Chapter 245
Aria’s POV
Aiden’s butterfly stroke was a masterpiece of precision and grace, each movement cutting through the water with perfect form.
As he touched the far end of the pool and pivoted underwater to swim back toward me, I found my heart inexplicably racing as he closed the distance between us.
When he surfaced right in front of me, water cascaded from his short hair, tracing tantalizing paths down his face to his neck and across his broad chest before rejoining the pool.
My eyes followed one particular droplet as it slid over the defined ridge of his collarbone, and I instinctively glanced down at my own.
Damn. His collarbones were even more sculpted than mine.
I must have been staring too brazenly because Aiden clicked his tongue softly before asking, “What are you looking at, Mrs. Carter p>
Lost in my comparative anatomy study, my brain-to-mouth filter failed completely. “Your collarbones,” I admitted without thinking, then looked up and added, “Yours are more attractive than mine p>
Regret hit immediately. To hide my embarrassment, I ducked my head and started nervously chewing on my drink straw.
Aiden laughed, reaching out to rescue the poor plastic victim from between my teeth. “Stop that,” he murmured, his voice warm with amusement. “Keep biting and it’ll be useless p>
I shot him an indignant look, annoyed at being caught in such a childish habit. “I could drink without the straw,” I declared, though I did release the mangled plastic from my dental assault.
Setting my juice on the floating tray beside us, I narrowed my eyes at him. “I just realized how sneaky you are, Aiden p>
“Oh?” His eyebrows arched with interest as he picked up my abandoned drink and took a sip. “Do tell p>
After a moment’s hesitation, I ventured, “You deliberately ask me questions when I’m distracted because you know I’ll answer honestly without thinking, don’t you p>
“Do I?” He furrowed his brow for half a second before offering a response that seemed just a little too innocent. “I hadn’t noticed p>
“You always time your questions for when my mind is wandering,” I accused, watching his expression closely.
And every time, he manages to extract exactly what I’m thinking! This wasn’t the first occurrence; I’d just never connected the dots until now.
Aiden’s lips curved into that devastatingly confident smirk of his as he leaned in
close to my ear, his low chuckle sending electric shivers down my spine. “Or perhaps,” he whispered, his breath hot against my skin, “my wife simply gets distracted every time we talk p>
Oh god. He was right.
Realizing the fault was entirely mine, heat flared across my face. I instinctively reached for my juice to hide behind another straw-chewing session, but remembered his earlier comment midway and pulled my hand back am going to swim another lap!” I announced, desperate to escape my embarrassment.
I had barely pushed off when strong fingers wrapped around my arm. Using the water’s buoyancy to his advantage, Aiden effortlessly pulfed me back to him with minimal force. Suddenly we were impossibly close, and despite being submerged in cool water I could feel the heat radiating from his body, several degrees warmer than my own.
“Don’t swim if you’re tired,” he said, releasing my arm but maintaining our proximity as he gazed down at me with those intense dark eyes. He enunciated each word deliberately: “Would Mrs. Carter consider an alternative form of exercise p>
Curiosity piqued, I asked, “What kind of exercise p>
His lips curved into that dangerous smile that always made my stomach flip, dark eyes gleaming with mischief as his hand slipped underwater to find my waist. “Research shows that thirty minutes of French kissing burns the same calories as a 3.6-mile walk p>
Before I could process his words, his mouth descended on mine, capturing my lips with practiced expertise. His kiss was possessive yet playful, his tongue skilled and thorough as it explored my mouth with intimate familiarity.
Suspended in the water, I relied entirely on his steadying hand at my waist. The passionate kiss instantly made my body liquefy, and I instinctively sought anchorage in the weightlessness.
My hands fumbled underwater until Aiden guided them around his waist. I clung to him as he tightened his grip, pressing our bodies flush against each other.
Our breathing grew increasingly heavy, the sound of our shared oxygen exchange seemingly amplified in the quiet garden surroundings. The cool water somehow transformed into liquid heat around us as a molten sensation surged from my toes to the crown of my head.
I lost track of how long we kissed. When he finally broke away, he took my bottom lip between his teeth with exquisite gentleness, applying just enough pressure to send waves of tingling pleasure radiating outward.
My entire body trembled in response, and I collapsed against his shoulder, drawing ragged breaths against his wet skin.
“How was that?” His deep voice, rough with desire, vibrated against my ear as his hot breath rushed inside, intensifying the dizzying sensation. I felt utterly boneless,
as if the slightest touch might cause me to dissolve completely.
His question made my face burn hotter than before. I stared unfocused at the
water’s surface and managed a breathless whisper: “Really good p>
“Then let’s continue,” Aiden murmured, his voice dropping to that gravelly register
that never failed to make my core clench with anticipation.
His mouth returned to mine with renewed hunger, and his hands began to wander-one tangling in my wet hair while the other traced bold patterns across my back Between kisses, he whispered against my lips God, Arta, your skin; feets like silk underwater His palm skimmed down my side to cup my
ass through my bikini bottom, squeezing appreciatively. “Every inch of you is fucking perfect p>
I moaned into his mouth as his lips traveled down my jaw to my neck, where he lavished attention on my pulse point. The dual sensation of cool water and his hot mouth on my skin created an intoxicating contrast that had me panting.