Chapter 239
Aria’s POV
I’d barely had time to process how many people were fawning over our relationship online when I noticed Aiden emerge from the bathroom, his hair still damp from the shower.
“The bath should be ready in about five minutes,” he announced, voice deep and smooth.
I nodded, trying to act casual. “Thanks p>
My thoughts drifted to his social media post-the one that had sent the internet into a frenzy.
I wanted to ask him about it, but couldn’t quite find the courage. Instead, I chewed
my lower lip and said, “I’ve been scrolling through social media. It’s pretty wild out there tonight p>
Aiden gave me a knowing look, his blue eyes twinkling. “Is that so? What’s happening p>
“You know, just stuff about today’s competition,” I deflected.
“Let me see,” he said, reaching for his phone.
My cheeks warmed. “I’m going to grab my clothes for the bath!” I announced, practically jumping to my feet.
Aiden shot me an amused glance but didn’t comment as he opened the app. I watched him out of the corner of my eye while pretending to search through my suitcase. He immediately tapped into my profile, and I knew exactly what he was looking at my post from five minutes ago. The smile that spread across his face made my stomach flutter.
As I rummaged through my suitcase for nightclothes, my fingers brushed against something lacy and barely-there. I pulled it out without thinking and froze in horror.
A racy lingerie set. In my suitcase. That I definitely hadn’t packed.
“What the hell?” I whispered, then instinctively glanced toward Aiden to make sure he hadn’t seen.
Too late. He was looking directly at me—and the scandalous black lace in my hands. My entire body went rigid, blood rushing to my face so fast I felt dizzy.
“I-I don’t know how this got here,” I stammered, mortified. “This isn’t—I didn’t—” Aiden’s eyes darkened as they lingered on the lingerie. “Your bath should be ready by now, Mrs. Carter,” he said, his voice lower than before.
I nodded frantically, scooped up the offending garment, and shoved it deep underneath my clothes. Then I grabbed my nightwear and practically sprinted to the bathroom.
Once safely behind the locked door, I leaned against it, my heart hammering. Lillian! That sneaky little-I knew exactly who’d planted that in my suitcase. I fired off a text to her: *Why is there lingerie in my suitcase p>
Her response came quickly: *I slipped it in there, of course! You two rarely get away together-enjoy yourselves! Loosen up, babe. Your husband just publicly declared you’re his soulmate. Don’t you want to celebrate p>
*Go to sleep!* I texted back, though I couldn’t help smiling.
I rushed through my bath, too flustered to enjoy the luxurious tub. When I emerged wrapped in a fluffy hotel robe, my skin still flushed from the hot water, Aiden was scrolling on his phone.
“I’m done,” I announced unnecessarily, hurrying to grab my phone from the bedside table.
He looked up, those ocean-blue eyes tracking my movement. “I’ll go shower now p>
“Right. Good,” I mumbled, not meeting his gaze.
The moment the bathroom door clicked shut, dashed to my suitcase, pulled out the lingerie, balled it up, and threw it into the trash bin. Then I paused,
ver
reconsidering What if housekeeping found it? Or worse what if Aiden noticed?
Pet
My eyes darted around the room until they landed on a small gift bag from the hotel. Perfect. I dumped out the complimentary chocolates, retrieved the lingerie from the bin, stuffed it into the bag compressed it as much as possible, and buried t deep in the trash.
Crisis averted, I collapsed onto the bed with a sigh of relief and returned to scrolling through social media. The comments about us were everywhere:
*”Carter and his wife are GOALS! I’m sobbing p>
*”That protective arm around her waist when they were leaving? I believe in love again p>
*”They’re so perfectly matched! My new favorite power couple p>
I couldn’t help grinning like an idiot. Reading strangers gush about how well-
matched we were felt surreal but wonderful.
“What’s got you smiling like that, Mrs. Carter p>
I hadn’t heard the bathroom door open. Aiden stood there with a towel draped around his shoulders, wearing only sleep pants that hung low on his hips. Droplets
of water still clung to his chest, tracing tempting paths down his abs.
“Just social media,” I admitted, feeling heat crawl up my neck.
Aiden sat down beside me, the mattress dipping under his weight. His body radiated warmth, and he smelled incredible-like expensive soap and something distinctly him. Steam still rose from his skin, enveloping me in his heat.
My eyes traced the contours of his chest, lingering on the defined muscles before trailing up to his strong jawline. When our gazes met, I realized I’d been caught staring.
“Your hair’s still wet,” I blurted out, desperately trying to cover my embarrassment.
“It’ll dry soon enough.” His arm slid around my waist, drawing me closer until I was practically in his lap. “Show me what’s so interesting on your phone p>
I glanced down at my screen, still displaying comments about us:
*”The way he looks at her! I’m melting p>
*”Carter and his champion wife are THE couple of the year p>
*”Please feed us more of this high-quality content! I want to see them kiss p>
Aiden plucked the phone from my fingers before I could stop him. His low chuckle vibrated against my back as he read. “High-quality
content, huh? agree His lips
brushed my ear as he whispered, “Though I’d prefer something even better-like seeing Mrs. Carter in that little black number I spotted
earlier p>
My face burned hot enough to start a fire. I snatched my phone back, heart
pounding. “It’s just silly comments. Nothing worth reading p>
“Is that so?” he murmured, his fingers drawing lazy circles on my hip. “I thought they
had some excellent suggestions p>