A/N : I know it's frustrating that Arian won't fess up. But please just remember that for DV victims it can actually be extremely hard to tell people the truth. Even when they want to. Even when they think that they're going to confide in someone, actually doing it is another story. Please go easy on our Ari. ♥️

"Hey Arian," Hunapo answered the door in a thick hoodie and joggers. He gave me a cautious smile, likely unsure whether I was fragile over the weekends events or not. "Come in. Aiden just jumped in the shower."

"I should have replied to let him know that I was coming," I dropped my bag at the entrance and slipped off my heeled booties. "How are you?"

"Uh, I think the more important question is, how are you?"

We wandered into the living room and I leaned against the wall, thinking about how to answer his question. As usual I smiled and nodded. "I'm fine. Yeah it's been a bit of a strange forty eight hours. But I'm— coping."

He smiled. "You're strong. I think that Cameron threw up for a week straight and ended up being hospitalised for dehydration and exhaustion when he witnessed something similar."

I recoiled. "Aiden said that he handled it well?"

"Of course he did," he shook his head with amusement. "Aiden's good like that."

"Wow. Poor guy."

"That was a while ago. He's fine now."

"That's good," I chuckled. I smiled at the fact that Aiden was kind enough to let Cameron hold on to his dignity. I shouldn't have expected less though. I pissed myself and he wouldn't even let me say it out loud.

My cheeks heated up just thinking about it.

"Hello, hello," Zoerina wandered into the living room in a pair of shorts and a sports bra that exposed her bronzed torso. She had such an incredible figure. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a French braid.

"Hey," I smiled but her gaze was directed at Hunapo who was watching her with a soft expression. She stopped in front of us and I began to feel awkward, as if I was a part of something that should have been private. And that was before either of them had uttered a word.

"You look beautiful," Hunapo murmured. There was nothing suggestive about his comment. It was sincere, a statement, a simple declaration as obvious as stating that the grass is green.

Zoerina nodded. "I know."

Hunapo breathed a harsh breath through his nose. He seemed amused as he turned on his heel and began walking out of the room. He peered over his shoulder before he was out of sight and his gaze swept Zoerina. But again, there was nothing suggestive in it. It was just as if he needed to remember where she stood or what she was wearing. I remembered him telling me that he was Asexual, so sex didn't matter to him. But love did. And I could see that when he looked at Aiden's sister.

She watched him until he was gone and then her eyes fluttered towards me and she folded her arms, the bangles on her wrist jangling together. "Late night call in. Where's the husband?"

I took a deep breath and remembered that this was just who she was. She had an attitude and she wasn't quiet by any stretch of the imagination. "He's out of town on business," I answered.

"Convenient."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, that it's a little strange that you spend so much time with my brother. You two were way to close the other evening. You can not convince me that what I saw was innocent. So what's the deal? Are you a gold digger or something?"

"My husband is wealthy," I raised a brow and shook my head. "That wouldn't make sense."

She narrowed her glare and gave me a disapproving once over. "I don't get it then. Are you just bored? Because I don't want Aiden to get hurt. He doesn't deserve that."

"I don't want that either," I told her, picking at the bottom of my work tank top to avoid meeting her calculating glare. She was intimidating, that's for sure. But I didn't cower. "We're—"

"Mhmm friends," she interrupted. "That's bullshit. But whatever.

I couldn't imagine this girl letting anyone take advantage of her. Perhaps she'd gained her strength because of the things that she'd gone through. Perhaps that would happen to me. Maybe one day I would wake up and feel ten times more powerful.

"I care about him," I quietly told her. "Please just— I do care about him. I'm not using him for anything but having a friend."

Her expression flinched as she watched me. Her brows pulled a pinch tighter and she didn't speak but slowly she let her shoulders relax. It looked as though she was about to say more, but the sound of a door opening and closing came from the corridor and we both glanced to the left where Aiden emerged in nothing but a towel.

In an instant, I was rendered speechless. Zoerina was forgotten. I was right. His body was exquisite. Droplets of water coated his chiselled chest and torso. It was so defined. His shoulders were large and firm. His pecs were perfect, even his collar bones were gorgeous. I had to admire the shape of his upper arms where his muscles created defined round masterpieces that had me swallowing with a pounding heart.

"Hey," he was still being cautious as he approached me. "Thanks for coming."

"I'm leaving," Zoerina declared as she passed me. There were a pair of trainers in the corner of the room and she snatched them up as she headed out. "I'm going down to the gym. Tell Po to come and work out with me if you see him."

"Sure," Aiden responded as he kept his gaze on me. I wanted to focus on his face or his eyes or anything that didn't send me into a short circuit. He smelled amazing. The entire situation was torture.

We listened until the door closed and then Aiden folded his arms, causing his muscles to flex. It was too obvious to ignore and I felt embarrassed at how fixed on his frame I was. "So, really," he said. "How are you? Are you okay?"

I nodded and ran a hand through my hair which was down now that I'd left work. "Yeah I'm alright. I have been kind of restless though. Nightmares and stuff. I mean, I'm okay with it when I'm awake. It's just. . . whenever I close my eyes—"

"You saw someone get shot in the head," he interrupted. "I would be concerned if you weren't having nightmares. Hell, I can't even sleep without popping a whole lot of medication before bed."

"Really?"

He nodded and took a step backwards until he was leaning against the back of the couch. "Like I said, taking life isn't a walk in the park, Ari. I haven't had more than five hours sleep at a time since I was in high school. I have insomnia."

"That doesn't seem fair," I mumbled, staring down at my feet. Sort of. I was definitely peeking up at him through my lashes. "So you take the medication to avoid nightmares?"

"Yeah. I don't have those," his fingertips pinched his chin as he narrowed his gaze. "Not that I remember anyway."

"I can't imagine not having dreams," I said with a quiet voice.

He chuckled and his expression became distant. "I never used to. But lately I have been having the same dream. It's recurring. Of a woman with these beautiful copper waves and big brown eyes. The face of an angel."

I glanced up at him with surprise and blushed under the warmth of his stare. "She's the one that saves me from drowning. Without fail. She pulls me out of the sea. No matter what."

His grin grew as I stood there and shifted on the spot. It'd be naive to pretend as though he didn't mean me. But still, I didn't want to be vain. "You don't dream about me," I laughed and gestured down at my black jeans and white work tank top. "I'm definitely no angel."

"But you are," he said with a soft voice. I met his gaze and felt my heart beat a rhythm that should surely be concerning. "And I do. If I see nothing else at night, I'm glad that it's you that visits me."

I really didn't know whether I believed him or not. Did he dream of me? Or was he just exaggerating for the purpose of charm? I know that I had dreamed of him. I'd dreamed of him so often that I almost felt that we'd known each other longer than we had.

"I'm not a confident swimmer," I told him with a small grin. "I definitely wouldn't be pulling you out of the water. I would be the one to drown. No two ways about it."

He laughed and I watched how gorgeous and full it was. I was so torn between wanting him to put on a shirt and telling him to never wear clothes again. His towel had fallen a little lower and I could see the V lines trailing down, creating a little welcome path that I was undoubtedly keen to hop on.

Oh my glob, Arian. Stop.

In my defence, I had never seen a man with that kind of definition before. I thought that only Instagram models and men on the cologne commercials had them. I was having a definite moment.

Hunapo wandered in and apologised for interrupting as he grabbed a set of headphones from a stand alone set of shelves that were pressed against the far wall. It housed a lot of books and I'd told Aiden that I wanted to curl up on his window seat and read one. Something that had been an out loud fantasy before.

"Zoerina said that she wanted you to go down to the gym with her," I told Hunapo before he could disappear again.

He stood beside us and furrowed his brows as he untangled the headphones. "When did she go down there?"

"Just before."

His brows quirked. "Alright. I'll uh, I'll go and see her I suppose."

I smiled and turned back around to find Aiden watching me with a small grin. It occurred to me then that it might have seemed as if I was trying to get him alone and I blushed but externally remained calm.

"I should go I suppose," I nodded and pointed behind me. "Let you get on with your evening."

He leaned off the couch and adopted a more serious expression. His hair was still damp from his shower and it sat in a mess on his head. But it was such a gorgeous mess. His toned arms were tantalising. I wanted to touch them.

I was so damn glad that I had self control.

"Arian," he said with a somber tone. "Maddison told me about— about your husband."

I froze as I stared at the carpet and felt panic rise bile. What the fûck?

"Don't be upset with her. Please. She just thought that perhaps I could talk to you," he stepped closer and I swallowed because he made me so damn senseless. "You're not alone. You have options. And I don't mean that I'll kill him," he chuckled but it sounded forced. "But I can help you leave. Or give you a room to stay in. Whatever you want."

I finally grew the courage to meet his gaze. I became startled with how close he was. But that magic in his emerald iris', it calmed me. It had that affect. As if there was a real power in them. He was too seductive for his own good.

I wasn't upset with Maddie. She had good intentions. She assumed that I needed support and assurance that I had people who wanted to help. She was a good friend. Plus, I hadn't exactly told her not to tell anyone.

I attempted to steady my ragged breathing and pounding heart. "Whatever I want?"

He nodded and tilted his head as he watched me. "Whatever you want."

"I want you to kiss me."

His brows furrowed in surprise and his chest expanded with a deep breath.

"Kiss me, Aiden."

My heart rate sped up as he watched me with rapid breaths. He was slow, cautious, almost as if he was worried that he would scare me into changing my mind. But I moved forward to close the distance and leaned into his hand as he raised it and cupped my neck with his gentle touch.

He leaned in and my eyes fluttered shut as his lips met mine in a kiss so soft and gentle that my knees threatened to give out.

It was intoxicating and my breathing was harsh as he leaned back and parted our mouths. My lids opened and he was just an inch from me, watching me with a curious and lust infused gaze. His thumb grazed my jaw, his breath fanned my face like a soft whisper of want.

Barely a heartbeat passed before our mouths smashed together again and I threw my arms around his neck. His presence enveloped me. The musk of his subtle perspire mixed with the scents of the rainforest was dizzying and his mouth a mint taste. He wound his arms around me and pulled me so tight against his rock hard torso. His tongue moved against mine and even though all else about him was controlled and poise, his mouth was furious and untamed.

His hands traced the curves of my spine, his movements were desperate and fierce but gentle. He was never rough, no matter how tight he held me. In fact if he hadn't kept me so close, I would have crumbled to the floor. I was too overwhelmed with the senses that he provided and stole at the same time. I couldn't hear, I couldn't think, I couldn't see. But I could feel. Oh could I feel. I let my hands grasp those forearms that had been driving me wild from the moment that we met and I travelled their length to his shoulders, feeling his muscles and revelling in his moans which reverberated in to my mouth.

Our lips parted and I gasped, both of us panting as he stared down at me, his hands holding my waist in such a secure hold that I could believe I would never hurt again as long as I was right here. "What?" I questioned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, more out of breath than I had ever seen him. "I just— how far— I mean, I don't want to do anything that you—"

"I want you," I tip toed and ran my hands into the hair on the back of his head, tugging at the strands with need. Our fronts were pushed together and his head tipped back as he quietly moaned. "I need you."

He brought his gaze back down and I had never seen him so undone. But it was so beautiful. He looked at me is if I would be his ruining and his saviour. Or perhaps that was just how I felt about him. I pushed off the ground and wrapped my legs around his waist and without faltering, his hands caught me under the bum and kept me up.

"You have no idea how long I have wanted you," he murmured, bringing a hand around to cup my neck. His thumb stroked the space beneath my jaw as he stared up at me with desire. There would be no going back after this. I knew it. I could feel it.

(Mom stop reading now!)

My lips found his again, my legs clenched around his waist as I felt the pulsating between my legs. It was loud, begging for attention and demanding it as Aiden began walking us up the corridor. His hands never stopped exploring. He started a fire wherever he felt and I never wanted the flames to die out.

I wasn't aware of much else around me but I heard the soft click of his door and then I was being pressed against the hard wall behind me. A quick gaze over his shoulder showed the million dollar view of the beach, his bed facing the stars and the sea. But the view of his body pressed against mine, that was priceless.

His mouth dragged down my jaw as he held me against the wall and I gasped, my head tipping back as he gnawed, lapped and sucked on the skin across my neck. "You're so beautiful," he murmured. "I can't get enough." "You taste so fucking good."

He dropped me to the floor and knelt in front of me. He continued to watch me with worshipping eyes as he undid the button of my jeans while I leaned against the wall and panted, shifting restlessly because I needed him to touch me so much.

As he began pulling them down, he gazed at my legs and underwear. I felt embarrassed to be inspected so closely. I wanted to tell him to stop staring, but it would kill the mood so I closed my eyes and pretended that I was the sort of confident woman who could stroll around butt naked without a care in the world.

"Ari," he whispered when he was finished pulling the jeans off. His hands slid up my legs and cupped my ass as he stared up at me with desire. "I have never seen someone more perfect. Do you know how wild you make me?"

I couldn't answer. I couldn't because his lips started kissing the inside of my thigh and it took my breath away. My legs were becoming weaker and weaker as he rolled my underwear down and his kisses became higher and higher. "I've never needed someone the way that I need you," he murmured as his tongue lapped out at my heat. I gasped and buckled. "You're the first person that I think of when I wake up." His tongue found me again. "You're the last person that I think about before I go to sleep." Again. "And you're all of the thoughts in between, gorgeous."

I let out a loud whimper when his mouth was on me. Devouring, licking, tasting. Doing things that I had never experienced before. His hands squeezed my ass as I grabbed a fistful of his hair and did what I could to keep up right. It was becoming more and more difficult with the amount of stars that I was seeing. His tongue continued to ravish me and I was on the brink. I started to curl over. I just didn't have the strength to remain standing after minutes of that glorious work.

But he stood up and left me against the wall, trembling with weak knees as he crossed the room towards a small drawer. The moonlight streamed in and captured his body as he ripped his towel off and dropped it.

He was like a sculpture. Too perfect to be real. His back was hotter than some of the most celebrated men on the planet put together. He opened his drawer and stood there for a moment. The sound of wrapper wrinkled and then he turned around and started back towards me.

Oh fuck.

I only had a brief moment to think about the monster that I had just seen. Panic ensnared me because sex was painful for me as it was. How the hell was I going to house that thing. But he picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist before he tugged at my tank top and helped me remove it. I wasn't wearing a bra. I often didn't because it got too suffocating at work.

"I can't get over how gorgeous you are," he said with a ragged voice. I kissed him again. Grabbing his neck and forcing our tongues to meet so that I could taste those sweet words that he said with so much conviction that I could come to believe him.

We were clawing at each other, trying to get closer, our hands never stopped moving and neither did our tongues. My pace matched the speed of my heart. Frantic and irregular but so damn strong.

He cupped my ass and pulled me out a little bit and that was when I felt his tip at my entrance. I tensed, waiting for the burn as he slid inside of me. But it never came. It didn't hurt. It felt perfect and I gasped as he pushed me against the wall and started pounding in and out. He rested a hand behind me, the other was keeping me up and he buried his face in the crook of my neck, sucking my nape as he thrusted, over and over again. My head was hitting the wall, the sound matching our rhythm. But all I could feel was pure bliss.

He leaned back and held my waist with both hands as he stared down at where we connected. He watched himself sliding in and out of me as his fingers held me tight, pinching with pleasure.

"Fuck," he gasped, his eyes appraising me as they travelled my torso. "I can't believe this is real."

I held his shoulders and continued moaning as he thrust in and out. The feeling of shame was a barely audible whisper at the back of my mind as he watched me with so much affection. His movements picked up speed and I arched off the wall, moaning his name with breathless gasps.

"Baby," he groaned. "Shit, you sound good when you say my name."

He wrapped his arms around me and before I knew it, he was dropping me on to his bed. He stood at the edge and put my legs over his shoulders, kneeling with one knee on the mattress and one hand beside my head. He slid back in to me and glanced down at our bodies becoming one. He rolled his hips, picking up speed with his tantalising thrusts.

My back arched and I threw my head back as he went deeper and hit the spot. "Like that?" He questioned, repeating the motion.

"Yes," I moaned.

He did it again and I was quivering. I threw my head from side to side and caught a brief glimpse of the stars outside. It was a haze. I was too far gone. But damn was it appropriate. I felt like I was in heaven. He continued the movement. But he managed to go harder and faster and my moaning turned in to screams as he built the pressure that was forming in my core.

His finger found my clit and he simultaneously rubbed it while he continued slamming into me. It was too much. I didn't last more than fifteen seconds before I was convulsing with release, jolting with the climax as he continued to ride it out for me. He dropped my legs which were weak and leaned over me, drawing me into a kiss as he carried on pumping with quick strokes. His release was obvious when he clenched his jaw and exhaled a harsh breath. We laid tangled, sweaty, breathless and spent. But I had never felt better.

____

Just thought you guys deserved something for hanging in there so long 😂 hope it was worth the wait.