Chapter 35
THIRTY-FIVE
NOVA
PRESENT DAY - HALLOWEEN PARTY
“I’ll be back,” Madison mumbles before walking toward the crowded cabin.
Music pumps through the speakers, and the song’s haunting melody pulses through me like a heartbeat.
Being outdoors at this party isn’t as overstimulating as being inside the frat house.
It helps that I can step outside to get some air and escape the crowd for a while.
However, because I ditched my jacket at home, I can’t stand out here for long without freezing my tits off in my nun costume.
Maybe Aiden will help warm me up.
Grinning, I turn to Olivia at the tail end of whatever she’s been talking about. Dahlia sips her soda beside me, listening intently.
Olivia smirks at me. “You didn’t hear anything I said, did you?”
I snort a laugh. “Nope. I got distracted.”
“Aiden’s back?” She cranes her neck to look past me, searching the crowd for my brother.
“What? No.” I blow a raspberry. “He’s hanging out with some friends. Am I really that attached to his hip or something?”
Olivia smirks. “More like the other way around. I’m surprised he’s not out here with you right now, being your shadow, like usual.”
“Like usual? You mean recently, right?” I cross my arms over my chest and rub them to help warm up. While the fire pit is nice, it isn’t chasing off the chill or the goosebumps. Or maybe it’s what Olivia said that’s making the shiver run down my spine.
“Recently?” She wrinkles her nose. “No, babe. I noticed years ago. Whenever I hang out with you, Aiden isn’t far away. He’s your shadow, and sometimes you don’t notice when he’s there.”
My stomach does the weird thing again, like I’m free-falling from the clouds and hurtling toward the ground with a stupid grin on my face. But I know what it means now.
Falling in love with Aiden is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done. It was the easiest and most natural thing to do as well.
“By the way,” Olivia says, “how’s the fake-dating going?”
A soft gasp beside me reminds me that Dahlia has been quietly listening the entire time. “You and Aiden are dating?”
I nervously laugh and shake my head. “Not really. It’s all pretend.”
“It’s to make another guy jealous.” Olivia smirks and sips her drink. “But you haven’t given me any updates. Are you moving on to bigger and better things now? Like, let’s say, your brother?”
“The plan is working,” I say, deflecting from her last question.
She purses her lips and eyes me. “Is it?”
I scoff, wave bye to her and Dahlia, and stride toward the cabin. “I’m going inside to warm up.”
Olivia cackles. “Bye! Make sure Aiden wraps it before he claps it. Also, don’t let him rip your dress. Wait! Scratch that. Let him do it with his teeth.”
I chuckle, ignoring the sideways glances from random people hanging outside.
My phone vibrates in the pocket I stitched into the costume, and I pull it out and read the new message from Brandon.
Brandon
Happy Halloween. Do you have any fun plans tonight, or are you free to play a game with me?
I’m at a party right now with my brother and friends, otherwise I’d say yes.
Ahh, damn. I was hoping we could play.
Sorry. But maybe later?
Oh, definitely. It’s a sick game lol. The graphics are crisp, and it feels like you’re in it.
I can’t wait! I’ve been needing something new to hyper-focus on for a while.
Everything all right? Did you end up talking to your boyfriend about how you feel?
No, I think it’s too soon and might spook him.
Listen, this is me talking to you as a friend and as a man. From what I’ve seen and how he acts toward you, it won’t surprise me if he feels the same way about you. That man was seconds away from ripping my head off just for being near you.
Shoot your shot. What’s the worst that can happen?
Closing the thread, I roll my eyes.
What’s the worst that can happen? Oh, I don’t know. Aiden will end things between us, all the while reminding me that I broke the most important rule he set in the beginning.
I could always say it got weird without delving into the details, but Aiden will want to know, and he’ll likely question me until I fold and tell him. So now I’m stuck in this limbo with him, cautiously navigating my feelings while spending however long we have left to pretend he’s mine.
I squeeze past dancing couples and slip inside the house.
The heat inside the cabin chases away the chill from outside and, soon enough, sweat beads on my temples and between my breasts.
I search through the crowd for Aiden and make my way into the kitchen at the back of the cabin, hoping he’s there.
Arms hook around my middle, and tattooed hands settle on my stomach, tucking me against a warm body that smells like candy. I tilt my head back, grinning at Aiden.
“There you are,” I say.
He smirks and kisses the tip of my nose before drawing away and taking my hand. He leads me through the kitchen and out the back door into the chilly night.
“We need to work on you being aware of your surroundings, pretty girl.” He tucks me against his side and stops by a tree several yards from the cabin.
“Why’s that?”
Aiden circles me and hugs me from behind, lending me his body heat to keep warm. His dark chuckle vibrates through my back. “Because, like Olivia said, I’m your shadow, baby.”
My breath hitches.
“I was right behind you, and you didn’t notice.” His teeth catch my earlobe and nip the tender flesh. “I’m always right behind you.”
“I thought you were with your friends,” I whisper.
He soothes the sting with his tongue, then draws away to look down at me with a smirk. “Indi pulled Haze to go dance, so I found you”—his smile broadens, his gaze darkening and filling with heat—“and my, my, the things I heard.”
“She’s my best friend,” I say. “She’d never tell anyone. I promise.”
He tilts his head and slowly blinks, his sword earrings swaying from the movement and bumping against his tattooed neck. “You’re not in any trouble for telling her. But does she know that we’re fucking?”
“No.”
He throws his head back and laughs.
I push his arms off me and spin to face him with a huff. “What’s so funny about that?”
Aiden’s laughter lessens to a husky chuckle, and he sweeps his tattooed fingers through his silver hair. “It’s funny that everyone in our friend group is catching on.” He shakes his head, beaming a lopsided grin. “By the end of this, the whole damn city will know that we’re together.”
I giggle and poke his chest. “You make it sound like we’re actually a couple.”
He catches my wrist. “That’s right,” he mumbles. “It’s just pretend, isn’t it?”
I stare into his darkened gaze, searching for a sign that he feels the same way I do.
Aiden makes a sound in the back of his throat, between a groan and a frustrated growl, and shoves me against the tree. He captures my gasp in a kiss that he ends too soon.
Spinning me in his grasp, he pushes between my shoulders until I’m bent over. Aiden lifts the bottom of my dress, his groan sending another wave of heat through me.
“No panties?” He slaps my ass, the crack splitting through the night.
I grunt and roll my lips together to muffle the needy noise. The sound of Aiden’s belt buckle and his zipper coming undone is the only warning before he rams his cock into me. His hips slap against my ass as he bottoms out.
“Fuck,” he growls, and grabs my waist. “What have you done to me, Nova?”
Copper coats my tongue. I release my bloody lip and drop my head against my arm that I brace against the tree as Aiden pistons into me, every stroke harder than the last.
This feels too familiar. Too much like the time when he punished me over his bike outside our house. His fingers dig into my love handles, likely leaving behind bruises, and he doesn’t hold back as he fucks me like he’s angry.
But it’s his guttural question that replays in my head, creating a thread of hope inside my chest.
“Please, Aiden,” I whine.
He mutters a curse and jerks out of me.
I whimper at the loss and turn, only for him to gather me in his arms and pin my back against the rough bark.
My eyes widen. “Wai—”
“You make me burn for you,” he growls.
My stomach flips, and I tighten my legs around his waist. “Then let me burn with you, pretty boy.”
His eyes widen in surprise, then narrow. “You wanna burn with me?”
“Yes,” I breathe.
Baring his teeth, he spears into me and keeps going until I can’t take any more of him. “Then take it.” He grunts as our hips meet and he bottoms out inside me. “Take every inch of me and burn for me.”
He silences my sob with a searing kiss, swallowing each moan that escapes me. Every harsh slap of his hips against mine echoes in the night, where anyone can hear and find us like this.
It’s almost too much, but I don’t want him to stop. Every nip on my bottom lip, his soft grunts, and how he kneads my love handles are confessions he refuses to say aloud.
Aiden rips away from the kiss and huffs a laugh as he buries his face in the crook of my shoulder. “You want to burn with me, but does he know?”
White dots blink in my vision as he forces me closer to the edge.
Aiden lifts his head and grinds his pelvis against me with a smirk. “Does your boyfriend know you love to come all over your brother’s cock?”
I arch my neck and dig my nails into his jacket over his biceps. “He’s not my—”
“Does he know you find and fuck me after you talk to him?” Aiden whimpers.
My eyes roll back, and I ride the wave of ecstasy as he pushes me over the ledge. My ears ring, and I barely breathe as he works me through my orgasm before finally joining me.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful like this.” Aiden grunts and buries his face in my throat, his teeth sinking into my skin as warmth floods inside me. He stills and gentles his hold, kissing the bite mark like he’s sorry for hurting me.
I drop my legs from around him as he pulls out and sets me on my feet. My legs tremble, and I hold on to his shoulders to stay balanced.
Aiden’s gaze flicks over my face as he lowers my dress and smooths it to ensure it’s covering my lower half before tucking himself back into his pants. Silence stretches between us, and it feels like we’re on opposite sides of the world, hoping the other will be the first to reach out.
“Aiden,” I whisper, and cup his cheek with a trembling hand. “I’m in—”
A resounding bang splits through the air, and blood sprays onto my chest and face. Aiden stumbles forward and lets out a guttural groan before falling into me.