Page 31 of One Night Seduction

I frown at her as Arianna does the same.

“Mom, stop.”

“What? I’m just saying, if you wanted privacy for your little vacation romance, you chose the wrong place to do it.”

“No way this is just a vacation romance. There is no getting me away from her now,” Tyson cuts in with a smile to Kelly and a challenging side eye to me.

“That’s nice. Ari, are you sure that’s the shirt you want to wear? It looks a little tight in the stomach. Those college pounds really caught up to you,” Kelly says, her eyes raking over Arianna coldly.

My eyebrows raise as Arianna seems to shrivel up on the spot, every set of eyes on her. I’m ready to lose my fucking shit on her when Tyson beats me to it.

“Are we looking at the same woman? She’s fucking perfect.”

“There is no such thing as perfect, Ty,” she says with a roll of her eyes.

He shakes his head, smiling at Arianna as he cups her face the way I want to. The way I’m meant to.

“She comes as close as possible.”

Arianna seemingly melts into his touch, and I can physically feel my blood begin to boil as she does. Kelly makes an irritated noise under her breath before Tyson pulls Arianna against him, pressing her back against his chest. His hand comes down to her hip, resting against it possessively in a way that has me seeing red. I don’t know if he’s just trying to rile me up at this point or if he’s really into her.

Either way, I’m going to kick his front fucking teeth in.

I decide to sit outside for a little while and catch up on some work. Mainly to escape Kelly trying to grope my fucking cock under the table. I know I used to find her sexual confidence appealing at one point, but now, Jesus Christ, I need her to leave me the fuck alone. Even if I am trying to use her as a distraction of sorts. That sentence sounds gross when I think about it, but I’m not deluded. I know very well she misses my wealth and my cock, nothing else. I used to be fine with that, but after getting just the barest glimpse of a relationship with more…it just feels bland, unappetizing,

I’m slowly working through my inbox, which is a fucking nightmare since I never take time off. I also never allow anyone into my inbox to manage it while I’m gone…because I’m never gone. Goddamnit, this trip is going to set me behind weeks, and for what?

As if my mind somehow conjured the torturous beauty herself, Arianna comes wandering into the backyard before moving to the dock. Her camera is held up as she sits there for a while, snapping pictures. I find myself watching her more than the screen in front of me.

When she turns around to face the house, I quickly make myself busy, tapping out next month’s scheduled meetings for the firm. I hear her walk towards the fire pit I’m sitting at, expecting her to continue past me. Instead, she takes a seat on the grass four feet away from me.

I watch her out of the corner of my eye as she lies on her back and begins snapping pictures of the tree that’s slightly shading her.

“Why are you taking pictures looking up?” I ask, unable to help myself.

She doesn’t stop what she’s doing, adjusting the focus of the camera lens as she speaks.

“If you don’t change your perspective from time to time, you could risk missing the most beautiful parts.”

Her words are deep and prophetic, and yet again, I’m amazed by this woman. I want to say more, but I know I shouldn’t. I’m putting up a wall between us, and it’s working. Kind of. I’m trying. She made her desires clear, and I have to respect them, even if being this near to her, unable to touch her, makes my skin crawl.

A soft breeze blows by us, pushing some of her hair into her face. She doesn’t immediately move it out of the way, and I feel my fingers twitch with the ache to run them through her silky strands just once more.

Arianna tilts her head to me, moving her camera out of the way so her eyes meet mine.

“What are you doing out here?”

“Just catching up on some work.”

She nods, her eyes moving back to her camera as she continues.

“Do you like what you do?”

I think about that for a moment, setting my phone down as I ponder her question.

“Yes and no.”

“Why’s that?” she asks.

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