"Thank you guys so much," Aurora said, genuinely smiling as she turned to the bodyguards hauling dozens of luxury shopping bags.
"Am I troublesome?"
"Not at all, ma'am," one of them answered with a salute. "This is our job. Who are we to complain?"She raised a brow. "Hey, you guys are human too. Look at all these bags—and you're carrying them alone?"
"Ma'am, please don't worry about us. This is nothing," another one responded firmly, his voice sincere.Aurora tilted her head slightly, her heart warming. They really are sweet. She had already taken a liking to them. There was no arrogance in their tone only duty.
She'd insisted that only two bodyguards accompany her and Angel into the mall, while the rest guarded the entrances and patrolled the perimeter like an elite secret service unit.
"Urhm, listen… you guys can go ahead and put the bags inside the car," Aurora said gently. "I'll just go find Angel—I think she's in the manager's office."
"Yes, ma'am," one of them nodded. "We'll be right back." Phew, she sighed inwardly, watching them disappear with the bags. Now I can move around like a normal person… at least for a few minutes. She giggled softly at her own childishness and headed toward the beverages section.
She wasn't sure why she'd gone there—something just drew her in. Her fingers lightly brushed along the tops of fine wines and imported bottles of champagne. She stared absently at the shelves, lost in thought.
But then…
Something shifted.Her body tensed.
Someone's here.She could feel it. A presence. A heavy, pressing gaze on her back too strong to ignore.She froze, slowly turning her head.No one.But the feeling didn't fade.
In fact, it intensified.A chill raced down her spine. The kind that warns you before a storm breaks.
"I know someone's here…" she whispered under her breath. "Hello? Is someone there?"
Silence.She spun again, scanning the aisle.
Still nothing.Her chest rose and fell faster. Was I overthinking? She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. Get it together, Aurora. It's probably just your imagination.
Still, she moved away quickly and went to find Angel."Hey! Where have you been?" Angel asked, eyebrows raised."I was just around," Aurora said casually."Just around?" Angel crossed her arms. "Your guards have been looking for you like crazy." "Oo please, Angel, cover for me," Aurora pleaded. "I just wanted to escape from them for a little while. Having all those eyes following me around was drawing too much attention. You know I hate that."
Angel rolled her eyes but smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Fine. I'll cover for you."Suddenly, she perked up and pointed. "Hey, look over there."
Aurora turned and her heart skipped.Jake and Maxwell were walking toward them, both looking devastatingly handsome and powerful in tailored suits.Aurora grinned and planted a quick kiss on Maxwell's cheek, while Angel did the same to Jake.
Maxwell immediately wrapped his arms around Angel and kissed her passionately, like the world didn't exist. People stopped. Cameras flashed. But he didn't care.Jake narrowed his gaze and folded his arms.
"Hey, you two should at least pretend to be ashamed," he said, clearly annoyed by the public display.Maxwell didn't even glance at him. Angel giggled into the kiss.
Jake scoffed. "Now I think it's our turn," he muttered, turning to Aurora.He pulled her close to his chest, one hand firmly on her waist. He leaned in to kiss her, but Aurora backed away quickly, placing a hand on his chest."Hey—not so fast," she teased. "Are you forgetting something?"
Jake blinked. "What now?"
"I told you I didn't brush this morning."
Before he could respond, she reached up and pinched his ear playfully."Ouch! Ouch! Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" Jake laughed as she released him. "Please let go of my ear, ma'am."Aurora giggled at the ridiculous expression on his face, but he wasn't done.
"What's that grin for?" she asked suspiciously. "What are you thinking?"
Jake didn't reply. Instead, he suddenly cupped her waist, pulled her against him, and crashed his lips onto hers.The kiss was hot, demanding consuming.He was devouring her, sucking on her lips like they were made of strawberries and honey. She let herself drown in it until she needed to breathe and pulled back, panting.Jake stared at her with a wicked smile.
"Aurora… your lips taste sweeter when you don't brush."What?!" she gasped in disbelief.
"Hey! Stop teasing me!" she shoved him lightly, red-faced.Jake chuckled. "Please try your best to avoid brushing from now on."
"Jaaaake!"He laughed even louder, proud of himself.