MasukAria's POVLillian tapped my shoulder, her gaze landing on my flushed face. "What were you dreaming about? You look pretty hot and bothered."She handed me a tissue. I took it, dabbing at the thin layer of sweat on my forehead while my mind replayed fragments of the dream. Heat rushed to my cheeks.I avoided answering her question, instead sitting up and staring blankly at the comforter covering me.Lillian misinterpreted my silence, assuming I'd had a nightmare. She wrapped her arms around me. "Aria? Don't be scared. It was just a dream. You're awake now—whatever happened wasn't real!"I pressed my lips together and glanced at her face, guilt washing over me. "Mmm," I managed weakly.Gently pushing her away, I mumbled, "I need to wash my face.""Sure," she said, releasing me.I padded to the bathroom in my slippers and splashed cold water on my face. The mirror reflected my flushed complexion, and despite the cooling sensation against my skin, I couldn't help remembering the vivid sc
Aria's POVI remembered my plans with Lillian today and tried to get out of bed, but my body protested with every movement. The soreness between my thighs made me flush with memories of last night with Aiden."Shit, I need to get going," I muttered, glancing at the clock while swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.I didn't make it far. Aiden's strong arm snaked around my waist, pulling me back against his hard chest. His morning erection pressed insistently against my ass."Where do you think you're going?" he murmured, his voice still rough with sleep. His hand slid down my stomach and between my legs. "You promised me a proper good morning.""I promised Lillian I'd pick her up," I gasped as his fingers found their target, my body already responding traitorously. "She wants to join me for practice today.""She can wait five minutes," he growled, already positioning himself behind me."Five minutes?" I laughed breathlessly. "That's not very flattering to yourself."His answer was
Aria's POVI woke up at seven, surprised to find Aiden still in bed. Blinking sleepily, I turned to study his peaceful face, my gaze immediately landing on those impossibly thick eyelashes of his.God, were those lashes even real? They looked like they belonged in a mascara commercial.I remembered all those romance novels Lillian had forced on me, where authors always compared heroines' eyelashes to small brushes.I'd always rolled my eyes at those descriptions, thinking they were ridiculous exaggerations.Now, staring at Aiden's lashes—dark, thick, and curling slightly at the ends—I realized how wrong I'd been. His really did look like perfect little brushes fanning across his cheeks.I watched him for several minutes, noticing how deeply he slept, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm with no sign of waking. My gaze drifted down to his lips, slightly parted as he breathed. A sudden urge to touch them washed over me.Without thinking, I reached out and gently traced his bo
Aria's POVAfter checking my social media for news about the hot search topic, I found it had completely vanished—not just from trending topics but even from regular searches.My lips curved into a knowing smile. No surprise there; Aiden had clearly pulled some strings.It didn't really matter if it stayed trending anyway.The competition was only days away, and the organizers had secured impressive backing with thirty-plus media outlets covering the event.The moment I took off my mask and revealed myself as JJ, the news would spread across the internet in minutes.How "sympathetic" people felt toward me online now—well, their faces would burn with embarrassment soon enough. God, I was becoming quite the schemer lately.I smiled to myself, closed the app, and headed toward my music room. Time to practice! But halfway there, realization struck me. The competition wasn't just about playing perfectly—it was about physi
My phone buzzed with Elena Pierce's name flashing on the screen. I swiped to answer, wondering what she could possibly want."Hello?" I said, trying to keep my tone neutral.Her light laugh trickled through the speaker. "Nothing important. I was just wondering if you'd be interested in attending the motorboat race in Lake City on the 17th? I have tickets, and if you'd like to go, I could have someone deliver a pair to you."The smugness in her voice made my skin crawl. She was practically gloating."Don't trouble yourself, Elena," I replied with a dismissive snort. "I already have tickets.""Oh, so you'll be at the race then. I guess I'll see you there in Lake City." She paused deliberately before adding, "I hear JJ will finally remove her mask that day. I'm quite curious to see what she looks like—the woman Lucas has been obsessing over for years."A laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. If she only knew."Is something
Aria's POVI gripped my phone tighter as Nana's message popped up: "I'll start making arrangements! Time to clear up all those nasty rumors once and for all!"During my second year after bursting onto the jet ski racing scene, my refusal to show my face had sparked some truly ridiculous gossip in the circuit.The claims that I was "hideously ugly" were actually the tamer insults.The more outrageous rumors suggested I was actually a man who couldn't qualify in the men's division, so I'd switched to the women's competitions to steal the spotlight. According to them, I refused to show my face to avoid the backlash when I was "exposed."Seriously? The organizers obviously verified my gender before allowing me to compete in the women's division. But people who resented my success were numerous, and somehow even these brain-dead accusations found believers.They were so relentless because they knew they could get away with it—I'd never show







