23

Her breath hitches and her mouth was left hanging. He narrowed his eyes as his head tilted to the side, the words his mother is saying flying over his head.

He swallowed the lump in his throat and broke eye contact when Claudia took his bag from his hand, oblivious to the tension between the two. He slowly raised his hand to his ear, never breaking eye contact as he spoke into the phone.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that again?"

She leaned on the railing and tilted her head, a small smile on her lips. "I guess the aloof brother just arrived."

He watched her walk down the stairs, a small flutter in his stomach. His heart was becoming warm and fuzzy and he smirked as he stepped closer to meet her halfway. She came to a stop at the last stair and swallowed the lump in her throat.

"My, my," he said as he pushed his phone in the back pockets of his Jeans. "You miss me that much you end up following me?"

That made her scoff and she fold her arms. "How am I following you if I arrived here first? And anyway, how did I not know you're Claudia's son?"

"There's a lot you're yet to discover, love," he said, watching her blush as she looked away. Then something she said hit him. "Wait, so my sister actually called me a aloof?" he asked suddenly, making Ari chuckle.

"What are the odds," she whispered more to herself. She then poked his stomach, unintentionally feeling his hard abs under her small, little finger and he pouted in confusion. "Just making sure this isn't my imagination."

He threw his head back, his chest vibrating with laughter. "You're cute. Where's Chels?" he asked as he headed to his old bedroom with Ari right behind him.

"She said she's going out with a friend. Go take a shower," she said, leaning against the door frame. He span around and grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward him and shutting the door.

"I have other plans," he said with a wink.

"I do not," she said, reaching for the door but he blocked it with his body. "Let me out before your mom finds us," she whispered, looking frightened to be caught.

"Under one condition," he said, making the hairs on her nape stand.

"Which is?"

"Kiss me."

Her eyes went wide and she stared at him before bursting into hysterical laughter. He stood taller and watched her, a smile permanent on his face.

"Good one," she said, wiping invisible tears. "You had me for a second there. Where are the cameras?"

"There are no cameras," he said as he moved closer to her, holding her waist. "Lucky us, right?"

"Yeah, right. As if I'll do anything of the sort with you. Mind you, if your mom walks in right now-" she didn't finish her sentence because his lips were against hers and her eyes flattered close.

He didn't know why or how he managed to do that, but he didn't want to stop. He pulled her closer to him and moved his lips against hers. It didn't take her long before she put her hand around his neck and pulled him closer to her, kissing him back hard, getting a moan from her.

He took that chance to slip his tongue in. He picked her up and held her against the wall, her legs tightly around his waist. She didn't know what got into her, and it surprised her how eager she was.

They pulled away and he leaned his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes as he tried to catch his breath. She bit on her bottom lip as she looked back at him, lightly caressing his cheek with her hand. His eyes shifted to her lips and he trailed his thumb along her bottom lip. The same lip he'd just kissed. The same lip that's moist, plump, and swollen because of him.

"You should... Um... Probably get that shower," she spoke while trying to catch her breath.

"And you should be downstairs before she comes looking for you," he said as he put her down and stood aside. She quickly opened the door and was down the stairs before he blinked. She dashed through the kitchen and stopped outside in the garden.

"What. The. Hell. Ari?" She scolded herself. "It's not like you to be so reckless. You are not supposed to be getting involved with your business partner. What will they think of me now?"

"Why should you care what they think of you?" Kaden spoke behind her and she froze.

"Aren't you supposed to be showering?" she asked as she turned to look at him.

"Why do you care about what they think, Ari?" he asked her in a knee-weakening tone.

"It's just- Why'd you do it?"

"I don't have a reason. Why didn't you stop me?"

"I don't have a reason. But that wasn't supposed to happen," she puts her hands on her hips as she tried to think of anything other than that darn sensual kiss.

"Are you calling it a mistake?" he asked. A flash of hurt appeared in his eyes. Ari had to do a double take to make sure what she saw is right.

"Of course not. Don't think that," she said truthfully. He took a few steps and stood directly in front of her, reaching for her hands.

"Do me a favour," he spoke softly as his hand cupped her face and she looked up at him with glossy eyes. "Be real with me. The only way you can do that is by not caring what other people will think of you. Just try that this weekend. I just want to spend this time feeling at home. Here. With you."

She thought silently about what he said. Was he being genuine or was this another trick played by men? Her mind was racing with thoughts but one stood out the most; it was provoking and she couldn't help being drawn towards it. However, seemed to have already made a decision. And it terrified her.

***

A/N Did you enjoy this piece? Updates coming soon