‘You done yet?’ he asks, far too proud of himself.
‘Aiden, that’s discriminatory. You can’t use my height against me,’ I say, pouting.
‘I thought you were “only a few inches shorter than me”?’
‘I am. But you have freakishly long arms,’ I retort, jumping again.
His fake-fight face crumbles instantly, revealing a melting pot of joy underneath. He attempts to keep his mouth straight– fight back against the creeping smile– but he can’t help it, try as he might. I bring it out of him and I take pride in the fact that there’s nothing he can do about it.
‘That was mean, Maddy.’
‘I said what I said,’ I say, standing tall as I attempt to square up to him.
It’s no use. Both of us are too elated to even try to fake mad after the weekend we’ve had.
‘Well, these freakishly long arms do come in handy. . .’ He hooks the other one around my waist and pulls me in until we’re chest to chest.
The closer I get to him, the more his scent overwhelms my senses and makes me absolutely feral. I throw my arms around his neck, bringing him down towards me until our noses brush against each other.
‘That’s better,’ I sigh, lips brushing his teasingly as I speak.
He dips even closer. ‘Was this your plan all along? Get me close enough to kiss again?’
‘Oh, I wanted you close,’ I say, thumb stroking the back of his neck. ‘Close enough for this.’
I break us apart, ripping the sweatshirt from his newly relaxed arm as I go, and make an overly dramatic beeline for the bed. He lunges but I’m too scrappy, swerving under his arms to roll across the duvet and make my final play, triumphantly placing the shirt back in its rightful place in my bag. I sigh contentedly as I finish, lightly tucking it in and smoothing over the creases before zipping the bag up for good.
‘That was low.’ Aiden wanders over to the bed. ‘You are only supposed to use your sexual prowess for good.’
‘Thatwasgood. I had fun and I got my top back.’
‘You are unbelievable,’ he says, a wide grin on his face.
His hands reach for my shoulders, pushing against them until I lie flat on my back against the silky duvet. His eyes have darkened, the pools of hunger growing clearer and clearer as he climbs on top of me and pins my hands above my head. I tilt my chin up, lips pursed as I move towards his, but then he swerves. Pulls back as I let out a small whimper.
‘You tease me, I will tease you right back,’ he says, an all-too-smug smirk on his face.
‘Aiden.’ I don’t have it in me to say anything else. But it doesn’t deter him. He keeps his grip on my wrists tight, peppering teasing kisses down my neck and across my collarbone.
‘What’s wrong, Maddy?’ he asks.
He adjusts his hands to secure my wrists together with one and uses the other to tug lightly at the hem of my shorts. They drop to the floor, his fingers returning to trace unbearably teasing patterns over the thin fabric that’s left. He delights in my stilted breaths, glancing up at me to fully take them in, his fingers still steadily taunting me over the lace of my underwear.
I huff. ‘This is cruel and unusual punishment.’
‘Really? You don’t sound like you’re being punished,’ he says teasingly.
He punctuates his sentence with a far more heavy-handed stroke, his finger quickly dipping beneath the fabric. I try to bite back a moan, but it seeps through, making his ears prick with glee.
‘Consider this payback for the sweatshirt I’m letting you keep.’
‘You’re letting me keep it because I rightfully won,’ I say breathlessly.
He presses harder, my body jolting at the sensation as he brings his mouth to my ear. ‘How does that win feel right now?’ he asks, the whisper sending shocks through me.
He gives my lobe a light bite for good measure, dragging his teeth across it before kissing his way down my body unbearably slowly. I wrestle against his hold, but there’s absolutely no use. The strength of his singular single hand is too much for me while I’m in this kind of state.
‘Aiden, I swear, if you don’t. . .’ I gasp as the vibrations from his chuckles send shockwaves through my body.
