No Escape From My Fiancé's Brother

Aria's POV

"Baby..." I moaned as my back arched off the bed, legs wrapping around Lex's waist as he thrust into me, deep and unrelenting.

Each movement built that delicious tension, our bodies slick with sweat, syncing in a rhythm that was raw and desperate.

I cried out as he hit that perfect angle, my nails raking down his back, leaving my own marks on him. "Baby, yes...right there," I whispered, lost in the haze of him filling me, stretching me, claiming every inch.

He didn't hold back as he thrust into me with a ferocity that made stars burst behind my eyelids. Our breaths mingled, harsh and frantic, until I shattered around him, my walls clenching tight as waves of ecstasy crashed over me.

Lex followed seconds later, burying his face in my neck with a guttural groan, his release pulsing hot inside me.

For a few minutes, I let myself enjoy the sense of his arm resting possessively around my waist, the faint ache between my thighs, the quiet satisfaction buzzing through me.

I shouldn't feel this happy.

But I did.

Lex was a sin I had taken willingly.

He looked over his shoulder, catching me staring. "You're terrible at being subtle."

"Who said I was trying?"

He chuckled, a low, warm sound that made my stomach twist. Then he shut the bathroom door behind him, and the water began to run.

I lay there, still smiling... until my phone buzzed. I reached for it lazily, still half-dazed from our intimate moment. The instant I saw the name on the screen, the blood in my veins froze.

Ian.

My fiancé to be!!

The smile on my face died.

I click on the message and it reads: I'm flying back home soon. Missed you. Let's have dinner with my family tonight.

A cold, harsh wave of reality crashed over me.

Dinner? Tonight?

Ian is coming back today!!

That means I can't keep seeing Lex, my throat tightened. I know this was supposed to be temporary, a reckless escape before I walked into the life chosen for me but I didn't expect it to be this soon.

I stared at the bathroom door, thinking of the man behind it, how was I supposed to pretend nothing had changed?

Just then Lex stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist, water still dripping down his chest. His hair was wet and messy, yet unfairly attractive.

The fresh scent of his shower gel, clean, masculine, with that hint of cedar, wafted toward me, and suddenly I was lost in it.

The smell pulled me back, like a thread unraveling time and I realized some goodbyes are silent.

I remembered Chloe asking me about my engagement six months ago, "Is he that bad?"

"Ian's boring," I whispered dramatically. "Like, painfully boring. He once told me the highlight of his week was reorganizing his bookshelf by genre."

"Aria..." Chloe softened. "You could say no."

"No, I can't." My voice came out flat. "The marriage benefits my family. It will make us untouchable. I don't have a choice. But me? I feel like I'm signing away my soul. I just... I want to feel alive, you know? Happy, even if it's just once before I walk down that aisle."

Chloe sighed, squeezing my hand. "Then at least don't torture yourself. Have fun. Do something reckless, but not too reckless."

"Reckless?" I snorted. "You think I'm capable of that?"

That was when he walked in, Lex.

Tall, strong, confident, like the room bent around him. At first, it was his face that drew me, his sharp jaw, and those dark eyes that seemed to see everything.

He was my ultimate ideal type, the kind I'd daydreamed about but never believed existed. Then, as nights turned into weeks, it became his body I craved, the way his shoulders filled a doorway, the hard lines of muscle under my hands, the sheer power in every move he made.

Our story started the way most bad decisions do, curiosity, lust, and alcohol. When he asked for my name, I panicked and used a fake one.

Everything I told him about me was a lie, because this wasn't supposed to matter.

But one night, after another round of hot, breathless sex, he murmured into my ear, "Do you want to be my girl..."

I didn't let him finish.

I pressed my mouth to his, kissing him hard enough to erase the words.

His expression? I never saw it.

I didn't let myself look.

Because I had a plan.

When Ian returned, I would disappear.

Delete Lex's number.

Erase all of this like it never happened.

I blinked back to the hotel room, the scent of Lex's wet hair still lingering. I must have zoned out longer than I thought, because he was standing beside the bed now, towel gone, pulling on his boxer briefs. He caught my distant stare and arched a brow.

"You dare to zone out in my bed?" he teased, voice low and playful, more flirtation than scolding.

Before I could answer, he leaned over me, caging me with his arms, and kissed me hard, deep and demanding, the kind that made my toes curl and my body ignite all over again.

When he pulled back, his eyes were darker, breathing a little rougher. "If I didn't have this damn urgent meeting..." He trailed off, thumb brushing my lower lip, the promise in his gaze making my pulse race.

He wanted me again.

Right now.

But he straightened, forcing himself to finish dressing. "I need to leave soon," he said, rubbing the side of his head with a sigh. "I've got that meeting I can't miss."

Relief hit me first. I know that's ugly and selfish. But if he leaves now, everything can end today. Ian wouldn't find out. Everything could still go back on track.

But right under that relief was a hollow ache.

Because this... this might be the last time I ever saw him.

"I figured," I murmured. "You're always busy."

He stopped and looked at me like he wanted to read my emotions off my face. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

I lied.

I forced a smile anyway. "Just tired."

"Mm." He leaned closer, brushing his knuckles along my jawline. "Get some rest."

He kissed me, slow, lingering, like he didn't want to rush it.

My chest shrank painfully.

He had no idea this was goodbye.

I swallowed hard.

Everything ends today.