Page 50 of Pretender

He glances back at me again. “Seems you two should talk a bit more, don’t you think?”

“I guess.”

The music changes, and a slow tune comes on. Aiden twirls his mother into Will’s arms and bows. Then he turns towards me, fanning his shirt and blowing out his cheeks, and I laugh in response.

He’s been dancing through at least three songs, no wonder he’s huffing. He’s opened two buttons on his shirt and there’s still a sheen of sweat on his forehead. When he lifts his arm to wipe his brow, his white shirt strains against his bulging biceps.

Can I pretend I’m attracted to him and make it convincing? He’s definitely not hard on the eyes, and he’s growing on me as a person as much as I hate to admit it. Maybe that’ll help me be less awkward with the lie.

“May I have this dance?” Aiden holds out a hand to me. No time like the present to test myself.

“Of course.” I put my glass down on the table behind me and turn to Mark. “Thank you for your words of wisdom,” I say, so only he can hear. He nods, and I turn to Aiden. “Shall we?”

Aiden leads me onto the dance floor, and I look around at the others. The couples. Amara and Will are dancing cheek to chest, her arms tight around his torso, his chin on her head. There are two younger guys who are whispering, kissing gently in between. Mark and Rey move onto the dance floor, her arms quickly wrapping around his neck.

And now they’re already staring lovingly at each other. Ugh. I wouldn’t say he was entirely right, but okay, there’s a general level of PDA-ing I guess I need to get comfortable with. Pretty quickly.

Aiden’s heavy hand rests in the dip of my waist, but he doesn’t pull me flush against him. He’s respectful, which I appreciate. With one hand in his, I run the other over his shoulder, up to his neck, and press myself close to him, resting my cheekbone on his stubbled cheek. With my high heels, I’m almost his height.

“You okay?” His voice rumbles in my ear, his breath tickling my hair, and heat spreads up my neck, making my hairs stand. What is it about the ear-talking? I never realised that was a thing. Is it a thing? No, it’s just a sensitive spot, is all.

“Mhm,” I say, trying to relax into him and enjoy the song. A woman with a sultry voice purr out a beautiful version of Presley’s ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’. I close my eyes, and wonder what it would be like to have someone fall so surely for you as the song goes. A wave of sadness for Aiden hits me—has he really been looking for this kind of love and just never found it? The thought makes me squeeze his hand, as if to say, ‘don’t worry’.

Aiden’s body is warm from dancing, almost damp through his shirt, but it doesn’t bother me. The mild spicy cologne I smelled on him earlier is now mixed with a light saltiness, and it’s a welcome scent.

He’s quite muscular. There’s nothing soft against my front.

Speaking of hard things.

No, he’s not hard, but he’s bulky and he’s brushing against my … bits. Close to, anyway, and it’s very distracting. With every sway of my hips and every shift of his feet, we’re chafing against each other.

I shouldn’t be getting turned on by this.

And I’m not, of course not.

It’s the alcohol and the beautiful song, his manly scent. This proximity. The fact that I’ve not been with a man, or even touched myself, in months. That’s what’s going on.

If he knew, I’d be mortified. Being horny for him is a whole other level of neediness I do not need to reach.

Aiden guides my hand up to his shoulder and moves his down to my waist. The heat of his palms makes its way through my dress as he moves them further around to my back. With both my arms around his neck, it feels natural to lean closer, wrapping around him more tightly, my face cradled into the side of his neck. He’s getting into the act as well, his face deep into my hair, his hands grasping my back.

Through my eyelashes, Amara is visible, she’s glancing towards us. We turn, and there’s Venetia. Mark’s words ring in my head, and on a whim I lift my head and face Aiden. His eyes are on mine and I raise an eyebrow quickly to signal him to play along, and then…

I brush my lips to his.

It’s meant to be a gentle kiss, just in case Amara or the others are watching. At least we’ll come across as a real couple.

But it’s turning into … something else. I press my mouth harder against his and to my absolute horror, I think a sigh escapes me. His lips are so pillowy.

Aiden’s hand finds its way to the nape of my neck, tilting my head, and I open for him, allowing his tongue to sweep through my mouth. He lets out a low groan, and my tongue responds, my lips ache for more and I let out a small moan this time.

But I don’t care.

Right now, I just need more of his full, soft lips, more of the tongue against mine. More of everything. The scent in my nose as I breathe him in, his strong, powerful arms around me, the press of his hard torso against my soft front. More of—oh, he’s more … bulgy.

I pull back to get some space and put a hand on his cheek. His eyes are hazy, and he bites his lower lip, his gaze dipping to my mouth again.

Fuck.