Aiden doesn’t even flinch. He keeps fucking me with those fingers, draining my body of that earth-shattering orgasm, as if I didn’t just squirt all over him.

“You’re even more beautiful falling apart for me,” he whispers, taking my mouth for a kiss that makes me want to fall apartagain. My toes curl as I lick his mouth, getting even more aroused as I taste myself.

Aiden groans as I reach for his belt and quickly undo the buckle. “You don’t need to,” he whispers, gripping my hand.

“I know, but it’s not fair that I’m the only one getting pleasured,” I whisper back.

“You definitely weren’t the only one.” But he lets me unzip his pants and free his cock.

My fist wraps around it, barely closing.Holy shit.My eyes lift to meet his hooded stare. In this moment, I’m so temptedto lead him into my bedroom and impale myself with this hard, thick, pleasurable-looking appendage. I want to ride until I’m nothing but a shell of myself on top of him.

But I can’t.

“Fuck, Scarlett,” Aiden groans as I start stroking him. With one hand resting on the counter, the other gripping the back of my neck, he rocks with me, fucking my palm. Watching the lust intensifying in his eyes is so satisfying in this moment—

My brain is suddenly made aware of two things: the burning tomato sauce and the front door opening on the other side of the wall. With a gasp, I ease Aiden off me, then slide off the counter and pull my top down. Aiden quickly tucks himself away and buckles his pants. I snatch my panties off the floor as Daddy enters the doorway.

We’re fucked.

Daddy doesn’t appear half as shocked as I am, which I find weird until I remember Aiden’s car parked out front. What isn’t odd is that dark fury on his face trained directly at Aiden.

Correction: Aiden is fucked.

I dart in front of him, giving my father a look that says, ‘please don’t embarrass me.’ His expression immediately simmers with understanding, but he still mutters, “Tell your friend goodnight, Scar.” His emphasis on the word ‘friend’ confirms he knows exactly what we were doing in here. I’m twenty-two years old, but my face still burns from shame.

“My apologies, sir,” Aiden says politely as he inches past my father in the doorway. Which is quite a feat, considering how small the space is and they are two giants. Daddy looks him up and down but says nothing. Yet, I know exactly what’s on his mind.

Oh, boy.

I walk Aiden out to his Porsche that looks so out of place in my neighborhood. “I hope you’re not in any trouble,” he mutters, glancing back at the house.

“I’m more worried about you,” I joke. “You better go before Daddy changes his mind about mauling you.”

He grins. Another glance back at the house, then he brushes away a lock of hair from my face. “Really wish I could kiss you again,” he whispers, making my heart skip a beat.

Resisting the urge to do just that, I back away. “Yeah, you really want to be dinner, don’t you?”

Aiden laughs, blows me a kiss and slides into the driver’s seat. With my hand pressed against my chest, I watch until his taillights disappear on the highway. This is crazy. I shouldn’t be longing for the guy I’d suspected was out to get me twenty minutes ago. I shouldn’t be wishing he’d taken me with him, to someplace where we could finish what we started on the kitchen counter. I should be running, because despite how believable he was back there, something still gnaws at my insides. It still feels too good to be true.

Daddy is now sitting on the couch, removing his boots. He glances up as I close the door behind me.

“You got home early. Is everything okay?” I ask.

He gives me a wry look, clearly seeing through my attempt to discuss something other than decontaminating his kitchen. “Got the job done earlier than expected, so I came home, thinking you needed help with making dinner,” he mumbles, yanking off his socks. “Turned out you got plenty of help.”

“Dad, I’m sorry about your kitchen. We shouldn’t have—”

“I don’t care about the kitchen and I certainly don’t want to know what you’ve been doing in there.” He stands wearily. “Honey, you’re not a child anymore and I can’t tell you how to live your life but be careful. There’s something about that guy that puts me on edge and it’s not about his wealth. You’re the smartest kid I know, so use your common sense.”

There’s no sense in arguing when I have similar reservations. It’s starting to feel easy when I’m around him, but the doubts come right back once he’s out of my sight. I nod at my dad, then head back to the kitchen to salvage that burnt tomato sauce. Unfortunately, the damage is already done, and I start over from scratch.

While hoping it’s not a foreboding of terrible things to come.

Chapter 20

Aiden

The roar coming from the jubilant crowd is like music to my ears. Gliding backward, I punch the air triumphantly. What seemed like an unattainable goal thirty minutes ago is now a resounding victory. One more win and we’ll be on our way to the finals.