I walked into my hotel, admiring the view of the canals beneath my window. The streets of Italy were alive, and the sounds from the street performers and the bustling city comforted me. I walked through the penthouse suite, admiring how the sunset shined through the sheer white curtains and into the room. The floors of the suite were covered in dark tile, adding to its modern appearance. The additional kitchen only added to the room's overall dark features with a black marble countertop. The furniture was a mix of light and charcoal grey, with slight accents of beige.

I usually hated hotel rooms, and this was no exception. The only great thing about this suite was the views that it offered, despite my training of always staying away from windows. It was ironic really, I was always trained that windows were our worst enemy. To stay as far away from them as possible, and that the vantage point they offered our enemies left us vulnerable to snipers and surveillance. But for some reason, I couldn't pull myself away from this view, from this sunset and the unfamiliar calm that I felt. So, I stared outside for a moment, allowing myself the small luxury of getting lost in the view of the sun kissing the skyline. But that calm passed just as quickly as it came, and I quickly closed the curtains, blocking out the sunset and extinguishing the hues of red and orange that ignited the room. 

I walked towards the bathroom and opened the door. I pressed a button on the wall, starting the shower before I unzipped my dress. I let the fabric fall to the floor before I stepped over it. I grabbed my bra strap and slid it down my shoulder before doing the same with the other side. I then reached behind my back and undid my strap, snapping it open and allowing it to drop down below me. I grabbed the sides of my panties with both hands, bend down, and slid out of them before dropping them on the floor.

I stepped into the black marble shower and walked underneath the waterfall shower head. I rotated my head, allowing the left-over blood from earlier to drip down the drain.

I tilted my head and gasped lightly as I felt a pair of lips graze my neck. A soft moan escaped my mouth as a pair of familiar, calloused hands gently grabbed my hips.

"I don't recall hearing a knock." I said as I closed my eyes and tilted my head further, allowing him more access to my neck.

"I didn't think I had to at this point." Aiden's familiar, deep voice said as he continued to kiss my neck slowly. He pressed his bare body against mine, allowing me to feel his hard length press against my rear.

"Still would have been a nice gesture." I said as I opened my eyes. He carefully turned me around so I was facing him.

"Don't act like you didn't hear me come in." He said while he tilted his head and bent down slightly. He tucked his hand underneath my chin, tilting my head up before he gently pressed his lips against mine, making me exhale in anticipation and pleasure.

"I didn't hear a knock, but I did hear the door creak a bit. You're losing your touch." I teased after I pulled back slightly, our lips grazing against each other.

Aiden Smith was a tall man who stood at about six feet tall, causing me to have to look up at him. His body was composed of pure muscle, toned from the years of intense training and a strict diet and workout regime. His buzzed, black hair was always trimmed short, and his beard was also neatly trimmed and kept. His hazel eyes contrasted against his brown skin, and his piercing gaze was intense enough to intimidate any man.

Aiden was one of the best in our industry. I would even say his skill would rival my own. But his biggest flaw was that he was a brute, a shoot first ask questions later kind of man. He would happily run in headfirst into danger just to get a piece of the action. He always said being headstrong was his greatest strength, while I always thought it was his greatest flaw.

I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands drifted to my ass. His hands cupped my cheeks, massaging them for a moment before they traveled down to the back of my thighs. He picked me up effortlessly as I wrapped my legs around his waist.

I traced my hand down his chest, feeling his toned muscles along the way until I reached his hard length. I wrapped my hand around it as I began rubbing him slowly, making sure to touch every inch of it.

He let out a moan into my mouth as I began moving my hand faster, feeling satisfied as I felt it grow even larger. I impatiently brought it to my core, lining it up before Aiden thrust deeply inside of me.

Aiden's face contorted into one of pleasure, and I watched as his mouth became agape as he continued to thrust rhythmically into me. I wrapped my arms around his chest, clawing his back as he began moving faster.

He lifted me so our chests were no longer touching, giving him the freedom he needed to spread my legs wider before he began pounding into me mercilessly.

After a few minutes, I felt my orgasm building as I threw my head back, enjoying the feeling of him relentlessly fucking me. The water from above was splashing everywhere as the sound of him clapping against me filled the steamy shower.

I began spreading my legs further apart as my climax drew closer, moaning louder as Aiden kept up his pace. He began to mutter profanities under his breath as I clenched around his length, letting a much-needed orgasm rip through my body as I gave in to the pleasure.

Seconds later, Aiden wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me up with one arm before he pulled out. He grabbed his length and began rubbing himself. I watched as he released onto my thigh, throwing his head back in ecstasy as I bit my lip at the sight. I was aggressively on birth control, but I still appreciated the small caution he took.

He bent down and placed me gently onto my feet as we both stood underneath the water. The only sounds that filled the air were our erratic breaths and the sound of water hitting the tile beneath us. He wrapped his arms around my waist, causing me to step forward to avoid his embrace. He reluctantly let go, and I grabbed the bottle of shampoo before pouring some into my hands and lathering it through my long hair. Silence grew between us as Aiden sighed.

"Mila," Aiden started, making me sigh in annoyance.

"Please, Aiden. Not tonight." I said as I closed my eyes and began washing the shampoo from my hair. "It's been a long day."

"You can't keep avoiding this, we're going to have to talk about it eventually." Aiden said from behind me.

"And what are you referring to exactly?" I said, trying to avoid the topic he's been insistently bringing up over the past month. I tilted my head up, staring at the lavish tiles around me and avoiding eye contact.

"One date. That's all I want." He said as he smirked. I let out a sigh as his hands gently gripped my hips. He turned me slightly so I was facing him, and I looked up at him, examining the small pleading smile that caressed his lips.

"Aiden..." I began as I looked up at him.

"Just a normal dinner." He said, tilting his head slightly as he looked down at me.

"We have dinner together all the time?" I asked as I looked at him curiously.

"I mean in public. Instead of our usual room service in a hotel room." He said as he tilted his head.

"You knew what you were getting into when we started... whatever this is." I said calmly as I began to condition my hair. Aiden grabbed the body soap and rubbed some on his hands before lathering his muscular body.

"Yeah, and that was almost a year ago." He said as he finished soaping his body and stepped under the water before I grabbed the soap from his hands.

"I didn't want a relationship then, and I still don't want a relationship now." I said, holding back the annoyance in my voice. "I thought you'd understand more than anyone considering we share the same occupation." I said as I lathered my body.

"Yeah, I know. The traveling, the killing, I get it." Aiden said as he furrowed his eyebrows in frustration.

"But Mila," he said as he gently grabbed my shoulders and looked at me. "Just give me one chance to show you what it would be like for you to be with me." He said seriously as he looked at me with his eyebrows furrowed. "Just one chance, for us to give being a normal couple a shot, that's all I'm asking."

Most girls would have been elated by his words, but unfortunately, I couldn't fight the feeling of dread that crept up on me upon hearing this.

Commitment.

Relationship.

Boyfriend.

I didn't want any of those labels. I wish I could tell Aiden exactly why, but in all honesty, I didn't even know why myself. I've known Aiden for most of my life. We were in the academy together, trained together, and went on hundreds of missions together, but I just couldn't see him as more than just a friend who I occasionally fucked.

"A normal relationship?" I asked, tilting my head as I looked up at him. His eyes gleamed with hope as he stared down at me.

"You and I both know we will never be normal." I said, my voice sounding colder than intended.

"Doesn't mean we can't try." Aiden said, a small smile stretching across his lips.

"I don't want that Aiden." I said calmly, trying to hold back the annoyance I felt. "Please respect that."

"I don't get you, Mila." He sneered in frustration as he shook his head. "Three months ago, we spent two weeks together, day and night. Then you just disappear for months only to text me this morning with your hotel address." He said as he furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance. "Do you know how worried I was that something could have happened to you?"

I mentally tuned out his nagging as I dipped my head underneath the running water. I've spent many hours wondering why I felt this way, why I didn't want a serious relationship with him. Even though he doesn't believe me, I did try. I tried to convince myself during those two weeks we spent together that this was right, that being in an exclusive relationship with Aiden was what I wanted. We spent those two weeks exploring each other's bodies, making love as the sun rose until it set once more. We ignored the issues in our lives, the trauma we had, the anger we felt, and just let go into each other as we got tangled within the sheets. Don't get me wrong, I have needs. Needs I could easily handle myself. But when I have a man like Aiden in my life, who handles my needs very nicely, why not take advantage of that?

Was it selfish of me to only want him for sex? To use him to fulfill my need while ignoring his own desire for a romantic and exclusive relationship? Probably. But I made it clear to him what I wanted, what he could expect from being involved with me.

Maybe it was me. Maybe I'm incapable of happiness, of having a stable relationship. That all the years of killing have caught up to me in the form of my own emotions taking a vacancy from my life. Some days, I didn't even think I was capable of love. Of being loved. That the easier it became to pull the trigger, the harder it became for me to let people in.

"Don't you think I at least deserve an explanation? I thought you were dead. You could have at least let me know you were okay." Aiden continued as he looked down at me, the water from above running down his broad shoulders.

Oh, wait. Now I remember why I don't want to be in a relationship. The nagging, the checking in, the whole being considerate thing was such a drag. Aiden was overprotective... extremely overprotective. Sometimes to the point where my boundaries were ignored, and it infuriated me. I suppose it was a normal reaction considering that we could die at any moment, but it smothered me and made me feel suffocated. 

When we first started hooking up, he would randomly show up after my missions. It didn't matter if I was in Alaska one day, and Africa the next, the man would always somehow find a way to interfere with my schedule. Never believing in coincidences, I was always suspicious of it, but once I found the trackers he planted in my bags and clothes, I contemplated killing him for the first time. Sometimes I contemplate killing him during one of his overprotective nagging rants, and other times, I just want to kill him out of annoyance.

Whenever we were assigned missions together, he would be intolerable. He would always interfere during them, jumping in front of me, not letting me throw a punch or defend myself. He told me once that it was his way of protecting me, it was his way of showing that he cared about me. But I couldn't help but feel insulted that he didn't think I could handle myself.

"Like I've told you before, it's either this, or nothing. You choose." I stated coldly, ending the conversation. Disappointment flashed across his features as he looked at me before turning around and submerging his face underneath the stream of water.

We finished our shower in uncomfortable silence before wrapping ourselves in the plush white towels. I quickly got dressed before looking over my shoulder at Aiden, who was staring at me with his eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm leaving." I said quickly as I threw my wet hair up in a messy bun.

"Where are you going?" He asked quickly, disappointment and worry swimming in his hazel eyes.

"I have something I need to take care of." I said before I put on a pair of sneakers and looked over at Aiden as he took a step towards me, his brows furrowed, and his jaw clenched.

"Alone." I said, failing to hide my annoyance.

"No, you're not." Aiden said as he crossed his arms, making my jaw clench as I took a deep breath.

This is one of those times I really, really wanted to put a bullet in his skull.

"If you put another tracker on me, or follow me in any way, shape, or form," I began, stepping towards him slowly as I grit my teeth. "This, is done. And I will fucking kill you." I said as I glared at him. "I want you gone before I come back."

And without another word, I turned on my heel and quickly grabbed the sleek handle of the door before walking out of the room.