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He steps closer, his presence enveloping me. "This isn’t like your second day here, trying not to overstep. You know that, right?" His voice is gentle but firm. "We’re way beyond that, especially with how we feel about each other."
The cool night air against my flushed cheeks reminds me of the reality we're avoiding.
In his words, there's an unspoken plea for more than what we're admitting. But it's the fear of crossing a point of no return that holds me back, even now.
Close enough to catch the scent of his cologne – a unique blend of musk and citrus that's all him – I inhale deeply, letting it soothe my racing heart.
"I know," I whisper, forcing myself to meet his gaze.
He leans in, his lips barely inches from mine. "Then stay with me," his breath whispers across my face, sending shivers down my spine.
I close my eyes, my resolve melting by the second, only to open them again. "I don't think that's a good idea right now."
Aidan moves a bit closer, his eyes searching mine for an answer I'm not sure I can give. "Lacey, we're in this together, right? The scandal, your dad's hospital stay, all of it. We're facing this storm together." His words hang between us, but I can't find my voice.
His tone softens. "Do you love me, Lacey?"
Words form in my mind, but they vanish before I can speak.
"I'm going to ask you again." Aidan cups my cheek, his thumb tracing my jawline. "Do you love me?"
My heart thunders, sure he can feel it.
"Do you?" he presses, his voice a mere whisper.
"You already know I do,” I manage to say.
"I do. But I need to hear it from you." Our foreheads touch as he pulls me closer. "Tell me the truth, Lacey."
"That doesn't matter?—"
"It matters. It's everything. Do you fucking love me? Yes or no? Don't hold back. Just say what's on your mind. Say what you feel. Say?—"
"Yes! Yes, I love you, Aidan. More than I ever thought possible. More than anything!" The confession bursts from me, my voice raw. "There! Are you happy now?"
Tears streak down my face, falling onto the balcony. Aidan cups my face, kissing away each tear, his eyes filled with emotion.
"Damn right I am," he murmurs, his lips a breath away. "Because I feel the same, sweetheart. I want you. I need you. So damn much. I'm not risking everything for a fling. I'm risking it for the love of my life. For you."
His words tear down the walls around my heart, leaving it exposed and open.
Before I can say anything, Aidan closes what little distance lies between us, his lips finding mine in a kiss that's hungry and full of rage.
The kind of rage that comes with a fight for the kind of love you've been waiting for. The kind of rage that comes from battling for a love that changes you, that throws you in the eye of a storm you never saw coming.
With the rage, Aidan shows me a desire I've never known. A desire I never will again.
I'm helpless and hopeless as his lips trail to my neck, his large hands gripping the fabric of my long dress and bunching the material above my thighs.
His teeth gnaw at my nape as he grits out my name between kisses. "Lacey Alvarez, you are the bane of my existence. And my heartbeat all at once. I'm living for you. I'm breathing for you, baby. And I can only do so as long as you let me."
I gasp out loud, desire heating my skin from the inside out. "I live for you. I breathe for you, Aidan." I hitch a leg up to his waist as he pushes me against the railing. "I need you."
'And I need you." His fingertips show how much. They wrap into the sides of my underwear as Aidan kneels, sliding them down my thighs and over my knees. He lifts each of my calves as he slings the lacy undergarments over my toes. Then he sends them sailing, flying off into the night, before his hands grip my ass.
He kisses me. Quick. "I've been tested. I'm ready for you. Are you?" He eyes me, and I nod.
"I am," I say. "Tested. And I've been with nobody since. Nobody but you."
