Chapter 75 An almost Kiss
Chapter 75 An almost Kiss
Aria POV
I gasp, before I can stop myself, the sound is loud and filters fast into the room
Nicholas and the woman freeze. His back stiffens first and then his head snaps sharply in my direction, his eyes narrowing.
My heart slams violently against my ribs, panic surges through me and I love without thinking. I run backward my body reacting on insticts, I enter a room quickly and hide behind the door leaving the door open to not make it suspicious.
The wood is cool against my spine, I clamp a hand over my mouth, clamping my breath as Nicholas footsteps approach.
“Hello?” he calls out, his voice calm but edged with suspicion. “Who’s there?”
My pulse roars in my ears, every second streach, if he opens this door and see me hiding he will know I saw him which will give him the opportunity to hide the truth. I can’t let him see me, not after what I've seen.
I close my eyes and remember a spell to cause phantoms. I wave my fingers and imagine the phantom calling out his name in the woman voice.
His footsteps stop right outside the door. I squeeze my eyes shut, my finger curl together in the final spell step.
“Nico!” the phantom voice calls from behind. He exhales sharply and turns away to attend to her.
“Must be my imagination.” he mutters.
His steps retreat, fading gradually down the hallway, I finally breath out in relief.
The air rushes rushes into my lungs and I release a shaky gasp my legs automatically feels weak, my thought collide.
Who was that woman? Why did she come to the hospital with Nicholas and why was she telling him she had to see him?
Nicholas is hiding something. Something big. And I have no idea whether Selena knows about it or if I'm the one being played by all three of them.
I turn back toward my fathers room so that Nicholas can find me there, but I stop short.
Someone is standing by the door.
Tall, broad shouldered as usually. Absolutely and perfectly still.
He doesn't have to turn around for me to know who it is. The air shifts around him, heavy and charged, like the space itself bends to accommodate his godly presence.
Hades… no, Aiden Black.
He turns slowly, dark eyes lifting to meet mine. There's no surprise in his expression, like he felt a tingling in his spine anytime he sense me near.
“What are you doing here?” I hiss, glancing instinctively down the the hallway where I just caught Nicholas, “Are you insane Hades?”
A faint smile touches his lips, “Good to see you too, Aria.”
“You can’t just show up anytime you want,” I whisper, “This is a public hospital, people follow you everywhere and Nicholas will see you.”
“I’m used to it.” he replies calmly, “And we both know Nicholas can never stop me.”
I cross my arms, trying to ground myself, trying to ignore the way my pulse stutters just by looking at him. “I thought we agreed i’d handles things on my own here.”
“You're forgetting something.” he takes a step closer, “On earth, you're also arranged to marry me Aria.” he says quietly
My jaw tightens.
“So that makes your father, my future father in law, if not already my father in law,” he continues, completely unbothered. “And my sources well informed me of his illness so I had to see him.”
Of course they did.
I roll my eyes, irritation flaring even as unease coils in my stomach, “This isn't a boardroom or the underworld where you can bend everything to your will.”
His gaze drifts over me slowly, like he's recording every detail in his mind, “You look tired.”
“Im not here for your observations Hades.” I cross my arms across my chest.
“You never are.” he shrugs.
It annoys me more than it should. But I become acutely aware of him then. Of the way the suit fits him like it was tailored for his body alone. The broad line of his shoulders. The confident stance. The faint scent of something dark and expensive, far from the hospital antiseptic smell.
He looks absolutely unreal here, different from the silk covered man in the underworld.
I catch myself staring and immediately look away.
But he notices. “Are you done inspecting me?” he asks, a trace of amusement in his voice
Heat floods my face, “I wasn't–”
“You were,” he interrupts smoothly. “You always do.”
My heart skips traitorously.
“I’m not interested,” I snap. “You're here to see my father, right? Then do that. And leave before you complicate my life even more.”
He takes a step closer. The corridor suddenly feels cold and narrow.
“I’m not here to.compicate anything Aria,” he says quietly, “But you do know, you still have to attend the event with me tonight.”
My eyes widen. “Tonight? Absolutely not.” I shake my head, “I have a company networking breakfast tomorrow morning.”
“Then I'll make sure you attend that too… with me.” he says, finality in his voice like he can just up and control my schedule.
“No,” I say flatly, “We had a deal, and I need Nicholas with me tomorrow.”
His expression darken, jaw tightening, his eyes sharpen with danger, “Why?”
“Because I need to watch him,” I reply bluntly, “He’s up to something and i need to find out what.”
His lips press into a thin line. “I don’t like another man hovering around you.”
“That’s not your decision to make.” I narrow my eyes at him.
“You are mine, Aria,” he says softly, “And I don’t share.”
I step forward and shove him lightly in the chest, my fingers sparking with magic, "Don't start controlling me, I've had enough of that from others for that one lifetime.”
I turn to leave but his hand closes around my wrist. In one swift movement, he pulls me back, spins me, and presses me against the wall. The impact knocks the breath from lungs. His body arches me in effortlessly. One arm braces beside my head, cutting off my escape.
The air between us is electric and my tummy buzzes with something I don’t want to name.
His voice drops, dark and intimate, his hot breath against my ear, “You really think I've forgotten the night we had together?”
My breath catches despite myself.
“How you felt under my hands Aria.” he murmurs, "How easily you melted into my touch.” his voice slows
I hate that my knees weaken. I hate that my body immediately responds before my mind can even stop it.
“I’m looking forward to thousands more nights like that Aria.” he continues softly, “For the rest of eternity.”
My heart races, my resolve breaking dangerously as his gaze locks onto mine. The world narrows until he's all I see. Nothing but him and this moment.
His face lowers, mine tilts despite myself. We are only inches apart. So close that I can feel his hot breath against my face.
Our lips are only inches away from each other, “Aria!” a voice calls sharply down the hallway.