Page 73 of Just a Bit Captivated

“Aiden!” Someone was trying to pull him away from Zain.

No!

Clinging to Zain’s waist, Aiden turned his head and snarled like a feral cat, baring his teeth.

His father blanched and stepped back.“Christ…” he said, looking shaken.“Calm down, son. I’m not your enemy.”

He felt like one.Anything that could take Zain away felt like an enemy.

“Shh,” Zain said into his ear, stroking his back soothingly. Possessively. “I’m here. No one will take you from me again.”

Aiden all but purred, leaning into his touch and burying his face in Zain’s neck again. God, his scent. It was pure bliss.

“Damn…” someone said. It was either Jordan or Eloise’s husband, Paul.

“We can’t just—we can’t just do nothing and let that man grope Aiden in front of us!”

“Let’s calm down,” his mother said. Her voice sounded a little strained but nowhere near as angry as her husband’s.“He’s not… groping him. He’s holding him. I don’t think forcibly tearing them apart is the right thing to do. You saw how Aiden reacted when you attempted to do it.”

“But— look at them!” his father growled in frustration.“You can’t tell me this kind of behavior is normal!”

“It isn’t, but it’s clear that Aiden won’t take it well if we separate them and kick the man out of the house.” She raised her voice, sounding unnaturally nonchalant.“Dinner is ready, everyone! Let’s all go to the dining room. Aiden, take Mr. Rahim’s coat and invite him to join us. Aiden!”

Reluctantly, Aiden lifted his head and forced himself to pull back a little. He knew he couldn’t push his parents too much. His dad already looked like he was about to have a stroke.

Aiden took a step away, trying to get a grip on his emotions. He couldn’t keep himself wrapped around Zain like an octopus.His entire family was watching.

So he could only eye him longingly as Zain took off his coat and handed it to Aiden. Under it, he was wearing a dark suit and a pale-blue shirt that brought out his gorgeous skin tone. Everything about him was perfect, from his dark hair and strong hands to the faint lines at the corners of his eyes.

He was made for me.

The thought was like a slap. It felt as true as it was dumbfounding.

Their eyes locked again, and Aiden found himself physically shaking. An ache curled in his chest, a barbed, hopeless longing.

Wetting his lips, Aiden stretched out his trembling fingers to him, and after a moment, Zain took them into his own hand, squeezing.

Oh.

His stomach full of terrible butterflies, Aiden led Zain toward the dining room, following the rest of his family. His hand was tingling. He wanted to intertwine their fingers together so badly but didn’t dare while everyone was watching them.

“Sweetheart, Mr. Rahim can take the seat next to Paul,” his mother said with a strained smile.

Squeezing Zain’s hand harder, Aiden shook his head and pulled Zain into the seat next to him. He couldn’t bear having him that far away, not when he finally had him back.

After a moment, everyone took their seats, andthe sounds of cutlery filled the room, breaking the awkward silence.

Aiden had to let go of Zain’s hand so that they could eat, but he kept sneaking glances at him every few seconds, to reassure himself that he really was there. To his relief, Zain didn’t seem to be much better: his gaze barely left Aiden, watching him eat as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Someone cleared their throat.

“Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” Eloise said with a chuckle.“Or are we all going to keep pretending that it’s completely normal that Aiden is making moon eyes at the man who bought him like a thing and had him locked up for a year?”

Tearing his gaze away from Zain, Aiden glared at his sister, his face far too warm.“Shut up, El,” he grumbled. Did she have to humiliate him in front of Zain?

You don’t need anyone humiliating you. You already did a great job yourself, clinging to a married man the moment you saw him—in front of your entire family, no less.

Aiden’s mood soured at the thought. He’d been so ridiculously happy to see Zain that he’d completely forgotten all the reasons they could never be together. What was Zain even doing here? Where was hiswife?

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