Chapter 6 It Never Happened

~ Joan~

"It was fun, Jo. You should have seen," Rhoda gushed over her mug of coffee. I gave an absent-minded nod as I lifted mine to my lips, the warmth doing little to ease my tangled thoughts.

She'd returned last night. I'd pretended to be asleep to avoid facing her. Truthfully, I couldn't sleep at all.

"He's really cute," she muttered, her eyes lighting up with that glint they always had when she found someone or something particularly fascinating.

"Saunter off again without letting me know, and he won't have a cute face anymore," a deep baritone came from behind me, making every nerve in my body grow taut.

The color drained from Rhoda's face as her gaze darted behind me. I was certain my face mirrored hers-though not for the same reason.

"Aaron," she said, her voice sharpening. I forced myself to remain composed, bracing for whatever he was about to say next.

A small part of me dreaded that he might actually tell his sister we'd had sex. And that too, in the living room.

The mere thought of it made me clench, and I had to cross my thighs to keep my traitorous body in check.

"Where were you the entire night?" he asked, his voice low and edged with steel. She shrugged nonchalantly, but her eyes flicked toward me, seeking help. I raised an eyebrow in return, offering no assistance.

"I went to see a friend," she said lightly, lifting her hands in mock surrender before he could press further. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck, warm and steady, far too close for comfort.

How close was he?

I raised my mug of now-cold coffee to my lips, doing my best to appear unaffected, and totally unbothered.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I should have informed you," Rhoda muttered, turning to refill her mug at the counter.

"The fuck you should have. What do you think would happen if something went wrong?" he snapped, voice rising. I flinched at the harshness, then pushed my chair back and stood, no longer content to stay between them.

If he wanted to yell at his sister, he could very well do it without me in the crossfire and him behind me.

The moment I stood, our eyes collided and locked. For a second, neither of us moved, the air between us thick with something unspoken. Then his gaze swept over me, deliberate and slow, his jaw tightening before he turned back to his sister. She seemed oblivious to the charged moment that had just passed.

He wore his usual attire, though his suit jacket was absent. The blazer and black pants clung to him with maddening precision, the open buttons at his collar offering a glimpse of tanned skin.

The heat pooling low in my stomach was sudden and intense, far stronger than the warmth I'd felt earlier. I moved toward the kitchen island, carefully dumping my mug into the sink. I refused to glance back, but I could feel his eyes tracing my movements, charting every line of my body.

"Nothing happened, okay? I'm fine," Rhoda said, her tone softer now as she looked at her brother.

Aaron said nothing, his silence loaded with reproach. Even after rinsing my mug, I didn't dare turn around.

"I have something to show you," Rhoda said suddenly, breaking the tension and I turned around. She stepped toward Aaron, leaning up to whisper something in his ear before darting off to the room we shared.

It took me less than a second to realize I was alone with him. Again.

The silence between us stretched, heavy and oppressive. Neither of us made an effort to address the elephant in the room.

Up close, I noticed the faint lines of exhaustion etched under his eyes. For a fleeting moment, pity stirred within me-only to vanish just as quickly.

"About last night..." I began, breaking the silence, though my voice wavered slightly. His gaze sharpened instantly, darkening like a storm.

"Forget about it. It never happened," he said flatly, the coldness in his tone cutting deeper than I wanted to admit. Anger flared within me, mixed with a pang of something more fragile. I wasn't planning to suggest continuing whatever had happened between us, but his blunt dismissal stung.

"Stop being a dickhead. To me, it never happened. Your dick isn't exactly memorable," I snapped, rolling my eyes in a show of indifference. A blatant lie. His dick was memorable. It was all I'd thought about last night. If I were honest, it was all I could think about now.

"All I was going to say," I continued, trying to rein in my temper, "was that Rhoda probably shouldn't know. I don't think it'd be a good idea..."

"She shouldn't know," he interrupted, his voice cold, though his eyes burned with something dangerously hot. He took a step toward me, the kitchen island forming the only barrier between us.

"And I recall you begging me to let you come," he said, his voice dropping lower. "On my dick. It isn't memorable, you say?"

My nipples hardened instantly, betraying me, and his gaze locked onto them with laser precision. His lips quirked into a smug smile for the briefest moment before disappearing altogether as Rhoda came rushing back, a paper bag clutched in her hands.

Aaron's attention shifted to her as I discreetly adjusted my posture, trying to mask the arousal still simmering in my blood.

"You're trying to bribe me," he muttered, though his tone had softened. He took the bag from her and sniffed its contents.

"Is it working?" she asked, a playful smile lighting her face.

He shook his head but let out a resigned sigh. "That's what you wanted. It's working."

Her grin widened as he reached out to ruffle her hair. He muttered something too low for me to catch before grabbing his suitcase and leaving, not sparing me so much as a glance.

I supposed that was for the best. Wasn't it?

"Wanna tell me the secret to what made him look less murderous just now?" I asked, raising a brow at Rhoda as she leaned against the island across from me.

She laughed, shaking her head. "That's our secret. You'll probably find out someday."

I shrugged, feigning indifference. I shouldn't care, but I did want to know. I wanted to know what made Aaron look happy even if it was just for a fleeting second.