Chapter 11 Skye
Skye
“We should do something.”
I popped my head up to look at Aiden, who was sprawled out on the loveseat. He had a book on his chest, but it was upside down, so I knew he hadn’t been reading. I was on my tablet, looking through a few new studies that’d been published in the last few weeks.
I’d been trying and mostly succeeding in acting as normal as possible all day. After Rafe and Wyatt broke into my fucking house, I’d been so pissed I thought I’d explode. My hair wouldn’t stop floating for hours, and eventually Aiden had to coax me into the shower and fuck the anger out of me.
We both ended up sleeping until the late afternoon, then we’d lounged around while Zephyr closed up the café.
I wasn’t expecting Rafe or Wyatt to show back up tonight, but I couldn’t be sure.
Rafe had texted me a few times, giving me full consent to enter his mind ‘whenever and however’ I wanted.
He’d also told me he’d keep texting me until I decided to mentally talk to him, so naturally, I was ignoring his messages.
I glanced down at my phone to see there were more than a dozen texts waiting for me from the Prince.
“What’s got you smiling like that, baby?” Aiden asked with a grin.
I coughed, resisting the urge to throw my phone in alarm.
“I’m not smiling, I’m scowling. Rafe won’t stop texting me.”
Aiden’s grin widened into a smile. “Oh yeah? What’s he saying?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not gonna check.”
Aiden laughed. “Skye, we could have fun with this. He’s so desperate to apologize, maybe we should see how far he’s willing to go.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh?” I sat up and Aiden did too, swinging his legs down so he was sitting on the couch. “And what should I make him do? Should I make him grovel like you did?”
Aiden blushed, dropping his head so I wouldn’t see. He was adorable. “No,” he said slowly. “I think he’d enjoy that too much.”
“So did you,” I said softly.
Aiden tilted his neck back, shaking his head in disbelief. “I still can’t believe I enjoy that.”
“I can,” I said, sitting up straighter. “I think it’s exactly what you need sometimes.”
“Being told what to do?” he asked, then shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t be like this for just anyone, Skyes. It’s only for you.”
Some broken part of my heart healed with those words. Aiden could tell, too, by the way he was looking at me. He sat upright, his elbows resting on his knees as he watched me. His brow was furrowed slightly, but his warm brown eyes were soft, his entire expression one of love.
“Come here,” I said softly.
He moved to stand, and I shook my head. I was suddenly shy, even though we’d done this so many times.
Aiden was frozen on the couch, his hands on either side of him on the cushion. He watched me carefully even as he was barely holding back his excitement. I could feel it in my chest alongside my own.
My gaze dropped to the carpet before looking back at him, and he narrowed his eyes before also glancing down to the floor. Realization dawned, and his expression turned to surprise as he grinned.
“What do you want me to do?” he asked. I squeezed my eyes shut. Aiden never realized it, but he had this sweet little voice he’d put on sometimes. It wasn’t intentional, but it still drove me insane in the best way.
I set my tablet aside and swung my legs around to the front of the couch before spreading them slightly. Aiden’s teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he watched me, though he still didn’t move to come any closer.
I glanced down at the carpet again while I chewed my lip.
Zephyr was in the café.
Levi wouldn’t hear anything. Well, I’d make sure he didn’t.
“Come here,” I said again. “Crawl to me.”
Aiden laughed once in disbelief, then looked at me while prodding the inside of his cheek with his tongue. My stomach jumped as he shook his head, then slowly slid off the couch, resting on the carpet on his knees.
“Really?” he asked.
I nodded, then paused. “Unless you don’t want to? I know we’re not doing anything crazy, but you don’t even have a safe word–”
“I don’t need one,” he said quickly.
I huffed a laugh. “Yes, you do, Aiden. Come up with something.”
“Fireball,” he said almost before I was done speaking.
I raised my eyebrows. “That was fast.”
“That was your first nickname for me.” Aiden said shyly, dropping his gaze back to the carpet.
I nodded, then leaned back on the couch so I was more comfortable. “That’s good. Now come here.”
Aiden blinked several times, looking from me to the carpet. He was still on his knees, and it seemed like that was more comfortable for him than crawling.
I waited patiently, my heart pounding while he worked up the courage to come to me. I’d never, ever in my life thought I’d be telling a man to crawl to me. And I definitely never, ever would have expected a man to be considering it, either.
I didn’t know what it was about Aiden that made me enjoy this so much.
He was just so eager to please. At first, I’d thought it was because he felt badly for how he’d treated me, and this was his way of begging for forgiveness.
But it’d stuck. He still liked getting me off without expecting anything in return.
Aiden had been with a lot of women, that was no secret.
Even the week of the attack on the academy, there were still girls approaching him, even as the news that we’d connected had spread.
And he still didn’t recognize a lot of them.
He couldn’t have been this eager with all those women, right?
Somehow, I felt like that would’ve gotten around at some point.
Plenty of women liked submissive men, but plenty of women also would’ve been vindictive once he ghosted them.
Someone would’ve told everyone what he was into if it meant humiliating him.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Aiden asked. “Am I taking too long?”
“No,” I breathed. “No, I was just…imagining you doing this for other women. Sorry.”
Aiden’s eyebrows hit his hairline, and then he chuckled. He chewed his lip for a second, then slowly leaned forward, finally resting on his hands and knees. He looked up at me, then the distanced between us, and began to crawl.
My breath caught in my throat. His tight t-shirt shifted over his muscled back, and his arms flexed as he came to a stop in front of me. He didn’t move to get off his hands and knees as he looked up at me.
I reached out and ran a hand through his hair, feeling like I was petting him, but Aiden only shuddered and leaned into my touch.
“You can get up if you want,” I murmured. “I didn’t have some elaborate plan for this.”
Aiden moved to his knees, practically eye level with me from where I sat on the couch. He ran his hands up my thighs, but paused, tilting his head slightly to catch my gaze.
“I wouldn’t do this with anyone else, Skye. And I’m not still trying to make up for my mistakes. This is fun for me. And it’s really hot. I’m down for anything you want to do with me, whenever. Okay? I trust you.”
I nodded. “Okay.” I whispered.
“I love you,” he said softly, leaning in to kiss me.
“I love you, too,” I said between kisses.
Aiden didn’t move from his knees on the floor, deciding to lean over so that his chest rested against my thighs.
“You still wanna go somewhere?” I asked.
“No,” Aiden said before he kissed my stomach through my tank top. “I’m happy right here.”
“Don’t tell me y’all are staying in again.” Zephyr said, exasperated. He still wore his apron from the café, and a bit of flour on his cheek stood out brightly against his dark skin.
“We’ve been here like three days, and where are we supposed to go?” I said, throwing my arms out. “Aiden’s supposed to be dead. Isn’t there a missing poster of us somewhere?”
“Doubt it,” Aiden said from where he sat on the floor between my legs. “The Gulf won’t care that some students are missing from the Western Academy, it’s a whole world away.”
Well, that was true. But damnit, I was running out of ideas to keep from going out. I was an introvert, and a bit of a hermit. I didn’t want to go anywhere, ever.
“Y’all could go hit up the Island Moon,” Zephyr suggested as he moved into the kitchen.
I glared at the direction my brother had gone as Aiden perked up. “Island Moon? What’s that?”
“A nightclub,” I muttered.
Aiden sat up straight, turning to face me with wide, puppy-dog eyes. “Skye,” he said in his small voice. “Can we go?”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I said slowly. “It’s a club, Aiden. Aren’t you…” I waved my hand around, like that explained anything.
“I’m not sober, exactly,” he said with a shrug. “I’m just…not doing drugs anymore?”
I raised my eyebrows.
Aiden shook his head. “Drinking was the tamest thing in my usual lineup. But I haven’t wanted anything in a while. Probably since I fucked up at the party.”
I grimaced, turning my head away sharply. I did not want to think about that fucking party, or that stupid tight dress Willow had made me wear–
“Wait, Skye, we totally have to go to this club. I need to see you in sexy party clothes again.”
I laughed in disbelief. “No way,” I replied. “That dress wasn’t even mine, you know.”
“I figured it was Willow’s,” Aiden jumped to his feet, then shrugged.
“But I don’t care. I need you grinding on me in some tiny skirt.
Preferably without panties.” He paused for a second, his brow furrowing in thought.
“Actually, nevermind. I don’t want anyone else looking at you without panties on. ”
I laughed. “How would they know I didn’t have panties on?”
Aiden blinked at me. “They wouldn’t. But I would. And I’m not down for that.”
I laughed again just as Zephyr came back into the living room in his loungewear, all traces of flour gone from his face. He tossed Aiden one of his fancy sodas.
“Y’all should go, hang out, have fun. No offense, but no one’s looking for Aiden in the islands.”
I rolled my eyes. I knew he was right.