Chapter 103 *

Chapter 103 Chapter 103
Angelina’s POV

I glanced down at myself. The bikini. The useless cover-up.

Damn it. This had seemed fine when I was downstairs with Mia and Silas.

Now, standing alone in his room, it felt... different.

"It's a swimsuit," I said. Kept my voice steady. "People wear them to pools."

"I know what it is." His eyes dropped again. This time lingering on my waist. "And I know what it does to me."

My breath caught. "That's not my problem."

"Isn't it?" He moved closer. We were less than two feet apart now. "You came to my room. Dressed like this. To tell me about boundaries."

His voice was low. "Seems like mixed signals to me."

"I came here to—" I started.

"To what?" He cut me off. "Clear the air? Tell me we're just allies? Friends?"

My eyes narrowed. "Yes. Actually."

He laughed. "You're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying."

"No?" He took another step. Now we were inches apart. "Then why didn't you push me away earlier? When I put my arm around you?"

I opened my mouth. Closed it.

He was right. I hadn't pushed him away. Hadn't even tried.

"I was in shock," I said finally.

"Bullshit." His hand came up. Fingers caught the strap of my cover-up. Just holding it. Not pulling. "You weren't in shock. You liked it."

My pulse was racing now. I could feel it in my throat.

"You're delusional."

"Am I?" His thumb brushed against my shoulder. Just that one point of contact. But I felt it everywhere.

"Every guy down there is going to stare at you in this." His voice got quieter. "And I don't share."

There it was again. That possessive tone.

I forced myself to look directly at him. "I'm not yours to share or not share."

His eyes locked on mine. "Not yet."

"You're awfully confident," I managed to say.

"You're still here." His other hand came up. Fingers brushed my jaw. "You haven't left. Haven't pushed me away. Haven't told me to stop."

His thumb traced my bottom lip. My brain short-circuited for a second.

Then I grabbed his wrist. Pulled his hand away from my face.

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

But I didn't let go of his wrist. And he didn't pull away. His pulse was steady under my fingers. Mine was hammering.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Look at me like..." I couldn't finish. Didn't know how to put it into words.

His free hand came up. Cupped my cheek. Made me look at him.

"Like you're the only thing in the room worth looking at?" He finished for me.

I couldn't breathe.

"Because you are."

Silence. Just the sound of my heartbeat in my ears.

Then he stepped back. Dropped his hands.

Walked over to his closet and pulled something out.

A black t-shirt. One of his.

He threw it to me. I caught it automatically.

"What's this?"

"Wear it. Over your swimsuit."

I stared at the shirt in my hands. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." He leaned back against the wall. Arms crossed again. "You go down there like that, every guy is going to be staring. And I'll have to break some faces."

"I'm not wearing your clothes."

"Then I'm coming to the party."

I looked up at him. He was completely serious.

"That's ridiculous," I said.

"Those are your options." His expression didn't change. "Wear the shirt. Or deal with me following you around all night."

I stared at him for a long moment.

This was insane. I should just walk out. Go to the pool party in my bikini and not care what he thought.

But... I looked down at the t-shirt in my hands. It would be way too big. Probably go down to mid-thigh.
My jaw clenched. "Fine."

I pulled the shirt over my head. Put it on. It was huge. Just like I thought. The sleeves went past my elbows. The hem hit my mid-thigh.

I looked up. Caelan was watching me with that satisfied expression.

"Better," he said.

Something about the way he said it—the tone, the look in his eyes—made heat rise to my face.

I turned toward the door. "I'm leaving now."

"Aria."

I stopped. Didn't turn around. "What?"

"That looks good on you."

My face got hotter.

I didn't respond. Just opened the door and walked out.

But I didn't take the shirt off.
I walked back to the pool area wearing Caelan's oversized black t-shirt.
Silas spotted me first. He was lounging on a chair near the deep end, drink in hand. He waved enthusiastically.
"Master! There you are!"
I walked over to where he was sitting. Mia and Logan were in the pool, splashing water at each other.
Actually, it wasn't mutual. Mia was chasing Logan around the pool, trying to dunk him. Logan was laughing and swimming away from her.
"You're such an asshole, Logan!" Mia shouted. She grabbed his ankle and pulled.
Logan went under for a second. Came up sputtering and grinning. "What? I said you looked good!"
"You said I had a solid B-cup! Who says that?!"
"Someone giving an honest assessment?"
Mia lunged for him again. Logan dove underwater and swam to the other side.
I sat down on the lounge chair next to Silas. He glanced at my shirt.
"That's not yours," he said immediately. That stupid smirk appeared. "That's way too big. And it's men's style. So whose is it?"
"None of your business."
"It's his, isn't it? The boss man gave you his shirt to wear."
I just stared at the pool.
Silas's grin got wider. "Oh my god, he totally did. That's so—"
My phone buzzed in the pocket of the t-shirt. I pulled it out.
Incoming call: Victor Wu.
I stood up immediately. "I need to take this."
Silas looked up. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Just work."
I walked away from the pool area. Found a quiet spot near the side of the house where the music wasn't as loud.
Answered the call. "Victor."
"Aria." His voice was smooth. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"You're not. What is it?"
"Just got back from vacation. Wanted to check in on some business matters."
I leaned against the wall. "Go ahead."
"First, how did Daniel perform on that last assignment? "
"Average. He's getting better but still makes rookie mistakes."
"Well, he can't stop talking about how you handled that situation. Says you saved his ass at least three times."
"He's exaggerating."
"Maybe. But the job got done and he came back in one piece. That's what matters." Victor paused. "Anyway, I wanted to pass along his thanks. You did excellent work."
"Get to the point, Victor."
Victor cleared his throat. "Actually, that's partially why I'm calling. I have a business opportunity I wanted to discuss with you."
"What kind of opportunity?"
"There's a major company interested in partnering with us. Meridian. You might have heard of them."
"What do they want?" I asked.
"Cooperation on some West Coast operations. Property development, investment ventures, that sort of thing. The terms they're offering are very favorable."
"And you need my approval?"
"You manage a significant portion of our West Coast operations now. I wouldn't move forward without your input."
"When's the meeting?" I asked.
"Tomorrow. Mid-morning. I know it's short notice, but they're only in town for a few days."
"I'll be there."
"Excellent. I'll send you the location details. Oh, and Aria?"
"Yeah?"
"Bring whoever you need for security. These Meridian people are bringing a small entourage. We should match their energy."
"Understood."
"See you tomorrow."
He hung up. I put my phone back in the pocket and walked back toward the pool.
The music was louder now. Silas had connected his phone to the outdoor speakers. Some pop song I didn't recognize.
Mia and Logan were out of the pool now. Both of them wrapped in towels. Still bickering but in a more playful way.
"I'm just saying, you could've been nicer about it!" Mia said.
"I was nice! I literally complimented you!"
"You compared my boobs to produce! 'Solid B-cup' makes me sound like a cantaloupe!"
Logan burst out laughing. "I did not compare you to a cantaloupe!"
"That's what it sounded like!"
Silas waved at me again as I approached. "Master! You were gone for a while. Everything good?"
"Yeah. Just business."
I sat back down on my lounge chair. The night air was getting cooler but the pool area was still warm from the heaters.
Logan grabbed a beer from the cooler near the bar. Tossed one to Silas. Offered one to me.
I shook my head. "I'm good."
"Come on, live a little! It's a party!"
"I don't drink."
"Not even one beer?"
"No."
Logan shrugged. "More for me."
He cracked open his beer and took a long drink. Mia sat down next to me, still wrapped in her towel.
"You okay?" she asked quietly. "You seem distracted."
"I'm fine."
"Was it a bad phone call?"
"No. Just work stuff."
Mia nodded. Didn't push further. That was one thing I appreciated about her. She knew when to stop asking questions.
Silas was scrolling through his phone, picking the next song. Logan was finishing his beer already, reaching for another one.
Then Logan suddenly stopped mid-reach. His whole body went stiff.
"Shit," he said. His voice changed completely. "Shit shit shit."
Silas looked up. "What?"
"No no no no." Logan was staring at something behind us. Near the house entrance.