Chapter 7
Pepper
The night had finally slowed down, the heavy club bass replaced by the gentle, ambient hum of the outdoor pool filters.
The sky over the edge of the infinity pool was turning a pale, smoky lavender, signaling that the sun was begging to rise.
Everyone else had surrendered to the long night; Nia, Mars, Jalen, and Cal were somewhere inside the massive house, dozed off in various rooms, while Stormy was sound asleep on one of the plush indoor couches.
Aaron and I stayed lounged out on the poolside chairs, high off the lingering buzz of the drinks, the warm breeze, and the electric vibe of the night.
I stretched my legs out, looking up at the sky. "I missed this place so much. There is seriously nothing like a Texas sunrise."
"When did you leave?" Aaron asked, his voice low, a deep rumble in the quiet dawn. He was sitting back, his long frame relaxed, his dark eyes fixed entirely on me.
"Six years ago," I said, turning my head to look at him. "I come back when I'm able, but I've been living in other countries for a while since."
"Damn," he said, shaking his head slightly, a look of genuine appreciation crossing his handsome face. "You're so brave. You know... to just venture out by yourself like that."
"It was hard," I admitted, a slight smirk tugging at my lips as I propped myself up on my elbow. "But I'm never one to back down from a challenge, if you couldn't tell."
Aaron let out a soft, deep laugh. "Oh, I noticed. Especially after the third round of the chicken fight."
I laughed a big laugh, the sound echoing softly over the still water.
We really had so much fun. Aaron was surprisingly entertaining, and that kiss earlier...
my goodness. It had been a long time since I'd felt this heavily attracted to someone so fast. The guy back in Japan didn't even compare to the way Aaron was making me feel right now.
He was incredibly hot, but he was also a total gentleman, which only made him ten times more attractive.
"Enough about me," I said, shifting my weight on the lounge chair to change the subject. "What about you? What kind of work do you do?" I realized with a sudden jolt that amidst all the dancing and flirting, I hadn't even asked what he did for a living.
"I'm a creative director," he said smoothly.
My eyes widened. "What?! You weren't going to mention that at some point? We are both behind the camera! How cool is that? What's your favorite thing to direct?"
The moment the question left my mouth, his brow furrowed, almost as if the sudden shift to his professional life startled him. He stared down at his hands for a brief second before looking back up at me.
"Hmm. That's a good question," he murmured, his tone shifting into something a bit more introspective. "Truth be told, I've been so incredibly busy with sports stuff the past couple of years... I haven't really shot anything else."
A wave of intense familiarity washed over me. I nodded, leaning in closer. "You know, I feel the exact same way about fashion and models. Like... I used to have such a thirst for realism and contemporary art, but lately, I've been craving anything but the standard runway."
Aaron stared at me, a soft, incredibly intense look entering his dark eyes. It felt like he was seeing straight through the high-fashion exterior right into the core of who I was.
"Let's make a pact," he said suddenly, his eyes focusing tightly on mine.
"I'm listening," I said, completely intrigued as I sat all the way up, crossing my legs on the lounge cushion.
"We will both make an attempt to do something outside of our daily work that influences our love for art. Something just for us."
A warm, beautiful smile broke across my face. "Okay," I said softly, reaching my hand out across the space between our chairs to seal the deal. "It's a pact."
Instead of a standard handshake, Aaron grabbed my hand gently. He didn't let go. Slowly, he brought my hand toward his mouth, his full, luscious lips placing a sweet, lingering kiss right against the inside of my palm. A violent shiver of heat raced straight down my spine, leaving me breathless.
Before anything else could occur, Jalen's deep voice suddenly cut through the quiet air from the back sliding glass doors.
"Alright, Aaron, I gotta drop you at your car, man. We gotta get ready for the week."
Cal appeared right behind him, with Nia and Mars stepping out into the morning light shortly after, looking utterly spent.
"You guys sure know how to party," Mars said sleepily, letting out a massive stretch as she leaned against Jalen's side.
"Who are you telling?" I laughed, standing up from the lounge chair. My muscles ached slightly, and I had to adjust my legs after sitting and talking to Aaron for hours without a single break. "I had an absolute ball."
"For real," Cal muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Where's Stormy?"
Mars pointed back through the glass toward the living room couch, where Stormy was completely dead to the world, a throw blanket kicked to the floor. "Sound asleep on the couch."
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Yeah, we're definitely not in our twenties anymore," Nia said, sharing a look with me as she ran a hand through her hair.
I watched Aaron stand up, his massive height still catching me a bit off guard as he towered over the patio.
We all slowly made our way toward the front door, the heavy morning humidity already settling over the foyer.
Jalen, Cal, Mars, and Nia walked out to the truck first, piling into the seats while Aaron lingered back just a bit, standing in the doorway with me.
"I enjoyed you," he said softly, his voice dropping into that private, intimate register meant only for my ears.
"I enjoyed you," I said back, smiling up at him, my heart doing a little flutter.
He rubbed the back of his neck, a boyish, slightly nervous smile spreading across his face. "You think I can... possibly, I don't know, have your number?"
I raised my eyebrows, biting my lip. "Uhhh... let me think about it," I teased, letting the silence hang for a split second before chuckling. "Just kidding. Yes."
I reached out and took his phone right out of his hand, my fingers deliberately brushing against his skin. The brief contact sent a spark right through my fingertips. I typed my contact information into his screen, saved it, and handed the device back to him.
"Don't be a stranger," I said, leaning up on my tip-toes and placing a soft, lingering kiss right against his warm cheek.
"I won't," he promised, his voice thick.
He turned around and began walking down the concrete steps toward Jalen's idling truck.
Boy, I absolutely hated to watch him walk off.
It took some serious, heavy restraint not to grab him by the shirt, drag him up to my bedroom, and see if what I had felt pressed against my backside on that dance floor lived up to the promise.
But I smiled as the truck pulled away down the driveway. I'd see him again. That was for damn sure.