Page 11 of Tied and Tangled

My eyes were still shut as I stood in place.

Something changed in my bedroom. The air in the space shifted. Warmed over. Filled with his scent. The man was over six feet tall, but somehow, he moved like a ghost. I didn’t have to turn around to know he was behind me.

“Please, baby, look at me.” His voice was whisper-soft at my temple, and my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest.

Is this really happening?

Was Aiden Stark finally going to admit his attraction for me? Would he finally kiss me?

4

AIDEN

Iwas taking liberties stepping into her space. Moving in so fucking close to her that her long dark hair brushed my chest.

“Baby girl, please turn around. Look at me,” I urged again, and I listened to the soft, jagged exhale of breath as she finally did what I asked. I leaned in closer, so close she had to lean back to look up at me.

Fuck.Standing this close to her, now with moonlight streaming in from her big window, I thought she looked like an ethereal being. My own little fairy. Pixie come to life. Towering over her only reminded me of how tiny she was. At five three, the top of her head reached just below my shoulders.

“Aiden,” she whispered so softly something came over me.

Something baser.

Primal.

My hands moved and grabbed her hips. I wasn’t just taking liberties; I was jumping over the fucking line. Fuck being proper. Her dark brown eyes caught mine, and my fingers dug into the curve of her flesh.

“I lied,” I confessed again. Her big browns didn’t widen with surprise like I had expected. They narrowed with questions. “I wanted you to come up. I’d thought maybe…”—I shook my head—“maybe I could talk you into having dinner with me,” I admitted. Saying the words out loud made me feel like a fool.

An old one.

“Dinner?”

“Dinner and a beer. Hang out for a little while.”

“Just us?”

“Just us,” I reassured her. She licked her lips. Fuck, it was sexy. How glossy and shiny she left them. I knew she would taste sweet. Like summer-drenched strawberries and innocence.

“Because you didn’t want to be alone?” she asked. I shook my head.

“No.” It was time to be honest. Lay the cards on the table even when I knew I was fucking up. “Not because I was afraid of being alone, but because I wanted to spend time with you. Alone.” My voice sounded like gravel with my confession.

I was too old for her. Fifteen years older. Jesus Christ. Even knowing that, knowing I shouldn’t be in her space, crowding her, telling her this shit, didn’t stop me.

I’d left my willpower on the floor of that elevator.

“Aiden.” I loved the way she said my name as she looked into my eyes. I swore it felt like her body was slowly melting into mine as our heads gravitated toward one another.

But before I did anything stupid, I rested my forehead against hers and groaned. Deep and scratchy.

“I wanna kiss you, Aria baby. Fuck, I need to taste those perfect lips, sweetheart.”

“But?”

“But if I kiss you, I might not be able to stop,” I admitted and watched as her eyes fluttered shut and she trembled. From head to toe trembled. Her tanned cheeks colored. I’d never seen a prettier sight.

“I don’t see the problem with that,” she whispered. My dick strained against my dress pants. Probably had the imprint of my zipper on my shaft.