Bad Boy Ink (Get Ink'd #5) - Ali Lyda Page 0,39

my soul.

Before I could continue to spiral in my shocked reaction, Aiden hissed loud enough for the customers who were staring at us, “I’m glad to see you, but just because you’re my boyfriend doesn’t mean you can kiss me while I’m on the clock.”

A few of the customers chuckled. An old woman with perfect gray curls came over and gave us a conspiratorial wink. “I’m going to need a cold shower now! You boys are too cute for your own good. Thanks for making an old lady’s day!”

My jaw dropped, Aiden’s eyes rolled, and the full weight of what I’d done smacked me in the face like a giant dildo. I felt like a giant dildo.

Because what I really wanted, more than anything, was to kiss him again.

Aiden was walking away, mumbling over his shoulder that he was going to clock out and get his things. I waited, blood rushing through my veins and synapses firing out of control.

When he reappeared, he refused to look at me, and I trailed him out of the store. As soon as we were a decent distance away, he whirled and poked me hard in the chest. “What the hell was that? Are you insane?”

Yes. You’re the one driving me crazy. How the hell am I going to get over that kiss? Instead I replied, “I had to sell the image. The kiss made it believable.” How I managed to sound so nonchalant was beyond me, but Aiden’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re unbelievable and so was that kiss.” But then he started stalking toward the food court, and I wondered if he was as rattled by the unexpected connection between us as I was.

It wasn’t until after we’d purchased some food and sat down that doubt set in. Aiden was pulling out his notes. He was taking big, hearty bites of fried rice. And he was talking about the advances he’d made in the case with ease. While I was sitting in my chair with a stiff back and a stiff cock and zero ability to focus.

His mouth was moving, and I saw it, saw those lips that had tasted so sweet, but I didn’t hear anything he said until he snapped his fingers in front of my face.

“What?” I startled. “Uh, sorry.”

He gave an exaggerated sigh. “Just let it out.”

My nose wrinkled. I hated being called out. “Let what out? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t be dumb, Thor. We kissed, it didn’t completely suck—as much to my surprise as yours, I assure you—but now you can’t let it go. Despite it being your idea.”

I wiped my palms on my pants. “You’re the one who’s bringing it up again.” Yeah, that argument was as weak as it sounded. I was losing major ground.

Aiden stared at me. Hard. And not in a sexy way. Just a cool, appraising look meant to wear me down. When I didn’t budge, he sighed. “Just...could you focus on the work at hand?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Those were the words I said. But as he launched back into his explanation, I was decidedly not listening. No, I was still playing the kiss in my head on a loop. That kiss had been the kind of tingling, magic, time-melting kiss that stuck with you like glue.

Which meant I missed whatever Aiden asked me, again. He had a face of complete irritation and incredulity.

This time I went first. “Are you really not affected at all by that kiss? Because I’ve been told on numerous occasions that I am a damn good kisser. And that felt like a damn good kiss.”

I waited, nerves jangling, for some confirmation that the connection wasn’t entirely in my head. Instead, I got a bored expression and a heavy sigh. “I’ve had better.”

Arrow. To. The. Gut. “Well, it wasn’t my best effort since I was just pretending for that douchebag.”

His mouth quirked at the corner. “Then it shouldn’t matter whether it was good, should it? It was pretend, after all.”

I wanted to rip my hair out. I wanted to kiss him again, to make him admit that it had been more than pretend. I shook my head, too chickenshit to do or say what I wanted. “You should’ve been a lawyer.”

There was a twitch at the corner of his mouth like he wanted to laugh, or scream, but Aiden simply said, “You aren’t the first person to tell me that.”

My phone’s alarm began to beep. I sighed as I looked at the alert. “I have to head to work.