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"With extra sparkles?" she beams.
"All the sprinkles you want." Her excitement for tomorrow overshadows any disappointment about leaving early.
I bid Jessie goodnight, and with a royal wave, they head back to the suite, leaving me alone with my thoughts, the pulsing music...and a hunch on where Lacey might be.
Adjusting my tuxedo tie, I push through the crowd, searching every face for Lacey as I make my way to the nearest terrace, moving quickly.
Chapter Fourteen
LACEY
The night sky above the Magnolia Hall of Wonders is a canvas painted with the light of a thousand distant stars, sparkling against the velvet darkness. I'm lost in it, tracing constellations I barely remember the names of, when Aidan's voice interrupts my celestial musings.
"Bet you wish you had your sketchbook right now, huh?" His voice, warm comfort in the cool night air.
I exhale, biting my lower lip. "Yeah, because the night sky from the 'Magnificent Terrace,' as they call it, is just begging to be drawn in my notebook."
Aidan's footsteps approach, the sound of gravel under his shoes signaling he's near. The heat from him, just feet away, sends ripples through the evening chill.
"There's nothing going on with Vanessa and me," he says, the sentence sharp and sudden, like a blade cutting through the silence.
I keep my gaze on the horizon. "Aidan, you're my boss. Your personal life isn't any of my concern—" I start, but he interrupts.
"But I need it to be," he insists, voice low. He's right behind me now, close enough that I can practically hear the steady beat of his heart. "I need you to care."
The air between us crackles with unspoken words. Seattle's skyline sprawls below us like a kingdom at our feet, but in this moment, it feels like all that matters is the space between us.
"Why?" I ask, voice tight.
Aidan hesitates before speaking again, inches away. "Because you're the only one who makes me feel alive." His words are strained, his breath warm on the back of my neck. "And because I think you feel the same way."
I turn to face him, heart racing. The moon casts a soft glow on his features, making him look even more ethereal in his blacker than black tux.
"And what if I do?" My voice trembles. "But you and Vanessa...it's complicated."
Aidan steps closer, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "You're already involved," he says softly. "Don't stay away because of her. She's not who I want." He exhales, chest heaving. "There's no easy way to say this. You're the one I want, Lacey. The one I dream about. The one I can't stop thinking about." His thumb traces my jaw, sending shivers down my spine. "From the moment you stepped into my home, you've consumed my thoughts."
My heart races, Aidan's confession overwhelming me. But before I can respond, he leans in and presses his lips against mine in a kiss.
And just like that, the world around us fades into a distant hum, replaced by the electric charge of Aidan's lips against mine. It's scorching—a wildfire that can't be contained, spreading through every fiber of my being.
His large hands roam, with a mind of their own. His lips slant against mine, urging me to open up and let him in.
And I do, eagerly.
Because there's no one else I want more than Aidan.
Nothing I want more than this. More than his touch. His fingertips. The hard length of him, now pressing seductively between my thighs.
I sigh at the feel of his hard body pressed against me, his light touch skimming over my shoulders, down my arms, and across the curves of my breasts, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.
In the midst of a kiss that sends all my sensible thoughts on a vacation, Aidan's deep voice is a whisper. "I've spent more time than I care to admit," he murmurs over my mouth, "imagining just this, and so much more."
His lips wander, finding my earlobe and tugging at the tender flesh.
In the quantum silence that hangs between us—charged with the kind of electricity that could power a small city—Aidan's voice dips into a timbre that's both a promise and a plea.
"Lacey," he starts, "if you give me the chance, I'll map every constellation of freckles across your skin with my lips, discover every sigh and whisper that I can pull from your breath."
