Summer Wild ✔️

Chapter Ten

The sunbeams reached out and engulfed them.

Charlotte stared at Aiden as he slept. She wanted to hit the pause button and stay in bed with him a while longer. The sultry nights, the stolen kisses and the lustful moans had stirred something in her. It was all-consuming. Their chemistry was formidable.

As the birds outside tweeted, Aiden's eyelids fluttered a fraction. His breathing levelled.

"You are awake, aren't you?" Charlotte leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. "Morning, babe."

"Maybe I am." Aiden's eyes popped open. There was mischief in them. "Was last night a dream?"

"No, I'm right here." She rested her head on his muscular chest. Since the shopping trip, they had continued to spend nights at his place in the last two weeks. "I have to go, but I don't want to."

"Then don't go." Aiden ran his hand through her hair.

The languid gesture sent a silver of heat to her core. It nearly had her coming.

"I have to. There is a garden party I have to attend. I promised my mother I would take pictures for her. If I don't go, she will keep calling me until I show up," she pouted with a groan. "You don't know her. She can be a royal pain in the neck. She has changed a lot since she married my stepfather, but she is a tad overbearing."

"It reminds me... thank you for all the amazing pictures you took of me in England. They are amazing. You are extremely talented," Aiden told her. Her suggested poses and the varying lenses had captured the ambiance in a way he had not thought possible. The rainy London had transformed into a glistening majestic backdrop through the sepia filter. The vibe was thought-provoking.

The compliment widened her smile. She murmured, "Truth is, I don't care much about the photographs I lost in the car theft except the personal ones. I want to capture something more meaningful." Grabbing the sheet, she sat up and faced him. God, he was so sexy with the stubble. "I have been thinking about this for a while."

"Let's take some snaps in the shower, then?" Aiden shot her a lopsided grin. "That would be something plausible. I think the French call it au naturel."

"You know what I mean." She giggled.

"I do, but I like teasing you." Aiden pulled her closer to him until they were skin to skin under the blanket. "Can I tell you something?" There was hesitation in his voice.

"You can tell me anything," she encouraged him. His warmth was making her deliciously drowsy, but she felt the tension thrumming through him alright.

"Oasis Box is failing and I am on the verge of losing it. When we were in England, the river table got me thinking, what if I make it a statement piece for my company and somehow find a way to mass-produce it cheaply."

Thoughtful, Charlotte looked up at him. "What if you can fake it?"

"What do you mean?" he wondered with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, everyone wants nice items at home they can afford. This river table sounds like too much work, which makes it expensive. You can make the authentic piece for the rich clientele. But for the average Joe, you can gloss the aquatic features on the table rather than use the resin," she explained. "It's like WEC. We make luxury homes, but then we have run-of-the-mill stuff. Even with the electric cars, there will be an option to subscribe for additional automated features."

"Man, those self-driving cars will be neat," he remarked. "Where is the technology at?"

"Beta, but I bet I can swing us a ride. All I have to do is sweet-talk the division's head," Charlotte told him, pumped at the idea. "He owes me a favour."