Page 42 of Icebound Hearts

“Tell me you weren’t waiting for it.” I don’t like how well he knows me. I hate that he’s right.

“Alina, let’s go play Drinking Jenga,” I yell, trying to escape the conversation. Aiden scoffs walking away.,

Alina and I quickly stop at the restroom before we start playing. As we make our way toward the group, my stomach twists. I spot Roman and then Aiden as he sits next to his best friend, who looks more annoyed than interested in the game. But it’s too late to back out now. Alina claims her spot next to Roman, and I reluctantly sit beside Aiden. His presence is suffocating. The smell of his cologne fills my nostrils, and I can feel the tension between us simmering. I clench my hands on my lap, trying to ignore the way my heart skips a beat at every accidental brush of our bodies. The game begins, and of course, Alina picks first. She smirks at me, pulling a Jenga piece and flipping it over.

“Make out with the hottest person in the room,” she reads, her eyes immediately flicking toward Roman. But I know her better than that. She walks past him, right toward me, and without warning, she grabs my face in her hands and pulls me in for a kiss.

The room explodes in groans and cheers as our lips meet, a quick but intense kiss. We both pull away, laughing at the shock on Roman’s face. “That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” Roman says, his eyes wide with surprise. I sit back down, my pulse still racing. Aiden shifts and his thigh grazes mine. I let out a small gasp at the contact, and my eyes widen.

Fuck. He did not hear that.

“Your turn, Cap,” Roman says, nodding at Aiden as the latter sighs. Aiden reaches over and pulls a wood piece, flipping it over to read.

“I’ll just drink,” he says nonchalantly, grabbing his cup, but Roman doesn’t let him off the hook that easily as he grabs his wood piece and reads it.

“Get a lap dance from the person on your left,” Roman announces, eyes glinting with mischief. My heart stops, and for a moment, I think I’m going to choke on my own breath. I glance at Aiden, trying to gauge his reaction.

“What? Are you scared of a lap dance?” I ask, a teasing smile forming on my lips, even though inside, I’m shaking. “No, I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Aiden replies, his tone defensive, though there’s a flicker of something darker in his eyes. I stand up, my pulse pounding, fighting the rush of nerves. “Grab a chair,” I order, my voice much bolder than I feel. Aiden hesitates but eventually gets to his feet and grabs a chair from the corner. He sits down, and the room goes silent, all eyes on me. Roman queues up “Partition,” and the beat drops.

I strut over to Aiden, my hips swaying to the rhythm. His eyes widen, and I can see the shock in them as I move closer. The crowd’s energy grows louder, but it feels like it’s just the two of us now. My hands move over my body slowly, teasingly. I stand between his legs and Aiden gulps. Without thinking, I lower myself, my hips grinding down and back up in time with the music. Aiden’s hands grip the chair, and his knuckles are white as he tries to control his reaction.

Feeling bold, I straddle Aiden’s lap and run my hands through his hair as i move my body against his. I could feel my heart racing with excitement, but I also felt something else right under my core poking at me enough to know he wants me. Aiden wraps his hands around my ass to bring me closer, and I swear my heart gives out. As I lean down, my lips near his ear, I whisper in French, knowing it’ll drive him insane.

As the song ends, a smirk tugs at my lips as the music fades. Aiden’s hand slips from my waist, and I take a slow step back, my fingers instinctively running through my hair to smooth it out. The room around us feels dizzying with the crowd's buzz. Everything else fades when I glance at Alina, whose jaw ispractically on the floor, her eyes wide with shock. Aiden's hand shoots out before I can take another step, wrapping around my wrist and halting me in place.

“Come with me,” he murmurs, his voice low. His grip slides from my wrist to my hand, intertwining our fingers and without a word, he begins pulling me away from our friends.

I follow, albeit with hesitation, as we weave through the crowd, moving past the haze of flashing lights and pulsing music. His hand in mine feels like a tether, something I can’t entirely break free from, not that i’m trying to. I’m both drawn to him and repelled by him in equal measure. We make our way up the stairs, the air thick with tension, until we reach his room. Aiden slams the door behind us, locks it, and then turns to face me, his chest rising and falling with controlled breaths. He steps closer, a glint of fury in his eyes mixed with something darker—something that makes my pulse race. He takes several steps towards me until he is inches away; his presence feels suffocating yet intoxicating.

“What the hell was that?” His voice is tight, barely containing the storm inside of him. I swallow hard, my heart hammering in my chest. I tilt my head slightly, eyes lowering to his lips before flicking back to his gaze.

“I just did my dare,” I reply, my voice softer than I want it to be, betraying the nervousness I’m trying to hide. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Aiden’s expression darkens, his gaze unwavering as he watches me. Without warning, his thumb slid over my bottom lip, pulling it gently from where my teeth had been resting. My breath catches in my throat, and I find myself unable to look away. His eyes are locked on mine, and I can feel the pull between us. The way my body responds to him, betraying every ounce of resistance I’m trying to maintain.

“Don’t do that,” he says, his voice strained, like he’s barely keeping his composure. I could laugh at his attempt to holdback, but the smouldering heat in his eyes is too much to ignore. My breath hitches, and before I can stop myself, I press my lips to his, the kiss raw, urgent, and filled with an energy that feels dangerously un-containable. It’s fire. It’s chaos. It’s everything I’ve been trying to fight against.

Aiden grabs my waist, pulling me flush against him, and I melt before I can even think to resist. His hands are everywhere—on my back, my hips, tangling in my hair as he kisses me like he’s starving for it, like he’s been waiting for this just as much as I have. I fist his shirt, pulling him closer, needing more, needing him. For a moment, everything else fades away. The world outside the room, the party downstairs—it’s all irrelevant. It’s just the two of us, and every second feels like it’s stretching into infinity. His touch is firm, possessive, and as he pulls me closer, I lose myself in the kiss.

“I still don’t like you,” he murmurs against my lips, his words rough, like he’s trying to convince himself. I nod in response, my voice equally low.

“Feeling’s mutual, Aiden.” But the words don’t mean anything. They’re just a mask, a way to hold onto whatever pretense we’ve been clinging to.

Aiden’s growl vibrates through me as he deepens the kiss, the heat between us escalating in ways I can’t ignore.

“It’s Knight to you,” he says, pulling back briefly, his lips brushing over mine as he speaks. I smirk, biting his bottom lip in retaliation. Aiden’s breath catches, and he traces a trail of soft kisses down my jawline, sending shivers down my spine. The tension is unbearable, the way he touches me, the way his presence fills the space between us, and I can’t help but moan softly in response.

“It’s always going to be Aiden,” I whisper back, my fingers grazing the side of his neck, my breath coming faster. His nameslips from my lips like a confession, an acknowledgment of something that neither of us is ready to face.

His lips return to mine, urgent, possessive, as he wraps one of my legs around him, grinding his body into mine. The movement is slow and deliberate, the pressure against me is enough to make my body ache with want.

I’m losing control, but I can’t stop. Not now, not when he feels so good.

Aiden lifts me effortlessly, his hands strong beneath me, and I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him closer. He walks us toward his bed, each step pushing the boundaries of what I thought was possible. He throws me onto the bed and hovers above me, his forearms braced on either side of my head, keeping his weight from crushing me. For a moment, everything is still—until he grinds his body against mine, and I can feel his unmistakable hardness. I let out a breathless moan, my hands threading through his hair, pulling him closer.

“Fuck, Aiden,” I gasp, the words escaping before I can stop them. Suddenly, a voice cuts through the tension, followed by banging on the door. “Aiden, Roman is fighting. We need you.” Aiden freezes. The world shifts, and the intense heat between us dissipates, leaving only the lingering echo of desire in the air. He curses under his breath, pulling away reluctantly.

“Come on, man. It’s important,” the voice calls again. Aiden groans in frustration, standing up and adjusting himself as if the interruption has pulled him from some haze he was trapped in.

“Don’t go anywhere,” he says, his voice soft but firm. I nod, still trying to gather my bearings, watching as he walks toward the door. He opens it just enough to slip out, leaving me in his room, the air still heavy with unspoken tension.

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