Page 119 of Modern Romance May 2026 Books 5-8
He hooks his fingers in the waistband and pulls down. I arch up off the counter, watch him as he slides the material down my legs, eyes never leaving mine. My body is burning, equal parts shyness and brazen need. I nearly close my legs, hide myself.
But I don’t. I want him to see me, every inch of me. Need this last moment.
His arms come around. For a few blissful seconds, he holds me. Just holds me in the circle of his arms. I close my eyes and breathe in the scent of pool water clinging to his skin, the faint trace of cedar from his soap. Feel the beating of his heart against my chest.
I notice every detail. Memorize it.
Then Aiden grips my chin in his hand and tilts my face up to his. His lips slant over mine as he slides the tip of his cock up and down my slick skin. My mouth parts as he slides in. His groan vibrates against my mouth as my body tightens around him.
“God, Seraphina, you feel so good.”
I wrap my arms around his neck, brazenly push my breasts against his chest as I wrap my legs around his waist and take him deeper. His eyes darken as his fingers tighten on my hips.
“If you keep doing that—”
“What?” I push against him, ridiculously satisfied when his lips part. “That?”
His hands slide under my rear and he lifts me off the counter. I laugh as he spins me around, then moan when he presses me against the wall and leans his forehead against mine. Our breaths mingle, harsh and heated, our bodies joined.
“Yes.” His kiss is quick, deep. “That.”
Every thrust carries me higher. I murmur his name, kiss his sweat-slicked skin, dig my nails into his back as I arch against him, wanting him deeper, wanting more, wanting this to never stop.
I can feel my release building. Delicious pressure gathering just above where our bodies are joined. I look up at him, cup his face.
“Aiden.”
That one uttering of his name is filled with everything I feel for him. His eyes flicker, but before he can reply, I come apart in his arms. Sensation spirals through me, fire racing through my veins and over my skin as I cling to him, crying out his name over and over. He groans mine as he pins me against the wall and his heat fills me.
I don’t know how long we stand there, Aiden holding me in the arms as his ragged breath falls on my shoulder. I gently stroke his hair, the back of his neck.
I wish we could stay like this.
I close my eyes. Savor the feel of him against me, inside me. Then, gently, I lift my head. Desire lingers in his eyes, sated pleasure relaxing his face for the first time since we left Venice.
But it’s not enough. Desire and pleasure will never fill the holes reserved for love, a family. Aiden will never fully let me in. Our relationship will always be an imbalance, one where I will live in a state of wondering when he’ll leave.
I choke back a sob. One day I’ll look back on my time with Aiden and appreciate that loving him gave me the courage to move forward with my life, to stop punishing myself and start fully living again.
Now, however, it breaks my heart.
He lowers me to the floor and pulls away. I stand there against the wall, my heart beating a frantic rhythm against my chest, pleading with me to not do anything drastic.
But I already know this needs to end. Dragging it out another day or two won’t make a difference. Slowly, I grab the ring. Aiden’s eyes drop down, his body going rigid as he watches me pull it off my finger.
“There’s no deal,” I whisper. I swallow past the lump in my throat and grab his wrist. I place the ring in the middle of his palm. Already I feel naked without it. “So we don’t need to continue this arrangement any longer.”
His fingers close around it. Slowly, he raises his head. The tortured look in his eyes nearly undoes me.
“I don’t want you to go.”
It’s like getting hit by lightning. Those six little words rip away my walls and leave my heart bare. I’m in love with Aiden Hawke. Probably have been for years. A love that has grown and deepened over the last week as I came to know him.
But for love to succeed, it must be returned. Aiden cares about me. But he doesn’t love me.
A tear escapes, traces a hot trail down my cheek. “I don’t want to go, either.” I lay a hand against his cheek. “If I stay, we’ll both end up hurt. Resentful, maybe even angry. What we had this past week will disappear.” I give him a trembling smile. “And I want to hold on to that.”
He doesn’t say anything as I grab my purse and suitcase. I left all of my new dresses and accessories in the closet upstairs. I’ll figure out a way to have them donated later. Right now, though, I just need to get out of here.
