Page 47 of Six of Hearts
"I know that's not the deal. I know we all agreed to share. But when I'm with you like this, when it's just us…”
Aria's eyes searched mine. "I feel it too."
My heart hammered in my chest. "Yeah?"
She nodded. "With all of you. It's different with each of you, but it's real. And that terrifies me."
I closed the distance between us, my hands finding her waist. "Why does it terrify you?"
"Because I could lose it," she whispered. "Because this isn't normal. Because I don't know how to love six men at once, but I think I'm doing it anyway."
The word hung in the air between us. Love.
"Aria—"
"I know we haven't talked about it," she said quickly. "I know it's too soon, or maybe it's crazy, but—"
I kissed her. Not the hungry, desperate kisses we'd shared before, but something slower. Something that said everything I couldn't put into words.
When I pulled back, her eyes were glassy. "Liam."
"I'm falling in love with you," I said.
"I think I have been since that night in the kitchen. Maybe even before that."
A tear slipped down her cheek and I caught it with my thumb. "I'm scared," she admitted.
"Me too." I pressed my forehead to hers. "But I've never been more sure of anything.”
She kissed me then, her hands sliding up into my hair, and I lifted her onto the counter.
This time felt different from before—less frantic, more intentional. Like we were making a promise with our bodies that our words couldn't quite capture.
I pulled her shirt over her head and she worked at the buttons of mine, our mouths never breaking contact for long.
When her bra came off, I took my time, kissing down her neck, across her collarbone, taking each breast into my mouth with reverence.
"Bedroom," she breathed.
I carried her down the hall, grateful that Chloe's room was on the opposite end of the house. My bedroom door clicked shut behind us, and I laid Aria on the bed, taking a moment just to look at her.
"You're staring," she said with a shy smile.
"I want to remember this." I climbed over her, settling between her legs. "Every detail.”
She reached up and cupped my face. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
I kissed her again as I slid her pants down her legs, followed by her underwear. She was already wet, and when I ran my fingers through her folds, she gasped into my mouth.
"I need you," she said.
"Not just sex. I need you."
I understood what she meant. This wasn't about getting off or satisfying an urge. This was about connection. About claiming each other in a way that went beyond the physical.
