“A kid who somehow blames Thomas for killing his dad? But Holly filed rape charges. Surely, she wouldn’t raise a kid to think her rapist was a good guy, right?” Felix asked.
Mac shook his head, gesturing helplessly. “Hard to say at this point.”
Aiden’s head hurt. “Okay, this is getting us nowhere. It’s late. Everyone’s tired. Give Calliope whatever information you got from that site and we’ll pick this up in the morning like I said.”
Everybody nodded. People stood and stretched, talking softly to each other as they filed from the room. Calliope stayed where she was, her dagger-like nails flying over the keyboard. Aiden couldn’t imagine how anybody could type with those talons, but she seemed unbothered.
“You need to get some sleep, too,” Aiden said.
“Fuck that. If these guys were on the web—myweb—talking shit aboutmyfamily, I’m not sleeping until I find them. Go take care of Thomas. I’ve got this.”
“You need to rest,” Aiden prodded gently.
She shot him a mutinous glare. “I need to figure out who handed two toddlers a venomous snake. Go. I’m good. I never sleep more than four hours a night as it is.”
“What? How are you alive?”
“Sheer force of will,” Calliope promised.
Aiden snorted. “Don’t you need your beauty sleep?”
Calliope put a hand under her chin and fluttered her lashes. “Oh, darling. Petty keeps me pretty.”
Aiden shook his head. “Good night, Calliope.”
“Night, Aiden,” she sang as the door closed.
* * *
Aiden made sure all the doors were locked and alarms engaged, then texted the others so they knew as well. The last thing he needed was the whole house at defcon five because someone decided they wanted some fresh air. He thought about checking on Thomas in the nursery, but decided to give him some time with the girls. They always soothed something in him, even if he was just watching them sleep.
Instead, he went to his room and checked his email before deciding on a quick shower. Standing beneath the scalding water, it was impossible not to think about Thomas. Was he in bed already? If Aiden made his way to his room, would he reject him? The boys already knew about them. They clearly didn’t give a fuck. Was that enough? Would it finally be enough for Thomas? He needed it to be. How much longer could he be expected to stay away from him? He was already going insane trying not to touch him every time they were alone in a room together.
Thomas was Aiden’s favorite drug and he was close enough to have him clawing at the walls, so close but not close enough to satisfy. Fuck. He turned off the faucet, toweling off quickly before throwing on a t-shirt and sweatpants just for the sake of decency, then headed out the door before he changed his mind.
He paused outside Thomas’s room, hand poised to knock. He expected he’d find Thomas in bed, but that wasn’t the reason he didn’t want to knock. He didn’t want to give him a chance to refuse him. He knew how fucked up that sounded but he was fucked up. Thomas had fucked him up, had tugged at his sanity year after year until Aiden didn’t care what was right or wrong anymore. He just…wanted. He needed Thomas, needed him like he needed air.
He dropped his hand to the knob, relieved when it turned without issue. He hadn’t locked him out. Something unknotted within him. He stopped short just inside the door when he realized nobody was in there. All he could see was the soft amber glow of a lamp in the corner.
He frowned. Where the hell was Thomas? There was no way he was still in the nursery; it was after one in the morning. He was about to turn and leave when he heard something from deeper within the room, opposite the bathroom. Thomas’s closet. He padded closer, his footfalls silent on the carpeted floor. When he reached the doorway of the sprawling walk-in, his heart stopped.
Thomas stood to the left of the door, facing a low dresser against the mirrored wall, a gun in his hand, so focused on the weapon he didn’t even see Aiden in the reflection. Aiden’s first instinct was to rush to him and snatch the weapon from his hand. But he pushed the thought back, watching as Thomas just stared at it. What the fuck was he thinking? Surely not the worst, right? He wouldn’t ever be so cruel as to try to take himself out of the equation. They couldn’t do this without him. Any of it. Aiden couldn’t go on without him.
He was crossing the room before he could stop himself, wrapping his arms around Thomas from behind, gripping his hands. Thomas sucked in a sharp breath, his startled gaze meeting Aiden’s in the mirror. That was when he realized there was a mirrored wall behind them as well.
Thomas stiffened in his arms for just a moment, then sort of melted against him, his bare skin warm even through Aiden’s t-shirt. He gently took the gun from Thomas and set it down, but kept him pinned where he was against the dresser, watching Thomas’s face in the mirror as he gave into his needs and trailed open-mouth kisses along his throat.
“Fuck, you always smell so good,” Aiden murmured, dropping his hands to his waist, then splaying fingers across his chest and belly as he sucked a red mark onto his neck.
“What are you doing?” Thomas asked, pressing his ass against Aiden’s half-hard cock.
“Requesting a do-over,” Aiden said, his fingers finding Thomas’s nipple and tugging it until he sucked in a breath. “I love when you make that sound,” Aiden admitted. “I love that I canmake youmake that sound.”
Thomas flushed but said, “A do-over?”
“Mm, a do-over,” he murmured, letting one hand slide up into Thomas’s hair and twisting his head to capture his mouth in a dirty kiss that lingered. “I didn’t take my time with you last time,” he said as he let him go, returning to exploring Thomas’s bare skin with his mouth.
“You didn’t?” Thomas asked, tilting his head to give Aiden better access.
