Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

“ Y ou are far too clueless on romance.”

Aaron raised an eyebrow at Selina’s whispered words, leaning towards her slightly to mumble quietly.

“I have no use for it.”

“You will not find a wife with your current methods. If you cannot attempt to woo whoever it is you are interested in, you will find yourself rejected.”

Aaron laughed a little. “Because you are such an expert on the matter?”

“As a woman myself, I am aware of what many women want. We might not share the very same dreams or aspirations, but every woman would love to have a taste of romance while they are being courted. It is connected to the sort of man they would like to marry. I, myself, am searching for someone who will feel like my partner in crime. I do not wish to feel as though we are too different or perhaps he finds me tiresome— or I him. I want —”

“Our apologies, dears,” Nora spoke up suddenly, pointing at Mathew, standing a few feet from where they were sitting. “It seems our presence is needed elsewhere. We shall see you later.”

Selina and Aaron nodded as Samuel stood and helped Nora stand, lovingly picking a leaf out of her hair before leading her away.

They look so… in love. I want that too, Selina thought with a forlorn sigh.

“You were saying?”

“Hmm?” she blinked, facing Aaron, only to notice how close together they had been sitting.

This kept happening. Every time they had been together during the last day, the space between them diminished in moments for some strange reason. And Selina was not fond of how it made her feel.

She disliked the restlessness of her heart in her chest, how sweaty her palms became, and how dizzy she got whenever he leaned in close enough to smell that earthy, manly musk that clung to him.

“You were telling me about what you are looking for in a husband,” he prompted.

“I wasn’t aware that you cared much about what I liked or wanted.”

“I do not. But, it seems as though you are in need of someone to listen to you and I have nothing better to do at the moment, so you have all my attention.” He smirked at her.

“Could you be any more infuriating?” She rolled her eyes.

“That depends. Do you want me to be?”

Irritated, Selina decided moving on was in their collective best interests.

“I want someone who will love me completely. I want him to be utterly, irrevocably, and madly in love with me. I want him to show me the world, to teach me about things I hadn’t know before, and to share with me the pleasures of life. I want a man who will ensure that I never have a boring day in my life.”

With a wistful sigh, she reached for the jug of juice, startled when Aaron caught hold of her wrist, his grip firm but not painful as he said in a strained tone, “You should be careful with your words, Selina. They are quite improper, and they could give the wrong impression.”

Selina felt herself go still in his grasp.

This… this was the first time he had said her name without formally addressing her.

And it sent heat rushing through her at a dizzying pace.

“T-That’s not true. I didn’t mean it like that —” she tried to explain, only to realize the implications of what he was saying with startling clarity.

“Are you sure? You seam very particular about the sort of man you want. I am honestly not surprised that you would also have such thoughts,” he teased with a smirk.

“Stop it. That was not what I was saying. Stop putting words in my mouth,” Selina snapped, pulling her wrist from his grasp.

“I don’t blame you; it is an important factor in any marriage. It is only mildly surprising because I never expected you to have such thoughts. You somehow manage to impress me every day, Selina.”

Even though he wasn’t touching her anymore, she felt pinned by his stare, mischief causing his eyes to sparkle like emeralds.

“Must you be so —”

“Shall I tell you? About the ways a man can keep you entertained?”

“I never asked—” she tried, ready to plead with him to just shut up.

Clearly, her misery was far too amusing to him because he leaned in close, his eyes falling onto her lips before he whispered lowly, “He could steal your breath with a kiss. Keep you pliant and wanting more if he had you in his lap, so he could hold you close. He could touch you as he pleases. In ways you never expected that would drive you out of your mind. In ways you will like. He could take you whenever he felt like it, over and over again — regardless of where you might be or who might be watching.” He smirked suddenly. “Doesn’t that sound entertaining?”

“You are awful. How could you bring up propriety and then say such embarrassing things?” Selina nearly screamed, her face feeling as though it was on fire while she pulled a blanket over her legs to distract herself from him.

It was embarrassing, honestly, but what bothered her more than anything was how easy it was to imagine Aaron being the one to ‘ entertain ’ her.

She could vividly see him pulling her into his lap, keeping her pressed against him as his mouth devoured hers. She could practically feel his touch over the most secret parts of her body, could feel the heat of his skin against hers.

“Would you like a taste of what that would be like?” Aaron asked huskily.

Selina knew the smartest thing to do would be to refuse his offer. The smartest and safest .

But she couldn’t bring herself to speak or even shake her head ‘ no .’

Suddenly, his hand was braced against her face, pulling her towards him, and his lips pressed firmly against hers. She felt her veins go up in flames as his free arm wound around her, pulling her towards him.

She sighed and pressed closer to him, letting his lips ravish hers hungrily. His touch felt like fire over her skin, and she gasped when his fingers curled around the side of her neck, almost possessively, allowing him to deepen the kiss. Selina reached for him, craving his warmth suddenly, moaning as her hand slid up his chest, feeling his muscles twitch beneath her touch.

He tasted like the apple tea she had seen him pour into his cup, and he smelled a lot softer now that she was close enough to be buried in everything that made him the way he was.

Just as suddenly as it had begun, he pulled away, and it was done.

“Are you falling for me already, Lady Selina?” he questioned cheekily.

Selina stared at him, feeling like her heart was about to beat out of her chest.

“No… You are so ridiculous, no. Not if you were the last man in the world.” she spat, rising to her feet.

Without another word, she stood up and left, willing herself to move farther and farther from Aaron before she did something stupid.

Like ask him to kiss her again.

“Oh, Selina! I was just about to have someone fetch you. I — are you all right? You look quite flushed. Do you feel ill?” Nora fussed, approaching Selina almost as soon as she arrived in the courtyard.

“Y-Yes.” Selina cleared her throat. “I am fine. I just… I felt like running a little. So, I did. So, I’m a little out of breath.”

“I see…” Nora said in a tone that suggested she, in fact, did not. “Well, as long as you are all right. I have some news for you about Thalia.”

Selina’s heart sank.

“My sister? Is she all right? Did something happen?”

Nora shook her head quickly. “Something did happen, but it is nothing you have to worry about. You see, the physician who saw her said she was going to have her baby at any moment. And as such, she can’t attend my party after all.”

“Oh,” Selina exhaled deeply in relief. “Thank goodness. I am sorry that I will not be able to help or support her while she gives birth to my nephew or niece, but I am ultimately glad that she is all right. Thank you for informing me, Nora.”

“Certainly. Also, since they will not be attending, they said that you will be in Aaron’s care until you leave.”

To her credit, Selina did not react until she had returned to her room.

There, she sat down, placed her head into her hands, and whined, “Why me?”

“I’m sorry, what ?”

Nora sighed and simply nudged her husband forward with a poke to his side.

“Benedict and Thalia won’t be attending our party, Aaron, because Thalia has other plans. Namely birthing her child. So, Selina is yours until the party ends,” Samuel said gently, as though he were speaking to his son.

It likely wasn’t helpful that Damien was seated next to Aaron. When his father stopped speaking, he turned to Aaron. He tilted his head inquisitively as though he was asking, ‘ Do you understand? ’

With a deep sigh, Aaron tried to wave away his irritation by patting Damien’s hair — whose smile of satisfaction really did ease some of his stress — calmly saying, “I understand the news. It is simple enough for me to have understood it when Nora stated it the first time around — thank you, Duchess. What I do not understand is why I still have to look after Selina.”

“Well, who else could it be? You are the one who arrived with her. Surely, you do not expect us to do it.” Samuel gave him an inquisitive expression.

“No, I did not,” Aaron replied flatly. “But… I wondered if I was the best guardian for her.”

Aaron’s concern stemmed from a part of him that had enjoyed his interactions with Selina at the picnic far too much. He could tell that he was falling far too deeply into their games to think clearly.

It was only a matter of time before they made a move that would cross the line, and it would be far too late for either of them to realize the consequences of their actions. Aaron didn’t want to be responsible for Selina, especially to the detriment of his own goal.

But… he had also never avoided his responsibilities before. Whether he liked it or not, Selina was his to care for into future notice.

“I couldn’t think of anyone better. Besides, despite your claims of not being friends, you both get along quite well,” Samuel noted.

“Like a house on fire,” Aaron muttered to himself as he succumbed to his fate. “All right, I will keep looking after her. Extend my regards to Benedict and his wife.”

“We will. Damien and I will put together a lovely basket of the finest flowers in our garden and have it sent to our dear Aunt Thalia first thing tomorrow.” Nora smiled at her son, who then decided he had enough of the distance between himself and his mama, leaving Aaron’s side to waddle over to her.

“And because I know that the men in this gathering might be gradually losing their minds from all the conversations they’ve had to endure in the last few days, I have organized a hunt for tomorrow. Let us breathe the fresh air of nature and fire our guns,” Samuel told Aaron gleefully.

Aaron sighed in relief, realizing that this was what he needed to center himself again. Perhaps it was because he had forced himself to be social for the sake of his quest. Maybe that was why he was making such mistakes.

No more, he told himself. I will focus on my business and nothing more.