Golden Hour Trap

"You're doing it again," Maya whispered, sliding into the chair beside him after a lively conversation with a group of travelers.

She was flushed from the sun, her eyes sparkling. "You're scaring the poor people, Aiden. Just relax. It’s a vacation."

Aiden didn't look at the group she had just left. He looked only at her, his expression unreadable. "I am relaxed," he lied, his voice flat.

He reached out, taking her hand and pulling it onto his lap, his grip firm. "I just don't understand why you need their approval. Or their company."

"I don't need their approval, I just like people!" she laughed, oblivious to the fact that his hand was gripping her wrist a fraction too hard. "You’re so antisocial. Come on, there’s a beach party tonight. Everyone’s going."

"We are not going," Aiden said, his voice dropping to a dangerous, low pitch.

"I already told them we would," she countered, her smile never faltering.

She leaned in, trying to coax him with a playful nudge of her shoulder. "Don't be like this. Just once, let go of the control."

Aiden felt the familiar, sharp sting of jealousy. It wasn't that he didn't trust her; it was that he hated the way the world looked at her—the way they thought they had a right to her smile, her attention, her time.

He was a man who only felt safe when he was the only one in her orbit, and being surrounded by strangers felt like losing his grip.

He stood up abruptly, dragging her to her feet with him. The sudden movement silenced the table nearby. He didn't care. He pulled her toward the path leading back to their villa, his pace long and aggressive.

"Aiden, wait! You're hurting my hand!" she protested, though her tone was more surprised than pained.

He stopped then, spinning around to face her. His face was inches from hers, his eyes dark with a mix of possessive rage and a raw, hidden hurt that he would never admit aloud.

"You want to be 'carefree'?" he growled, his hand moving to the back of her neck, his fingers tangling into her hair. "Fine. But you don't get to be carefree with them. You are only allowed to be that way with me."

He leaned down, his forehead pressing against hers, his breath hitching. "You have no idea what you do to me when you look at them like that. It makes me want to lock you in that room and never let anyone see you again."

Maya felt a jolt of excitement mixed with the apprehension. She reached up, cupping his face, her thumb tracing the hard line of his lips. "Then do it," she teased softly, her eyes searching his. "Be the villain for once. Show me how much you hate them looking at me."

Aiden's eyes flared, a dark, hungry promise shimmering in their depths. He didn't answer with words; he simply scooped her up into his arms, ignoring the curious stares of the tourists on the beach, and carried her back toward the sanctuary of their room, leaving the party and the rest of the world behind.

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