Whenever I sleep, I'm normally like a bear in hibernation. It's almost impossible to wake me up, and more often than not, I'm sleeping through all of my alarm clocks. However, this morning my eyes shoot open as soon as I hear the faintest shuffling around my bedroom.

My body has been on alert throughout the night. Aria and I didn't get much sleep from how many rounds I put her through. During all of them, I took her from behind, sticking to her rules that there be no emotions involved, which is simply ridiculous. Clearly, we care about each other, but Aria is petrified to take the risk, and I need to figure out why.

I pretend as if I'm still asleep, popping one eye open to watch her grab her things from the floor. She shimmies into her jeans, seeming deep in thought before she scans the ground for her sweater.

I've never been a dick to women who have slept with me. They knew love wasn't on the table, and I always paid for a car to take them home afterward, but being able to put myself in their shoes for the first time makes me feel like the biggest asshole alive.

I wouldn't wish this pain on my worst enemy. I did this to myself, agreeing to this knowing Aria didn't want anything serious, but it doesn't stop the utter disappointment from rolling over me like a tidal wave.

Last night, my heart was craving a closeness it never had before. I wanted to pull her into my arms after her seventh orgasm of the night and hold her close. I wanted to feel her skin on mine, but she kept to the other side of the bed, creating an ocean of distance between us.

What is she hiding?

What happened to cause that scar?

She mentioned her sister passed away, but other than that, I'm grasping at straws here. I don't know how to make her see things differently. I'm nowhere close to giving up, but a small part of me hoped last night would change her mind about us.

I guess I was wrong.

"It's in the hallway," I say groggily, propping myself up on an elbow. I'm still naked, the sheet covering only the lower half of me.

Aria whirls around and covers her breasts with her hands as if they didn't spend half the night in mine, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she whispers. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Were you planning on telling me you were leaving, or were you going to do a repeat of five years ago and leave me without a trace of you?"

"Connor—"

I sit up in the bed, bunching the sheet around my hips. "Doing it once to me was bad enough, but doing it again? I deserve better than that, Aria. You can't run this time. We work together." The sheer panic racing its way through my veins is enough to bring me to my knees. I'm grateful I'm sitting in the bed.

"Connor." Aria huffs in frustration, jerking her head to my bedroom door. "I was going to pick up breakfast. You know, to pay you back for when you bought that coffee for me in Arizona."

Oh.

Well, fuck.

There I go, bringing emotions into this between us. My insecurities just got laid out on the table yet again, but when I'm around her, all my fears tumble out of my mouth like word vomit. Keeping Aria is important to me. There's no one else that matters but her, but telling her that will only result in making her run. No matter how strong my feelings may be for her, I have to keep reminding myself that she's scared.

To my surprise, Aria doesn't balk at my confession. Instead, she grimaces as if in pain and shakes her head. "I'm sorry for walking out on you that day," she says. "I should have stayed to say goodbye, but you seemed like you were the type of guy who wouldn't care."

And I was that type of guy until she showed up and tilted my world on its axis.

"I didn't realize..." She sighs and blinks up at the ceiling. "I'm sorry, Connor. Truly."

I refuse to get into a deep conversation when I just got her back in my bed, so rather than delve into it, I dip my chin and arch a brow, bringing us back to common ground. "Not sure why you're covering your breasts. Pretty sure I've memorized how they look by now."

"Because I'm hungry, and the last thing I need is for you to lure me back into that bed of yours. We'll never leave."

A lazy grin falls onto my face. "Are you saying I'm talented?"

"Does giving me seven orgasms lead you to believe differently?"

"No, but it'd sound good to hear you say it off that pretty little tongue of yours."

That finally cracks a smile from her. "A tongue I bet you're dying to experience, huh?"

Fuck, yes. I'd sell my soul to feel her lips wrap around my cock again, which stirs awake at the thought. I haven't experienced that particular talent of hers since The Maldives.

"Are you offering?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "No. I think I'll save that for later. After all, you have to have something to look forward to, right?"

What a little tease.

But it's not the promise for her to please me that sends my heart racing. No, it's her promise that there will be a next time. Aria isn't planning on running again, at least not for now, and that means more than getting on her knees for me ever could.

"Mind if I use your bathroom to clean myself up before I head out?" She looks at me expectantly, and I realize I haven't responded to her.

With her hands still covering her breasts, my lips twitch into a smile before I let my eyes graze over the rest of her. Her hair is sticking up in different directions from her bun which isn't really a bun anymore. Mascara is smudged beneath her eyes, and her lipstick is smeared across her lips, the remainder on my sheets.

"Feel free, but if you'd rather get back in bed and have me order breakfast, we can do that as well."

"I'm paying you back," she replies with a bitter note to her voice. "And laying in bed together the morning after is..."

Intimate.

Emotional.

"Right," I reply tersely, extending an arm out to point to the door. "By all means, then. It's yours."

She disappears into the bathroom, shutting the door with a soft click, and as soon as silence surrounds me, I deflate into the pillows and rub a hand over my face in frustration.

Whatever is holding her back from us, I'm going to figure it out. I could see the longing in her eyes at the mention of having breakfast in bed, seeming to have a battle within her own mind, almost. Or am I just completely losing my sanity? Am I making all of this up in my head? Does she really view me as just a hookup and nothing more?

"Connor!" Aria gasps, swinging the door open to poke her head out. "You could have told me I look like a gremlin! Jesus, I look awful. This is what I get for not wearing my damn bonnet."

Is she trying to impress me?

"You look like you've had a long night of fucking," I tell her. "But still, you couldn't look awful even if you tried."

She scoffs. "Please, stop lying."

"I'm not, Aria. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on."

The silence swallows us whole, her eyes lingering on mine for a long moment before she briefly closes her eyes and releases an audible sigh. "What happened to no emotions?"

"It's not an emotional statement. It's a fact."

"A fact," she deadpans. "And this couldn't possibly be you attempting to find a way around this to win me over, would it?"

I inhale an over-exaggerated gasp. "Me? Attempt to win you over? Never."

That wide-toothed grin spreads across her face, the one where whatever is holding her back from us isn't on her mind. She smiles like she means it, and my heart begins to race in response.

For a moment, I think she'll give in and agree to get back in bed with me. She dips her eyes to the sheet around my waist before gliding up my abs, finally settling on my face. The molten lava of heat in her stare has me thinking of all the dirty things I want to do to her.

"Think about what you want for breakfast," she says instead, tearing her gaze from mine. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

Author's Note:

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Also, the next chapter will reveal an insight into Aria's past, which I know everyone is curious about!

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