I turned around and spotted Aiden standing behind me—and my heart skipped a beat. "What are you doing here?" He walked over. "I just wrapped up things at the office. Thought I’d come pick you up and take you home." Maxwell, ever the opportunist, stepped in with a smile. "Ah, Mr. Salvatore. I’ve heard so much about you—it’s an honor. Your reputation definitely precedes you." Smart move. He clearly knew there was something between me and Aiden, so he went straight for the double-flatter—boosting Aiden’s ego while making me look good at the same time. Two birds, one stone. Unfortunately for him, he’d completely misread the situation. Aiden wasn’t the type who cared for flattery. If anything, they annoyed him. "That’s kind of you, Mr. Maxwell." Aiden said coolly, "But let’s be honest—that was a little much." Maxwell froze, caught off guard by how blunt that was. I raised an eyebrow. One glance at Aiden’s face told me exactly what was going on—he’d clearly seen Maxwell being a little too casual with me earlier and was now stewing in it. Jealous, again. Why was this man so jealous all the time? Maxwell, of course, had no idea. He probably just thought Aiden was difficult to deal with and quickly tried to back out. "Well then, Ms. Beck, I’ll get going. Have a safe trip home." As Maxwell walked off, Aiden’s eyes followed him with that same frosty expression before he muttered under his breath, "She’s my girlfriend. Why is he so concerned about my girlfriend?" I couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing. "Aiden, seriously? You sound like a kid right now." It was such a rare sight. He was usually so composed, so serious. Who would’ve thought he had such an immature side? "Let’s go," he said, still grumpy as he grabbed my hand and led me toward the car. …The second we got in the car, Aiden's expression hardened and the air between us turned tense. "What’s your deal with that guy?" Aiden asked, hands tight on the steering wheel, voice clipped and cold. I opened my mouth to explain that it was just a professional thing—he was technically my employee, after all—but then I caught myself. That would’ve opened the door to way too many questions I wasn’t ready to answer. My identity couldn’t slip—not even a little. "No relationship at all. We just happened to meet overseas once. I had no idea he worked for the company. Total coincidence." I was straight-up bluffing. Boldly. But I’d locked down my background so tightly Aiden couldn’t trace a thing. He gave me a sideways glance. "You sure have a lot of friends. All ages, all types." I let out a nervous laugh. "What can I say? People just like me. Can’t keep people away even if I try." "Guess I need to learn from you. Teach me how to make friends like that." "You don’t need to," I teased. "Let’s be real—someone with your personality? People are more likely to run the other way." He narrowed his eyes. "Is that supposed to mean something?" I blinked innocently. "Mean what?" Instead of answering, Aiden reached over and pressed a button by the passenger seat. The backrest suddenly reclined without warning, and I fell flat with a surprised yelp. Before I could recover, he leaned over me. His breath brushed against my ear, warm and steady. The tension thickened in an instant. "Tell me… What exactly did you mean?" My face flushed instantly. I looked everywhere but at him. "Mr. Salvatore is intelligent and powerful. Who wouldn’t want to be friends with him? I mean, I do too…" But before I could finish the sentence, his lips crashed down on mine. But it wasn’t the kind of kiss that made your heart flutter. This one was rough, almost punishing, like he wanted to leave a mark. There was nothing gentle about it. "Aiden—mmph—" Was that really necessary?He gave me one last rough bite before pulling away. "Friends?" he asked, voice hoarse. "You want to be friends?" I swallowed hard, realizing now wasn’t the time to push his buttons. "No. I don’t." He still didn’t look entirely satisfied. He brushed his thumb across my lips, wiping away the leftover moisture. "Good. And from now on, keep your distance from other men. I don’t like it." I frowned. "But we work together. It’s not personal—it’s professional." Aiden might’ve been jealous, but he wasn’t totally unreasonable. He let out a breath, still clearly annoyed, but backed off a little. "Work stuff is fine. But outside of that, no more hanging around other guys." Then he suddenly remembered something and added, "That includes Adam." I stared at him, half-laughing. "He’s your brother. What are you so worked up about?" Aiden didn’t blink. "Exactly. He’s my brother, not yours. So just stay away from him, okay?" All I could do was nod. This side of Aiden... he really could be a handful.