(Jessamine’s POV)“If there’s one here so excited about this place, it’s him,” Deborah chuckled softly, puckering her lips and pointing at the excited puppy.We watched Charlie taking his time in every tree or plant, sniffing, and marking his territory. His tail wagged, and he would bark at something unfamiliar. Not wanting him to get lost, Aiden put him on a leash and followed him around wherever he wanted to go. His paws were dry now after Aiden brought him to the shoreline, letting him play and experience the lake.“Thanks for bringing Charlie here.” I smiled happily at Deborah.“I think Charlie will -”Deborah paused, turning around and raising her eyebrows, her eyes on the Volvo parking near the house. Xavier, standing behind her, whistled, admiring the understated denim blue color car, and like his fiancée, he waited for who would get out of the vehicle.I didn’t need to know who owned the car. Sasha and Aaron were meant to return at this hour, bringing us dinner to meet Deborah
(Jessamine’s POV)“My brother will flip if he finds out about this,” Xavier said.He chuckled, his eyes on the steak he cut on his plate. He paused for a second, taking a bite of the meat, but I was bothered by the sigh that escaped his mouth. It only meant he was thinking of something. Sasha and Aaron looked at each other.“Oh, that’s the thing,” Aaron said, taking his paper cup, sipping his wine.We all looked at him, waiting for what he would say, but I was not sure if he was thinking or enjoying the wine in his mouth. He smiled apologetically at Xavier.“No one should know about this, Xavier. I mean, us…here.” He muttered, looking at his wife worriedly. “You see, we’re in the middle of an important project, and our CEO doesn’t know about our visit here. No one from the company knew we’re here.”“Of course,” Xavier grinned, nodding at him. Raising one hand, he continued, “I understand. So, you came here because…” His eyes wandered around, assuming it was the place.“We’re here bec
(Aiden’s POV)My online meeting ended two hours ago, but Sasha had to update me on my appointments for the week while Aaron had to report on the recent activities in the company and asked me to look into a business model, hoping I would consider another line of service.It was already past one in the morning, and I had been standing in front of the main door for five minutes, thinking whether to wait outside, knock, or call Jessamine. I brushed off the last choice, remembering I did not return her cell phone.Sighing, I turned around, choosing the first option, but I paused, hearing the door opening. Xavier opened the door wide, and behind her was Deborah, with her arms crossed over her chest.“Who told you to come home at this hour, young man?” Deborah asked jokingly.“Why are you still awake?” I asked, worried that something happened to Jessamine.Knitting his eyebrows at me, Xavier asked, “Where are you going?”I scoffed. “I think we’re not getting answers here,” I said with a shru
(Aiden’s POV)When Jessamine started blabbering, I found an amusing and pleasing way to stop her. I slid my hand on her hair, pulling her to me, then pressed my lips to hers. I intended it to be a quick kiss to stop her from talking, but her soft lips were sweet and delectable, urging me to taste more. I had to have more. I slipped my tongue out, meeting hers, melting together as I deepened the kiss.I had been contemplating, considering how our relationship should be, when Deborah and Xavier arrived earlier at Adilene’s. It was unfair for Jessamine to give herself entirely to me when I could not be honest with her, but how could I stop myself when she was uncontrollable?Like a starving man, I was not satisfied with the kiss. I wanted more. Remembering her naked earlier, irresistible and hot, the thought of controlling myself died along with the reminder that she was my best friend and off-limits. When she curled her fingers in my hair and moaned in my mouth, I lost myself, exploring
(Aiden’s POV)Jessamine must have thought I needed more sleep, letting me doze in her bed longer than the number of hours I allotted for sleep. I groaned when I peered at the curtain covering the window, realizing the sun was up. Why didn’t Sasha call to wake me up? I had to meet Morris this morning and call Paige and Simone after lunch. In a hurry, I dashed toward the bathroom and quickly showered, forgetting to bring a set of clothes. Sighing, I wrapped the towel around my hips and stepped out of the bathroom.A piece of yellow Post-it stuck on top of my pile of shirts caught my eye.‘Guess what’s the color of my underwear today? If you guess it right, I’ll sleep naked tonight – J.’I rolled my eyes and crumpled the sticky note but tossed it in my drawer. I didn’t want Deborah or Xavier to see her naughty message this morning.“What will I do with you, Jess?” I growled, walking toward the door.I almost stepped back when I exited Jessamine’s bedroom when I saw Benedict sitting on th
(Aiden’s POV)“What are you doing?” Sasha asked.Sasha looked displeased, placing her hands on her hips and squinting her eyes at me. One thing about her, she was only like this whenever I was too focused at work, neglecting whatever was considered essential for my health. “Reading an email?” I answered straightforwardly because it was what I was doing.“Funny.” She sneered. “You know it’s not what I mean to say.”“Then what?” I asked, raising my head to look at her.Sasha rolled her eyes at me, then walked toward the fridge, getting a soda can. When she returned in my direction, she glanced at Jessamine in one of the sleeping quarters and wandered her eyes around the tent.While the house was under renovation, the construction company set up a tunnel tent near the lake. It excited Jessamine, following Morris around, not minding she was limping, and asking him many questions. She was exhilarated, telling him she had never been in such a big tent with four sleeping compartments, but s
(Aiden’s POV)When Aaron stopped the car in front of the apartment, Sasha immediately got off to open the door for me. I had been trying to wake her up, but since I couldn’t, my last resort would be carrying her.“She looked exhausted,” Sasha said as she took her backpack. “And this is all your fault.”I sighed, scooping her carefully and carrying her in my arms. Before I could step on the porch, Deborah had opened the main door, gaping at us.“Oh, my God, what happened to her?” Deborah panicked, opening the door wide for me.“She’s just sleeping. I can’t wake her up,” I muttered, glancing at Sasha, giving her the cue to give Jessamine’s things to her housemate.Deborah placed her palm on her chest, breathing in relief. “I thought something happened to her again,” she chuckled, taking the backpack from Sasha.“Again?” Sasha raised her eyebrows.“Yesterday, she hurt her foot,” she reminded her.“Ah!” She chuckled softly, nodding as she understood what Deborah meant. “Aiden, we’re leavi
(Aiden’s POV)“Oh, God! What happened?”My heart hammered, hurting my ribcage, when I saw Jessamine sitting on the floor, clutching the shower curtain and trying to reach the metal rod. Charlie beat me into rescuing Jessamine. The puppy ran toward her, biting the polyester fabric, but he could not get it because she was gripping the curtain hard. The dog barked again but exited the bathroom instead of trying to pull it away from her again.“Jess! Are you okay?” I asked, rushing toward her.Crouching on my knees, I made a quick check on her. Jessamine looked fine, but her body was shaking and gripping the fabric hard as if her life depended on it. I had to move each of her fingers to release her hold of the curtain, taking me a few seconds to take it from her.“Are you hurt? Tell me, Jess,” I asked worriedly, picking up the metal rod and placing it on the side. “Answer me… or at least, talk. You’re scaring me.”Jessamine chuckled weakly, nodding at me. “Is my shower curtain okay?”I