Page 87 of Alpha Mates

“Okay, damn,” he pants, wide-eyed. “I’ll leave the salmon alone.”

Pleased, I sit back, ignoring the ice cream melting under my ass so that I can take my first real breath since he’d dumped the milk on me. Aiden slumps beneath me, his eyes are still warm, though they’re cautious, waiting for the next attack.

“You really are a fucking psychopath,” he huffs. “You know that, right?”

“As long as you know,” I crack a smile. “Now, let’s go get cleaned up.”

Nearly an hour later, with the mess in the kitchen still waiting to be cleaned, a yolk-less Aiden steps out of the shower.

“That was … a horrible idea,” he declares, tightening the towel around his waist. I have to drag my eyes away from the knot at his hip before I can reply.

“My hair still smells like chocolate,” I say from my place on the sink top,and Aiden laughs proudly. “It’s not funny! I’ve washed it like ten times!”

“I would say sorry, but I smell like an uncooked omelette.” He grabs a pair of clean boxers and tugs them on under his towel. “But it was worth it.”

“I had fun,” I admit. “I have no idea how we’re going to clean it all up, but itwasfun.”

“I’ll pay some kids to do it,” he says, waving me off. “They always want some spending money for the markets.”

“So, we’re endorsing child labour now?” I retort, rubbing my damp hair with a towel.

“They have to start somewhere,” he says, spurring an alarmed chuckle from me.

He grins as he tosses his towel in the laundry bin, leaving him in nothing but his underwear. I’m too distracted by the sight to say anything else.

My eyes trail greedily over the mounds of inked muscle that flow down his legs and span across his chest. At first, I’d been curious about Aiden’s tattoos, then intrigued. But after studying them up close, it’s turned into a full-blown obsession, one that stokes a faithful, steady ache of lust inside me. Just the sight of his inked body sets it off, especially after running my hands over those marks yesterday.

That longing reaches new heights as Aiden stands on perfect display, allowing me to take in every inch of him while he dries his hair. He must feel my eyes on him, because his gaze lifts to mine and immediately, his lips stretch into a knowing smirk. Shit.

I look away and return to working my own towel through my hair with forced focus. He strides towards me, deliberate and unhurried. I still don’t look at him—until he steps between my spread thighs and demands it with nothing but proximity.

I freeze, turning to stone as he sets his hands on either side of me on the sink top. He steps closer, hips grazing my parted knees before he ducks, forcing me to meet his obsidian gaze.

“What?” I grumble, setting my towel down and tilting my chin up.

“Nothing,” he whispers. “We were just too far apart.”

My cheeks heat. “Was that all?”

“No. I also wanted to say that I had fun today.” His features soften in that way he only seems to do around me. “And before you say it, yes, I know I already said that, but Ireallyhad a lot of fun today, Julian.”

The smile on his face is genuine, shining as brightly as his eyes, challenging my heart to beat normally. Of course, it fails. Aiden is just too lovely to look at when he’s happy. He’s always been easy going, but it isn’t often that he lookstrulyhappy, and right now, he looks euphoric.

“Yeah, me too,” I mumble, resting my hands over his.

Aiden stiffens, but then he exhales, unfurling enough for me to spot that beautiful golden tint that hides within his eyes.

“Can you imagine if we did that kind of thing as kids?” I ask, toying with his fingers. “Got into the right kind of trouble instead of putting laxatives in each other’s donuts?”

“Wait, let’s get the record straight here,” he starts, brows arching. “Youdid that tome.”

“You had a serious donut obsession at the time,” I defend, lips splitting as I remember him running for the toilet. “You made it too easy.”

“I—” he laughs, eyes growing comically wide before he shakes his head. “Ignoring that comment, my answer is no. I can’t imagine it. Even if we were friends back then, it wouldn’t have been as fun as it was just now.”

“Interesting thought process,” I tease, sliding my hands up to rest on his shoulders. He leans into the touch while his gaze drops to my lips, siphoning the air from my lungs in a mere moment.

“More like, right thought process,” he whispers, one hand moving to rest on my upper thigh. “It’s better this way,” he mumbles, lifting his gaze to mine—hungry. “We’re better this way, Jewels.”