Chapter 61
Aria’s POV
I plunged beneath the surface, my clothes instantly soaking up water like a sponge.
Panic flashed through me briefly before my swimming instincts kicked in. I’d been swimming since childhood-this wasn’t exactly life-threatening.
But before I could push myself up, strong arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me toward the surface. Aiden had jumped in after me.
We broke through the water together, his chest pressed against my back, his breath warm against my ear. I gasped for air, more from the shock of his touch than any need for oxygen.
“I can swim,” I sputtered, water dripping down my face as I turned in his arms. “You didn’t need to “
My words died in my throat as I suddenly found myself face-to-face with him, our bodies dangerously close in the water.
His bathrobe was gone—of course it was. Who jumps into a pool wearing a bathrobe?
He was in nothing but those black swim shorts from earlier.
His dark hair was slicked back, water clinging to his lashes.
His eyes—usually so unreadable—held something raw, something immediate, that made my stomach tighten.
“I know,” he said simply, still holding me steady, his chest pressed to mine.
I tried to push away, suddenly very aware of our closeness. “I can manage,” I insisted, attempting to create some distance. “You don’t need to hold me p>
But his grip remained firm, his eyes locked on mine with an intensity that made my heart race. “You’re shivering p>
“It’s just the water,” I lied. It wasn’t cold-the pool was heated-but something about the way he was looking at me sent tremors through my body.
“Is it?” he asked, one eyebrow raised slightly.
I scrambled for something-anything-to break the tension.
“The papers—” I blurted, glancing anxiously at the soaked documents drifting around us.
“Don’t worry about them,” he said, his voice low and steady. “They’re just copies p>
I should’ve felt relieved. I should’ve pulled away, laughed it off, swum to the edge and pretended none of this had happened.
But I didn’t move. Neither did he.
The space between us seemed to hum with something unspoken, thick and electric. My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.
“Aiden I whispered, not even sure what I was trying to say.
He moved closer, our legs tangling beneath the water as we treaded to stay afloat. “Yes, Mrs. Carter p>
The formal title somehow sounded intimate when spoken like that, his voice husky and low.
“We should I started, then lost my train of thought as his hand slid from my waist to the small of my back, pressing me closer.
“We should what?” he prompted, his breath warm against my wet cheek.
Water lapped around us, the gentle sound of it splashing against the pool edges seeming extraordinarily loud in the tense silence.
“We should finish what we started in the car,” he murmured, his lips now dangerously close to my ear.
My breath caught as I felt something hard press against my stomach under the water.
The realization of what it was sent a rush of heat straight between my legs, my body responding instantly despite my brain’s weak protests.
I felt myself growing wet-a strange sensation while already submerged in water-a throbbing, insistent need building inside me.
My core clenched with want, every nerve ending suddenly alive and screaming for his touch.
And then his lips found mine.
My hands moved to his shoulders for support, feeling the firm muscle beneath my fingertips.
His skin was slick with water, our bodies sliding against each other as we struggled to stay afloat while connected.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he murmured against my lips.
I hesitated only briefly before doing as he asked, my legs encircling his waist. He moved us toward the shallower end where he could stand, his strong arms supporting me effortlessly.
“This is crazy,” I whispered as his lips traced a path down my neck, sending shivers across my wet skin. “What are we doing p>
“What we both want,” he replied, his voice a low rumble that I could feel vibrating through his chest.
My clothes were plastered to my body, the thin fabric of my blouse leaving little to imagination. I should have felt exposed, vulnerable—instead, I felt powerful as I watched his eyes darken with desire.
“Tell me to stop,” he said, his hands finding the hem of my waterlogged shirt.
I should have. This wasn’t part of our agreement. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Instead, I kissed him again, harder this time, giving him my answer.
His fingers made quick work of my shirt buttons, the wet fabric parting easily under his touch. The cool night air hit my exposed skin, raising goosebumps that had nothing to do with the temperature.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes taking in the sight of me in my now- transparent bra.
My hands explored his chest, tracing the contours of muscle I’d been admiring earlier. Under the water, his fingers found the button of my pants, deftly undoing it. “Here?” I gasped, suddenly remembering we were outside. “What if someone—” “No one will see,” he assured me, his hand sliding beneath the waistband of my pants. “The staff knows better than to come here without permission p>
His fingers found me through the thin fabric of my underwear, and coherent thought abandoned me completely. I arched against him, my head falling back as pleasure coursed through me.
“Aiden,” I moaned, not caring anymore about propriety or agreements or what this meant for tomorrow.
In one swift movement, he pulled my soaked pants down my legs, leaving me in just my underwear. The water made everything weightless, dreamlike, as if this weren’t really happening.
But it was. His touch was too real, too intense to be anything but reality.
My fingers fumbled with the waistband of his swim shorts, pushing them down his hips. He groaned as I wrapped my hand around him, the water creating a strange, slick friction between us.
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice strained with restraint.
In answer, I guided him to me, the thin barrier of my underwear the only thing separating us now. He pushed the fabric aside, and then he was there, poised at my entrance.
Our eyes locked as he entered me slowly, the water around us rippling with our movements. I gasped, my legs tightening around his waist as he filled me
completely.
“God,” he groaned, his forehead pressing against mine. “You feel p>
Words failed him as we began to move together, finding a rhythm that sent waves of water splashing against the pool edges. My hands gripped his shoulders, nails digging into his skin as pleasure built inside me.
The moonlight cast silver patterns across the water’s surface, our bodies silhouetted beneath it. Everything was sensation-the cool water, his hot skin, the building tension in my core.
“Aiden,” I cried out as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. “Don’t stop.” “Never,” he promised, his pace increasing as he drove us both toward the edge.
When release finally came, it crashed over me like a tidal wave, leaving me gasping and clinging to him as if he were the only solid thing in a world gone fluid. He followed moments later, his body tensing as he groaned my name against my neck.
For several long moments, we stayed like that, wrapped around each other in the gently lapping water, our breathing gradually slowing.
Reality began to seep back in, along with the realization of what we’d just done. This wasn’t part of our deal. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Yet somehow, floating there in Aiden’s arms, I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
Whatever this was between us, whatever line we’d just crossed, I knew one thing for certain: there was no going back now.