CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: PEPPER SPRAY

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: PEPPER SPRAY

The beautiful dream I was having was cut short by Noah's screams. I gave it a count to six to know whether Noah would take the hint that I wasn't only exhausted, I was sleep deprived too and I was beginning to imagine things like Aiden standing in my resort room.

Noah finally stop crying and I went back to sleep. I thought it was a good sign that Noah slept for hours, almost to midday. I stood up from the comfortable bed and made my way to the bathroom. Since I was unwilling for the well deserved sleep to end, I kept my eyes closed. Even when the warm water touched my naked body, my eyes were still closed.

I dried my hair with the white towel the resort provided and used the other one to wrap my body. As I made my way to the wardrobe to change into something a little less constricting and revealing, I heard a sound from the part of the suite Noah was laying.

Without thinking, I went for the nearest weapon inside the brown bag that lay carelessly on the floor; it was a woman's best weapon - pepper-spray.

I first saw the figure crouched over Noah's crib like he was putting him down for a nap. How long had this creep being holding Noah? How long had he being in my room? Was he the reason my half nephew was crying?

Then the most terrifying question went through my mind. Was Noah quiet because the intruder snuffed the life out of him?

The part of the resort I was staying was secluded and away from the rest of the human race. Slowly, I moved closer to the perpetrator and as soon as I was close enough, I tapped his shoulder and he turned abruptly to face me.

I unleashed the pepper-spray all over his face, special his eyes.

"What are you doing in my room? What did you do to the baby?" I asked in quick succession before I even saw the man's face properly.

"I didn't do anything to your baby, red. I was just trying to help you sleep, Red"

"Aiden!" I was surprised to see him in my room. A room I locked yesterday night.

"What are you doing creeping in my room like a creep?" I asked again.

"Can we ask the million dollar question, when I'm not literally going blind and in pain?" Aiden wiped his face vigorously with his palm.

Aiden's eyes were watery and he was very close to losing his temper.

"Okay, how about you go to the bathroom and wash your face" I pointed to the bathroom.

"In case you've not noticed, my sight is temporarily unavailable....at least I hope it's temporary" Aiden's breathing was laborious like he was trying to control pain and anger.

"Okay! Fine, I will lead you to the bathroom but please keep your stupid voice down. I am already dealing with one baby; I don't want the other one to wake up"

Aiden wanted to say something to me but instead he clenched his fists. I lead him to my bathroom and washed his face with running shower water. When I was done he was totally soaked but he still could not open his eyes.

"I think we should use soap and wash your face again" I suggested as I suppressed my intense urge to laugh. He looked like a wet kitten, so vulnerable even human to me as opposed to the smug handsome person I met on the plane.

"For someone who carries pepper-spray, you are clueless. Soap is an irritant and will do more damage to my already inflamed skin. How come you don't know this?" Aiden asked in his not too happy tone.

"I have never actually stuck around to help people I use my pepper spray on and...How come you know what to do? Are you a well known creep?" I asked with a puzzled expression.

"This is what I get for trying to be nice. Please lead me to a chair before I trip on something and break my neck!"

I lead Aiden back to the room and made him sit while I used something to dab his face.

"What were you doing here, Aiden?" I asked after a minute of uncomfortable silence.

"My room is just next to yours and I heard a baby cry. And since this was my personal suite far away from the main resort, I decided to check and see if some teenager gave birth and abandoned the baby" Aiden explained to me.

His face and especially the skin around his eyes were red and from by looks of it, painful. I watched to open his eyes repeatedly but unable to. I almost felt sorry for him except he was intruding on my personal space.

"Noah only cried for a minute or two" I was so sure about that until a moment ago.

"No, he cried for about ten minutes before I...."

"Broke into my apartment?" I finished up for him.

I looked around the room for the first time and it was beautiful. Yesterday, I was too tired to appreciate the beautiful and expensive things in the room like the delicate Versace-Baracoa print vase and.... a Ming vase. If I wasn't mistaken the armchair Aiden sat on with his soaked clothes was a Getsuen Diamond Armchair. I wanted to push him off it, if it was ruined....it will probably bankrupt me.

"I didn't break in, I used a key and when I saw you were in no hurry to pick up your baby, I decided to....."

"To pick up my baby and make him comfortable enough to allow me an hour of sleep" I finished for him again.

I felt guilty that I hurt Aiden when he was just trying to help me. I stood up to make food for Noah and found empty baby bottle. It dawned on me, he fed Noah already and I felt like an ingrate.

I decided to ring for breakfast for both of us to apologize.

"I want to order for..."

"Breakfast... its annoying when people finish your sentences for you, isn't it?" Aiden asked and I rolled my eyes.

I was guilty of what he was accusing me of and it was annoying.

"You know I was going to buy you a proper breakfast but now, you are going to have just coffee" I said and dialed for room service.

"Hi...I want soft-poached eggs on toasted English muffins with Canadian bacon and topped with hollandaise.....oh sorry....I will check the menu and call you back then...thank you"

I heard Aiden's mocking laughter and if eyes could kill, he would be dead.

"You could have warned me you know" I told him accusingly.

"I'm sorry, this part of the resort have a strict menu and a secret kitchen, I would have shown you, if you hadn't blinded me" Aiden said in an annoying tone.

We sat in silence for a minute or two before he spoke up again.

"Thank you for feeding Noah"

"You are welcome but don't you think breastfeeding is better than bottle at his age" Aiden spoke in low tone.

I shook my head vigorously and stood up from where I was sitting.

"Nope...my breast is not up for discussion" I went for the door and I was determined to find the secret kitchen.

"But...you are..."

"Nope Aiden" I yelled.

"I was going to say you are naked and since I think you are leaving the room, you should at least wear something other than a skimpy towel"

I quietly went back inside the room to check into something appropriate.