Page 22 of Worth

He always wants to know more details about Stephen or Mordecai, regardless of whether or not I can give him something new. God forbid I can’t give him anything new, though. That cool, detached demeanor turns brittle, and there’s fire in his eyes while he cuts me down for being a spoiled princess who didn’t care about anyone but herself.

“Enough about Zander,” Aiden says, clapping his hand down on my thigh. “How would you like to come outside and play with me, Kitten?”

I narrow my eyes. “Didn’t we just have a whole exchange about Zander being an ass and not letting me out?”

He lifts himself in one smooth move that has me drawing back with wide eyes—and not from fear or feeling confined. I’m not exactly a fitness guru, but the strength and agility it would have taken to pull that off is fucking impressive. My belly clenches as I glance down the line of his body, wondering what he’s hiding beneath his clothing.

Aiden doesn’t even notice my reaction, offering a hand. “While the mouse is away, the Kitten will play,” he announces.

I snort, slapping my hand into his. “Aiden, the saying is while the cat is away, the mice will play.”

He cocks his head, looking confused. “But you’re not a mouse. You’re Kitten.”

I laugh, letting him lead me to the door. “Aiden, you’re so adorable sometimes.”

A look passes over his face as he comes to a halt and faces me, letting go of my hand. I stop before I crash into him, tipping my head back a little so I can see his face while I question what he’s doing. I’m not that much shorter than him, so our noses are almost even.

“One day,” he promises in a dark voice, “during this training, I’m going to show you how adorable I’m not, Kitten.” My breath catches as he leans into my space, moving just enough to the side so that his nose doesn’t smash into mine, his eyes boring into mine. “And on that day, after I’m done scaring the shit out of you, you’re going to scream my name while you fuck me and come on my cock.”

“WhileIfuckyou?” I breathe. The pit of my stomach fills with a warm buzzing like I swallowed a hive of bumblebees, and I can’t say it’s unpleasant.

“Yes, Blake.” I flinch at my name on his lips, at the seriousness of his tone, and realize it’s his way of making sure I know he’s not teasing. “Because I won’t touch you unless it’s one hundred percent what you want, and that means you’ll have to be the one that fucksme.”

I lick my suddenly bone-dry lips, trying not to lean in closer when his eyes track the movement. “What if I never want that? What if I never have sex with you?”

Aiden grins—the grin of my crazy, happy Aiden. “Then my hand is going to get a fuck-ton of action.”

My cheeks burn as my brain instantly conjures up an image to go with that statement, but serious Aiden has left the building, taking my hand again as he drags me out the door.

Aiden doesn’t take the opportunity of getting me out of the house to teach me anything. The second I step into the fresh air and sunshine, soft grass underneath my bare feet, he slaps his hand down on my ass with a knowing smirk and proclaims me ‘it’, before jogging away with a smug smile.

I give him a head start of about five seconds while my brain catches up with what we’re doing, then take chase. A laugh bursts from my lips as Aiden sees how fast I’m closing the space between us and starts spitting out curses, turning his jog into a sprint.

I slap his shoulder as I rush past him, then dart back the way we came. A big ass smile spreads across my face, my muscles stretching and warming in a way I hadn’t been able to find with any yoga pose or jogging in place.

I squeal as an arm hooks around my waist and Aiden’s laugh rumbles through his body and into mine. “You’re it, Kitten,” he purrs. I shriek as his tongue licks from the corner of my jaw to my temple, and his evil laugh as he runs away from me lets me know that the time I’m spending wiping his spit away with my shirt is exactly what he was aiming for.

“The only way you can beat me is to cheat?” I yell, taking off after him.

“There’s no rules about licking in Tag,” he yells back, not slowing.

“No, just in life!”

Aiden barks a laugh while he pants, arms pumping. “Kitten, I guaran-damn-tee you that the only rules in life about licking are to do it well and to do it often.”

I don’t miss the innuendo. “Perv!” I shout, leaping onto his back.

Aiden stumbles, but we don’t hit the ground. I wrap my legs around his waist, locking my ankles together and making sure my arms are just as snug around his neck. He stops moving and braces his hands on my calves.

“This isn’t how you play Tag,” he says, sounding utterly miffed.

“Nope,” I answer. “Onward, pony. Show me around the property.”

He narrows his eyes at me over his shoulder. “Do I look like I take orders well?”

“Yaah, pony,” I reply, giving him a smile so sweet I’m sure I give him a toothache. “Giddy up.”

He snorts, then pauses, realizing that he just snorted like a damn horse. It sends me into a fit of laughter that has me burying my face into his shirt, his arms locking around my legs to hold me in place. I only laugh harder as he starts to walk, then changes into a gait that can only be described as a gallop.

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