Chapter 178
Aria’s POV
I’ve never been more exhausted in my life.
After Aiden left the bedroom, I closed my eyes and tried to get some rest, but my mind kept replaying everything we’d done together. God, we’d been wild. And his stamina? Absolutely unreal.
Sleep wouldn’t come. After tossing and turning for about fifteen minutes, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and frantically texted Lillian:
“LILLIAN! LILLIAN! PLEASE COME PINCH ME AWAKE p>
“AHHH I FEEL LIKE I’M DREAMING p>
“OMG! IT’S SO EMBARRASSING! BUT SO EXCITING! I’M SO HAPPY p>
Lillian matched my excitement, texting back how jealous she was of my apparently thriving sex life.
Eventually, my adrenaline crashed and exhaustion took over. Without realizing it, I drifted off into the deepest sleep I’d had in months. If Aiden hadn’t woken me, I probably would’ve slept straight through until 5 PM.
His familiar voice hummed near my ear. I frowned, fighting against the heaviness of sleep, unable to tell if I was dreaming or awake.
Getting annoyed by the persistent noise, I reflexively swatted at his face as he leaned in. “So noisy,” I mumbled.
My fingernails accidentally grazed his nose. He touched it briefly, then suddenly scooped me up from under the covers.
The sudden movement startled me. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck to stabilize myself. Being physically lifted from bed woke me up slightly. I squinted through barely-open eyes at Aiden’s face below mine. “I’m so tired,” I whined.
“Eat first, then sleep,” he replied firmly.
I made a little dissatisfied noise and nuzzled against his shoulder like a petulant kitten.
Aiden’s breath caught. His voice dropped an octave. “Are you really that tired p>
Something in his tone sent warning signals through my foggy brain. I suddenly felt much more alert-maybe 70% awake now. I lifted my head and stared at his face, now inches from mine. “N-no, not tired anymore p>
Aiden was already carrying me downstairs. Sunlight streamed through the windows, highlighting the sharp angles of his face and those intense eyes.
“That’s too bad,” he murmured, his voice laced with amusement. “I could have helped Mrs. Carter wake up properly p>
He didn’t spell it out, but I knew exactly what he meant. My cheeks burned as I looked away. “I’m awake already p>
I glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling windows where the midday sun blazed outside. That’s when it fully registered that Aiden was carrying me like this.
“I can walk myse—” Before I could finish, he’d already set me down in a chair at the dining table.
I bit my lip and awkwardly surveyed the spread before me. Western cuisine with soup-all my favorites.
I felt a surge of appreciation as I picked up my chopsticks. “This looks amazing p>
“Eat,” he said simply, ladling half a bowl of soup and placing it beside me.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, embarrassed, before taking a sip.
Aiden’s cooking skills surpassed my expectations even better than our housekeeper’s. I couldn’t help but shower him with compliments between bites. During our half hou meal, I spent at least fifteen minutes praising his culinary talents.
Throughout it all, his expression remained unreadable. I couldn’t tell if he
appreciated my compliments or found them annoying.
After finishing, I volunteered to clear the dishes.
Just as I stood, Aiden moved toward me, arms reaching to pull me close, his lips seeking mine.
I immediately backed away. It wasn’t that I didn’t want him-God knows 1
did-but my body was genuine weet
exhausted Completely worn out.
“The weather’s so beautiful today!” I blurted out. “Let’s go out. Maybe play some golf p>
Anywhere would do, as long as we weren’t alone in the house. I needed a timeout. If we had sex again, my body would literally give out.
Terrified he might change his mind, I rushed upstairs to change clothes and came back down in record time.
Aiden hadn’t changed-he was still wearing his loose button-down,
sitting on the couch. Seeing.inét
return so quickly he clicked his tongue. “That eager to play golf p>
“It’s been ages since I last played,” I said, rubbing my nose nervously.
He gave me a knowing look that lingered a bit too long. “Let’s go then p>
I breathed a sigh of relief and followed him. But after just a few steps, I felt a warmth envelop my hand.
Surprised, I looked down to find Aiden holding my hand firmly in his. Not just holding our fingers were completely interlaced.
The sight made me feel strangely shy yet inexplicably happy. My heart swelled, filling with an emotion I couldn’t quite name.
When we arrived at the golf course, Ryan and Ethan were in the middle of a game.
As soon as he spotted us, Ryan paused their match. “Come over, Aria! Watch Ethan and me compete p>
“Sure!” I started to reply, but Aiden immediately handed me a golf club.
“Honey, we’ll play our own game,” he said pointedly.
“Watching would be nice too,” I suggested, feeling awkward.
“Ignore them,” Aiden said. “They’re just single men with no wives p>
Seriously, Aiden? Did he really need to show off like that? Was he trying to get punched?