Innocent Temptation

Chapter Twenty One: Going to the club

Aira was in her bedroom, lying on the plush rug made of faux fur as she read her unfinished book. It was one of the books that someone in the online book group had suggested. She wasn’t much fan of a dark romance but her online friend had promised that she’d like this one. She wasn’t sure. The hero was a veritable arse and Aira hated him for blackmailing the poor heroine. But it seemed the attraction between them was mutual and heroine was falling for his caring actions even when his words hurt.

Aira realised she might also not like this book because at some instances it reminded her of Mac and how she fell for his actions that were only born out of duty. A part of Aira just wanted to get to the end of the book and find out if these two stubborn people get together in the book or not. And also, she might’ve liked and dog-eared the pages with certain scenes that reminded her of Mac’s kiss and filled her with same sensual feelings to read later before going to sleep.

Her phone pinged with an incoming text and Aira put down her book to check it. It was a text from Greg. ‘I’ll pick you up at 8?’

Involuntarily her eyes went to her bedroom window as if she was waiting for Mac to jump into her bedroom and take her phone away. She typed a reply and sent it. ‘Ginny and Riya will meet us there?’

Greg’s reply was instant. ‘Yes, Ginny is coming with Joey. And Riya is bringing her sister.’ She gave a thumbs up and agreed to be ready by eight.

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Later that evening Aira found herself standing in front of a mirror and looking at her own reflection with a critical eye. She had styled her hair into soft waves, allowing the curls to cascade down her back, giving her an effortlessly elegant yet a playful look as she let the short bangs cover her forehead. Her strapless dress, with its sweetheart neckline, perfectly framed her shoulders and collarbone, emphasizing her delicate features. The pink bodice of the dress clung to her in all the right places to not give an impression of her being a teenager that most people still think of her as and the shimmering white net that made the skirt of her dress gave her an adorable look that she didn’t ever want to get rid of even when someone called her a little girl. She quickly dashed that thought away.

After giving a satisfied nod to her reflection, she sat down on her bed and slipped on a pair of four-inch heels—something she usually avoided in favor of her comfortable sneakers, but tonight was different. Tonight, she was going out to a club with Greg and her friends, and for once she wanted to enjoy herself. The heels gave her added height which soothed her because she might still be upset about the fact that Mac had called her a little girl. She was sure he won't think of her as a little girl anymore. Oh, stop it. She cursed herself for thinking of him again. When will you learn, Aira?

Picking up her handbag, she made her way downstairs and because her parents weren’t at home as they had gone to attend an anniversary party of her Aunt and Uncle on her mother’s side, she had to lock the house herself for her brother had also decided to stay the night at his friend’s. And she was just doing that when she felt the weight of his gaze like a physical touch.

Her steps faltered for a moment as she turned her head and saw him. Mac stood leaning against the wall that separated their houses, his dark eyes locked on her as though he had been waiting for this moment, for her. She told her stupid heart to calm down as she met his eyes.

His expression was unreadable, nothing new there, but his gaze burned with something intense, something that made her legs feel weak. She could see it in his eyes: he hadn’t expected to see her like this, dressed like this, not in her usual below the knee length sundresses but now she was in a small tulle dress that was strapless and that hugged her like second skin, accentuating her figure.

The silence between them stretched, thick with unspoken words, until Mac finally pushed off the wall and took a step toward her. His gaze, burning and unwavering, almost too intense as he took her in and made her heart thud against her chest, but his voice, when he spoke, was oddly calm. “I wanted to tell you that Ami liked your baked goods.”

Aira blinked, startled out of the quiet tension. She nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips despite herself. “That’s good. I’m glad.”

Mac’s eyes briefly softened at her reaction, but the moment passed too quickly. He glanced away, as if he couldn’t bear to look at her for too long. “The birthday is the day after tomorrow,” he continued. “I’ll drive you with me.”

Her immediate response was to reject his offer. “No,” she said, a little too quickly, the word rushing out before she could temper it. Mac’s brow raised slightly, and she realized how abrupt she sounded. She quickly added, “I mean, I’ll manage. I’ll have a lot of things to carry after discussing the menu with Ami. You can give me her contact information.”

He stared at her for a beat longer, his jaw tightening ever so slightly, but instead of arguing, he simply nodded. “She already has your phone number. She’ll probably give you a call tomorrow morning. But I’ll send you her contact anyway.”

Aira let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. But even though the conversation was over, the tension remained, heavy in the air between them as they stood there, awkwardly, not quite knowing what else to say. The intensity of his silence gnawed at her, and she found herself wondering why he wasn’t leaving, why he lingered when everything between them had already been spoken.

Just when the weight of the silence became unbearable, Mac broke it. “Going somewhere?” he asked, his voice low and rough.

Aira stiffened. If she was in a habit of betting, she’d bet that he already knew where she was going. But before she could answer, a sound of footsteps broke the little bubble they were in. They both turned to find Greg as he walked up to Aira’s side.

“Hi, am I interrupting something?” Greg asked.

“No. Nothing.” Aira took a step back from Mac, and didn't notice how his lips pressed in a tight line as she looked at Greg and asked, “Are Riya and Ginny already there?”

“They are on their way.” Greg’s hand found hers, and he lifted it to his lips with a playful smile. “Ready to go?”

Aira chanced a small glance at Mac and a s***h of fear coursed through her as she saw his hard expression, his gaze flicking between her and Greg, his jaw tight and his eyes flashing with something darker, something possessive.

“Aira?” She looked back at Greg and forced a smile, nodding as she walked with him to the curb where his car was parked. But even as she climbed into the passenger seat, even as they drove toward the club, her mind wasn’t on Greg.

It was on Mac. And she felt like he was still watching her.

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A. Gupta