Page 32 of Until You

“Oh Gray, it’s nothing,” she says, a faint blush staining her cheeks pink. She looks beautiful, sitting on the sofa with me, her hair still wet, not a trace of makeup on her face. She’s fucking breathtaking, and she’s so far out of reach. I can’t ever go there with Noah’s little sister… but Nyx… I could have the part of Aria that is Nyx.

Aria looks back at her screen and bites down on her lip. I see the impatience in her eyes, and it tugs at my heartstrings. All this time I’ve been wondering about Nyx, wondering if she enjoys our conversations as much as I do. Now I know.

I glance down at my phone as I type a reply, a faint smile on my face. I’m feeling conflicted, but I can’t resist either. I’m addicted to Nyx.

Ash:Baby, how do you keep getting worse at this? Seriously, try Google. It’s the only thing that can save you at this point.

Aria giggles, her eyes meeting mine briefly before she looks down at her screen. “Sorry,” she murmurs, before she starts to type.

Nyx:…that WAS from Google.

Ash:Wow. I have no words.

Aria bursts out laughing, and I move closer to her. She slams her laptop closed before I get close enough to see what she’s up to, and I lean back beside her, my thigh grazing against hers. She tenses, and I wrap my arm around the back of the sofa, over her head.

“What’s got you giggling like that?” I ask, part of me wondering if it might just come up. I’m not a superstitious man, but tonight I’m looking for a sign. Do I tell her, or not?

Aria turns to look at me, her face flushed. “Oh, I was texting a friend. It’s really nothing,” she says, a hint of guilt in her eyes.

I nod, my eyes roaming over her face. She’s stunning, and those lips of hers… yeah, they’ve starred in all my recent fantasies of Nyx. Lately, things have been different between us. We haven’t crossed any lines, but there’s definitely an attraction. Is she feeling conflicted about it the way I was? I felt guilty texting Nyx while imagining Aria, and maybe she feels the same way.

“How has work been? Have you adapted well?” I ask, trying to find something to talk about; a way to explain why I suddenly moved closer to her. Besides, we’ve barely had time to talk lately. We’ve both been far too busy with work. Aria and I try to eat together at night, but usually we’re both sitting at the dining table with our laptops out, and more often than not, she disappears into her bedroom straight after. I guess that’s what made it easier to miss the signs.

Thinking of her lying in bed just a few steps away during all the late-night conversations we’ve had recently, fuck.

Aria looks up at me and smiles, making my heart skip a beat. “It’s honestly been so great,” she tells me. I lean in and brush a wet strand of hair out of her face, and she bites down on her lip, looking a little flustered. “I can’t thank you enough. A fresh start is exactly what I needed, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ll work hard, Gray. You won’t regret hiring me.”

I smile and shake my head. “I know I won’t, Ari. I wouldn’t have hired you if I thought you would disappoint me.”

She nods, her gaze solemn, and it fucking guts me. Sometimes I think there’s more, but right now? Right now she’s looking at me like I’m nothing more than her brother’s best friend, as though I’m merely her boss. I shouldn’t want her to see me any differently, but now I know who she is, I want more. I want her smiles, her laughter, her passion.

I want everything she gives Ash.

23

Aria

My hands tremble as I read through the information Nemesis members found on Peter Simmons.

He found a job. He applied for over fifty, but in the end, he got a job at a small convenience store not too far from my old house. In the months that we’ve been tracking him, he hasn’t committed a single crime. Based on his phone records, all he seems to be doing is trying to contact his daughter, who won’t speak to him.

I bite down on my lip and send out a request for his financial records dating back the last twenty years. I’ve spent so many years being angry that I’ve never wonderedwhy. I’ve only ever been concerned with making him pay for what he did.

His rationale won’t matter. Nothing will ever make his crimes forgivable. But now that the anger has turned into a dull pain, I’m wondering why. Why did he rob us? Why did he kill my parents?

I click the window away before the memories have a chance to claw at me. I don’t want to let the anger consume me all over again. I can’t.

I close my laptop and push it further down my bed. I grab my phone instead, hesitating for only half a second before deciding to text Ash.

Nyx:You know how you always tell me you want me in your bed? Tonight I find myself wishing you were in mine.

I didn’t expect him to reply immediately, but he does, and he sees straight through me.

Ash:What happened?

Nyx:It’s nothing… I just feel a little lonely, a little hurt. Memories overwhelm me tonight, making it just a little harder to breathe.

Ash:Is this about your ex? That douchebag never deserved you, Nyx.

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