Chapter 67

Carol’s POV

I didn’t sleep at all during the night. Aiden seemed to be tossing and turning too for most of the night and I feel bad that this whole thing is causing him so much stress. He kept going on and on about, he was pretty certain that Katrina was the one behind all of this, but there wasn’t any proof of that.

“We can’t just accuse her of something like that without having actual proof,” I told him countless times as the night went on.

Aiden groaned and put a pillow over his head as he sighed in frustration.

“I know,” he mutters. “It’s just aggravating that they can get away with dragging your name in the mud like this. Katrina has been after you from the second she met you and even Oliver said she’s up to no good. It only makes sense that she’s the one behind all of this.”

I nod, understanding where he’s coming from. But it’s still not proof.

I snuggled against him and closed my eyes; trying to get some sleep, I drifted off for only an hour or so. During my sleep, I had that dream again where I heard a familiar female voice whispering in my ear, “It’s coming! You must prepare yourself.”

I murmured something in response, but it came out as muffled even to my own ears.

“Your destiny awaits.”

With that, my eyes fly open, and I quickly sit up in bed. I’m breathless with a rapidly beating heart as I peek around the dimly lit bedroom. The sun is hardly up, but I know it won’t be long before it rises completely.

Aiden isn’t in bed, and I feel a sense of emptiness with him gone. I peer around the room, trying to get a baring of my surroundings. I see the bathroom light on and the sounds of the shower running fill my ears.

I lie back in bed, relief flooding me.

He’s only in the shower.

I’m not sure what I was thinking or why I suddenly felt fearful that he abandoned me in the middle of the night. But with everything going on lately, I had been on edge.

Aiden walks out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Beads of water droplets trail down his broad chest and across his abs, making my mouth water at the sight of him. His hair is wet from the shower and his cheeks are slightly flushed from the heat. He goes into his dresser drawer to grab an outfit for the interview.

His cast is still on, but he has an appointment with his doctor later this afternoon to finally get it removed. I know he’s excited to finally get back to his normal life and practice for the big championship which is fast approaching.

I bite my lower lip as he removes the towel and grabs a clean pair of boxers from his drawer.

He turns to face me, and I see the smirk playing on his lips. My eyes never leave his lower abdomen and I know I’m blushing from the incredible sight of him.

“Careful, I’ll never leave this room if you keep looking at me like that,” he spoke in a low and husky tone, making my cheeks flush even more.

I trail my eyes up to his body and meet his eyes.

“I might be okay with that,” I tease.

“I have to get to the interview before I’m late,” he tells me as he walks closer to the bed.

“We have a bit of time,” I said, well aware that my voice was dropping low and seductive.

I see the smile spread across his lips as he stands in front of him, naked as the day he was born. Without much thought, I took a hold of him, stroking him, up and down his long shaft. He groans in pleasure as he rolls his hips in the same movement and rhythm.

I take him in my mouth, using my tongue to tease him as I get him nice and wet. He moans softly, throwing his head back as his length hits the back of my throat. I can’t help but smile at the feeling of him swelling and twitching inside of my mouth.

I bring him to the peak, and I feel him gushing inside of my mouth.

I release him with a pop and swallow the proof of his pleasure in one swallow before sitting up on my legs. He bends and kisses me deeply, running his fingers up the nape of my neck and making goosebumps form across my flesh.

“We’ll have to continue this later and I can pay you back,” he whispers against my lips.

I smile at him as I deepen the kiss, not wanting our moment of passion to end. But I also know he has to get to the studio.

“You should come with me,” he tells me suddenly as he pulls away to finish getting dressed.

I narrow my eyes at him.

“Do you think that’s wise?” I ask him. “I’m already public enemy number one.”

He gave me a quizzical look before grabbing a shirt from his closet.

“You are not,” he tells me. “It’s a big misunderstanding that will get cleared up soon enough. But it might do you some good to get you out of the house. Plus, if you don’t hide, the public will know you aren’t ashamed of anything and hiding.”

I sighed, knowing he was right. Hiding will only make me look that much guiltier.

“Okay,” I finally concede as I slide out of bed.

I grab a nice pair of jeans from the drawer and a blouse before I go into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Once I am done, I brush out my long auburn hair and tie it into a low ponytail. I put on a little bit of makeup, so I don’t look like I’ve been wallowing in bed for days and then I leave the bathroom.

Aiden is in the kitchen and when I join him, he gives me a bright smile and eyes me from head to toe.

“You look incredible,” he breathes.

I shrug casually.

“I just threw something on,” I admit. “It’s nothing big.”

“It’s perfect,” he said, wrapping me in his arms and holding me close to his body.

I kiss him gently before pulling away.

“Okay, we should go,” I tell him.

It doesn’t take us long to get to the studio. This is the first time we went to the Wendy Holms studio, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. It was difficult to get onto this show, even if you were famous. She mainly covered scandals and the best gossip, which up until recently, Aiden had steered clear of that stuff.

But now with me in his life, it seems that’s all he had to deal with. I swallowed down the pit of guilt that bubbled in my chest before we got out of the car and walked through the front doors of the studio.

We were immediately greeted by producers and other members of the casting team as we were brought into the dressing rooms. They immediately started to fuss over Aiden and when thye tried to fuss over me, I told them I wasn’t going to be on TV and that they didn’t need to worry about it.

Coach Bower and Mr. Whitlock are already speaking with Wendy Holms on the stage when we arrive. They are both surprised to see me.

“Didn’t think you’d be here too,” Coach says, eyeing me carefully.

“I’m not trying to cause any issues. I’m just here for support,” I tell them honestly.

“As long as you stay clear of the cameras. It’s probably better if you didn’t appear on the screen,” Mr. Whitlock informs me.

I nod; I have no intention of being on camera.

Aiden kisses me lightly on the lips before joining Wendy Holms on the stage. They greet one another and they dive into some small talk while the camera crew, producers, and director get everything together. I stayed in the background with Coach and Mr. Whitlock.

Once the cameras start to roll, Wendy dives into some questions concerning Aiden’s career and his injuries. The questions start surprisingly tamed, and Aiden answers them professionally. I can tell he’s used to this line of questioning, and I can’t help but admire him for his professionalism and witty answers.

As I admire him, I see a faint pink glow surrounding him and it makes my heart skip a beat. It’s the same glow I’ve seen around him numerous other times as well, including the first time I’ve ever seen him.

“So, enough about your injuries,” Wendy says as he leans closer to Aiden. “The world really wants to know about your relationship with that criminal, Carol Miller. What can you tell me about her, and did you ever suspect that she was a thief?”

My mouth falls open from her candid question and I can tell Aiden is not happy.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Wendy. My mate is not a thief, and she has never been one. If you or anyone else in this world has an issue concerning Carol Miller, you’ll have me to answer. I’m not going to tolerate the constant disrespect and bashing any longer. Carol is innocent and soon enough, everybody will see the truth.”