Chapter 250
Aria’s POV
The afterglow of sex with Aiden left me floating in a dreamy haze. My body hummed with satisfaction as I collapsed onto the bed, still catching my breath. The sheets beneath me felt cool against my heated skin.
Aiden rolled to his side, his muscled arm snaking around my waist to pull me against his chest. The warmth of his body enveloped me as he nestled his face in my hair.
“Goodnight, Mrs. Carter,” he murmured, his deep voice vibrating against my back.
I smiled, too content to form words, and let myself drift into the most peaceful sleep I’d had in ages.
Morning arrived with sunlight streaming through the half-drawn curtains. I stretched languidly, feeling the delicious soreness in my muscles that reminded me of last night’s activities. The bed beside me was empty – Aiden must have gotten up already.
The thought of facing him with last night’s memories so fresh made my core tighten again. Not trusting myself to keep my hands off him if he gave me that knowing smirk of his, I practically leapt out of bed and dashed to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.
When I emerged from the bathroom, my skin still damp, Aiden was coming up from his morning swim. His hair was wet, droplets of water trailing down his neck and disappearing into his loosely tied bathrobe. Our eyes met, and without breaking contact, he tugged at the belt of his robe.
The fabric parted, revealing the perfect V-cut of his hips and the defined muscles of his abs. My mouth went dry as I traced the trail of dark hair leading downward with my eyes.
God, he was too sexy for this early in the morning.
My mind instantly replayed fragments from last night – his mouth between my thighs, my nails digging into his back, the way he’d growled when I took him in my hand. The memory of him moving inside me sent a shock of heat straight through my body.
Jesus, I needed to stop. If I kept thinking about it, we’d end up spending the entire day in bed again.
“Morning, beautiful,” he said, voice still rough with sleep.
“Morning!” I chirped too quickly and scurried past him to the vanity, catching a whiff of his chlorine-tinged scent mixed with something exclusively Aiden.
I felt his eyes on me as I sat down, but when I glanced at him in the mirror, he just smirked and walked into the bathroom.
I’d arranged to meet Lillian at eleven, so I didn’t need to rush. I lounged around until ten before finally getting ready, taking my time with makeup and picking out a casual but cute outfit – skinny jeans and an off-shoulder sweater that Aiden particularly liked.
Aiden insisted on driving me to the restaurant, his hand resting possessively on my thigh during the short drive.
“Call me when you’re done,” he said as he pulled up to the entrance.
“Will do!” I unbuckled my seatbelt, then leaned over to kiss his cheek, catching the corner of his mouth. His eyes darkened momentarily, making me wonder if he’d pull me back for a proper kiss, but he just squeezed my hand.
I hopped out and waved as I walked toward the entrance, feeling his eyes following me until I disappeared inside.
The restaurant was surprisingly empty for a place that had been blowing up on 1 m. Lillian was already seated by the window, scrolling through her phone.
“Are we super early?” I asked, sliding into the seat across from her. “This place is dead for a supposed hotspot p>
Lillian glanced around at the nearly empty restaurant. “If we didn’t get here early, we’d never get a table. Trust me, this place will be packed in twenty minutes p>
“If you say so.” I set my purse down and glanced out the window, just catching sight
of Aiden’s black Mercedes pulling away from the curb.
“Aria?” Lillian waved her hand in front of my face. “Hello? Earth to Aria p>
I snapped my attention back to her. “Sorry, what were you saying p>
“I asked what you wanted to drink p>
She snorted, eyebrows raised knowingly. “Carter’s gone and you’re still staring after his car? Girl, you’ve got it bad p>
“How did you know I was looking at him?” Heat crept up my neck.
“I was sitting here watching you get dropped off like the lovesick puppy you are p>
she teased. “What else would you be looking at p>
I felt my cheeks flush. “Shut up p>
The restaurant’s décor was impressive – Edison bulbs hanging from exposed beams, reclaimed wood tables, and elegant place settings. Whoever designed the place clearly had an eye for style. Within ten minutes of our arrival, the restaurant started filling up, just as Lillian had predicted.
We quickly placed our orders,
Vot
grateful we’d arrived early enough to beat the rush. The food came out surprisingly fast, but my excitement faded with the first bite. The seafood platter id ordered tasted. exactly bad, but nowhere near the fresh quality I’d expected for the exorbitant price.
“Does yours taste a little weird?” I whispered to Lillian, not wanting to be overheard.
She nodded slightly. “Not exactly five-star quality, is it? More like frozen and reheated p>
We finished our meal without much enthusiasm. With so many people taking photos and posting about the place, I didn’t have the heart to make a scene. Maybe my palate was just spoiled from the high-end restaurants Aiden usually took me to.
As we stepped out onto the sidewalk, I turned to Lillian. “That I m trap was a total bust p>
“No kidding. Never again am I following the herd. High prices for mediocre foo She shook her head. “What a waste p>
We stood on the curb, griping while waiting for an Uber. It was late September, and fall fashion was in full swing in store windows all around us. We decided to hit the Metropolitan Center mall to do some shopping.
I had a decent chunk of prize money from my recent competition that was burning a hole in my pocket. Not enough to go crazy, but definitely enough for a new handbag and some fall outfits.
Saturday crowds made finding a ride difficult. After waiting for nearly fifteen minutes, Lillian threw her hands up in frustration.
“That’s it! I’m getting my driver’s license next year. This is ridiculous p>
I gave her a sidelong glance. “Don’t you need to register for the test again? Your last appointment expired, right p>
Her face reddened. “That’s not the point, Aria p>
I bit back a smile, knowing exactly
what that meant. Lillian had been promising to get her license since her 18th birthday. She’d failed her first attempt and
was too et
embarrassed to try again until junior
year of college. Then she’d
registered again, only to miss the test date due to the DMV changing
their requirements. After graduation, she was “too busy” and kept putting
it off.
I’d heard her “next year” promise at least twenty times. By next year, she’d inevitably
come up with another excuse.
Unlike Lillian, I wouldn’t dream of exposing her the way she’d exposed me by sneaking those lacy lingerie sets into my suitcase before my weekend with Aiden last month!
Lillian glanced out the window of our finally-arrived Uber and changed the subject. “By the way, has Elena Pierce contacted you since the competition p>
I almost snorted. Before the competition, Elena had sent me those nasty messages, trying to psych me out. If I were her, I’d have packed my bags and left town after that humiliating defeat.
“I nodded, then shook my head. “Just ran into her once after the competition when Aiden and I were having dinner. We bumped into her at the hotel elevator p>
Lillian perked up like a bloodhound catching a scent. “And? Did she look miserable? Please tell me her face turned green with envy p>
I thought back to that awkward encounter. “Actually, no. She managed to smile, though it looked like it physically pained her p>
“God, the nerve of that woman!” Lillian scoffed. “She’s got the thickest skin I’ve ever seen p>
The car pulled up to the Metropolitan Center, and the driver announced our arrival. We unbuckled and stepped out into the crisp fall air.
“Clothes or bags first?” Lillian asked as we walked through the revolving doors.
“I’m flexible p>
“Let’s start at the top floor and work our way down. We can finish on the ground floor and then head our separate ways p>
“Works for me,” I agreed.
By some cosmic joke, we had barely stepped off the escalator onto the sixth floor
when I spotted Elena Pierce shopping with a friend.
Lillian nudged me with her elbow. “What are the odds, right p>
I hadn’t expected this coincidence, but I wasn’t about to show any discomfort. Straightening my shoulders, I smiled and called out, “Elena! What a surprise seeing you here p>
Elena’s face darkened instantly. “Oh great,” she muttered, loud enough for me to
hear, “I must have stepped in dog shit this morning to deserve this kind of luck p>
I didn’t let her rudeness faze me.
Instead, I raised an eyebrow and replied sweetly, “I just wanted to thank you, actually. If you hadn’t told me that Aiden’s long-time crush was “AJ, might never have realized he’d been interested in me for so long! So thanks for that little tip p>
The color drained from Elena’s face, making her look even more furious than before.