CHAPTER 78: I KISSED HER

Aiden’s POV:

I knew what I had to do.

The media had been circling like vultures, twisting everything between me and Liz into a sordid scandal. My name was dragged through the mud, my marriage turned into a spectacle, and worst of all—Alexia was caught in the crossfire.

I needed to fix this.

So I came here. To her school. To her.

Just as I stepped into the hallway, the usual chatter dropped into a murmur, a wave of whispers and gasps sweeping through the crowd. I didn’t have to turn around to know that all eyes were now on me.

Alexia stood at the center of it all, arms crossed, jaw set—looking every bit like a woman who wanted to murder her husband. Good. That meant she cared.

I barely noticed her friend, Lucy, who was practically vibrating with excitement. My focus was locked on my wife.

The plan was simple: show the world that I loved my wife. Let them see, without a doubt, that the only woman in my life was her. A small, convincing kiss would be enough to get the media off our backs.

But the moment I stepped in front of her—plans changed.

She refused to look at me, her defiance both frustrating and intoxicating. A stubborn fire burned in her eyes, challenging me, pushing me.

I took her chin between my fingers and tilted it up. And then... I kissed her.

I hadn’t meant to go that far. It was supposed to be quick. Simple. A peck. Just enough to send a message.

But the second my lips touched hers, I lost control.

She was soft—warmer than I remembered from our wedding. Her lips parted slightly, and I felt her breath hitch, a small, involuntary sound escaping her throat. That single moment undid me.

I pulled her closer, my arm sliding around her waist, crushing her against me as I deepened the kiss. The world blurred. The whispers, the crowd, the damn media—none of it mattered.

I just wanted more.

Her fingers clutched my jacket, as if she was fighting the same war I was. I felt the exact moment when she melted into me, her resistance shattering into nothing.

When I finally forced myself to pull away, our lips were still a breath apart.

I let my forehead rest against hers, my own form of restraint—a barrier to stop myself from kissing her again. Because God, I wanted to.

"Still mad, princess?" I murmured low enough for only her to hear.

Her lashes fluttered, her breath uneven. She wasn’t as unaffected as she wanted to be. That knowledge sent a smug thrill through me.

Lucy’s excited squeal in the background barely registered. The crowd was still watching, whispering, filming. Good. Let them see.

Alexia finally regained enough of her senses to glare at me. And then, in the most infuriatingly sweet voice, she bargained.

"I get the bed if I help clear your name."

I exhaled sharply, pressing my forehead harder against hers, biting back a groan.

She knew exactly what she was doing. Teasing. Testing. And worst of all—winning.

"One week," I shot back.

"Three months," she countered with mock innocence.

I narrowed my eyes. "Three weeks."

She rolled hers. "Two months."

Damn it.

"One month. Final offer," I said, my tone leaving no room for argument.

Her lips parted, as if to push back—but I never gave her the chance.

I kissed her again.

This time, it wasn’t just for the media. It wasn’t just for show.

It was for me.

It was gentler—not the wildfire from before, but a slow burn that spread through my veins like a dangerous drug. A promise. A claim.

Her fingers curled tighter into my jacket, her body responding before her mind could stop it.

The moment stretched longer than it should have. When I finally pulled away, her eyes were dazed, her lips slightly swollen from the kiss. I could feel the way her pulse raced beneath my fingertips.

I smirked. "Guess one month it is."

She nodded without thinking.

Perfect.

The second her senses snapped back into place, her expression morphed into outraged realization.

"You tricked me!" she gasped, pushing at my chest.

I laughed. The smug bastard she called me? Yeah. That was me.

But I wasn’t done yet.

As the crowd continued to whisper, I pulled her aside, into a quieter part of the hallway.

"Where’s your phone?" I asked.

She handed it to me without protest, still too flustered from the kiss. I scrolled through the comments, my jaw tightening at the brutal words.

They called me a cheater. A liar. A bastard who didn’t deserve his wife. Some even painted Liz as the real love of my life while Alexia was just a background character.

They weren’t wrong perse but that was not for them to know.

Alexia frowned as she read them, her expression shifting—not to anger, but understanding.

Then something flickered in her eyes—an idea.

I recognized that look. She was up to something.

"If I do this..." she mused, tilting her head, "I get to drink some wine."

I sighed, rubbing a hand over my face. "Fine."

A triumphant smile spread across her lips as she typed out her response.

"Please stop bashing my husband. He just did what I told him to. After Liz fainted, I panicked and told my husband to assist her and that I was going to be alright. So please, he didn’t leave me—I told him to go. After all, Liz is my husband’s friend, which makes her mine."

I glanced at the post, my smirk returning. Smart.

"Not bad," I admitted.

Almost immediately, the comments started shifting, people backtracking, apologizing, praising Alexia for being so mature, so understanding.

If only they knew the truth.

"Your classes are over in ten minutes," I said, slipping her phone into my pocket. Then, without giving her time to protest, I took her arm.

"Come with me to my office," I said. "Then we’ll go home and get you that wine."

She blinked up at me, confused.

She wasn’t the only one.

Even I didn’t fully understand what was happening to me.

This was supposed to be a simple fix. A PR move.

Instead, one kiss had changed everything.

And I had no idea what to do about it.

Taking Alexia back to my office wasn’t part of the plan.

Hell, none of this was part of the plan.

But I needed something from there—a file, a document—whatever excuse I could come up with to justify why I wasn’t letting her go just yet. I had rushed out of my office earlier, too focused on stopping this scandal before it spiraled out of control. If I had waited any longer, everything could have crumbled.

Not just my reputation.

Not just Alexia’s.

But the real reason I married her in the first place.

And that couldn’t happen.

Still, none of that explained why I kissed her the way I did.

We both knew the truth—this marriage wasn’t built on love. There were no soft, romantic feelings between us. Just necessity. A contract sealed with paperwork and mutual benefit.

And yet, the second my lips met hers, something inside me had shifted.

For a brief, dangerous moment, I had forgotten who she was.

Who I was.

And now, I couldn’t shake the memory of the way she had melted against me, how her breath hitched, how her fingers curled into my jacket like she needed me to keep her steady.

What the hell was wrong with me?

The woman I loved had already come back.

Liz.

The one I should have been with. The one I had lost before I even had a chance.

She had returned from God knows where, but she came too late. By the time she was back, I was already married. Tied to someone else.

To Alexia.

So why the hell was I drawn to Alexia all of the sudden?

I forced myself to come up with the most logical explanation.

It was just my body reacting. That was all.

It had been too long since I had been with a woman—intimately. The kiss, the way I craved her lips again—it was just starvation.

That had to be it.

Because if it was anything else...

No. I wasn’t even going to entertain that thought. No way was it possible.

I pushed open the door to my office and stepped aside, motioning for Alexia to enter first.

She hesitated for a second, like she was trying to figure me out. I could practically feel the confusion radiating off her.

Good. Because I was just as fucking confused.

Her eyes flickered over me—searching, questioning—but I didn’t give her anything. Instead, I gestured again, my voice even. Too even.

"After you."

She stepped inside, still looking at me like I was some unsolved puzzle.

To be fair, I felt the exact same way.

And I had a sinking feeling that this was just the beginning.