I hate feeling like this man I used to know is a complete stranger now. I hate feeling like I lost him, but I still imagine the boy I knew. I still imagine the person I was in love with.
He nods. “This way.”
His response is so civil that I almost don’t follow him, half expecting someone to jump out at me.
Instead, I follow Aiden upstairs. He opens a door to a bedroom and I follow him in, thankful for the chance to have peace and a moment to myself.
But my heart sinks as I step inside.
It’s his room. I know it instantly, half from the clearly lived-in look of it and half from the way he watches me as he stands by the door, his gaze that of a predator.
I stare at the bed. The frame is old wood, beautifully carved. The sheets are deep blue, nearly black. It looks so damned comfortable, but it might as well be my grave.
“What’s mine is yours,” Aiden says, faking a kind tone, although there’s a cruel sharpness in his eyes. “Same room, same bed. That’s the situation, isn’t it? We’ll be married. Of course we’ll sleep together.”
I itch to slap him.
I know he has enough rooms. I know he has guards making sure no one comes in or goes out. It’s not an issue of safety, or that he thinks I might try to slip away at night. He’s not doing this to keep me under his watch.
He’s doing this solely for his own fucking pleasure. Just so he can make me uncomfortable, or so he probably thinks. He’s doing it because he wants me to feel awkward about sharing a bed with a man. A man I barely know and don’t really like.
I’m pissed. I’m also suddenly unnerved, painfully aware of everything I haven’t put together until this point.
I don’t know him.
Not anymore.
I knew him once, and the boy I knew was different. I’m not sure if the man in front of me is trying to tell me something awful.
I’m not sure if the man in front of me is saying he’ll force me into whatever it is he wants.
Aiden’s mouth twists. There’s something mocking in his look and almost as if he can read my mind, he answers the question I wouldn’t have dared to ask.
“Don’t worry. This isn’t how I seduce a woman I want. You’re a special case.”
He says special like it’s an insult. It feels like one and it stings, sharp and unwarranted.
I don’t know that it’s true. I’m not convinced that he doesn’t want me, given the way he touched me in the car. The way he seemed focused on one thing.
And it’s not like I can lie to myself about what I wanted. He’s attractive, and I used to know him. If he had done this differently—if he hadn’t threatened my father and been awful to me—I might even have thrown caution to the wind and fallen right back into his arms.
I don’t have a choice, though. I can’t run. There’s nowhere to run to. We’re alone in the house and I know he must have security somewhere on his grounds.
I agreed to this. How long did I think I could avoid it?
I grit my teeth. “Fine.”
Aiden smiles. “Good. See? We’re already starting well. No misunderstandings.”
“None,” I reply darkly. Looking away from Aiden, I add, “Anyway, like I said, I think I’ll go to bed. It’s been a long day.”
He nods coolly, leaning back against a dresser. “I’m sure.”
My jaw clenches. “Well?”
“Well?” he echoes. His blue eyes are sharp and cold like glass. I feel like I could cut myself if I tried to hold his gaze for too long.
“I need something reasonable to sleep in, at the very least,” I finally say, fishing for an excuse to shut myself in a separate place for at least a few moments, even if it’s just slipping into the bathroom to change. “Can I… borrow something?”
