Aiden Hawk was in a mood, and it had nothing to do with anyone else but his own wife. His plan, to seduce her and make her fall in love before her memory returned, was falling apart. He’d confessed to liking her and what reaction did she have? She thought he was sick and probably delusional, which was not good considering the fact that her memory or figments of it had started to return. She needed to believe that he had fallen for her. Only then she would love him back.
What was the problem then? She was attracted to him physically. He could see that in the way she looked at him and responded to his touch. He’d also managed to change his first impression in front of her, showing her how caring he was instead of the cold ’ice man’ she assumed him to be. So, she definitely liked him. But then, why didn’t she say so?
He tapped the table in front of him as he closed his eyes, thinking back to the way she’d looked at him in the restroom of the dating place this evening. He would’ve bet his most precious car on the fact that she totally liked him. But something was holding her back. Did she really love that Sidney so much that even though she had no memory of the man, her heart was still yearning for him?
Aiden shook his head; this would be a huge problem. And not just because he needed her to fall for him. The bigger problem was that he needed to create some distance between her and himself. Because, instead of her constantly thinking about him, he found himself unable to stop thinking about her. The more he tried to focus on making her think of him, the more she occupied his own mind.
Even now, when he should have been focused on his work, he kept getting distracted thinking about Serena and what she must be thinking. He’d wanted to see her and had almost gone to her room. Only the phone call from An had kept him here.. So, things needed to change as soon as possible or else there would be an unrequited love alright, but from the wrong side.
Aiden exhaled sharply at the thought of the L world and running a hand through his hair in frustration. Nope! Not thinking about that. The only thing he had to or would admit was—Serena was not making this easy. He really did admire her. Her sharp wit, her quick retorts, the way she could turn a simple conversation into a battle of wills—it all made her infuriatingly attractive even though it managed to irritate him just as much. She was beautiful, bold and brave.
And she was even blossoming more. When she’d woken up in the hospital, her features had sharper but as she wwas recovering, she was filling out in the right places... He sighed as he thought of her. He wanted to go and talk to her but here he was stuck in Charles Hawk’s study waiting for the man.
Aiden drummed his fingers impatiently on the arm of the chair as he stared at the clock on the wall. Fifteen minutes turned into twenty, and he could feel his frustration mounting. What was that man’s problem? He called him here, claiming there was something that had come up urgently but now he seemed to be unbothered.
He stood abruptly, the decision made. He couldn’t keep waiting here, especially when he was so distracted by thoughts of Serena. Whatever urgent topic that Charles had could wait. Besides, if the man he was waiting for wasn’t going to show up anytime soon, there was no point in lingering.Anyway, the man’s brain never had any productive thoughts so they could wait.
As he walked back to his wing, he weighed his options. Part of him was tempted to go straight to Serena and try to get her to talk things out, spend more time with him. That would make her feel as if she could rely on him and consider him a friend. But another part wondered if it was too soon. What if she started being suspicious?
Aiden stopped outside her door, hesitating for a momen. His hand hovered over the doorknob, but he pulled it back before stepping back. She might already be asleep and that waking her up would make her grumpy and argumentative, instead of soft and complying, like he needed her to be.
He decided to give it a moment and turn around to head back to his own room when he heard a slight sound from inside Serena’s room. He paused. Could it be that she was awake?
Taking a deep breath, he knocked softly, the sound barely echoing through the thick wooden door. "Serena? Are you awake?"
He was about to knock again, but the silence on the other side of the door told him that she was probably asleep.
But as he returned to his own room, an inexplicable tug made him want to turn back. With a sigh, he shook his head and purposefully stepped into his own room, closing the door behind him quietly. This was the problem! He didn’t see her for a few hours and his gut started to churn! That was simply not normal.
He needed to step back and gather himself. The mission was to make her fall for him. Quietly, he stepped out of his clothes and went to lie down on his bed, his thoughts centred on her. He shifted restlessly, trying to silence the nagging feeling in his gut that urged him to go back and check on her. No. He would not act like a love sick fool! Never! He closed his eyes resolutely. Nope. He won’t go. He will sleep peacefully and go in the morning...
He let out a frustrated sigh, rolling onto his side and pulling the blankets closer. Despite his attempts to settle down, sleep eluded him.