Page 26 of His Paradise

Chapter twenty-two

Nina

My sister is snoring on my lap, her chest rising and falling as I drag my fingers through her hair and bite my lip to stop a laugh when Leo’s grunted snores match her own. Anne is still standing, her face a hard mask as I stare. I offer her a place to sit, but she adamantly refuses, reminding me of her orders from Aden. Every person beneath his command follows him without an ounce of doubt because of how much they respect him.

Anne stands straighter, which I didn’t even think was possible, as Aden and Percy’s voices reach us. A deep chuckle catches me off guard when I see them with similar crooked smiles before they see me. Percy’s smile drops as he brushes a hand through his blue hair and frowns.

“Nina, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I should have stepped up and done something to protect you,” I wave my hand, cutting off his words.

“David would have killed you on the spot, then who would have saved Olivia? David would have still been using her to force me to do whatever he asked. I owe you my life for saving hers.” I say, smiling down at my sister as she drools on my leggings with her mouth hanging open.

“You don’t owe anyone a damn thing.” Aden mutters, kissing the top of my head and then Leo’s. He stares at my sister with wide eyes when she snores, then looks at Percy.

“You look like shit because this human freight train keeps you up all night?” He says as if answering his own question and Percy gives him the middle finger before sitting next to me and pulling Olivia’s feet into his lap. Aden bristles at how close we are and I pat the cushion on my left for him to sit.

“You helped Grayson find his daughter,” it’s a statement from Percy and Aden sighs. “Nina wouldn’t let me kill him, and the idiot wasn’t armed when he told Markus to just put him out of his misery. Markus was more than happy to try.” Aden shrugs. I haven’t told Aden that Gray and his little girl are going to be staying with us. Or that Isabelle offered him a job working under the Barone’s, and there’s no time like the present.

“We have a few spare rooms, one is yours for the night.” My husband says and Percy tenses, used to Aden’s hostility but not his kindness.

“Not the room with two beds,” I cough, letting my hair fall forward to cover my face. Aden slowly sits forward, pinching my chin between his thumb and finger to force my eyes to meet his. “You’re hiding something,” his lip curls as he waits for me to find my words. “Spit it out, Nina.”

“Isabelle got Gray a job working for the Barone’s. Also, he and his daughter are going to stay here until they find a place of their own.” I spit the words out and bite my lip, waiting for his reaction.

Betrayal flashes across his face and he stands abruptly.

“Fuck,” Percy hisses, jumping to hold his hands up. “You can’t let what he said get to you, dude. It’s not like that, Grayson isn’t interested in Nina. He never was. You’ll understand when you meet Gabriella.” Aden locks his fingers behind his head as he takes a deep breath.

“Can’t let what who said get to you?” I ask.

“It’s late, Anne can show you to your rooms. She will stand guard, call for her if you need anything.” Aden says, turning on his heels and leaving us as he scoops up Leo and takes him. Percy looks at me with pity and it only adds to my growing bad mood.

“David planted a seed of doubt that you and Grayson may have had a few interactions, if you catch my drift.” Percy says, carefully sliding his arms under Olivia to lift her and Anne steps in front of them to show them the way to their room.

Leo is sleeping soundly in his crib, and I have to remind myself not to storm into our room and slam the door off the wall. But the temptation is stronger with every step, and I want to lose control. I want to burn away all of this rage, the helplessness and frustration that is building low in my body. Aden is sitting on the bed with his back to me, and my control slips. I reach down to grab my slipper, throwing it at him. Aden leans to the side, the shoe whipping past his head as I follow with the second one.

Aden turns, catching it and tossing it aside without looking at me. I climb into the bed, standing over him as I grip my pillow and whack him with it. Aden looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have. He doesn’t flinch as I slam the puffy weapon to his chest, but when I try to swing a second time, he catches it and yanks. Losing my balance sends me falling into him and Aden easily catches me, crushing my body to his with my knees on the bed.

“Knock it off, Nina.” He murmurs, but there’s no anger in his voice. I choose the mature road, snaking my hands through his hair and wrenching his head back. He bares his teeth, hissing as he head snaps forward to glare at me.

“You’re being a brat and I don’t have the patience for it tonight.”

“How dare you believe I would ever let another man touch me?” My voice cracks, and Aden’s brow furrows as he watches tears fill my eyes.

“Gabriella is biologically Grayson’s niece, but he’s raised her as his own since her mother died. I remind him of his sister, Aden. That’s why he felt protective of me.” His expression softens as he leans his forehead against mine, brushing my tears away with his thumbs.

“You’re making it difficult for me to hate him,” He sighs and I giggle, leaning back to look at him. Stress and exhaustion has deepened the lines on his face and I skim my hands over them, as if I can smooth away the damage inside and out. Aden shivers, catching my hand as I scrape my nails over the back of his neck.

“We need to sleep.” Aden pulls away, putting a gentle kiss to each hand before he steps back. The denial stings as I sit back on my heels, watching him get our pajamas from the closet. If he keeps treating me like a piece of cracked glass, I was going to shatter in his palms. I race across the room, shedding my clothes as I turn off the light and hurry back to the bed.

When he returns, he stops at the foot of the bed and his eyes rake across my skin, leaving a heated path in their wake as they settle between my spread legs. The clothes fall from his hands as he watches my hands slide down my body, over the bruises hidden in our dark room. The only light comes from the glittering fairy lights above our bed and I get to watch his face morph into desire.

His entire body is locked tight, as if he has stopped breathing and turned into a statue.

“Nina,” The harsh whisper makes me shiver as my fingers skim over my heated skin as he watches me circle my clit in slow and lazy strokes. When I whimper his name, his control shatters and falls to the floor next to his clothes as he tears them from his body.

Aden grips my wrists, pinning them to the bed above my head as his hot, minty breath fans over my neck. Gentle caressing kisses press to my chest, along my neck and over my jaw. The contrast between his tight grip and hard length that presses into my stomach makes it difficult for me to focus.

“If I hurt you anywhere, if I grab you too tight or anything, you have to swear that you’ll tell me.” Aden’s need to protect me is charming, usually. But right now, I don’t want him to be charming. I want him to erase my old bruises with ones from his hand. I want him to steal the air from my lungs, to clamp his teeth dangerously close to my pulse until his teeth mark my skin.

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