Chapter 111

Aiden’s POV

I’d barely made it through the front door of our Villa when my phone pinged. Ryan had sent me a video message.

Raising an eyebrow, I almost ignored it. Nothing good ever comes from Ryan’s “must-see” videos – usually just some half-naked models from his agency’s latest campaign or drunk executives making fools of themselves at industry parties.

I was in the middle of unbuttoning my shirt when my thumb accidentally tapped the notification. The video started playing before I could stop it.

Well, shit. That was my wife on screen. My usually composed Aria was throwing a cup of coffee directly into some woman’s face.

“Next time, bring your brain when you leave the house,” she was saying, her voice icier than I’d ever heard it. “If that doesn’t work, go jump in the Hudson to clear your head. Think before you speak. If I ever hear you say another word against Aiden, I promise what I throw won’t be coffee—it’ll be acid. Do you understand p>

The final touch? She tossed the empty cup at the woman’s face before walking away with all the regal composure of a queen.

I barely had time to process what I’d seen before Ryan’s message popped up:

“Dude, your wife is fucking SAVAGE p>

“Thanks for noticing,” I texted back.

I smirked at his response. “Don’t worry, I keep plenty of condoms on hand. Keeps her happy p>

“Dude, you’re nasty. Does your wife know how filthy your mind is p>

“None of your business p>

I snorted and tossed my phone onto the bed. Ryan could wait. Right now, I needed

to swim – my evening ritual to clear my head after dealing with boardroom politics all day.

Maintaining these abs isn’t just vanity – it’s the foundation of a happy marriage.

Twenty laps later, I was toweling off by the indoor pool when I heard the doorbell. Our housekeeper was off today, so I wrapped the towel around my waist and headed for the door.

Aria stood there looking adorably disheveled. Her hair was slightly mussed, and she was rubbing her eyes like a sleepy child. The shopping bags in her hand caught my attention immediately.

“You’re home?” she asked, blinking at me in surprise.

“Just got back.” Water droplets ran down my chest as I studied her face. No signs of the fierce warrior who had threatened to throw acid at someone just hours ago.

“Oh. Swimming already, huh?” She stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

“Mmm.” I nodded, my eyes dropping to the shopping bags dangling from her fingers. “Buy something p>

“Yeah, just a couple of sexy p>

She stopped mid-sentence, her cheeks turning an adorable shade of pink. I raised

an eyebrow, suddenly very interested in whatever she’d been about to say.

“A couple of what?” I prompted, enjoying the way her eyes darted away from my bare chest.

Aria cleared her throat. “Just clothes,” she mumbled, clutching the bag closer to her side.

I couldn’t resist. “Oh, a couple of sexy clothes p>

Her face went from pink to crimson in seconds. The way she looked right now, like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole, was absolutely delicious.

“I’m curious,” I said, moving closer until I could see the tiny pulse fluttering at her throat. “How sexy are we talking p>

She backed up a step, nearly tripping over her own feet. “I should, um… go put these away p>

I reached out, my fingers brushing against hers as I took the shopping bag. The boutique name embossed on the side was all too familiar – my

sister freqüented that particular. lingerie store.

“La Perla,” I said thoughtfully, watching Aria’s eyes widen. “Very nice choice p>

“Aiden, give that back!” She lunged for the bag, but I easily held it out of reach.

“I think I deserve a fashion show,” I said, lowering my voice. “Especially after that impressive performance at Chanel today p>

Aria froze. “What performance p>

I pulled out my phone and played the video. Her eyes grew larger with each passing second.

“Where did you get that?” she whispered when it finished.

“Ryan sent it to me.” I set the phone down, moving closer until she was backed against the wall. “You never told me you had such a temper, Mrs. Carter p>

“She was Liam’s sister,” Aria explained, her voice small. “She cornered us in the store and started saying horrible things about you, and I just… snapped p>

I couldn’t help the smile that spread

across my face. My sweet, gentle Aria threatening to throw acidat

someone for insulting me? It

shouldn’t turn me on as much as it

did

“You defended my honor,” I said, brushing my thumb across her lower lip.

“Well, she was being completely unreasonable,” Aria muttered, her breath catching when my hand slid down to her throat.

“So about this fashion show I murmured against her ear, feeling her shiver against me.

“Absolutely not.”She let out a soft laugh, then whispered,”And anyway, after last night, I’m still recovering. So don’t get any ideas p>

That brought me up short. Last night

had been… intense. I’d never lost contro like that with a woman

before. The memory of her with e

beneath me, crying out my name p>

“Fair enough,” I conceded with a small smirk. “Though I hope you’ll model them for

me sometime p>

She huffed, pushing past me toward the stairs. “In your dreams, Mr. Carter p>

I watched her retreat, admiring the sway of her hips in those tight jeans.

“Every night, Mrs. Carter,” I called after her. “Every single night p>

The shopping bag she threw at my head in response only made me laugh harder.