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Chapter Thirteen
Harlow
I felt someone watching me and glanced around the kitchen, not seeing anyone right away but then noticing Aiden off to the side, over by the kegs, his focus on me like a predator intensely watching their prey.
I turned my focus from Aiden, because his was so consuming I could feel it in every part of my body.
Pixie was talking to Braxton, but the look on her face told me she wasn’t enjoying it as much as she probably thought she would have. It was clear Braxton was drunk, his eyes red and glossy, his movements sloppy as he leaned in close to her. She wasn’t even looking at him but instead focused across the room, bringing her bottle of water up and knitting her brows at whatever he said. Finally, she shook her head and walked away.
Aiden was by my side when I turned to look back at him. I was so surprised that he was right there a little gasp left me. He held out a red plastic cup, and I looked down at the contents. The frothy beer sloshed around as we handed off the cup. The scent of hard liquor came from Aiden, and I wondered if he’d been drinking more, or if the scent was just wafting around, because everyone was getting good and drunk.
“You didn’t get anything?” I asked right before I brought the cup to my mouth and took a long drink of the nasty-tasting beer. It was cold and foamy, slightly sour, and tasted disgusting. But I took another drink. Maybe more liquid courage would help me feel comfortable in my surroundings.
“I had a couple shots,” he said.
It was about twenty minutes of us standing there, me drinking my beer and Pixie coming up to us a few times before she darted off. I finished my drink and looked at Aiden. He was watching me again. In fact, I don’t think he took his focus off me for more than a few seconds at a time. I felt like he was worried that someone would snatch me up. I couldn’t help but feel excited at the prospect that maybe he wanted me that much he didn’t want anyone else to have me.
Or maybe that was all wishful thinking?
“I’ve got to go to the bathroom,” I said, and he nodded. I turned and started looking for the nearest one.
There was one downstairs but currently occupied, the sounds of moaning coming from the closed door having me steer clear of it. I felt Aiden following me, and when I got to the stairs and started to ascend them, I looked over my shoulder. He stood at the landing, leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.
“I’ll be right back,” I shouted down, because the noise in this part of the house sounded even more obnoxiously loud. I didn’t even know where the bathroom was upstairs, or if it was fuck-free, but I’d find out soon enough.
I made my way up the stairs and moved out of people’s way. As I navigated the hallway and opened doors, I finally found the bathroom, one that was tucked away in a spare bedroom and thankfully free.
Once inside, I door closed and leaned against it, my hands resting flat on the smooth, cold wood. Although I could still hear the music, it was drowned out, almost muted in this part of the house. I just wanted to leave. This wasn’t my scene, and I was kicking myself for even agreeing to come.
And I told myself I’d just talk to Aiden tonight, to tell him how I felt, that the kiss we shared meant a hell of a lot to me. The worst thing that he could say was he didn’t feel those emotions for me. But God, was I so blind, so into him, that the looks I caught him giving me, the possessiveness, protectiveness I felt come from him where I was concerned were all in my head?
After using the bathroom and washing my hands, I left the bathroom and made my way back downstairs, weaving in out of the bodies crowding every square inch of this house. Aiden was still in the same place I left him, almost as if he’d been guarding me.
Once I was downstairs, Aiden stood right beside me. “Can we just leave? Get out of here?”
The smirk he gave me, the little nod, told me he’d probably been hoping I’d say that. I found Pixie and told her I was leaving, and although I didn’t want to leave her here, she had several friends she was with, wasn’t drunk, and told me she’d be headed home soon as well.
And as we headed toward the front door, the farther we got from the party scene, the more the idea of it just being Aiden and me had excitement and anticipation filling me.
