Chapter 55

Aria

Lucas’s little hand tugged at my fingers, his eyes wide.

“Please, Aria, can’t you stay? Just this once?”

I sighed, glancing over at Darren, who looked equally caught off guard by his son’s sudden enthusiasm. A sleepover? Seriously? On a Monday, no less?

“Lucas, I have work in the morning,” I tried to explain, not wanting to upset him. “I really should be getting home…”

But Lucas just looked up at me with those mismatched eyes, and my resolve started to crumble. “But… you work right downstairs!” he argued. “Wouldn’t it be easier if you stayed here?”

Darren pinched the bridge of his nose, casting me a slightly helpless look around his fingers. “Lucas, Aria’s had a long day. We don’t want to wear her out.”

Lucas didn’t relent. If anything, his eyes went even rounder, and the furry little tips of wolf ears began to peek through his chestnut curls. Dammit, I thought, looking away and biting my lip. He was too fucking cute when he did that. And he knew it.

“But you can stay, right? Just this one time?” he pleaded.

I looked at Darren, raising my eyebrows in question. To be fair, the commute downstairs in the morning would be a lot nicer than walking and taking the subway.

But I’d have to get down there before everyone else and hope that no one noticed that I was wearing the same clothes. I couldn’t leave anyone wondering if Darren and I had something going on between each other, after all.

Or, I could just stay until Lucas passed out—which seemed like it would be relatively soon—and then go home.

Lucas, noticing my thoughtful expression, immediately latched onto his father’s arm. “Daddy, please? Pleeease? Just this once?”

Darren looked from Lucas to me, and finally, with an exaggerated sigh, he gave in. “Alright, alright. Just this once.”

Lucas let out a triumphant cheer, already darting off toward his room. “I’m going to get my pj’s on! Don’t start the movie without me!”

Darren and I exchanged a look, half-amused, half-exasperated in the wake of the Tasmanian devil that was his son. “You really know how to rile him up,” he said, shaking his head. “Now he’ll be up all night.”

“Me?” I laughed, raising an eyebrow. “He’s your son. That enthusiasm has to come from somewhere.”

Darren paused, opening his mouth and then closing it again as if struggling with something, before he said, “Fair point.”

“For what it’s worth,” I whispered so that Lucas couldn’t hear, “I’ll leave once he’s asleep.”

But Darren shook his head before I could even finish. “No. I don’t want you traversing the city on your own this late, and I can’t leave him here to drive you. You can stay.”

My eyebrows shot up, but before I could answer, Lucas reappeared. He was dressed in his dinosaur pajamas, clutching a blanket in one arm and a stuffed shark in the other. “I’m ready!”

“Alright, let’s get comfy,” I said, looking down at my own outfit, which was definitely not made for lounging around for a movie marathon—a pair of work pants and a crisp white button-down, both of which had gotten a little sweaty from running around earlier.

Darren must’ve noticed too, because he cleared his throat and nodded toward the hall.

“I’ll grab you something comfortable,” he offered before disappearing for a moment and returning with a shirt and a pair of his oversized sweatpants. “Here you go. You can wash your clothes for tomorrow.”

I took the clothes, laughing a little. “You know, I might just have to keep a stash of my own clothes here if these sleepovers keep happening. I’m practically a regular guest at this point.”

Darren froze, blinking at me as a light pink crept up his cheeks. He cleared his throat, looking away. “Uh… yeah, maybe that’s not a bad idea.”

I hid a smile and turned toward the bathroom to change. His clothes hung loosely on me as always, but they were soft and warm and smelled faintly of his cologne. I tossed my clothes into the washing machine, along with whatever I could find in Lucas’s and Darren’s hampers, just to repay the favor a little.

When I rejoined them, Lucas was already sprawled out on the couch and patting the spot beside him.

“Come on, Aria! Sit next to me!”

Darren took a seat on the other side of Lucas, and we dimmed the lights, settling in with bowls of popcorn. The movie started, and I felt Lucas snuggle up against my side. But halfway through the film, I noticed Darren checking his phone every few minutes, scrolling through what I could only assume were work emails.

Lucas noticed, too, and frowned. “Daddy, why aren’t you watching the movie?”

“I am watching, buddy,” Darren mumbled, but he only glanced at the TV for a brief moment before looking back down at his phone.

I nudged him with my elbow, whispering, “He’s right, you know. Work can wait.”

“I’m just checking a few things…”

“You know what?” I muttered, and before I knew what I was doing, I snatched the phone right out of his hand and jumped to my feet. I ran across the room and hid it behind my back. “How about you just forget about work for one night, Mr. CEO?”

Darren’s eyes widened, and he immediately jumped up and lunged for me in an attempt to grab it back. “Aria, come on. Give it back.”

“Nope!” I teased, dancing out of the way and holding the phone over my head—much to Lucas’s delight, who giggled and clapped his hands together with glee. “You promised Lucas that you’d watch a movie, and that means no work. You can go an hour and a half without it, can’t you?”

His jaw tightened, and he stepped closer, one hand reaching toward me as his eyes narrowed. “Aria, I’m serious. Give me the phone.”

I grinned, backing up, but he followed and closed the distance between us in two long strides. His hand shot out, his fingers wrapping around the wrist that was holding the phone.

Our eyes met, and I felt my breath hitch. There was that look in his eyes again—dark and heady, that blue-brown gaze glowing ethereally for a split second—and for a moment, the rest of the room seemed to disappear.

My heartbeat quickened in my chest as Darren leaned close, his breath warm against my temple. He didn’t say anything, hardly even moved, just loomed over me with his fingers wrapped around my wrist.

Neither of us moved, too caught up in that charged silence. His gaze flickered to my lips, and I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how close we were. We could… And a part of me wanted to. Even if it was reckless and stupid and would only end in heartbreak.

But before I could do or say anything, a soft thud hit Darren’s back, followed by a delighted giggle. Lucas was standing behind him, brandishing a pillow and whacking Darren with it again.

“That’s what you get for chasing after my mommy!” Lucas declared, giggling as he swung the pillow a third time.

I choked back a laugh as Darren turned to face his son. “Oh, so we’re playing that game now, are we?”

Lucas grinned, backing up a few steps and waving his pillow in the air. “Yeah! I have to protect Aria from the bad guys!”

“Protect Aria, huh?” Darren murmured, glancing at me with an amused smirk before reaching for a pillow of his own. “Alright, kid. You’re on.”

He swung gently, aiming for Lucas, who squealed and darted just out of reach. “You’ll have to do better than that, Daddy!” Lucas taunted, dodging behind my legs for cover.

“Oh, now you’ve got yourself in trouble,” I said, laughing as Lucas peeked out from behind me, his eyes sparkling.

Lucas thrust a pillow into my hands. “Here, Aria! You’re on my team!”

Grinning, I accepted the pillow, turning to face Darren with it held above my head. “You heard the kid. Looks like it’s two against one now.”

Before Darren could respond, I swung the pillow, aiming at his shoulder but accidentally catching him in the face instead. Hard. Harder than I meant to, actually.

Darren froze, his hand coming up to cover his cheek as he stared at the floor. The tips of his ears turned red. My laughter trailed off, and I felt a pang of worry, wondering if I’d actually hurt him. “Darren… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

But then he looked up slowly, a mischievous smirk spreading across his face. He moved his hand, and I saw the pillow he’d hidden behind his back.

“I’m gonna give you till the count of three to run. One… Two… Three!”