Page 18 of Vain
Aiden growls, stepping forward, but I place my hand on his chest to stop him.
“You’re overstepping, Daniel.”
“He’s been here five minutes and is all over you.”
“Listen, asshole,” Aiden snarls, but I step between them, my own anger riding me hard.
“You work for me. What I do or don’t do with Aiden is none of your business. This is your last warning, Daniel. Either act like the professional I know you to be, or I’ll fire you. This is my home, goddamn you.”
Daniel tenses, his hands fisting at his sides before he sighs, his head dropping. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I just don’t want you to get hurt again. I can’t?—”
“It wasn’t your fault. You have got to let it go.”
He blows out a deep breath, but he says nothing. I can see Aiden watching the play between us, but he keeps his mouth shut.
“Again, I’m sorry for acting unprofessionally. It won’t happen again. Good night.” He indicates that his team should leave first before he follows them without looking back.
“What the fuck was that?”
I tug my hand free of his so I can rub my throbbing temples. “Daniel was part of the security team the studio hired. He feels like he failed me because of what happened.”
Aiden sighs as I start walking up the steps to the house. Moving up beside me, he waits for me to key in the code before he speaks.
“I get it. Comes with the job. You’re entrusted to keep someone safe, so if it goes wrong, you feel responsible. It doesn’t matter if it’s rational or not.”
I lock the door and arm it, knowing Marley and Greyson will have retired for the night. “I understand it. I still feel guilty for those other people being hurt in an attack that was aimed at me. But as you said, I didn’t hurt them. An asshole did.” I head to the kitchen to see what Marley has left us to eat, avoiding eye contact with Aiden. I feel him behind me, but I ignore him as I open the fridge and pull out a large tub of chicken Caesar salad.
I fetch two bowls and fill each before grabbing silverware and handing a bowl to Aiden. He holds on for longer than necessary before letting go. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” I force some cheeriness into my voice. We take the same seats we sat in last night and eat in silence. I’ve had this meal a dozen times, so I know the lettuce is crisp, the chicken is juicy, and the dressing is to die for, yet everything tastes like ash right now. The atmosphere that crackled around us before feels heavy with unsaid words and expectations. I’mnot sure what I’m supposed to say or if I should ignore the elephant in the room, but?—
“Fuck this.” Aiden’s snarl is the only warning I get before he shoves his chair back and stands up.
I look up at him in surprise. He reaches for me and, in one smooth move, lifts me from my seat onto the island, narrowly missing my bowl.
“Aiden—”
He presses forward, my legs opening instinctively so I don’t gouge his stomach with my knees. Once he’s between them, his hands cup my face, holding me still. “We need to talk.”
Everything in me cringes at that. “We really don’t. We can just pretend it never?—”
“If you say pretend it never happened, I’m going to put you over my knee and spank your ass.”
My mouth drops open in shock.
He traces my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “I swore I was going to hold myself in check. We’re from two different worlds. I told myself this will never work. I’m your bodyguard, for fuck sake. You don’t get much more cliche than that.”
“I agree this is stupid…” My voice drifts off as he bends down, his nose skimming mine.
“Then I realized there could be a hundred reasons why I should stay away from you, and I still wouldn’t give a fuck. I want you, Tilly. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”
Before I can say anything else, his lips are on mine, firm and insistent, as he takes them without a hint of regret or hesitation. I try to resist, but I’m weak, dammit.
I melt into him just like I always do. It’s like a chemical reaction. Every time he touches me, I turn into every stereotypical book heroine I love to loathe.
I’m so lost in the moment that I don’t realize his hands are on the move until they slip under the hem of my shirt. He freezesfirst, yanking his hand away from me as if it burns. It’s that shock that breaks me free from the madness, letting reality rush back in, punching me in the face with such force I whimper.
“Tilly?”
