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I never want to let her leave. I want to chain her to my bed, have my way with her, and keep her all to myself—forever.
Fuck Andrew. Fuck her father. She’s mine.
Aria steps into the bath and closes her eyes as the water engulfs her. I can still see her naked form, and I drool at the sight. I have the urge to take her right here, right now. But I won’t.
“I’ll leave you be. Holler if you need me. I’ll be right outside.”
“Dion.” She cracks her lids open. “Stay,” she murmurs.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. Please. I don’t want to be alone right now,” she admits, and my chest constricts at the vulnerability in her eyes.
“I won’t go anywhere, astéri mou,” I assure her.
I quickly step out of the room to grab something to sit on and bring back a small ottoman. Once I’m seated next to the tub, I use a cup to wet Aria’s hair. She tilts her head back and moans in contentment.
“Tell me about your new friends.”
Aria stiffens slightly, and she brings her knees to her chest, hugging them tight.
“They’re not really friends,” she admits, sinking deeper into the water. “They’re more like...distractions. People I use to escape from my real life. I guess we use each other.”
I continue pouring water down her back, and she watches the ripples along the water’s surface, avoiding my gaze.
“What do you mean?”
She takes a deep breath. “When I’m with them, I feel like I have a different life. A better one, maybe. They don’t know anything about me, and I don’t know anything about them. It’s just how I want it. No strings, no real connections.”
She moves her fingers through the water, creating tiny waves that lap against the sides of the tub.
“But—” she pauses, her voice trembling. “Even when I’m surrounded by them, I’m so alone. It’s like I’m living a double life. One moment I’m trying to be this carefree person with them, almost believing it for a while, and the next, I’m back to feeling trapped and miserable.”
“I wish you would’ve told me instead of shunning me out of your life.”
A tear escapes her eye, sliding down her cheek. “I couldn’t tell you the reason why I can’t allow this to happen.” She gestures between us. “And I thought maybe if I just kept pretending, the heartache and pain would go away. But they don’t. They never do.”
She looks up at me, her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to live like this anymore.”
I cup her face with my hands, wiping away the drops with my thumbs. “Let me help you, Aria. Forget about us,” I say, cringing at the words, but her well-being is more important than what I want. “Let me help you find ways to be happy again.”
Aria shakes her head. “No. I have to do this on my own,” she says, and I can hear the determination in her voice. “I’ll get better.”
My hand moves to wrap around the back of her head. She leans into my touch, and I lower my head to taste her lips.
“You don’t have to face your demons alone, astéri mou.”
She nods with the faintest of smiles. “I know.”
Her face is a mask of calm. The same one she wore earlier when I realized Andrew has been hurting her. The memory of it makes my blood boil. I want to ask her more about what happened, but I don’t want to push her; I don’t want to make things harder by bringing up something she might not be ready to talk about yet.
But I haven’t forgotten. I can’t forget.
The thought of Andrew putting his hands on Aria makes me want to rage, to tear him apart for every bruise and every tear he has caused her. I force myself to take a deep breath, to stay calm—for her sake. I promise to myself that when all of this is over, when the wedding is called off and Aria is free from him, I’ll make sure he pays. I’ll kill Andrew for hurting Aria.
But for now, I’ll wait, watching her, until she’s ready to talk.
We spend a quiet while in the bathroom together. I run my hands through Aria’s hair, washing it, the sensation of her silky strands slipping through my fingers soothing. Then, I lather her body, my bare hands gliding over her smooth, wet skin. It sends a jolt through me, straight to my cock, which hardens in my pants, begging to be let out.
