Chapter 32

ARIA

It’s hard to believe this is my life.

Jett and I have been traveling along the coastline of Italy in a yacht, stopping where we please and generally relaxing into each other more and more.

We spend the day shopping or visiting museums and walking along the promenade, then we return to the yacht for candlelit dinners on the gentle water.

In fact, Jett has been the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. He smiles easily, he laughs constantly, and we’ve hardly checked in with work.

My heart flutters every time I see him settle more into our trip. I’m starting to feel more connected than I thought possible with my stern, workaholic boss.

While I ease into bliss, I can’t help but feel something nagging at me. Every intimate moment I have with Jett, I feel a gentle pull to tell him just how much he means to me. And the most accurate way I can describe it is ~love.~

Do I love Jett? It seems crazy, and our heat is undeniable, but is it possible to fall in love with someone after only a few months?

I thought I loved Gray, and we said it to each other frequently, but emerging from the fog of war made me realize that Gray used the word ~love~ interchangeably with ~control~.

Jett likes to control too, but in a different way.

Or is it? Gray was always pushing me to “reach my true potential,” and constantly criticized everything from my clothing to my vocabulary.

Jett wants to control everything around me to ~protect~ me, to ~preserve~ my health and happiness. He controls me in the bedroom too, but that’s at my request.

We haven’t talked about the future a lot. He occasionally throws out words like ~forever~, but that’s the extent of it. What would Jett say if I told him I loved him?

Suddenly, Jett grabs my chin and turns my head toward him. His eyes search my face; his smirk tugs at his lips.

“What’s on your mind?” he asks.

It’s like he can hear my brain moving. Am I that transparent to him?

“Oh, uh, nothing,” I say, shaking my head and smiling. “Just spacing off.”

He leans in; his lips touch the shell of my ear. “Liar,” he says. I suck in a breath as he trails kisses down my neck. “Tell me.”

I can’t. I can’t share these feelings with him right now. What if he doesn’t feel the same? I’ll know immediately by his reaction—and then I’ll be stuck in another country with him.

No, things are good right now. They’re great, actually. I don’t want to risk it.

“I was just thinking about…your mom,” I blurt out.

Jett pulls back and raises an eyebrow like I just suggested we take a crochet class.

“Why?”

“I’m a little nervous to spend time with her. She’s kind of intimidating,” I confess. It’s true, but it was ~not~ what was occupying my mind.

He squeezes the back of my neck. “She can be a bit standoffish, but I think she’ll come around,” he says.

“I hope so,” I say. “I really want her to like me.”

“I’m glad, but try not to worry,” he says. “I like you, and that’s what matters.”

I sigh and drain the rest of the wine in my glass. So, it’s not important to him if his mom likes me. That should tell me everything I need to know about Jett’s feelings.

God, my inner monologue is being a real bitch today.

I set my glass down and lift my dress up so I can swing a leg around Jett and straddle him. He smiles.

His hands instinctively slide down my back and hips till they’re resting on my ass. I cradle his face—his perfect face—in my hands and watch his eyes ignite as I feel him harden beneath me.

“I…care about you…a lot,” I say. “This trip has been amazing. I can never thank you enough.”

“No. Thank ~you~, Aria.”

“For what?” I ask.

“You freed me. I didn’t realize how much I’ve been hurting since my engagement ended. I feel…healed, happy,” he says.

The words hit me square in the chest. ~So, he has changed.~

Honestly, so have I. I’m certainly not the same woman I was when I walked into his office or went to the gala. ~Healed~ is a good word for it. So is ~happy.~

I lean in and kiss him then. I’ve kissed him a hundred times, but this time feels different. Our kiss deepens as our mouths move together in unison. I feel the tug of desire in my lower belly and suddenly want to feel his body on me all over again.

I pull back. “Let’s go to bed,” I say softly.

Jett smiles as his eyes search my face. “Okay.”

In our suite, I face away from Jett and tug at the string holding my halter top up. It falls to my hips, and I push the dress down till it pools at my feet. I only have a simple black thong on underneath, but I know it’ll drive Jett crazy.

He’s behind me in an instant, wrapping a strong hand around my neck to feel my pulse. His other hand cups my breast as I push my ass back into him and feel how hard he is already.

“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he whispers into my hair.

I turn around and watch his eyes slide down my neck to my breasts. His pupils grow with every inch he takes in.

“I have an idea,” I say. I gently push him into a chair behind him, and I straddle him again. I unbutton his shirt slowly as his hands roam my nearly naked body hungrily.

I pull his shirt off and slowly run my nails down his hard chest. ~God, he is so beautiful.~

My panties are already wet as I grind on him and kiss him. He groans into my mouth as I gently bite his lip. His tongue slides into my mouth, clashing with my own. He tastes like smoky bourbon—a taste I have come to love.

I pull back and slide off his lap, unbuttoning his shorts and sliding them down his legs with his boxers. His dick springs free, and I grab it with both hands and look up at him seductively.

He sucks in a breath as I open my mouth and touch the tip of it to my tongue. I make eye contact with him as I close my lips around it.

He drops his head back and groans as I start to suck and lick the tip of his dick while I rub the rest of the shaft with my hands.

I love that I have this effect on him, that I can make him lose control with very little effort. I see his chest rise and fall, his stomach muscles tighten as I lick and suck his rock-hard dick.

I know he’ll cum if I keep this up, so I pull back and watch him make eye contact with me, trying to guess my next move.

I stand up and slide my panties down my legs, then slink toward him again and climb back onto his lap. Jett immediately wraps his arms around me, tangling one hand in my hair and pulling my head to the side to give him access to my neck.

I slowly lower myself onto his dick, which immediately fills me up. Jett groans again as he takes one of my taut nipples into his mouth. I start to move my hips against him, which also stimulates my clit.

Jett digs his fingers into my hips as I start to ride his dick. He licks his thumb and presses it to my clit as I move my hips against him, feeling his cock easily slide in and out of me.

Suddenly, Jett lifts me up and carries me to the bed. I expect him to push me down on the bed or take me roughly from behind, but instead he gently lays me down.

He cages me in with his hands and kisses my chest, my neck, and finally my lips. He slides into me again but continues to slowly thrust, taking his time.

Jett strokes my hair, his eyes gliding over my face like he’s looking at something he treasures. It’s so…tender, and it immediately makes my heart swell.

I don’t really know why, but I reach up and cup Jett’s face, feeling his rough stubble underneath my fingertips. He presses his forehead to mine and breathes hard as he pumps on top of me.

The whole tryst is almost sweet, calm. It doesn’t have the fireworks or thrills that it usually does, but it’s still intense, like a smoldering fire. It feels like something imperceptible passes between us, solidifying an unspoken bond.

As Jett finishes inside me, I desperately wonder if he feels it too. But before I can think more about it, Jett starts playing with my clit until I come undone as well.

Jett scoops me up and holds me, my head resting on his rising and falling chest. Despite how tired I am, I replay all of our conversations and the sex in my head, wondering how Jett really feels about me—about us.