28. Aiden

CHAPTER 28

AIDEN

T here must be something in the air in this room because the second the door shuts behind us, we're kissing and wrestling with clothes and limbs. I push Candice back against the door, her hands immediately sliding to my waist, one of her legs rising to join them. Every time I've touched her this weekend, I've felt like I'm hurtling towards something that could make or break me.

So much is at stake here, but as long as her hands are on my body, I don't care about anything except her.

I dip my head to kiss her neck, and as she tilts her head away, she moans, her hair falling wildly into her face.

All this time, I've remembered her as beautiful, but I'd forgotten just how much. Everything about her is designed to make me crazy; her stubbornness, her fire, her warm, alluring body. I nip at her skin with my teeth, gently enough that it won't leave marks but enough for her to shiver, her whole body reacting, moving as I slide my hands over her hips, her belly, her breasts. Here, in the nape of her neck, her perfume is overwhelming, but I never want to get the smell of her out of my lungs.

She's burrowed deep inside me and has dug her claws in, and she doesn't even know it.

I pull her shirt out of her pants, fumbling with the fastening. I need to feel her heat. I need her.

Finally, the button gives and I push my fingers into her underwear. She's already so wet, and knowing that sends a rush of hot blood to my head and groin. I dive deeper, brushing my lips over her skin, and she moans. Her fingers tighten on my back as I keep going, her mouth finding mine again, desperately meeting me in a kiss we both need.

She tremors around me, clinging on to me like I'm her only anchor in the world. I don't let go until she tugs my hands away. It takes me a moment to understand, but as she flips us round and slides to her knees, taking my pants to the floor as she goes, I let out a groan of desire. I'm glad I have something to lean on because her mouth is as magical as the rest of her.

We could have everything, if she'd let me drop to my knees and ask her to be my wife. We could fix every single problem we have, personally and professionally, and be the strongest we've ever been. We could have something that would be the envy of everyone — a marriage and an empire. With her, I could be more than the loser who let everything fall apart around him.

I just need her to agree with me.

And right now, from where I'm standing, we've never been more in agreement.

I stop thinking altogether as I climax, the potent combination of emotions and pleasure tearing through me until I think I'm going to fall over. My legs wobble as my brain turns back on, so I slide to the floor to sit with Candice. Her face is pink and her hair a mess, but she's still the most gorgeous person I've ever seen.

"Marry me," I say, breathless. "Please. Marry me."

"Aiden…" she says, her lips wavering as she breathes out. "Let's not do this now."

"Why? Why can't I ask for an answer?"

"Because I don't know what it is yet." She sits up straighter, putting distance between us like she's throwing a bucket of cold water over the warm rush of my orgasm.

I shake my head in confusion. "What do you mean, you don't know? What part of it doesn't make sense?"

She looks towards the ceiling like she's trying to summon strength, then says quietly, "I don't know you, Aiden." I make a noise of protest, and she cuts me off. "This has been nice, all of it, but I can't marry you after two days of forgiveness.

"Why?" I say like a toddler having a tantrum. "It has been nice. It's been great . Don't you remember all those nights we used to spend together in the office?"

"That was eight years ago!" She slaps her hands onto her face in despair. I'm starting to wish I'd pulled my pants back up all the way for this conversation. "We were good then because we spent time together. Two days isn't enough to fall in love with someone."

"Isn't it?"

"No!" She takes another hard breath, and when she pulls her hands away, her eyes are shining with tears. "I'm sorry this isn't the answer you wanted to hear, but we can't force this to work because it's a nice idea ."

A lump is forming in my throat and I swallow to try and get rid of it. "What about Mettie's? I want you with me, but I can probably find someone else to save Fletcher Tech. Who else is going to save you ?"

"You're not my knight in shining armor!" she snaps, stumbling to her feet, refastening her pants and running a flustered hand through her hair. "I don't need you to save me. I've done all this without you before, and I can save myself again without you."

"But wouldn't it be easier?" I press, getting up and pulling up my own pants. "Wouldn't it be easier to stop fighting and let me help?"

We stare at each other, breathing like we've run a marathon. June was right. There is a spark in this room and it's at risk of becoming a wildfire from the way it's crackling. Candice is sliding away from me, and holding tighter isn't working.

"It doesn't have to be love. But even you have to see that merging will make it easier."

She hesitates, considering her options, biting her lip as she wrestles with the choices she's making. I stand, frozen, my heart pounding so hard it's like it's about to break free from my chest. At last, she says, "I have conditions."

My heart leaps. "Anything."

"I'm not changing my name. I'm not going to change who I am or how I feel. I'm willing to give us time, but I need time. This is all too much to handle right now, and I can't pretend I'm okay about it. And I don't want it to be a big thing. I don't want some stupid, pompous ceremony so you can look good in the papers. And I want full autonomy over Mettie's Marketplace."

"Done," I say, then my brain catches up with my ears. "Wait, you're saying yes?"

She sighs. "Yes, okay. I'm saying yes. To a marriage of convenience, that's all."

I break out into a grin, the relief overwhelming. "You can have anything you want. I'll sign for it again. Anything."

Cautiously, she looks me up and down, then takes a step towards me. "And I'm not saying we can't have a relationship. I'm just not ready for the commitment of a marriage , okay?"

"Okay," I say, reaching out for her hands. She takes them, and I pull her into my arms. This might not be real for her, but I'm prepared to wait. I'm prepared to do anything to keep her, to prove that I'm right for her. "When we get back, I'll make the arrangements. We can take it as slow as you want. But…"

"But?"

"Right now, it's still us in a room alone at a world-class resort. And I'm standing here holding the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"Stop it," she scoffs, burying her face in my chest.

"What about if I ask for another kiss?" I ask. She must be able to hear the way my heart is racing. She must know that I love her. Haven't I made that clear?

She shuffles and blinks up at me, looking up through her eyelashes like she's weighing up some more decisions in her head. Then she slides her hands to my face and pulls me down into a kiss, and I let myself believe I'm kissing my fiancée. Because she is.

And for tonight, as we fall into bed again, I'm going to pretend she loves me , too.