Waking up this morning feels like a dream.

I keep trying to convince myself this is real life as I blink my eyes open to Aria sound asleep on my chest, her leg hooked with mine. After she disappeared on me that morning in The Maldives, I swore to myself if I ever found her again, I'd never take for granted being able to watch the sunrise with her.

Smiling softly, I brush my thumb over the scar on her forehead, following it down to the middle of her nose. She furrows her brows together in her sleep from my touch but thankfully doesn't wake. I want to admire her before this fantasy of mine that this is real between us comes crashing down. As much as I've got my hopes up, I can't read her mind. All I can wish for is that my effort to prove myself to her is working.

Why this scar brings her so much shame I haven't begun to understand yet, but I'm slowly putting the pieces together. The more I learn, the more Aria will let me in, and when that happens, no matter what worst-case scenarios her brain tries to conjure up, I'm not going anywhere.

A wrangled sort of snore that's cuter than it should be has Aria burrowing her head into the crook of my shoulder along with a soft whimper of contentment. The sound shoots straight to my cock, which now pokes at her inner thigh, and to my surprise, Aria's greedy hand finds it in her sleep.

She strokes me softly over the fabric of my briefs, and in seconds, I'm like a lion ready to pounce. Aria has no idea what kind of reaction she elicits from me. One touch from her has all my nerves lighting up like a damn Christmas tree.

And when that same hand of hers slips my cock out of my briefs? She's definitely not asleep anymore.

"Aria," I warn. My voice comes out more gravelly than intended, and it only seems to turn her on further. When she swipes at the bead of liquid formed on my tip with her thumb, whatever thread I was holding onto completely snaps.

I flip her onto her other side so her ass is pressed against my cock, knowing she hasn't wanted to have sex face-to-face yet. She said no emotions. No attachments. Luckily for her, none of that is on my mind right now. Aria is a tease in the morning, and she'll soon learn how riled that makes me.

"Thought you were worried about your period?" I mutter, my breath hitting her neck. She squirms against my cock in response.

"I am. I don't want to have sex on my period, but that doesn't mean I can't make you finish."

My fingers trail down her nightgown until I reach the end of it at her thigh, hiking it up to expose her. I'm pleased with the goosebumps on her skin. "And you said you were selfish..." Making a tsk tsk sound, she inhales a sharp breath. "You don't sound very selfish to me."

"Y-You don't know me well enough to determine that."

"Hmm, that's one theory." I move a large hand between her thighs until I'm cupping her over her underwear, jerking my chin out of the way when she throws her head back against my chest. "Why would it be fair for only me to get off when you're clearly so...eager to do so as well?"

"Because I'm bleeding. I'm...I'm not comfortable with that."

My middle finger brushes down the center of her panties, a small chuckle emitting when her hips buck to meet my hand. "Jerk me off then," I whisper into her ear.

"I...I would if you let me turn back around."

Nipping at her earlobe, she rocks back against me and curses softly when I take her hand with my free one and pull it behind her back to grab my cock. I stroke it with her, showing her the speed I desire to distract her while I move my hand up her underwear until the edge of my palm applies pressure on her clit.

"This is..." Aria moans, panting and out of breath.

"A good way to wake up?" I suggest.

"It's...It's dirty."

"Not sure I see a problem with that considering how dirty of a girl I know you can be." Bringing my lips close to her ear, I whisper, "Relax. Ride my hand so you can come. Your pussy is throbbing, Aria, I can feel it. Let me take care of it."

"But what if—"

"I won't go beneath your underwear, alright? Compromises."

After five seconds of contemplating, her hips do the tiniest jerk to move against my hand, and then she does it again. Faster. Harder until she's full-on rocking against my hand.

"Such a good girl, Aria. That's it. Fuck my hand."

She muffles something into the pillow that's incoherent, distracted by stroking me at the same time. I try to keep my focus on nothing but her pleasure, but her hand is so fucking soft as she pumps me, rolling around the tip before dragging back down my shaft. Her whimpers and moans alone would be enough to make me come but with the added pressure of her hand? I'm a fucking goner.

"Tell me what you need," I ask through gritted teeth, barely holding myself back. "How do you need it? Faster? Softer?"

"F-Faster," she gasps. "Oh, fuck! Right there. Don't fucking stop."

I'd give anything to see her face right now. If I leaned up just a little more, I'd be able to see her side profile, but I'm respecting her wishes. She doesn't want to bring emotions into this, and if I were to see her come beneath me? I think I'll fall in love with her all over again.

"Connor!" She screams.

I'm coming before my name finishes leaving her tongue as she rides out her orgasm on my hand. The breath leaves my lungs like a gut punch when she suddenly scurries out of the bed, darting her eyes to the sheets.

Is she serious?

"Just checking," she says.

I'm still trying to comprehend what happened as I prop myself up on an elbow. "What is it with you and blood?" I ask, exasperated. "Does it make you queasy or something?"

The question seems to strike a nerve.

Aria's demeanor completely shifts, eyes narrowing. "That's none of your business."

"I... Okay?"

I'm so confused. Totally fucking confused.

"I wasn't trying to upset you," I say. "I'm sorry if the question was offensive. That's not how I intended it to come out, but we just got done having sex, and instead of..." Instead of what? Basking in the aftermath together? That's exactly what she doesn't want. "Forget it." I shake my head, frustrated as I fix my briefs back into place.

She remains by the bed for a few moments before crawling onto the mattress and sitting cross-legged in front of me. I want to ask so many questions, but I also don't want to push her. Not when she's blinking up at the ceiling attempting to keep herself from crying.

"I'm...I'm terrified of blood," she admits with a shaky breath, snapping her gaze to mine. "It's a trigger for me, okay? The sight of it... The mention of it..." A shiver races down her spine. "It's nothing to do with you. I know you didn't mean to upset me."

Reaching out to grab her hand, I squeeze it. "I appreciate you confiding that in me. Thank you." And then, because now seems like the best time while she's letting her guard down, I ask, "Does your fear of the b-word stem from the day you got your scar?"

With her eyes locked on mine, a bunch of different emotions swarm them, but I can't decipher what they are. Fear? Regret? Agony? Maybe all three?

"Yes," she whispers. "There was a lot of the...b-word."

"And the death of your sister?" I prod gently. "Are they connected?"

Aria flinches. She actually flinches, and instantly, I wish I hadn't asked anything at all.

"Yes."

So close. I'm so close to understanding the root of all her insecurities, but when her eyes stare off into the corner of the room, seeming disconnected from her mind, I realize I've pushed her too far. That, or she's disassociated herself from feeling the pain of whatever that day carries.

"Hey." I squeeze her hand again, bringing her back to reality. "No more questions, alright? Let's take a shower and relax instead."

She arches a brow. "You're not going to keep prying?"

"Not when you're getting upset. I'm not going to push you further than I think you can go, Aria." Leaning over to smooth the crease between her brows, she smiles softly, tugging her knees to her chest.

"And if the b-word comes out in the shower, are you going to get grossed out?"

Now I'm smiling.

"No. Matter of fact, I'll use a wash cloth and clean the b-word off for you so you don't have to look at it."

Her smile falters, replaced with an expression I haven't seen on her yet before. With a few blinks, that shy smile returns, and she jerks her chin to the bathroom. "Let's go then, shall we?" Rising from the bed, she begins to walk backward, her smile growing larger. "However, I'll warn you now. I don't have my shower cap with me. If you so much as get a droplet on my hair? You're dead."

My phone pings on the nightstand before I can respond, interrupting our moment. Glancing at it as I rise from the bed, my heart stills when Brian's name lights up the screen.

"I'll start the water up," Aria says before she disappears into the bathroom.

Meet me in my room before we head home, the text reads. We need to talk.

Fuck. Well, that can't be good. It could be a handful of things, but considering Aria and I haven't been the best at being discreet around the team, I'm tending to lean more towards the fact he figured out something is going on between us. It's not often the owner of the team wants to meet with me.

However, Brian said he wanted to meet before we leave, and we have exactly... I glance at the alarm clock. There are two hours left until we leave for the plane, and I plan on soaking up as much time in the water as I can with Aria.

Brian can wait.

Right now, there's nothing to worry about. For all I know, a media article about me photoshopped with another girl could be on the loose, or a video of me cussing out another player. Who knows?

Locking my phone and setting it back on the nightstand, I slip my briefs off and head into the bathroom, which has already grown a little steamy.

Aria stands in the shower away from the faucet, bare and fully on display. This is the first time I've been able to see her fully since that night we first shared, and god, she's a fucking work of art.

"Damn." I run a hand along my jaw to hide my smile, unwilling to hide the fact that I'm checking her out. Although she's short, her legs are long, and tiny hip dips lead up to a pair of supple breasts with brown puckered nipples. "Has anyone ever told you that you are fine as hell?"

"I could say the same about you." Her eyes dip to the indents of my hips, drifting lower. "Are you going to join me or just stand there ogling me?"

Wordlessly, I step beneath the faucet, letting the water drench my curls. I'm careful not to let it splatter onto her.

When I blink my eyes open through the water, Aria is staring at me the same way she was back on that mattress only a few minutes ago. She's wearing that expression I can't seem to decipher.

The hope that bubbles into my chest at what that expression could mean quickly gets shut down. She's already told me she wants there to be no emotions involved, but when her back is pressed against mine in this shower... When I make her giggle by putting soap on her nose? It feels more intimate than sex face-to-face ever could be.

Author's Note:

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