TWENTY SEVEN_AFTER THE KISS
The walk back to the bedroom felt... different.
Aiden walked beside Alexander, but neither of them spoke.
Not because they didn't want to.
But because both of them were still thinking about the kiss.
Aiden's heart was still beating faster than normal.
Did that really just happen?
They reached the bedroom door. Alexander opened it and stepped inside first.
Aiden followed.
The door closed quietly behind them.
For a moment, the room was silent.
Then Alexander loosened his tie and glanced at Aiden.
"You've been quiet, kitten."
Aiden crossed his arms.
"I'm thinking."
"That sounds dangerous."
Aiden rolled his eyes.
"I'm serious."
Alexander leaned against the dresser.
"So am I."
Aiden looked at him carefully.
"...Why did you kiss me?"
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
"You didn't like it?"
"That's not what I asked."
Alexander chuckled softly.
"You're avoiding the question."
Aiden sighed.
"I just want to know if it meant something."
The teasing expression on Alexander's face slowly disappeared.
For the first time that night, he looked completely serious.
"It did."
Aiden felt his chest tighten.
Alexander stepped closer.
"From the beginning, I told myself this marriage was just a deal."
Aiden listened quietly.
"But somewhere along the way..." Alexander continued, "you stopped being just part of the deal."
Aiden's voice became softer.
"...When?"
Alexander smirked slightly.
"Probably the moment you threw a pillow at my face."
Aiden groaned.
"That was not romantic."
Alexander laughed.
"No, but it was honest."
He stepped closer again.
Now they were standing only a few inches apart.
Alexander looked down at him.
"You're the first person who talks to me like I'm just a normal man."
Aiden tilted his head slightly.
"Aren't you?"
Alexander smiled faintly.
"Most people would disagree."
Aiden shrugged.
"Well, most people are scared of you."
"And you're not."
"No."
Alexander's voice dropped lower.
"You should be."
Aiden stepped even closer.
"But I trust you."
Those three words changed the atmosphere instantly.
Alexander went very still.
Trust.
That wasn't something he heard often.
Slowly, he reached out and gently brushed Aiden's hair back again.
"You make this complicated, kitten."
Aiden frowned slightly.
"How?"
Alexander's expression softened.
"Because now I have something to lose."
Aiden didn't know what to say to that.
The silence between them wasn't awkward.
It was warm.
Comfortable.
Alexander suddenly sighed and stepped back.
"Unfortunately, romance will have to wait."
Aiden blinked.
"Why?"
Alexander picked up his phone from the table.
"Because Marco just sent me another message."
Aiden's stomach tightened.
"What does it say?"
Alexander read the screen, his expression turning cold.
Then he slowly showed it to Aiden.
The message had only one sentence.
"If you want to protect the boy, come meet me tomorrow night."
Aiden felt a chill run through him.
"...He's baiting you."
Alexander nodded.
"Yes."
"Are you going?"
Alexander locked his phone.
His eyes were dark again.
"Oh, I'm definitely going."
Aiden looked worried.
"That sounds like a trap."
Alexander gave a small, confident smile.
"It probably is."
Aiden frowned.
"Then why would you walk into it?"
Alexander gently tapped Aiden's nose.
"Because sometimes the best way to deal with a snake..."
His voice became dangerously calm.
"...is to step directly on its head."
But Aiden couldn't shake the uneasy feeling in his chest.
Because tomorrow night...
Alexander DeLuca was walking straight into Marco Rossi's trap. ??