He was the wind that made her world freeze over. She was the fire that lit up his.
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Aren Petros was the stain on the Petros family name, known for his criminal past. And Mila Chambers was the solution to cleaning up his image. So when they find th...
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author's note: has to be one of my favourite chapters! please do let me know how you're finding the story so far!
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WARM SUNLIGHT BASKED our hotel room the next morning and the rush of the sea outside provided me with an alarm clock that I enjoyed more than I could express. I had just peeled my eyes open when I noticed that the only reason I could hear the water was because the French doors were open.
Aren was on the patio, drenched in sweat as he continued with his pushups. One hand was folded behind his back and there was an expression of pure concentration on his face. I watched him silently, unwittingly noticing how his muscles flexed as he effortlessly carried his body weight. His short sleeves revealed more tattoos that I hadn't seen before. Spanning across his bicep and down his arm was a full moon surrounded by a stormy sky that was lit up with a thunderstorm. The lightning bolts ran down his arm to meet an expansive forest on his forearm. The tattoo patterns on his hand were separate from his arm, which I noticed because the forest was underlined with a block line that had writing that I couldn't read from where I was lying.
He blew out a breath when he finished his last pushup and stood up. My eyes snapped back to the sea when I took notice of how his shirt stuck to him. He turned to face me and his eyes twinkled with mischief.
"Enjoying the view, sleeping beauty?" the corners of his lips turned up.
I gave him a blank stare but I swallowed the fierce sense of embarrassment that surged through my body. He chuckled when I rolled my eyes and turned over to give him my back. The pillow barrier was still arranged in the middle of the bed but his side looked barely slept in. I tried to close my eyes again as I heard his footsteps in the room.
"No." He started, gripping the covers. "No more sleeping, Aurora. We're getting out of this hotel room."
When I protested and held onto the sheets, he tugged it off me effortlessly. I gave a bothered groan and immediately reached for a pillow to chuck at him. He dodged it and it fell pathetically on the floor next to his feet. Stupid pillow I grumbled in my mind as I moved onto my back and looked at him with annoyance etched on my face.
"Go without me." I deadpanned.
He shook his head. "Couldn't even if I wanted to. You won't get a security detail until after our honeymoon."
My eyebrows crinkled with confusion and my lips parted. "I'm not going to die without you."
He held a hand to his chest in mock offence. "Way to bruise a man's ego, Chambers." He began advancing towards the bed again. "Either get out of bed yourself or I'll carry you."
All grogginess left my body as soon as I registered his words. "You wouldn't." I rasped, sitting up and pulling my legs into my chest. "Stay away from me. You're disgustingly sweaty."
