“You won't be lower level for long,” he remembered. “I guess I was right. But, Lena-”
I cut him off before he could tell me that he hadn't meant it. I knew he had. “That night, I was able to go in front of my boss and show what I could do because someone had told me I could. I know that it didn't matter much to you, but it mattered to me. If you have that kind of effect on me, then you have it with everyone you meet.”
“That doesn't mean I'm wonderful. There's things you don't know about me,” he said darkly.
I sat up, placed the bottle in the sand, and looked down at him. “I know enough. If you want me to know more, then tell me.”
He looked up at me, his eyes reflecting the cold, distant starlight. “You sure? I could be a very different person than the one you think you know. How do you know that I'm not a terrible person?”
“Because of this.” I leaned down and kissed him. His lips were soft and tender, and full of desire. There was strength and sweetness. It was all about emotion and the gut reaction his kiss gave me every time. I didn't care if this was a fling or real. Everything a girl could ever want in a kiss was in his lips. “When you kiss me, I know all I need to.”
He was quiet for a moment. I knew it was silly for me to have these feeling for him so quickly, but I didn't care. My heart and my gut said that he was a good person, that he was everything I wanted in a man. For once, I was listening with my heart instead of my brain, and my heart said he was what I wanted.
“In that case, I should kiss you all the time.” He was back to his usual self, confident and charming. He patted his shoulder for me to retake my place. I only paused for a moment before cuddling back into him.
“I wouldn't complain one bit,” I said as he wrapped his arm around me. “You can kiss me anytime you want.”
I liked the way he felt beneath me, but something now felt off. My brain wasn't quite as willing to stay silent to the confidence of my heart. I wondered what he meant by his words, “I could be a very different person than the one you think you know.” If I had a secret I hadn't told him, it was very possible that he had some he hadn't revealed to me. I wondered what Aiden the Assistant could be hiding.
“Okay, my turn,” Aiden announced. “How many boyfriends have you had?”
“You really want to know?”
I could feel my cheeks heating and I was glad we were in the dark.
“Yes, I need to know who my competition is.”
“Four serious ones.” I sighed, knowing he would want more information than that. “The last serious one being a little over a year ago. I've been on a couple of dates since, but nothing really has clicked. You don't have any competition.”
“Of course I do,” Aiden replied. “You're a beautiful woman. Any man who sees you is my competition.”
I smiled. The sentiment was slightly chauvinistic, but it was still sweet. “When was your last serious relationship?” I asked.
“Give me some of that wine.” He sighed, holding out his hand.
“That bad, huh?” I teased. He took a moment to answer.
“I'm good with women. I know what women want and how to get them to give me what I want.” He said it as fact, rather than boasting. Given his good looks and charm, I could believe it. “But, I'm not good at relationships.”
“That's not what I asked,” I said after a moment of quiet. My brain started to whisper that my heart might not like the answer to this particular question after all.
He sighed. “The last real relationship I had was in college. I thought it was love, but...” He shook his head and took a big swig of wine. “I haven't had a serious relationship since. Plenty of non-serious ones, but nothing that ever mattered. Ben says I have trust issues when it comes to women. That I don't let them stay in my life.”
“Is Ben right?” I held my breath, afraid of his response.
“That's two questions, but I'll answer it,” he replied after a moment. “Ben's always right. It's part of why I trust him so much.”
I kept the hurt growing in my chest inside. Aiden wasn't ready for a serious relationship. I silently chided myself for even thinking for a moment that this relationship would continue the moment we stepped off the island. I was just his latest fling.
I looked up at the stars and blinked away the blurriness. I could handle this. If this thing with Aiden was a fling, it would make it that much easier to go back to real life. I could stop myself from falling in love with him now, before I grew too attached. I wouldn't have to tell him I wasn't a lawyer because this would be over as soon as we left the island.
“Do you want to know what Ben thinks about you?” Aiden asked, his voice clear in the dark.
“Is that your question this turn?” I countered. I was glad my voice didn't shake. “If it's not, then I don't want to answer.”
Aiden shifted on the sand beside me, rolling onto his side so he could look at me. I stared up at the sky. If I looked at him, I knew my face would give me away. This was just a good time to him.
“Ben says you're the real deal.” I could feel him watching me. “He likes you. He says you're good for me.”