Page 49 of Pucked and Pregnant

Someone with more sanity would probably have quit by now, but I refuse to let Travis, the media, or anyone else bully me out of my dream job.

Unfortunately, tenacity does nothing to cure cabin fever. I’m ready to climb the walls. I can’t even get takeout to mitigate the boredom because the delivery guy could be a reporter.

I have too much pent-up frustration to cook and not enough energy to use my vibrator. So, to cope I’m looking at food online I can’t have and men I should stay away from because that’s what a mentally stable person does.If you say so, psycho.

Connor is out at a club surrounded by women, as usual. Going off the pictures he’s posting, it looks like he’s having a great time. I probably would be too, if I was doing body shots off some perfectly proportioned bimbo.

Not that I’m jealous. He’s a grown man and can do whatever he wants with whomever he wants. The fact that I’m hoping he breaks both his legs and spontaneously goes bald tonight is completely irrelevant to the situation and none of anyone else’s business.

Dimitri apparently didn’t get enough hits in during practice because he’s out competing in a celebrity boxing tournament. It’s for an anti-poaching organization, so I’m not too bitter about it. Not that I’d have a reason to be, he doesn’t owe me a thing.

Aiden is at home making thirst traps for his socials that I definitely did not watch multiple times. He stopped posting a while ago which means he’s gone out or is in his art studio.

The thought of fucking him on his drafting table pops into my head and sends me spinning. And just like every other time I’ve let my emotions take charge, I end up making a bad decision.

About twenty minutes later that bad decision is in my kitchen unpacking takeout bags.

“I got gelato. Chocolate chip for you, hazelnut for me.”

He tosses me the smaller bag and I put it in the freezer.

“Here are the pickle chips.” Aiden makes a face. “I hope you're feeling hungry, because you’re on your own with those. And the stars of the evening are a double stack burger for me, club sandwich for you, and a large order of fries to share.”

The smell wafts under my nose like an image in an old cartoon. I know what euphoria smells like now and I am instantly drunk on it.

Abandoning all reason and good sense, or at least what was left of it, I throw my arms around him, peppering kisses on every bit of exposed skin I can get to.

“You are my favorite person in the entire world right now.”

It’s all fun and light-hearted giggles right up until it isn’t.

I don’t know who moved but instead of my lips landing on his chin like I intended, they land squarely on his mouth. All the air gets sucked out of the room as Aiden’s warm hand cups my cheek and he deepens the kiss, my hands fisting in his shirt.

He can probably hear my heart with how hard it’s pounding.

The week I stayed at his place, there was always a frantic energy to everything we did. It was like we were both afraid of running out of time.

But not here.

His hand slips to my lower back as he takes his time exploring my mouth. Everything around me blurs out of focus until the only thing I’m aware of is him. The look on Aiden’s face is one of abject devotion.

For the first time, I realize how much I could hurt him if things go too far, and it terrifies me. I won’t allow him to get cut on the ring of thorns surrounding my heart. He was my friend first and I can’t destroy that.

So, I take a breath, stuff everything down, and say, “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Why not?”

“Because it can only end badly. The press will keep hunting me like an animal. Max will kill you if he finds out, and I have no idea how Connor and Dimitri will react. Maybe if New York didn’t happen we wouldn’t be having this conversation, but it did, and I’m just as confused about the three of you now as I was ten years ago. And that’s not even accounting for the commitment issues. If this gets any more serious, I’ll end up ruining it and lose almost every friend I have.”

“Anything else?” he asks calmly.

“Isn’t that enough?”

“No.”

“Then what else can I tell you that will make you see why this is such a bad idea?”

“If you can look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want this, I’ll never touch you again.”

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