Love Novel 88

I take my time in the shower, letting the hot water turn my skin red.
When I’m practically pruned all over, I step out and dry myself, grabbing the clothes I had brought in from my room. My
bra and underwear are mismatched, and I roll my eyes as I look at myself in the mirror.
Jake had told me all those weeks ago that he would look for them but he never said anything else about them. My jeans
are tight, and I suck in my belly to pull the zipper up. When I go back to reach for my shirt, I click my tongue.
Shit, I forgot my shirt in my room.
I stick my head out of the bathroom and when it’s all clear, I quickly make my way down to hall to my room. I set my
hand on the doorknob when I feel a chill down my spine.
Immediately, I know it’s Zaid.
I twist my head to the end of the hallway, tensing when I catch him looking at me. He tilts his head, a slow smirk lifting
his lips. I wrap my arms around myself to hide from his perusal.
He makes me hot, wanting, but I will not be the first to cave. His eyes drop to my chest, to my black lacey bra.
Then his entire expression changes. His eyes grow dark, and that smirk leaves his lips, replaced with a shocked, parted
mouth.
His eyes flinch as he takes me in, his chest heaving. That stare of his bears into me and I hate the way he’s looking at me,
like I’m some alien, a monster he cannot stand to be in the same room with.
He turns from me quickly and heads back into his room. I shake the awkward encounter from my head and step into my
room. I find my shirt on my bed and reach for it.
I barely touch it when the door to my room slams open. Zaid stands there, hands in fists and red-faced. “Does Aiden
know?”
I frown at him. “What?”
“Does Aiden know?” There’s a wide-eyed look on his face and it’s freaking me out.
I shake my head, lifting my hands to show him how confused I am. “Know what?”
“That you slept with our dad?”
Oh, God. No. No, no, no.
My heart stops. My breath catches in my throat, and for a split second, I wonder if I’ve heard him wrong.
But the way he’s looking at me, dark eyes sharp, arms crossed, his jaw clenched so tight I can almost hear his teeth
grinding, tells me that I’m not misinterpreting a damn thing. He knows.
The first thing that comes to mind is to deny. Deny. Deny. Deny.
“I didn’t-”
He steps toward me, eyes narrow and nostrils flaring. “We’ve been over this. You’re a terrible liar, Alina.”
My entire body flushes with heat, mortification, guilt, panic. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I’m frozen in
place.
Shit. “But I didn’t-”
“I am not asking you if you slept with him. I know you did. I’m asking you if Aiden knows.”
Zaid doesn’t move, but his features begin to soften as he looks at me. Maybe he can see how bad I feel, the guilt
tthat’seating me alive and the relief to finally have someone else know.
“He doesn’t,” I whisper, running a hand down my arm.
Zaid’s lips press into a thin line, and for a moment, he just stares at me. Then he swipes a hand down his face, sighing like
he’s holding back everything he wants to throw at me. “Are you going to tell him?”
“Are you?” I whisper.
The weight of his stare is suffocating, and my hands tremble as I try to keep my breathing steady. My mind races for an
excuse, a way out of this conversation, but I know there isn’t one. He doesn’t say anything.
“I…” I swallow, my voice cracking. “I will.”
Zaid’s gaze hardens. “When?”
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“I… soon,” I stammer, but it sounds pathetic, even to my own ears.
Zaid scoffs, shaking his head. “Jesus, Alina.”
“Please,” I step forward, grabbing his wrist. “Please, don’t tell him. I will tell him, I swear. But it has to be me, Zaid. It has
to come from me.”
He doesn’t pull away, but he doesn’t soften either. His muscles are tense under my touch, and the frustration radiating
off him is palpable. “He deserves the truth.”
I nod, “I know. I just- I don’t know how. How do I look at Aiden and tell him that I’ve slept with his father?”
Zaid quirks and eyebrow, eyes narrowing. “You think that’s what’s going to bother him?”
My heart hammers in my chest. “What do you mean?”
“You already know Aiden has no problem sharing, but you’ve been lying to him,” Zaid says, his voice firm but not unkind.
“I know,” I whisper.
He studies me for a long moment, his dark eyes searching mine. The silence stretches between us, until finally, he exhales
and pulls his wrist free to cup my face. “I meant it when I said that you were in charge here. Everything we do is up to
you.”
My cheeks turn hot, my stomach coiling.
“Just don’t lie to us.”
My mouth dries. “It-it doesn’t bother you?”
“I want you to be happy,” He whispers.
I nod, relief flooding through me. “I want you all to be happy, too.”
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Zaid watches me, and he steps closer, our bodies plastered against each other.
“H-how did you know?” I ask.
He smirks, that arrogant and beautiful Zaid back in full force. “Check my pocket.”
I frown, reaching into it and pulling out my underwear. The ones that went missing when I spent the day with Jake. His
eyes caress my face, no doubt watching as the blush crawls across my cheeks and how my jaw drops.
“The lace matches your bra.”
I look down, exhaling as I understand the connection he made.
“Our maid put it in my room, assuming it was from one of my conquests.”
I swallow.
“But I heard you and him that day, before you left.”
My eyes widen, and I look at him with shock running through me.
He smiles. “I didn’t know it was you then, but now I know it was.”
“I’m kind of embarrassed,” I whisper.
He chuckles. “Don’t be.”
I look up at him, and he takes advantage, gripping the back of my neck.
“Can I ask something of you?” He asks, eyes melted.
I nod.
He blows out a stream of air and turns from me, grabbing my hand so that I follow him as he does.