Crossing lines (Noah and Aiden) novel Chapter 153

Chapter 153

Noah

What was meant to be a soothing bath quickly turned into a battlefield inside my mind. I eased myself into the warm water beside him, every muscle in my body finally surrendering to the jets massaging my aching legs. My back pressed against Aiden’s chest, the heat melting away the tension there, but my thoughts refused to quiet down. They circled relentlessly around the same issue.

Tomorrow. The dinner.

Our Saturday. His Saturday.

I had no idea how to bring it up without causing a scene. It wasn’t just that this was the one day a week we reserved for ourselves, no exceptions allowed. It was that William was involved—the man Aiden already seemed to want to throttle on sight—and Lexie, who Aiden probably still suspected was trying to pull me into her bed. And then there was the clincher: Aiden had told me to pack nice clothes. That meant he had plans. Real plans. What if those plans included the evening? How on earth was I supposed to say, “Hey, Sir, thanks for whatever you had in mind, but I’m bailing”?

My stomach twisted into knots. I could almost feel the punishment that would follow.

I had tried to be clever. When I packed my bag, I slipped in the suit I wanted to wear for the dinner, hoping that if I chose my moment right—maybe when he was in a good mood—I could suggest it. Perhaps if I started with the good news about clearing things up with Lexie, it might soften the blow.

Still, the timing felt impossible. The longer I sat there, the heavier the weight of it became. The water bubbled gently around me while Aiden’s chest pressed warm and firm against my back. His arms wrapped around me loosely, as if to say I was already caught and safe, all at once. His hand moved lazily across my stomach, tracing slow, deliberate strokes that made my breath hitch no matter how much I tried to focus on the script in my mind.

Say it. Don’t say it. Tomorrow he’ll kill you. Say it now. No, wait. Damn it.

I took a small sip of the wine he’d poured, trying to draw courage from its taste. My heart was pounding far too hard for someone sitting in a bubble bath.

Then Aiden’s lips brushed softly against my temple, his voice low and rumbling against the back of my head. “I have something to tell you, baby boy…”

My heart leapt. “Me too, Sir…”

His hand slid lower, fingers teasing beneath the bubbles. My head fell back onto his shoulder as my body betrayed me with a low moan.

“How do you feel about it?” he asked, voice casual but dangerous.

“That’s what I wanted,” I breathed. “It feels right. I never had feelings for her… no desire… not like that.”

“Good boy.” His hand dipped lower, closing around me. I gasped, hips twitching as he stroked me slowly, deliberately, as if he had all the time in the world to unravel me.

“Continue the talk,” he said.

There was no way I could say the rest right now.