Sweet Hatred
Chapter 92: Jealous

Chapter 92: Jealous

KAEL

The car was too damn quiet.

I kept one hand loose on the steering wheel, the other drumming aimlessly against my thigh, pretending like I wasn’t a second away from glancing at her again.

Aria sat curled up on the passenger seat, arms crossed, gaze pinned out the window like the city outside was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.

The memory of last night pressed against the back of my skull like a migraine — her hands clinging to me under the water, her mouth parting under mine like she was slipping, breaking, wanting.

I tightened my grip around the wheel. I hadn’t slept much, and it sure as hell wasn’t because of work.

She was different today. No, maybe we were different. The way she’d looked at me this morning — quick, sharp, then soft, like she hated herself for it — it burned a hole straight through my chest.

And like the masochistic idiot I was, I wanted her to look at me like that again. Wanted her to keep looking until there was nothing left of me.

I didn’t realize how hard I was gripping the wheel until her voice cut through the silence.

"You don’t have to drive me home, you know," she said, dry as ever. "Don’t you have pending contracts and investors breathing down your neck or something?"

The words were casual. The glance she threw at me wasn’t. Soft, quick, gone before I could fully catch it.

I forced a smirk. "My contracts can wait." I shifted into the next lane without looking, like I wasn’t starting to come apart inside. "Investors too. They’ll live."

She huffed a laugh under her breath, almost like she couldn’t believe me. "You really do whatever the hell you want, huh?"

"Yeah." I dragged my gaze to her for a second, just a second, before I looked back at the road. "And I earned it."

She scoffed, head tilting back against the seat, her hair tumbling down her shoulder like some cruel fucking temptation.

God.

God, the things I wanted to do to her. The things I wanted to be for her.

I tightened my jaw and refocused on the road. Another minute and I’d be pulling over just to feel her again.

Her building came into view faster than I wanted. I slowed the car to a stop in front of the curb, killing the engine with a sharp twist of my wrist.

Aria undid her seatbelt, movements quick, almost clumsy. She grabbed her bag, muttering a thanks under her breath as she swung the door open.

I stayed sitting there. Watching. Waiting. Wanting. Pretending I wasn’t aching for another kiss, another touch, before she disappeared out of sight.

She made it three steps away before she hesitated. Her fingers curled tighter around the strap of her bag.

Then —

She turned around, biting her bottom lip like she hated herself for what she was about to say.

"If you want," she said, not meeting my eyes, "you can come in. Just for a bit."

My hand tightened around the gear shift. Slowly, I leaned back in my seat. And with a smirk—

"Do you want me to come inside?"

My voice came out rougher than I intended.

She shot me a glare sharp enough to slice skin. But her cheeks reddened. That beautiful, traitorous blush.

"Yeah." She muttered. "I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t."

For a second, I didn’t move. I just stared at her standing there under the overcast sky, looking so damn brave and fragile all at once. Something dangerous twisted in my gut. I pushed the door open and got out without another word.

She walked ahead of me, a little faster than usual, like she was trying to pretend I wasn’t right behind her.

But I saw everything.

The way her hair shifted with every step. The casual sway of her hips that she probably didn’t even realize was slowly turning me inside out. Aria could light up the fucking world without even trying.

We reached the building, and the noise spilled out even before we stepped inside—muffled screams, some cheap party music, kids laughing too loud. A goddamn circus. I didn’t give a shit about any of it though, because my eyes stayed locked on her.

She shifted awkwardly on her feet at the door, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear like she was nervous.

God, it did something to me — seeing her like that. She rang the doorbell, quick and impatient, like she wanted to get this over with.

I almost laughed under my breath. She could pretend all she wanted. She could roll her eyes and snap and act like she didn’t want me here. But she hadn’t told me to fuck off either.

And that was enough.

The door swung open so fast I thought it might come off the damn hinges. Standing there was a woman who looked a lot like Aria, same sharp cheekbones, same dark hair—golden eyes, except she had a panicked look on her face and was juggling what looked like paper plates and a half-deflated balloon.

This had to be Olivia.

Her eyes flickered to Aria first, relief softening her expression, but when her gaze shifted to me...

Yeah. She froze like she’d just seen a god crash their shitty little party.

Aria tried to introduce me. Tried being the key word.

"This is...uh...Kael...he’s my...boss..."

Her voice stumbled over itself like she was twelve again and got caught sneaking out past curfew. It was fucking adorable.

I offered a small, polite smile.

"Kael Roman. Nice to meet you."

Olivia barely managed to mumble something back before a blur of energy slammed into Aria’s side.

Some kid. No. Kaleb. Her nephew.

"Ariaaaa!" he screeched, throwing himself at her like a missile. She staggered a little, laughing as she caught him in her arms.

That laugh—

God.

I could live a thousand lifetimes and never hear anything sweeter.

I found myself watching the way she held him, like he was the most precious thing in the world. The way her smile lit up every shadow in the room. Something tugged at my chest, something so raw and unexpected that I almost didn’t recognize it.

I was fucking jealous. Of an eight-year-old.