Chapter 23. A Kiss

Joan POV

“Are you avoiding me, kitten?” Aaron asked, leaning casually against the kitchen island while I focused on arranging the flowers in a vase.

I didn’t bother to respond, ignoring the urge to roll my eyes into the back of my head. Jesus, he is infuriating.

He doesn’t get to stroll in here, acting like everything is fine, like he hasn’t done anything wrong. Because he had, and he knew it.

I grabbed a glass, filled it with water, and took a long sip, more to buy time than to quench my thirst.

“That’s a question that requires an answer,” he said. His voice was calm, but I could feel the weight of his gaze as I placed the glass down on the counter.

His eyebrow lifted, his sharp eyes probing mine, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He was smart enough to figure out I was ignoring him, so why was he pushing?

Turning my back on him, I tried to walk out of the kitchen, but his hand shot out, gripping my arm. Annoy