The-Spanish-Love-Deception-www.indianpdf

But as Aaron came into view, that whirling emotion that had been too
loud a moment ago, fell silent on its own. He wasn’t even smiling. He simply
… looked at me.
The disappointment at not finding that grin I had gotten a glimpse of
earlier returned, and I wondered if it would be this way from today on. Me
searching for Aaron’s smile and him keeping it locked away again.
I swallowed that up, shoving those stupid thoughts out of my head.
My lips tugged up regardless of all that, and I gave a halfhearted cheer.
To which Aaron simply nodded, looking like he did when he had something
in his mind. Something that bothered him.
Frowning, I watched Aaron’s long legs climb down the stage and walk to
my side, all the while ignoring how the way he wasn’t even celebrating with
me made me feel. Instead, I focused on keeping what I hoped looked like a
genuine smile in place.
The blue-eyed man I had just bought for a date that would never happen
stopped in front of me. He dipped his head, his chin almost touching his
collarbone. I waited, but he didn’t say anything.
I reached for something to say and came up empty-handed, returning the
silence.
That awareness I had been familiarizing myself with far too rapidly for
my own good and comfort came rushing back, raising the short hairs on my
arms. It hit me then how weird, how strange, and how shocking in many
different ways it was that we’d found each other in this situation. How
tonight didn’t even seem real.
Shifting on my feet under the weight of Aaron’s gaze, I swallowed. One
more time, I wasn’t capable of taking in this heavy silence that settled
between us. “I hope you come with a boat, Blackford,” I finally said, my
voice sounding a little off. “Otherwise, I might regret not sticking with
Patrick.”
Aaron’s eyes didn’t waver. They held mine. And just as they did, I
watched how they warmed up for just a heartbeat. The skin around them
wrinkling only slightly with the smile I now knew he refused to give me.
I felt something shift in my chest. Something very subtle and small that I
almost missed, but it didn’t help the pace of my breath—still all over the
place from the auction—to return to normal.
He took one step closer. “Sometimes, I’m convinced you enjoy making
me suffer.” His usually deep voice sounded hushed. Giving to his words an