A deal with the devil.
Jamie’s POV
I never told Aiden what I saw that night.
The flash of light in the hallway had been quick, catching only a silhouette at the edge of my vision, the curve of a lens vanishing as fast as it had appeared. For a moment, I wondered if I had imagined it.
And deep down I didn’t care if someone had seen us. Maybe the reckless, possessive part of me wanted the world to see the truth we kept burying under lies. I wanted them to know he wasn’t as untouchable as he looked on camera—because in private, he belonged to me.
After the event, I retrieved the car. Aiden didn’t speak, he just slumped into the passenger seat, the glittering mask of Hollywood stripped from his face. I dismissed his driver and took the wheel myself, steering us through the quiet city streets.
The drive was peaceful, almost intimate in its silence. Neon lights from shop signs and billboards flashed across his face, gently highlighting his exhaustion. At a stoplight, I let my hand rest on his thigh, firm and grounding. He sighed, the tension leaving his shoulders like a slow exhale.
By the time we reached my apartment, the silence between us had turned heavy with something I knew well. Need. Longing. The kind of tension that only broke one way.
The door had barely clicked shut behind us before I grabbed his tie and pulled him in.
He exhaled my name like a secret. “Jamie…”
“Where were we?” I murmured, brushing my lips across his jaw.
He didn’t answer with words. He bolted towards me instead, his lips crashing into mine, all showing signs of need and relief. I caught him, kissed him back slowly at first, then deepened it until he groaned against my mouth.
He melted instantly, the polished star finally giving way to the man who belonged only to me. My hands found his hair, I tugged them gently, just enough to make him groan softly, and his arms were locked around my waist.
My hands found his jacket, I slipped it off his shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. He shivered under my touch, and I guided him backward until he hit the couch. Our lips collided in a kiss that burned with everything we’ve been denying under fake smiles and flashing lights. I leaned over him, caging him in with my arms.
“You’ve been starving for this,” I murmured, letting my lips trace the curve of his jaw.
“You have no idea,” he whispered, his voice hot and rough.
“Oh, I do,” I said, my tone steady, letting my hand slide under his shirt, feeling his chest rise under my touch. “I can feel it.” And I’m not done with you yet.
Every brush of my fingers, every kiss, was deliberate. I made him wait, I made him beg with the way his hands gripped my shirt, the way his eyes came shut under my touch. Heat pulsed between us, sharp and consuming, and for the first time all night, he wasn’t the star the world worshipped. He was just Aiden—mine to unravel, mine to control, mine to command.
Time quickly went by, while sparks flew. The world outside didn’t exist. Only the soft gasps he gave me, the way he clung to me like he’d drown without my anchor, the way I drew every ounce of control from him. I had him exactly where I wanted him—soft, vulnerable,mine.
Eventually, exhaustion won. He rested his head against my chest, his breathing slow and even. I held him there, watching the rise and fall of his chest, and a quiet satisfaction curled in my chest.
I watched him for a long while, the lines of tension gone from his face. While sleeping, Aiden Vale looked nothing like the man the world screamed for. He looked like my secret victory, my greatest weakness, my greatest possession all at once. And for a fleeting moment, I felt something like triumph.
He was asleep in my arms—utterly at peace.
And that peace was mine to give.
The next morning, sunlight crept across the room. My phone buzzed with the sound I’d learned to dread, gossip notifications.
Another photo.
The headline glared back at me:
IS AIDEN VALE’S MYSTERY PARTNER A MAN?
The back‑of‑the‑head hallway shot was already everywhere. Blurry, grainy—but the curve of his neck, the tilt of his jaw, the way he leaned into me? It was enough to ignite another firestorm.
Aiden’s phone rang, loud and sharp.
He blinked, trying to be awake, his voice groggy. “Mom?”
I could hear her through the phone even without speaker—sharp, furious, a blade of sound cutting through the quiet morning.
Aiden! What have you done? What were you thinking? Do you understand what this means? Do you understand the risk? Her words were like rapid gunfire.
“Another photo? First the window, now this? You are playing with your career, Aiden!” One more slip and your career is over!
“I—Mom, calm down—”
He tried to speak, but she didn’t let him.
“Calm down?” she snapped. “I warned you. First the window, now this hallway nonsense? I will fix this, but you will do exactly as I say. No excuses. Leona is being called today. She will meet you tonight at the hotel. You will smile, the press will see her and we will erase this before it buries you.
She hung up before he could answer.
Aiden let the phone drop to his chest and closed his eyes, his hand trembling slightly. He met my eyes, shame and helplessness tangled in his gaze. “She’s furious. She’s handling it… as usual. She’s bringing Leona in today to… cover this up.”
I leaned back against the headboard, letting the words sink in. It didn’t shock me. Nothing Victoria Vale did could surprise me anymore.
“Of course she is,” I said evenly.
He turned to me, with guilt in his eyes. “Jamie…”
“Don’t bother.” I kept my voice calm but firm. “You don’t need to explain. I’ve known since the first day—your mother loves your image more than she loves the man behind it.
He looked away, silent.
You need to go Aiden! You know how Victoria is. I’m pretty sure she has started calling anyone and everyone to start preparing for tonight.. I quickly added, almost as if I was chasing him away. Maybe I was.
He didn’t say anything. He just leaned in and planted a kiss on my lips passionately, instantly making me forget what just occurred.
“I’ll see you later tonight Jamie” he responded and headed to the living room. He got his clothes and started putting them on. Then picking up his jacket of the floor, he flung them over his shoulders and casually walked out smiling.
God! he knew how to get to me