Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 123575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123575 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 618(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 412(@300wpm)
That doesn’t mean I like all the distance though.
“I could ask you the same question.” I’m not sure how I get the words out when my tongue feels as heavy as it does. “Did you decide to make an appearance because everyone’s worried about you? Or because of family obligations?” I still can’t get a good read on him.
He flashes his pearly white teeth at me, and my heartbeat spikes.
I’m so confused right now. This is Aries, but then again, do I even know him anymore? Two years is a long time for someone to go without talking to you except by force—with the exception of that brief dinner exchange we had a month or so ago. He studies me with an unfamiliar hunger. The air heats, and with it so does my skin. My cheeks have to be flaming, or at least it feels that way with how hot my skin burns the longer he stares at me.
What the hell? He’s never been so bold as to look at me like I’m a meal to be consumed, and especially not in front of anyone.
He tugs the almost finished glass of whiskey out of my hands and down its.
“Hey! That was mine.”
He smirks. Fuck, why does that look so sexy on him? “Pretty sure you’re only supposed to be having water.”
I glare now. “Pretty sure you have better things to do than monitor what I’m drinking. You haven’t spoken to me in forever and the first thing out of your mouth is this?”
“Dance with me,” he demands, avoiding my question altogether.
My body responds before my brain processes the command. Wait.
I open my mouth to object but he’s moving us toward the dance floor, his hand guiding me with confidence. The type of confidence I’ve never seen before. The hesitation, the careful distance he usually maintains—it’s gone. Did he fall and hit his head? Did he forget all the things he said the last time we were alone together, when I was eighteen? There’s no other logical reasoning for his change.
“I didn’t think you danced?” I ask, my voice barely audible above the music. It’s a lame response but I’m grasping at anything to keep him here, keep his hands on me.
He pulls me closer than propriety allows, close enough that I can feel the steady beat of his healthy heart against my hands. “Oh, there are many things you don’t know about me, Lilian.”
We move in perfect synchronization, him guiding me with a fluid grace. I’ve never seen Aries dance before. I didn’t even know he could dance
“You’re staring,” he says, amusement coating his voice.
I know I am, but I can’t help it.
I’m cataloging differences between who he is today, and who he was that night.
A flash of his lips on my skin, his hands perfectly molded around me. It only sets fire to the embers he’s stoked since he grabbed my waist.
This is what you want Lilian. What you’ve waited years for. His attention, his touch, his desire. If that’s true then why am I so confused by it?
My body wants to give in, wants me to accept his touch, to react, but something about it feels wrong. His thumb traces circles against my lower back, making it difficult for me to concentrate. I notice there are calluses on his palm against mine that shouldn’t be there.
What has he been up to?
“Sorry,” I whisper, trying to match his confidence. “I’m surprised, that’s all. I didn’t expect you to be here; nor did I expect you to talk to me. Even if Mother convinces you to come to one of these things, you usually ignore me.”
Panic flashes in his hazel eyes, but it vanishes so quickly I think I might have imagined it.
“Familial obligations, remember?” His hand slides lower, entering dangerous territory for siblings, even step ones. “As for talking to you, I have to keep up appearances, right?”
Other couples give us space, clearing the dance floor like they can sense the predatory energy radiating off him. I feel the sudden shift in the air, and I know my mother’s watching. I can feel her gaze burning into my skin, following each step and twirl. I catch a glimpse of her expression, both shocked and concerned, when we turn again.
“I guess, but don’t you think this gives the wrong vibe? I mean, we’re siblings, Aries. I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea,” I explain, studying his face a little harder.
My tone is deliberately clipped and cold when I toss the same words he gave me that very night back at him. It’s strange how his features twist with confusion.
Did he forget that night?
It’s possible. I’m sure it was a much bigger event for me than for him.
I stare at him, unable to look away. He looks like Aries—my Aries—except he’s not the same. There’s a darkness to him that wasn’t there before.