Aria's POV
Just when I was at a loss for what to do, I suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "Um, I just remembered I have something to take care of..."
"Is that so?" Aiden responded, his voice several notes deeper than usual.
For some reason, every time I heard him say those two words, I felt like he didn't believe me. This conditioned response immediately made me feel flustered and guilty.
"I really, really do have something!" I stammered.
"Oh."
He made a sound of acknowledgment and released the hand that had been resting on my back, but his left hand on the nape of my neck never withdrew.
I could feel him stroking my cervical vertebrae one by one, each touch perfectly calibrated—neither too heavy nor too light, the warmth of his fingertips penetrating through my skin straight to m
