36. "If I asked you for something, would you give it to me?"
When I woke up the next morning, I was cuddled against Aiden's body. His big and strong arms were wrapping me up and holding me tight as if he was afraid that someone would snatch me from him. I winced as I shifted, the soreness between my legs reminiscent of me losing my virginity.
My cheeks reddened as I remembered the events of the previous night. How gentle, patient and caring he had been. Something I did not know I could expect from him. Especially in bed. He had prioritised my pleasure and comfort the whole time.
I tried shifting out of his strong hold, but his arms reflexly tightened around me. The gesture brought butterflies to my stomach, and I decided to stay in his arms.
I admired his peaceful, sleeping face. He was so handsome.
The hottest man I had ever seen. I found myself exploring his strong arms while I reminisced the events of the previous night.
He was such a gentleman the entire time.
And I was absolutely head over heels for him.
For quite a while I knew I felt something for him, however I could never put a name on the feeling.
But after everything that had happened recently, I was sure that I was in love with him.
I could not imagine being with anybody else.
His low groan as he stirred made me snap out of my thoughts. He slowly opened his eyes, fixing his gaze on me. His lips lifted up into a beautiful smile, making me smile back. "Good morning, little one."
"Good morning, big one." I humoured.
He chuckled hoarsely, gently stroking my naked thigh. That was when I remembered that I was still completely nude. "How are you feeling? Are you sore?"
"I'm fine... just a little sore." I replied, biting my lip.
His hand caressed my face lovingly. "Don't go to the hospital today."
That seemed like a tempting offer, considering I was more than just a little sore. Walking alone seemed like a tedious task. "No, I have to go." I said in a way that could barely even convince me.
"Boss's orders," authority entered his tone. "You're staying home today and letting me take care of you."
I looked at him wide-eyed. "Will you stay with me?"
"Yes."
"The whole day?"
"The whole day." He agreed, making me grin.
His lips affectionately kissed my forehead before he sat up in bed and scooped up my naked body in his arms.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked wide-eyed as he began lifting me off the bed.
My eyes fell on the sheets stained with blood, a reminder that I wasn't a virgin anymore.
He didn't reply, and just started walking to the bathroom where he sat me in the shower area. I watched him draw a bath from where I sat, squeezing my thighs and covering my breasts with my arm.
He glanced back at me, noting the way I was shyly trying to cover my body. "You're not serious right now, are you, little one? I was inside of you last night."
My cheeks heated up as I looked away. "Don't tease me." I mumbled.
He chuckled softly. "How many times do I have to tell you not to be shy around me?"
I ignored him, just continuing to sit there awkwardly. It wasn't long before he was scooping me up again and placing me in the hot bubble bath. A relaxed sigh left me as the warm water surrounded me, easing my tense muscles.
"Does that feel nice?" He asked, sitting at the edge.
I nodded. "Are you not going to join?"
"Next time," He replied, stroking my head. "What do you want for breakfast?"
"Waffles with whipped cream and chocolate sauce." I replied instantly.
He nodded, grazing my cheek with his knuckles as I closed my eyes. "Do you want to go on a drive afterwards?"
I opened my eyes, nodding readily at the suggestion.
He smiled. "Okay, great."
I reached out to trail my fingers over the prominent veins on his hand. "If I asked you for something, would you give it to me?"
His smile stayed, his eyes full of warmth. "What do you want, little one? More swings, more flowers, diamonds, my company, my assets or my life? Just say and it will be yours."
I laughed, my toes curling. "I was just wondering if I could drive your car today."
He stared at me for a moment, as if I had said something outrageous. "That's it? That's all you want?"
I nodded with a nervous smile. "I promise I won't wreck it."
He snorted. "I'm not sexist, little one."
I giggled. "Okay, good."
"You relax here, okay? I'll tell Catherine to make breakfast and then come back." He said, earning a nod from me.
He left the bathroom, leaving the door half open. I closed my eyes again and took a deep breath, enjoying the hot water soothing my body.
Aiden returned a while later and helped me out of the bath. He dried me off and wrapped a fuzzy towel around me, before carrying me to the bedroom and placing me on the bed.
"Breakfast is ready. Do you want to wear one of my shirts?"
"Yes please." I replied excitedly. I loved wearing his shirts.
He smiled warmly, returning with a dark grey t-shirt which he slipped on me himself, along with a pair of my leggings. Then we went downstairs for breakfast where he told me silly jokes that he had looked up on Google while we ate.
And then we were walking to the driveway with me slipping into the driver's seat of his car and him in the passenger seat. I was both excited and nervous. I had never driven a car that cost a fortune before.
"Don't be nervous. It's fine." Aiden said gently as if he could read my mind.
I took a deep breath and started the car before reversing out of the driveway. I was very cautious as I drove down the road.
"Loosen up," Aiden said. "Say you did wreck the car, so what? It's not like I can't afford another one."
"Um yeah, genius, we'll also get wrecked with it." I pointed out.
He snorted. "Good thing we have a doctor on board."
I shook my head at his unserious attitude.
"Go fast, little one." He encouraged.
"Um..."
"Go on, it's okay. Press the accelerator." He said again.
I pressed the accelerator harder, an excited giggle escaping me.
"That's fun, isn't it?" Aiden asked.
"Yes," I agreed. "Where are we going again?"
"Wherever you want." He replied.
I grinned, pressing the accelator a little harder, causing him to chuckle.
"Are you scared yet?" I asked with a grin.
He snickered. "Scared? Me? Right."
I snorted, my grin refusing to leave.
After an hour of driving around and laughing over silly things, we returned home and went to our bedroom.
"Do you want to watch a movie before dinner?" He asked.
My eyes lit up as I nodded excitedly.
"Okay, which one?"
"Let's watch tangled." I replied with an excited grin.
He snickered, easily giving in. "Fine."
"Yay!" I cheered happily, making him chuckle.
"I'll bring popcorn." He said before leaving. In the meantime, I put the movie on the TV, ready to play.
He returned soon after with a bowl of popcorn and settled in bed with me. Cuddling my body close to his, he played the movie, resting his head on mine while I felt all warm and fuzzy inside.
I was surprised that he actually watched the movie with me with full concentration, giving me random kisses in between, feeding me popcorn and gently rubbing my arms and cheeks the entire time.
When the movie came to an end, he gave me an exaggerated kiss on my head.
"Did you like it?" I asked him happily.
He nodded, smiling.
I grinned. "See, my movie choices are so good."
He chuckled, kissing my cheek. "Dinner must be ready. Let's go downstairs."
I extended my arms forward as he got out of bed. "Carry me."
"With pleasure." He said, effortlessly picking me up in his arms and carrying me downstairs.
When we arrived at the dining table, I blushed as Catherine saw me in his arms while she served the food. She knew better than to stare for long.
"Do you need anything else, Mr. Knight?" She asked, keeping her gaze off of us.
"No, you may leave." He replied in his authoritative tone.
As she left, he put me down on one of the chairs, giving me another kiss on the cheek, before taking a seat opposite to me. I felt mushy inside as he served food on my plate and handed me a spoon.
Before we could start eating, his phone started ringing. "I need to take this." He said after checking the caller ID.
I nodded.
"Hello?" He answered.
I watched his expression change into a cold one as he quietly listened to the person on the other end. Curiously, I settled my attention on him, wondering who the person on the other end was and what they were saying to him.
His eyes flicked to mine, and for a moment I thought I saw a glimpse of disbelief and betrayal in them.
And when he ended the call without a word, settling his cold gaze on me, my heart seemed to freeze.
For the warmth and affection in his gaze was now replaced with resentment. And I did not know why.
He stood up in a fit of fury, his gaze completely abandoning me as I watched him in astonishment. What just happened?
"What's wrong?" I asked worriedly, causing his cold and furious eyes to flash back towards me.
His chest rose and fell abruptly. Even though he did his best in concealing whatever was wrong, I could see the turmoil of emotions in his eyes. He seemed to be holding himself back, having an internal battle as he tried to control himself. But from what?
"What happened, Aiden?" I asked again, a little more softly this time.
He put his hands on the table in front of me, his gaze hardening as it pierced through me. "Whose daughter are you?"
My eyebrows dipped in confusion. What kind of a question was that?
"My parents'?" I answered confusedly.
The veins in his neck became so prominent I thought they would pop. "You're Jason Clark's daughter." His tone was spewing venom.
My eyebrows knitted up together. "Yes? You know him?"
The disdain in his eyes was breaking my heart. I thought we were past that. Past all the anger, hatred and secrets that haunted us.
"Fuck me for trusting you." He spoke through gritted teeth, before straightening up and heading to the door.
My heart throbbed.
"What did I do?" I demanded, my voice breaking as I searched for an explanation for him behaving that way.
He turned around, his eyes now completely devoid of emotion. "I want you out of my house. Pack your stuff and get out."
I blinked in shock, my mouth hanging open. "What is my fault, Aiden?" I demanded almost desperately.
"Leave." His response came through like a harsh command.
I swallowed, holding back the tears that wanted to stupidly fall out. "Okay." I managed to say.
Then he disappeared out the door, leaving me with a broken heart and unspilled tears.
———
When I finally forced my feet to move up to the bedroom that we shared, I found it devoid of his presence. I did not know where he was or what he was doing, and perhaps I should not have been concerned about that either.
As I tossed my things into my bag, I found it ironic how easily he was letting me go.
Ordering me to go. He was the same man who had been opposing the idea of me leaving his place for fear of compromising my safety.
The same man who said he wanted to protect me.
Who had called me his. Who had made me feel like he was in love with me.
And now, when I probably needed him the most, he was letting me go.
What hurt me the most was the look he gave me.
After everything that had happened between us.
After I had given him a part of me that I had never given anyone.
That look was unlike any other since we had first met each other.
As if I had stabbed him in the back, when I hadn't even dreamed of harming him in the slightest.
Once I had thrown everything into my bag, I started walking out of the bedroom and down the stairs with it slung over my shoulder. My eyes scanned the entire area as my shoes padded across the floor, for any sign of him.
There was none.
This time I decided to choose my ego, even though the girl in me that had fallen for him begged and pleaded to go up to him and ask him one last time why he was doing that.
Taking a staggered breath, I walked out of his house, tears spilling out of my eyes and my heart breaking in the process.