that coming. Trust Aiden to zero in on the exact detail I was hoping he’d overlook.
My mind raced as I tried to come up with an explanation that wouldn’t throw Lucas under the bus. The problem was, there were so few people connecting Aiden and me that any excuse would be transparent.
Just when I was about to surrender to desperation, I spotted a faint chickenpox mark on the side of his neck. My eyes lit up with inspiration.
“When you were asleep,” I said quickly, “I was actually coming over to cover you with a blanket. That’s when I noticed a chickenpox mark on your neck. It looked recent, so I was worried and wanted to check if “
“Really?” Aiden touched his neck. “Where p>
“Right here,” I pointed.
“Here?” His fingers moved, missing the spot completely.
“No, more to the left,” I guided, but he still couldn’t find it.
Frustrated, I reached out and grabbed his index finger, pressing it directly onto the mark. “Right there p>
“I feel it now,” he murmured.
Without warning, he turned his face toward mine. Suddenly we were inches apart,
his warm breath fanning across my cheeks. I stared at his perfectly sculpted lips, so close I could almost taste them. My heart thundered in my chest.
God, I wanted to kiss him so badly.
His dark eyes were studying me intensely, bottomless and unreadable. I gazed back, trying to decipher what he was thinking, but it was like looking into a deep well with no light.
Coming to my senses, I quickly leaned away and withdrew my hand. “I’ve had
chickenpox before, so I have immunity. I wouldn’t catch it anyway p>
“Hmm,” he acknowledged, then asked, “Where’s the blanket p>
I blinked. “What blanket p>
“The one you said you were bringing me p>
Fuck. I’d completely forgotten that part of my lie!
I glanced around the music room, suddenly aware there wasn’t a blanket anywhere
in sight. My carefully constructed story was crumbling fast.
Taking a deep breath, I met his eyes directly. “There is no blanket p>
“Oh.” The corner of his mouth curved into a small smile. “So you were just watching me sleep p>
My face burned with embarrassment. What the hell could I say to that?
Screw it. I’d been caught red-handed. “Yes, I was watching you! You’re ridiculously gorgeous, is it a crime to look p>
Something flickered in Aiden’s eyes, something dark and hungry. His voice dropped to a husky whisper: “Not at all p>
We stared at each other, the air between us charged with electricity. I couldn’t speak, couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. If this tension stretched any longer, I was going to do something impulsive-like launch myself at him.
Thankfully, a knock at the door broke the moment.
“Mr. and Mrs. Liam, dinner is ready,” called Nanny from outside.
Thank God for Nanny! Perfect timing!
I jumped up like I’d been shocked. “Dinner’s ready!” I announced unnecessarily loudly, then practically bolted for the door.
I escaped downstairs with Nanny, moving so quickly I missed the turbulent emotion that flooded Aiden’s eyes as I left. I didn’t see him lean back, covering his eyes with his hand as he struggled to compose himself.
I had no idea how much longer he could keep pretending, or how close he was to breaking.
After realizing I’d completely
misjudged Aiden’s condition, I threw
myself into learning how to make soup from Nanny and prepared. lunch with extraordinary care. practically channeled every cooking skiff I’d ever learned into making this meal perfect. Once everything was packed up, I headed out the door feeling like the epitome of a devoted wife.
My fantasies of being the perfect spouse lasted right until I stepped off the elevator
at Aiden’s office. Lucas’s assistant intercepted me with the news that my husband was at a business lunch.
Just my luck.
When Lucas’ s’s assistant noticed the lunch container in my hand, his expression changed to one of panic. “Mrs. Liam, since you’re already here, why don’t you wait for Mr. Liam? He should be back around one o’clock. It’s just an hour p>
The last thing wanted was to wait for Aiden to return. This wasn’t his fault, but felt embarrassed and disappointed. I’d put so much effort into this meal, and now
I just wanted
an even
to escape before made an bigger fool of myself.
But Lucas’s assistant was remarkably persistent. After much pleading, I reluctantly agreed to wait in Aiden’s office.
The crafty assistant brought me tea and snacks, then-I couldn’t believe it-he actually locked me inside! What the hell was wrong with Aiden’s employees? After five minutes of sitting awkwardly in my husband’s office, I decided this was ridiculous. I needed to leave. But when I tried the door, it really was locked from the outside.
Great. Just great.
I returned to the couch and sat down, my stomach growling uncomfortably. I wouldn’t dare eat the lunch I’d brought—how embarrassing would that be if Aiden walked in? The situation was already awkward enough.
I nibbled on a cookie to quiet my stomach and pulled out my phone to text Claire about this absurd situation. Instead of sympathy, she responded with laughing emojis and teasing comments.
So much for best friend support. Claire clearly couldn’t comprehend how mortifying
this was.
Giving up on finding comfort from my so-called friend, I opened Kings of Glory to distract myself with a game. The moment the signature “timi” sound effect played, the office door swung open.
I looked up, expecting to see Lucas’s assistant finally coming to his senses, but instead found myself staring at Aiden.
“I thought you were at a business lunch?” I blurted out, completely caught off guard.
“It ended early,” he replied simply.
Somewhere across town, I imagined some poor executive sitting alone at a half- finished business lunch, wondering where the hell Aiden Liam had disappeared to.
Aiden closed the door behind him, loosened his tie, and approached me. “What brings you here p>
I felt too embarrassed to admit I’d come to deliver a home-cooked lunch. “I was just… passing by and thought I’d stop in p>
“Passing by with a lunch container?” he asked, sitting down beside me. “Have you
eaten yet p>
A sudden wave of disappointment washed over me. “No, I’m actually hungry p>
And your employee trapped me in here! I wanted to add, but didn’t.
Aiden took the lunch container from my hands, his fingers brushing against mine. “Perfect timing. I barely ate anything and I’m starving p>
Without waiting for my response, he began opening all the containers, the savory aroma of the food I’d prepared filling the office.