Mina's nerves had forced her to remain silent during dinner. Aiden had also stayed silent. She knew he was watching her as she ate, her face flamed. After dinner, Aiden told her to go take a relaxing bath or shower. Mina jumped at the chance to get away from him.
It wasn't because she felt uncomfortable with what he did and said earlier. It was because she had never felt that way before. Even at the beginning of her relationship with Ben, he had never kissed her like that.
There had never been any sparks and as she had no experience with men she hadn't thought it was meant to be anything else. However, now she realised what a fool she had been, of course, it wouldn't feel like that because he has never felt anything for her.
'Well, that's not fully true,' she thought as she stood under the hot spray. 'He has wanted me but as a tool, one he can use to further his business.'
The multi heads of the shower soothed her tense muscles and relaxed her mind as she forced herself not to think of her ex anymore.
After the shower, Mina wrapped the softest towel she has ever felt around her body, as she looked at her reflection. Her long brown hair fell down past her shoulders and her dark brown eyes looked more alive. Her pale skin looked revived as she slowly brought a brush through her hair.
Mina exited the bathroom in time to see Aiden dressed only in a pair of trousers. He was in the process of getting changed. His strong muscled back flexed as his arms moved. His tanned skin looked flawless as she stared wide-eyed at him.
She gripped the towel across her chest as she slowly backed up. Once back inside the bathroom, she gripped the counter as she tried to control her racing heartbeat. Her face looked flushed in the mirror.
"Are you ok?"
Mina jumped startled at the sudden voice. Aiden was stood in the doorway dressed in a pair of pyjama pants and no top. His chest and stomach were hairless and ripped. Mina felt her eyes widen as she stared at him again.
Aiden took a step towards her and she quickly turned back to the mirror. She watched him stopped behind her and lean forward. His strong arms leaned on the counter next to her as he towered over her. Which wasn't hard to do as she stood just over five feet. Aiden was at least a foot taller than her.
Mina could feel his heat radiating from his body as their bodies connected. She watched him lean down so his mouth was close to her ear.
"I take it you like what you see?" he asked her in a husky tone.
Mina groaned and brought both hands up to hide her face. She was sure her face was as red as a tomato. Never before has she felt so nervous. Having never had a reaction like this to a man before she felt silly and stupid.
She heard him chuckle behind her as she felt his hands grip her wrists from behind. Aiden pulled her hands away from her face forcing her to look at him. His handsome face held a teasing smirk whilst his eyes were warm.
"Come with me," he said whilst pulling her wrist.
He led her back into the bedroom and passed her, her nightdress. Aiden turned his back as she quickly dressed.
"Lay down," he instructed softly.
Mina's wide eyes and not so subtle step back and arms across her chest had him stumbling over himself to reassure her.
"No! I only mean to lay down. I will lay next to you and we will talk, just talk."
She eyed him warily as her racing heart slowly calmed down. He held up his hands and smiled warmly at her.
"I mean it, just talk," he reaffirmed.
Mina nodded slowly and moved to the side of the bed. Aiden followed suit and soon they were laid opposite each other on their sides. Mina's head rested on her bent arm whilst Aiden had his laid upon his hand as it propped him up, slightly towering over Mina.
"Talk about what?" Mina asked after the silence between them stretched far longer than she was comfortable with.
Aiden smiled wider at her as he brought a hand up to move a lock of her hair that had fallen slightly over her face.
"You said that you've only been with your ex, does that mean sexually or only as a serious boyfriend?"
Mina's heart jumped as her cheeks flamed. Being a clutz and awkward person never provided her with enough sense or experience to not feel like a naughty catholic school girl who has just been caught touching herself whenever sex or pleasure was mentioned.
Unable to speak, Mina nodded answering both questions at the same time. Aiden understood what she meant and sighed. When he sighed Mina expected him to get off the bed and insist he sleeps in the other room. Then in the morning he would serve divorce papers or say they should live separately until the year is over.
Aiden brought two fingers and a thumb up to her chin and forced her face to meet his.
"I don't know what's going through your mind but I want you to get rid of it. I didn't ask you that question to embarrass or upset you or to confirm that you are not experienced enough for me. I do not care about what experience you've had," he told her.
"Then why did you sigh?" She asked quietly.
"I sighed because I hate that you have never been treat how you should have been. I can only imagine how blind the men in your life have been to never see how beautiful you are. Your ex is a very stupid man."
Mina smiled a little.
"He had someone beautiful, strong and stunning in his life and he couldn't see her for what she was as a person. That idiot was blinded by what he thought he could get from you. Even if all he wanted to do is use you, he still should have worshipped you and showed you what true pleasure could be."
Aiden leaned down to kiss her lips briefly before leaning back. Mina sighed as she turned over so her back was to him. He quickly moved forward and wrapped an arm around her from behind.
He could feel small sobs escape her body as she silently cried into the pillow. Aiden became angry as he imagined she had done this too many times because of that man.
"I'm sorry."
She spoke so quietly that he almost missed it.
"Why?" he asked.
"I know I shouldn't cry because of him," she sounded so small. "I really thought I loved him. When we met I had no self-confidence or self-esteem, he brought me out of my shell. He wined and dined me, I should have seen it sooner. I was always wary of people's intentions towards me as, as you know, they only saw my name and wealth. Ben seemed different as if he really only wanted me."
His grip on her tightened, her back now flushed against his.
"My family saw it and tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen. I was stupid and I should have known better," she spoke as if she was now resolved to her life.
Aiden released her and pulled her shoulder back, forcing Mina to lay on her back with him hovering over her.
"No Mina, love can make you blind to everything. It doesn't matter if it's your first love or your twentieth. You believed there was something good in him and you truly believed he wanted you. He may have had genuine feelings for you at the beginning, but it is his fault that he couldn't see what he had in his hands."
Aiden then lowered his body to cover hers and claimed her lips with his own. He could feel her tentative hands slowly wrap around his waist as he devoured her mouth. He moved down her neck and she let out a small whimper as he licked and nipped up and down her column.
Mina was almost writhing underneath him. Every so often her small waist would rub against his, which sent shockwaves of pleasure throughout their bodies. Aiden groaned against her neck as he grounded his hips into hers.
He claimed her lips again as she almost clawed at his back, the earlier tentativeness now gone. They were both so lost to the pleasure that it took a moment for either of them to register the knocking.
"What!" Aiden shouted clearly agitated.
"My apologies for disturbing you sir but we have a problem at the gate," Daniel called through the door.
Reluctantly Aiden stood and put on a shirt. He made sure Mina looked decent before opening the door with a little more force than he should have. Daniel stood unfazed by his bosses irritated glare.
"I am afraid this could not have waited until morning, Miss Mina a man is here to see you," he informed them.
Mina stood and wrapped a dressing gown around herself before approaching the two men.
"Who?" she asked.
She didn't really know any other men besides her father, older brother and Ben. Mina doubted her father and brother would come to see her so that only left Ben, but he wouldn't be that stupid to come and see her.
"A Mr Ben Kramer is requesting to be allowed in and to see you. Don't worry Max was informed that no one is to know that you are now Mrs Danvers. He has been told the situation and is the best at being discrete."
Daniel must have seen the worry written over her face. She had forgotten to ask about that earlier. If Ben was told that only Mr and Mrs Danvers lived here then Ben would assume she was lying. He would then mock her, or he would find out she had married someone else.
"I will go see him alone," she said as she attempted to move past Aiden.
Aiden however didn't like that idea and stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. Mina smiled at the concerned look on his face and patted his hand.
"Don't worry Max will be there. I would have suggested Daniel accompany me too but I imagine Ben will know who he is and want to know why he is here. I will go see him and then come back," she was reassuring herself of that last part more than him and he knew it.
Ben was shouting at Max when Mina approached the gate. Max heard her approach and moved to open the small pedestrian gate so she could come through. He then stood a few steps behind her just as she predicted he would. She hadn't officially met the man properly yet but she already felt safe and secure with him close by.
"Mina, tell this oaf I am your fiance," Ben demanded pointing at Max. "I should be allowed to come inside to see you."
Mina sighed and pinched her nose.
"Ben, what are you doing here? I told you that only my husband is allowed to come inside, my family were very clear on that. I told you they said that you can not visit me until then," she felt so exhausted already.
"That is a load of rubbish!" Ben shouted.
Mina almost allowed her panic to show on her face. Had Ben figured out her lie already?
"Surely they can allow me in as we will be married sooner or later. We would have been married already if it hadn't been for that doctor's appointment," Ben said angrily.
Mina ignored the 'sooner or later' comment and almost allowed her smirk to show on her face, he really wasn't that smart.
"Doctors appointment? You said it was a meeting with a client that came up spur of the moment. One you couldn't avoid."
Mina could almost see the exact time when Ben realised he had slipped up.
"It was an important meeting ..... the client was a doctor .. he .... he needed to discuss some business with me," he stammered.
"Business? What business would a doctor want with the CEO of a cosmetics company?" she asked sounding utterly confused. However, inside she was reeling with happiness.
"I could understand him wanting to speak to a salesperson or possibly you, but you wouldn't allow such an impromptu meeting to occur unless it was a well-known or high profile client. I am sure you don't have a doctor as a high profile or well-known client. You would have told me."
Ben tried hard to come up with a good excuse but every time he would open his mouth to speak he would instantly close it. He reminded Mina of a fish dumbly opening and closing its mouth.
"Anyway it doesn't matter, it's none of my business really. You still haven't answered my question, what are you doing here?" Mina asked again.
Ben shook himself out of his stupor and eyed Max.
"Do I need a reason to come and see my fiance?" he asked. He stressed the word fiance when he locked eyes with Max.
Mina looked behind her and Max gave her a small smile at her apologetic one.
"Before you didn't need a reason, that's true and under different circumstances, you normally wouldn't need one. However, my families instructions were very specific. You are not allowed to set foot in the house ... until we are married of course," Mina paused for a moment before adding the last part. She almost hadn't wanted to add it.
"Also you always told me when you were coming to see me and what time, which was strange as you would always turn up a few hours late. It was almost like an appointment. You never just showed up unexpectantly," Mina told him as she pretended to think about when they would meet before.
Ben couldn't speak, again he looked like a dumb fish opening and closing his mouth.
"Look, Ben, it's getting late and as you can see I was getting ready for bed. How about we talk about this another time," Mina didn't give Ben a chance to object.
She thanked Max and then returned to the house. Aiden and Daniel were both waiting for her when she shut the front door.
"Everything ok?" Aiden asked as she sighed.
Mina gave him a small smile and nodded. Daniel quickly excused himself and left the pair alone. Once he was gone Aiden stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her into his body.
"Come on, let's get some sleep," he said as he slowly guided her back to their room.
Mina slept peacefully in Aiden's arms, her head resting on his bare chest.