Innocent Temptation

Chapter Twenty: Aftereffects of a Kiss

It had been three days since that night when Mac had slipped into her bedroom and Aira experienced her first kiss. And since then she had thought of that kiss for every moment, every second, every minute of the day. She had tried to stop thinking about it but despite all her efforts, Aira couldn’t stop her mind from reliving that particular moment.

Her first kiss. With Mac. The heat of his lips on hers, the way his hands had gripped her waist as if he couldn’t stand to let go. She had never imagined their first kiss would be like that—so sudden, so full of unspoken emotions that had seemed impossible to untangle. Each time she thinks about it, her heart flutters in her chest as if ready to take a flight, the feel of his lips on hers, the sensual touch of his tongue against hers replayed over and over in her mind, each detail as vivid as the moment it had happened.

The softness of his lips had taken her by surprise, contrasting the hard, controlled exterior he always put up. And yet, behind that roughness, there was something tender, something she hadn’t expected. His kiss had stirred feelings deep inside her that she had long since tried to bury. The hunger she had a glimpse of in him had stoked the one inside her. And the feel of his lips on her neck, shoulder and dangerously close to her breàst had made her belly turn into liquid heat. And every time she remembers it, it makes the place between her thighs ache and makes it impossible for her to focus on anything else.

It had been overwhelming, still was, the way her body responded to him—how a simple kiss could evoke a storm of emotions she hadn’t even known she was capable of feeling. There had been confusion, desire, and beneath it all, a yearning so strong it had scared her. Still does when she lies in her bed at night and closes her eyes. All she could think about was wanting to experience that kiss all over again which was absurd because hadn’t she decided to not let him confuse her anymore.

And as if the thoughts of that kiss haunting her wasn’t enough, she often found herself absentmindedly grazing her lips with her fingertips as if she could still feel the ghost of his touch. Every time she closed her eyes she felt his big muscled body pressed against hers and wanted to feel it again which wasn’t helping with what she knew she had to do.

She knew, she couldn’t let it take over all her logical senses. She couldn’t let it mean more than it was. Because he had already shown her that it meant nothing to him when he walked out on her after apologizing for the kiss that had been her first. Mac had made it clear with his apology that it wasn’t supposed to happen, that the kiss had been a mistake in his eyes. So no matter how much it had shaken her, it wasn’t something she could hold on to. Not when he had already rejected her so many times. She didn’t think she could take more of that rejection.

So, Aira made a decision: she would avoid Mac. She needed time, space—anything to calm her racing heart and clear her head, which was why she deliberately stayed out of his way. And that wasn’t all, every time she spotted Mac, she would deliberately change her direction or find an excuse to escape. If she saw his car in the driveway, she’d take a longer route to the store. If his voice echoed through the halls when she visited his house to see his parents, she’d make an excuse to leave early. The tension between them was palpable, and Aira’s heart ached with unresolved emotions. She had never been so determined to avoid someone, but this time she was equally determined to maintain her own boundaries.

It was on the third day when her mother reminded her of the samples she had to make for Mac’s friend’s daughter’s birthday party, that Mrs Colson had managed to grab that opportunity for her, that she thought was the end of her avoidance game. She had half a mind to make an excuse but when she heard her mother and brother excitedly talking in the kitchen about the opportunity she has gotten, she couldn't bring herself to disappoint them. She didn't want to push this opportunity down the drain and not use it. She decided she couldn't let Mac affect her decision that could make a difference in her life on a professional level.

But thankfully for her, even though it left her a little disappointing, she didn't have to face or talk to Mac as she made the sample batches of her pasties, cupcakes and muffins and several different cookies, and asked her brother to hand it to Mac so he could take with him to his friend’s house.

That night, Aira was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed. And against all her wishes, she dreamt of him and his toe curling kiss that left her wanting for more.

On the fourth day, to her dismay, Aira woke up to another cloudy day and a soft pitter-patter of rain. She pulled the blanket over her head and curled into a ball to hide from the morning chill and spend a little longer in her warm bed. But when the wind picked up and the window pane slammed against the wall, she had to get out of her comfortable bed to close it before it shattered. Before she put her feet down, though, she reached over to her bedside drawer and pulled out a pair of fluffy socks to prevent her feet from touching the cold floor and trigger the lingering pain in her ankle that still bothered her on cold days.

After tugging them on, she slid out of bed and made her way to her bedroom window. She slid the fluttering curtains aside and leaned forward to grab the window pane but as her eyes drifted to the window opposite hers, she faltered.

The sight she saw had her freezing and she forgot about the rain splattering against the window sill, wetting her gown. The captivating sight had her drawing in a shuddering breath and her mouth felt dry as the flutters she was trying to put a stop to came back with renewed speed.

The man she couldn't stop thinking about, whose lips had been constant in her mind was there in his bedroom with his windows open, giving Aira an unobstructed view of his shirtless chest and glistening muscles as he effortlessly did one-handed pushups on the floor of his room. His muscles rippled with each movement, every inch of his body taut with strength and control. There was a warm glow in his bedroom which highlighted his tanned skin, making him look almost sculpted, every flex and strain an enticing display of physical beauty that attracted her towards him.

Aira found it fascinating how Mac’s sheer size contrasted so starkly with her own. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and muscled in a way that seemed to eclipse her entirely, making her feel small in comparison—delicate even. It was one of the many things that had always drawn her toward him. She always thought that he looked like a fortress of strength she could curl into, hiding from the world and its harsh edges. There was something irresistibly magnetic about their size difference; in the past it had made her feel oddly safe, as if he could shield her from anything life threw her way. She had always dreamed of how it’d feel to let herself get lost in his protective embrace, how it’d feel to be wrapped up in those powerful arms that seemed like they could easily break any threat in half that comes her way.

Aira’s breath caught in her throat as she watched with a mix of awe and something else she couldn’t quite admit to herself. She leaned against the window frame, her fingers absently gripping the cool wood as she let herself be mesmerized by the rhythm of his movements. There was something raw and untamed about him, a ruggedness that drew her in, even as she told herself she had no business staring.

She knew she should look away, but it was impossible when he looked so… enticing and appealing in a masculine way that had always attracted Aira. She stood there mesmerized as he switched arms without breaking his stride, balancing on his other hand now, and Aira found herself holding her breath as if watching a rare moon in the sky. It felt wrong to peak at him like this without him knowing it and also intimate, almost too intimate, and yet she couldn’t bring herself to step back.

She was pulled from the mouthwatering sight by a sudden knock on her bedroom door, followed by her little brother’s voice. “Aira! Are you up?”

Aira jumped, her heart lurching as she quickly stepped back from the window and pulled the curtains close when she saw Mac looking up in the direction of her bedroom. With her cheeks flushing like she was caught with her hand in a cookie jar, she turned away from the window and tried to compose herself before going to open her bedroom door.

“What?” She said as she pulled the bedroom door open and faced her brother, sounding a little guilty to her own ears.

Her brother narrowed his eyes on her and looked behind her in her bedroom as if she was hiding her secret boyfriend there. He said, “Why are you so red?”

“I am not.” Before he could say anything more, she continued, “Why did you wake me up, I wanted to sleep some more.”

“Dad is making breakfast, come on, you can sleep later.” He tugged her with him, wrapping an arm around her neck.

“Jayden! I haven’t even brushed my teeth yet.”

“You can do that later, Mom and Dad are waiting for you and I am starving.”

.

.

Next update will be tonight (in a few hours)

Can't wait for you to read the next chapters, they are going to be so cute.... yay!! ♡

A. Gupta