She inhaled a sharp breath. “I’m not normally like this.”
“That’s good to know. I’d hate to think about you screaming and moaning like that with a bunch of other blokes.” He nipped at her nose, kissed her cheek, and winked at her as he stood up and approached the bathroom.
She reached for her shorts and top and followed him in. Bright red sparks of heat flushed her skin as she observed Aiden’s naked and toned body.
He adjusted the knob in the mammoth shower, stepped out, and surprised her by slapping her bare ass. “Care to shower with me?” He beamed at her.
“Should we talk—was that okay?” She grimaced at the realization that she was letting her shy side show. No. I’m not ready to be you again.
“I think it was a little better than okay.” He smiled as he knocked her clothes from her hands to the tiled floor. He reached for her and drew her against him, his body hardening already. “Tell you what. Let’s spend the next hour pretending that the world doesn’t exist.”
Before she could respond, he pulled her into the shower and pressed her back against the tiled wall. The water rained down on top of them as he pinned her arms above her head—his mouth capturing hers.
“What time is it?” Ava pulled the silky covers closer to her chin, allowing the warmth of the bed and the proximity to Aiden soothe her semi-achy muscles.
He glanced over at his phone. “Noon.”
“Wow, we’ve been in this bed for a few hours, huh?” She rolled to her side, jutted out her elbow, and rested her head in her palm. “Thanks for the distraction this morning.”
A rich and hearty laugh tumbled free from him. “Is that all I am to you? A distraction?” He poked her in the sternum as he faced her, a broad smile filling his face.
“You know what I mean,” she said, poking him right back.
He reached for her free hand and brought it to his lips.
“So, I have to ask. Were you a singer in your previous life? You know, before owning a bar?”
He lowered her hand back to the bed as he laced his fingers with hers. “No. Just sang in some bars in Dublin when I was a teenager, trying to earn some cash for college in the States.”
“And why’d you want to come to the U.S.?” She wondered whether he would evade her question as he’d avoided all other personal conversation.
“For the women, of course.”
“Of course,” she joked, before realizing the conversation needed to get serious at some point. It couldn’t be delicious fun all morning, could it? “Aiden?”
“Yeah?” He released his grip on her hand and plumped his pillow a little before facing her again.
“You mentioned that Michael saved you in the Marines—and saved you a few months ago. How long were you in the Marines?”
She saw the hesitation in his face, the way his lips pressed together and his forehead crinkled a little. “Ava, I don’t talk about my past.”
“But why not?” she couldn’t help but ask. “You know a lot about me.”
“Not really,” he responded.
“Yes, you do. You know stuff that is top secret, even. And you know about my sister.”
“I only know bits and pieces about you. Tell me more.”
“And if I do, will you let me know a little more about you? Help me unlock some of the mystery that is Aiden O’Connor?”
He stared at her for a few moments, his blue eyes appraising her. “Deal.”
Surprise flickered on her face at his response. “Thank you.” She relaxed back onto her pillow and stared up at the trey ceiling. “What do you want to know about me?”
“Why you haven’t had an orgasm from sex, to start.”
She jerked upright in the bed, the sheet falling to expose her breasts. She glared at him while angling her head.
His gaze wandered to her chest and up to her lips. “You ought to cover yourself, or we won’t be doing much talking,” he suggested with a deep, silky voice.
She cleared her throat and snatched the sheet back up. She laid down and rolled to her side to face him again. “You’re naughty.” And I think I like it.
“Well?”
“You seriously want an answer to that?” she asked, lifting her brows.
His eyes glinted with amusement as he nodded.
God, you’re hot. “Well, I haven’t had many boyfriends. I’m too busy. And I guess no one ever really did it for me. No one really took the time to try to make me feel . . .” Her cheeks reddened as her face warmed. “I don’t trust men all that much, to be honest. So, I guess I never really opened my body up.”
Aiden wet his lips before speaking. “And you trust me, huh?”
“I think I get into my head too much and, with you, it wasn’t planned. I’ve never had sex with a stranger before.”
“So, now I’m a stranger?” he responded with a raspy voice.
She winced. “No. I just mean—”
“I know what you mean. Relax.” He cocked his head a little as his eyes focused on her mouth. “When was your last boyfriend?”
Why was he curious about her love life? “Two years ago. I broke up with him before I moved to Maryland.”
“So you chose the job over him, huh?” He pulled her closer.
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “I wasn’t in love or anything.” Not that I know what love even feels like.
“Hm. Interesting.”
“What?” She sat up a little but made sure she kept the sheet close. “What are you thinking?”
“I thought I was the one with commitment issues. Guess I’ve met my match.”
“I don’t have issues.”
“Sure, love.”
She snorted. “Okay.” She pressed her palms against his chest and pushed away from him a little. “Now your turn.”
“I’ve barely asked anything,” he lamented.
“I’m going to hurt you, Aiden.” She tilted her head and squinted at him. “Please, just tell me something about yourself.”
He scratched the dark stubble that covered his face. “You chose a job over a relationship, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, my job didn’t allow me to have any relationships.”
“What did you do before owning the bar that prevented you from dating?” She cocked a brow.
“Never mind that.” He leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers in one quick kiss. “Come on. Let’s get some grub. We have a whole shitload of reality to face outside of this room.”
She watched him jump out of bed and reach to the floor for his clothes. The man had an ass that was just un-freaking-believable, she decided. “Are you ever going to open up? You know, be real with me?” she asked as he turned to face her.
“Babe, it doesn’t get any more real than when you’re with me.” He winked at her before pulling his T-shirt over his head. “And when you feel the need to get real again, you just let me know.”
“You drive me nuts,” she said, leering at him. “But thank you.”
“For what?” he asked as he started for the door.
“For giving me a few hours to feel good. To forget about the shit storm that I’m in.”
He nodded at her. “That we are in,” he corrected before leaving the room.
Ava covered her face with her hands and attempted to quell the uneasy feeling that was snaking its way up her spine. She swung her legs down, and her feet found the ground.
Now she just needed to save Henry.
Prevent a chemical attack.
And stay alive.
Chapter Ten
Aiden watched Ava from the corner of his eye as she pushed rigatoni into her mouth. They’d spent the last five hours going over her story, trying to come up with plausible ideas and pestering Michael for help, but they’d come up empty handed. Ava looked defeated. She slouched forward over her food, and her blue eyes appeared haunted, almost dead. The sexy and alluring woman from the morning was an empty shell.
He wanted to help. He wanted to give her ho
pe. But he was still grasping at thin air. What could he possibly say to her?
The buzzing of his phone in his pocket sent a jolt through his system. He retrieved his phone and studied the message. “She’s awake,” he announced after reading Michael’s text.
“What?” Ava dropped her fork and jumped up from her seat. “Let’s go.”
Aiden rose to his feet and thrust his cell phone back in his pocket before catching up with Ava, who was already waiting by the elevator doors in the foyer, which would take them straight to the parking garage down below. Michael’s Uptown loft sat at the top of a building a mere mile from the pulse of the city. “Let’s hope she’s able to talk,” he said as they stepped into the elevator.
He looked down and saw her balling her hands at her sides. He could feel the waves of nervousness pinging off of her. “You okay?” he asked as the doors chimed open. Stupid question, Aiden. How can she be okay?
“Sure. Glad she’s awake. I just hope she’s okay,” she responded with an almost strangled voice.
He nodded, and they made their way to Michael’s Lexus. “We’ll be there in five minutes,” he said after punching the hospital address into the GPS on his phone. “Have you ever been to Charlotte?” He slipped behind the wheel.
“No, but I like it, aside from being attacked by the men in black.” A sheepish grin appeared on her face.
At least she could still find humor in the situation. That was sexy as hell. Aiden tried not to think about Ava’s legs wrapped around him, but as he drove, the image proved to calm his rapid pulse. Something about Ava, in general, made him feel at ease—except, of course, the first time they’d met, when she’d said Sophia’s name and called that woman his mother.
He tried to muster up some feeling of remorse for what had happened this morning. For making Ava tremble beneath him numerous times. He knew he should feel guilty. It was wrong on so many levels. But it felt so damn right. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d lost his willpower over a woman—maybe never.
“Aiden?”
How many times had she said his name like that? He swallowed and glanced over at her after switching lanes. “Yeah?”
“Are we going to survive this thing?”
He couldn’t blame her for such heavy thoughts. There were large forces working against them.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“Everything will be okay.” He tightened his grip on the wheel as he pulled into the hospital parking garage.
“You’re sure?”
Why do you trust me? “Aye,” he finally responded as he parked.
Her bottom lip tucked between her teeth as she nodded. “What floor is she on?”
“Ten.” They checked in with security and made their way up to the room.
Aiden approached the two guards outside the door; they were on Michael’s payroll, so they were expecting him. “I’m Aiden.” He shook both of the guards’ hands. “Has anyone shown up?”
The younger of the two guards nodded. “Her brother was here. He left about five minutes ago.”
“Okay.” He glanced around before he reached for Ava’s hand and entered Kat’s room.
Kat sat upright in the bed at the sight of Ava.
“Kat.” Ava rushed to the bedside and reached for her hand, but Kat retracted her arm.
“What are you doing here? You’re going to get me hurt—again,” Kat said in a mumbled whisper.
Aiden remained near the door, noting the look of hurt that spread across Ava’s pretty face. She took a step back and rubbed her hands against her jeans. “Kat, why do you think I’m dangerous? I don’t understand.”
Kat smoothed a hand through her messy blonde hair before rubbing the back of her neck. “They told me to stay away from you.”
“They—who?” Ava’s eyes widened, and she took a small step toward the bed, but Kat cringed at the movement, and Ava two-stepped back.
Kat’s light eyes darted over to Aiden, distrust etched in every line of her nearly flawless, young skin. “Who is he?”
“He’s Henry’s nephew. He’s here to help. He called for security to protect you.”
Aiden could tell that Ava was trying to reassure Kat, but for some reason, Kat wasn’t going for it. “Kat, we want to help, but you have to be square with us. Whoever attacked you in the alley last night, they came after Ava, too. You’re both not safe.”
Kat’s gaze shifted back and forth between Ava and Aiden for a few moments, probably contemplating whether or not they could be trusted.
“Can you tell me what happened on Monday?” Ava asked when Kat maintained her silence.
Kat snapped her eyes shut and gripped her bedsheet, pulling it close to her chest. “You know how Eddie and I carpool, right? Well, Eddie called me super early Monday morning and told me he had an errand to run before work, so I would need to drive myself. Well, since I was already up, I decided to head to the lab and get some work done before you guys showed up. You and Henry are always working, so I thought it’d be a nice change for me to be there before you or Henry came.” She shook her head and opened her eyes. “Anyways, when I got to the lab, it was spotless. When I left the building in a panic—I was greeted by two secret agent guys. And the next thing I knew I was stuck in the middle of some interrogation. Some tough-looking guy asked questions about Henry, about the lab. About you.”
“Me? But not Eddie?” Ava’s shoulders slumped forward as she took a seat in the nearby chair.
“He said that the project we’d been working on was highly classified, and he had concerns that either you, or Henry, or both of you, ran off with sensitive information. Apparently you two were the only ones missing. They told me Eddie was in another room being questioned at the same time as me.”
“That’s ridiculous. I wasn’t missing. I probably got to the lab shortly after you.” Ava rubbed a hand over her face. “The agents must’ve just dropped you off at their so-called secret facility and then learned I was at the CSAC office—they rushed into the director’s office to get me shortly after I got there.”
“I don’t know what to believe.” Kat pursed her lips together as her attention shifted between Aiden and Ava.
“If I’m the bad guy—why’d they let me go?” Ava challenged while folding her arms.
Aiden kept his eyes on Ava, respecting her even more as the seconds ticked by. She was one hell of a woman.
Kat sighed. “But what about Henry? What’s his story?”
“He’s—well, he’s still missing.”
Aiden could see the look of distress painted on Ava’s face. Was she beginning to doubt Henry?
“I don’t know about any of this. All I know is that the guy who questioned me told me to phone him immediately if you or Henry approached me. I guess I assumed that meant you were dangerous—considering he told me he had concerns about you. Then the agent insisted I get out of town for a while.”
“Why’d you leave me that voicemail then?”
“They told me to.”
“What? Why?”
Kat shrugged. “I don’t know.” She placed a hand to her core. “I don’t feel so good.”
“Kat? Someone attacked you last night. We want to keep you safe. If there is anything else you can tell us that will help—” Aiden was interrupted by the entrance of a tall, fairly young-looking doctor.
The doctor’s dark rimmed glasses were perched on the edge of his nose as he studied the clipboard in his hand. “I’m Doctor Lambert. Are you family?”
“No, they’re not,” Kat answered.
“Well, I need a few moments with the patient, if you don’t mind. You can come back in soon.”
Ava rose from her chair and gave Kat one last look. “Come on, Aiden,” she said with apparent disappointment chomping at her. They walked out of the room, and the doctor shut the door behind them.
“I just don’t understand why that agency, whoever they are, thinks I’m responsible for this somehow, or that Henry is, for that matter. They
’re wasting their resources if they are chasing after me. Do you think it was that agency tailing me outside your bar that night?”
Aiden shoved his hands in his jeans’ pockets and nodded. “Probably.”
Ava tapped her right cheek with her fingers, deep in thought. “Maybe I should go back to Maryland? I need to tell them about the attacks. Maybe they’ll believe me now.”
Aiden reached out for her arm and narrowed his eyes on her. “No. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
What was he supposed to say? If he told her the truth, he’d reveal more than he wanted to. “Um.” He looked up to see the doctor leaving the room. The man nodded at them and continued down the hall.
“What is it, Aiden? What aren’t you telling me?”
Before he could think of something intelligible to say, he heard loud shrieking sounds from Kat’s room.
Ava jerked away from him and darted to the room, rushing in at full speed. “Oh God.”
Aiden followed her in and watched as Kat’s body convulsed on the bed, her vitals slipping.
A team of doctors and nurses came in full throttle.
“Hospital staff only,” someone shouted.
Aiden grabbed Ava by the hand and dragged her out of the room. “Come on,” he demanded.
“But—”
“We gotta find that doctor. He did this,” Aiden yelled as took off down the hall, pulling Ava along with him.
“Oh God,” she yelped. “And we let him just walk in.”
Aiden looked to the elevators. “Shit. We’re not going to catch up with him.”
“Is she going to die?” Ava gulped.
“I don’t know.”
Three years ago, Ava had watched her friend at Berkeley have a seizure. She was in the middle of the lab, and her friend just dropped to the floor. Her body jerked on the ground with her eyes wide open. Ava hadn’t panicked then. She called 911 and kneeled to the ground to try and help.
But watching Kat in that moment, she’d all but frozen in shock. If Kat died, was it Ava’s fault somehow? Would any of this have happened if she and Henry hadn’t completed the chemical equation? Who else could have known that they’d even finished?
The Hidden Truths Series Box Set Page 34