Terms of Agreement

52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Charlotte

M y muscles burned as I forced my body to stiffen and straighten, resisting every urge to sink into the softness that had enveloped me. This was uncharted territory, and I wasn’t about to just go barging in without even having a conversation about it first.

‘Well,’ I said, lifting a hand to brush away the dampness on my cheeks, clearing my throat and tilting my head back to offer Aiden a wry smile. ‘I think that’s earned me a piece of chocolate, in any case.’

Aiden studied my face, his brow furrowed with concern. He opened his mouth to speak, and my heart clenched in my chest. This was it. The conversation. It was happening. I waited expectantly, barely breathing and certainly not blinking. But the words that came next were not the ones that I’d expected.

‘Yeah,’ Aiden blew out an amused breath, bowing his head and turning to reach for the chocolate. ‘I’d say so.’

My heart fluttered despondently in my chest. I’d been expecting it, but while I could force myself to hold out my hands and accept the chocolate bar that Aiden was holding towards me, I couldn’t stop the leaden weight of disappointment that settled in my stomach.

Ever since the pub quiz and The Amendment, Aiden and I had settled into a kind of relaxed companionship, the kind of ease that, if it were with anyone else, I’d call it friendship. But while I still didn’t really understand exactly what Aiden and I were to one another, my body seemed to. Over the past few weeks, I’d felt more at ease and more myself around Aiden than I had with almost anyone else. But now, even as I sat bracketed between his legs, I felt anxious and apprehensive.

It was a feeling I hadn’t had around him since the night of the wedding. I didn’t like it and I couldn’t explain it. So, giving my head a small, jerky shake, and straightening the slump to my shoulders, I plastered on a smile.

‘Do you want another piece?’ I asked brightly, arching a brow and loosening my grip on the bar.

‘Another piece?’ Aiden scoffed, something like relief passing across his features. ‘I haven’t had any yet.’

‘And whose fault is that?’ I asked, frowning even as the memory of his fingers brushing past my lips heated my neck. Aiden just shrugged, reaching around me to break off a piece. I watched it disappear over my shoulder, refusing to track its path to Aiden’s mouth and turning only when I was sure he was already chewing.

‘Good?’ I asked, my pulse thrumming in my chest as I studied his face for his reaction.

‘It’s good,’ he nodded.

Forcing out a smug scoff that expelled the air that had been trapped in my throat, I broke off a piece of chocolate for myself, groaning as the chocolate melted on my tongue. Aiden stiffened behind me and, turning my head to one side, I quirked a brow at him.

‘I think your piece tasted better than mine,’ he said in a low voice, gaze fixed on my mouth.

‘What?’ I sputtered on a laugh, the corners of my mouth lifting in incredulity.

‘Yeah.’ Aiden nodded, lifting a hand to my cheek and turning my face towards him. And before I had the chance to process what was happening, he closed the distance between us, melding his mouth against mine. His soft lips slid against mine as his fingers dropped from my face to dig into my hips, tightening his hold as I twisted to face him in his lap. I sighed against his mouth at the feel of his warm body pressing against me and pulling me close, and Aiden took the opportunity to slip his tongue into my mouth. My arms wrapped around his neck, my tongue eagerly meeting his in a caress as I returned his kiss. His chest vibrated beneath my fingers as Aiden hummed in satisfaction, letting out a low groan as he pulled his mouth from mine.

‘You definitely got the better piece.’

My bemused laugh was cut off abruptly as Aiden surged forward, toppling us over so that I was on my back with him nestled between my thighs. The weight of him on top of me sent a rush of need through my body. My breath quickened in heated anticipation as I studied Aiden’s darkened gaze, and when he lowered his mouth to mine, all thoughts of chocolate were forgotten.

But later that night, when I’d all but given myself over to sleep, I swore I could feel his fingertips on my spine as he whispered something in a voice too low for me to hear.