CHAPTER 86: SLOW FALL

Alexia’s POV

I should have pushed him away.

I should have told him to back off.

But I didn’t.

Because the moment Aiden stepped between my legs, placing his hands on my thighs with a casual dominance that sent a jolt of heat straight through my body, I was trapped.

Trapped between my own desires and the logic screaming at me that this was a mistake.

Trapped between his intoxicating scent—clean, musky, expensive—and the slow, deliberate way his thumbs brushed over the sensitive skin of my thighs.

I swallowed hard, gripping my spoon like it was my only anchor to reality. Breathe, Alexia. Focus. Think.

"What... what exactly do you mean by this proposition?" I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.

Aiden smirked, tilting his head slightly, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement—as if he knew I was stalling. As if he could see right through me.

"You and me," he said smoothly, his voice a low hum that vibrated through me. "We give in."

I blinked, my breath catching. "Give in?"

"To this." His hands squeezed my thighs slightly, sending a rush of heat through me. "To the attraction between us."

I sucked in a sharp breath.

"I see the way you look at me, Alexia." His voice was like silk, slow and deliberate, each word laced with temptation. "You want me just as much as I want you."

I parted my lips, but no words came out.

Because he wasn’t wrong.

God, he wasn’t wrong.

But...

"Aiden..." I shook my head, my pulse hammering in my ears. "We can’t."

"Why not?" he challenged, tilting his head slightly, his gaze never leaving mine.

I exhaled sharply. "Because this wasn’t part of the deal. This—" I gestured vaguely between us, my fingers trembling. "—was never supposed to happen."

Aiden chuckled, his hands sliding a fraction higher up my thighs, making my breath hitch.

"Neither was today," he murmured. "But it did. And tell me, Alexia..." He leaned in, his breath warm against my cheek. "Do you regret it?"

My heart slammed against my ribs.

I should have said yes.

I should have told him that it was a mistake, that I regretted every second of it.

But I didn’t.

And he knew it.

His smirk deepened as his fingers trailed lightly over my skin, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. "That’s what I thought."

I gritted my teeth, my grip tightening on the spoon. "Just because I don’t regret it doesn’t mean I want to repeat it."

Aiden raised a brow. "Liar."

I glared at him, but he only smirked, completely unfazed.

"Tell me something, Alexia," he murmured, leaning in closer—so close I could feel the warmth of his skin against mine. "Why are you fighting this so hard?"

I swallowed hard, my body betraying me as I instinctively leaned into him, craving his warmth, his touch.

Why was I fighting this so hard?

Because I knew myself.

If I gave in to this, if I let myself fall into whatever this was, I wouldn’t be able to keep it just physical. It wouldn’t just be about stolen touches and breathless nights. I would get attached. And Aiden... he would never be mine.

He loved someone else.

And I refused to be the fool who fell for a man who could never love her back.

I shook my head. "I can’t."

Aiden didn’t respond immediately. His hands remained on my thighs, his breathing even, but I felt the shift in the air—the tension thickening, pressing down on me like a weight I couldn’t escape.

"I told you," he said after a long moment, his voice quiet but firm. "This doesn’t have to be complicated. No emotions. No expectations. Just you and me... enjoying each other."

I exhaled shakily, my resolve wavering.

God, I wanted him.

I wanted to give in, to stop overthinking and just let myself feel.

But I knew myself.

I knew that one night had already messed with my head. What would happen if I let this continue? If I let him own me like this—physically, mentally, emotionally—knowing that in the end, he would never be mine?

I shook my head. "I can’t."

Aiden’s jaw ticked, his fingers tightening on my thighs for the briefest second before he let go.

Disappointment flickered in his eyes, but he masked it quickly, stepping back.

His lips—the ones I had been waiting for, the ones I had all but parted my lips for—remained untouched.

He had almost kissed me.

He had almost won.

But I had refused.

I watched as he straightened, his expression carefully blank, and suddenly, I hated myself for rejecting him.

Because I wanted him.

I wanted him so badly.

"Well," he said, his voice unreadable. "That was a disappointment."

I swallowed hard, guilt twisting in my stomach.

"But..." He tilted his head slightly, his smirk returning. "You can always change your mind."

Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

Just like that.

Gone.

Leaving me sitting there, gripping my spoon with trembling fingers, hating myself for saying no...

When all I wanted to do was say yes.

Aiden POV:

Fuck.

I never thought she would reject the idea.

I saw the desire in her eyes. I knew I affected her just as much as she affected me. The way her breath hitched when I leaned in, the way she unconsciously parted her lips, waiting—wanting—me to kiss her. It was all the confirmation I needed.

She wanted me.

And yet, she said no.

I clenched my jaw as I walked out of the kitchen, the tension in my body coiling tighter with every step I took. My fists curled at my sides, a mixture of frustration and something deeper twisting inside me.

I had already planned everything—how I’d kiss her breathless, lift her into my arms, and carry her to bed where I’d spend the night showing her just how much I wanted her. I could already feel her body under my hands, her soft moans echoing in my ears, her taste lingering on my tongue.

But no.

Alexia had rejected my proposition.

The rejection shouldn’t have pissed me off this much. It shouldn’t have mattered. It was just sex, right? An easy arrangement with no emotions involved. Something that would satisfy this insatiable need I had for her.

So why did hearing her say no feel like a punch to the gut?

I ran a hand through my hair as I reached my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me.

This was insane.

I shouldn’t be this affected.

I was Aiden fucking Timberlake. I didn’t chase women. I didn’t need anyone. And yet, here I was, burning with frustration because one woman had turned me down.

Not just any woman.

My wife.

A wife I wasn’t supposed to want.

A wife who, even now, was still on my mind.

I exhaled sharply, yanking my pants off and tossing it onto a chair remaining in my briefs before collapsing onto the bed. The sheets were cold, the bed empty, and for the first time, I hated it.

I turned onto my side, closing my eyes, willing myself to sleep.

But all I could think about was her.

The way she looked at me with those big, defiant eyes, the way her lips parted as if she were already imagining how I’d kiss her. The way she held onto that last shred of resistance, even when I could feel how much she wanted to give in.

I groaned, throwing an arm over my face.

I should be relieved she rejected me.

But all I felt was restless.

Because now that I knew how she tasted, now that I had heard her moan my name, now that I had felt her beneath me...

There was no fucking way I was going to stop wanting her.

And that was the real problem.

And then there was Liz.

She had come back for me.

The woman I had spent years loving, the woman I thought I would build a future with. The one who had left, and yet, the moment she returned, she expected me to still be hers.

I had told myself I was waiting for her.

That all of this—marrying Alexia, dealing with the media, putting out fires—was just a temporary complication until Liz and I could be together again.

But now... Fuck.

I dragged a hand down my face, frustration coiling in my chest.

Because now, Alexia existed in a way she hadn’t before.

She wasn’t just the woman I married out of necessity. She wasn’t just my business arrangement.

She was the woman who had moaned my name, the woman whose body had fit perfectly against mine, the woman who had awakened something in me that wasn’t supposed to be there.

And Liz?

Liz was my past. My supposed future.

But when she had called earlier, asking me if we could talk, asking if we could go back to the way things were before, all I could think about was Alexia.

I had expected my heart to race at Liz’s voice. I had expected relief, the need to say yes, finally, you’re back.

But all I felt was conflicted.

I sat up in bed, running a hand through my hair.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

I couldn’t have both of them.

Liz had come back, but Alexia was here now.

And my body—hell, even my mind—was starting to crave Alexia in ways that had nothing to do with necessity and everything to do with her.

I had wanted her again tonight. Still wanted her.

But she had turned me down.

Maybe that was a good thing.

Maybe that was my sign to step back before I ruined everything.

But then why did the thought of walking away from Alexia feel just as wrong as the thought of letting Liz go?