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“Okay.”
The air-conditioning feels chillier than it did before, goose bumps breaking out across my skin and my nipples tightening under my thin T-shirt, reminding me for the first time since I left my room (and much too late, I might add) that I’m not wearing a bra. It only fully hits me when I notice Aiden’s gaze dip down in a way that feels almost like a reflex, like he can’t help it. I hear his sharp inhale as heat rushes down my neck, and I quickly cross my arms over my chest as embarrassment floods through me.
I decide that not acknowledging it is the least mortifying option, looking down at my toes instead of his face. “Okay. Well. I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Sure,” he answers slowly. “See you in the morning.”
I pad away as fast as I can without actually running, only pausing at the landing turn back slightly. “Night, Aiden.”
“Good night,” he calls back, and I notice he hasn’t moved from where he’s standing.
I don’t think I take a full breath until I’m safely back in my room with the door closed behind me, leaning against it to cover my eyes with my hands. I can only hope the entryway was dark enough that I didn’t give Aiden acompleteeyeful; the embarrassment of knowing my very-hot-but-off-limits boss might have seen most of my nipples was enough to make me want to stick my head in a toilet.
I huff out a sigh as I shake my head at my own carelessness, staring out into the dark of my room and telling myself it’s not a big deal. That we’re bound to run into a few faux pas in a situation like ours. That surely Aiden will have forgotten all about it by morning.
Right,I think as I tuck myself back into bed.It’s absolutely not a big deal.
Even if I’m still thinking about the way he looked at me.
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I haven’t stopped thinking about your pretty pink nipples all week.
CHAPTER 6
Cassie
Worrying about my late-night encounter with Aiden proves to be all for naught, given that after that night, I hardly see him for a week. He takes Sophie to school every morning in the days that follow, spending all his remaining free time at the gym when Sophie isn’t home and sneaking in and out of the shower before he disappears off to work. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was avoiding me, which makes me even more anxious about the whole thing. I worry about the possibility of having made things awkward between us, fearing that I may have ruined the easy rhythm we’d begun to fall into. By the following Saturday, I can count on one hand the glimpses I’ve had of Aiden Reid, even living in the same house.
I mosey into the kitchen that morning earlier than usual, hoping to spend some alone time with the coffeepot before Sophiewakes up. I think I’ve got some time before Aiden wakes up and busies himself with something or another that will allow him to avoid talking to me. I’ve decided at this point that I will not be letting this bother me, that if thingsareweird between Aiden and me, it will be his fault, not mine.
I mean for God’s sake. The guy has seen nipples before. And it isn’t like I didn’t use to show mine to half the internet on a regular basis. I don’t even know why I’m so unsettled by it. It’s not the end of the world.
I stretch while the coffee brews, my robe slipping from my shoulders a bit to drape around them loosely when I settle back against the counter. I roll them as a well-known tightness prickles at my back, reaching to rub at the raised skin there and sighing like I always do when I’m reminded of my scar.
When the coffee is done, I add more sugar to my cup than is socially acceptable—but whatever. I close my eyes when the first sip of hot heaven hits my tongue, humming contentedly as I let it finish the job of waking me up. I’m still standing there in the misguided sense of safety that comes from thinking I’ve got a decent amount of alone time ahead of me, still leaning casually against the countertop with my robe askew and my hands preoccupied with my cup when I finally pick up on a large body stepping off the stairs that lead to the third floor.
Aiden yawns, his hair in sleep-mussed disarray and his arms high in a stretch that makes his gray T-shirt creep up enough to flash the toned lines of his abdomen above his low-slung flannel pajama bottoms. My eyes are drawn to the well-honed muscle that must be his reward from all the escapist workouts, struck dumbfounded at the counter. I shouldn’t be ogling him, I know that, but looking the way he does... I can’t exactly help it.
And that’s when he notices me.
“Cassie?”
I realize I’m just standing there gawking. “Oh, hey. You’re up early.”
“Yeah.” He runs his fingers through his hair absently, still blinking sleepily. “I have a staff meeting this morning.”
He still hasn’t moved away from the foot of the stairs, almost like he’s afraid to approach me. It only feeds my suspicions that things are weird between us.
“I made coffee,” I offer. “If you want some.”
“That would be great,” he says.
His eyes flick from my face to my pink baby doll T-shirt, reminding me it’s the same one I’d been wearing during our last disastrous encounter. Is it my fault that I’m so partial to it? At least I’m wearing a bra this time; I definitely learned my lesson about going sans bra outside of the safety of my bedroom.
