Aiden had worked so hard to create a life that ran parallel to Thomas but never intersected, but now, those world’s were colliding, collapsing into each other at an alarming rate. If this ended badly, he’d have no safe spaces left.
Anywhere.
Thomas was on edge. It felt like they were barreling closer to the truth and he wasn’t sure how he should feel about it. No matter the answer, it wouldn’t be anything good. There was no peace to be found from this. Whoever was out to destroy him knew everything.
But why were they stalling? Thomas hadn’t paid. Why didn’t the blackmailer just release what they knew? Because it wasn’t about that. It was about revenge. Revenge for Shane? But why? Fuck. It made no sense. Part of Thomas just wished the asshole would go public already. It had to be easier than carrying this giant fucking secret forever. What was the worst that could happen? The public learned his family wasn’t perfect?
Or would people dig deeper?
That was the real fear. That once they knew the truth, people would want to know more and more and they might eventually realize that his family’s past wasn’t even the tip of the iceberg in the grand scheme of shocking secrets. Not by a long shot. Covering up a murder/suicide? Scandalous, for sure. A family of homicidal vigilantes? A death sentence. A real one.
Aiden studied his profile from the passenger seat, his worry evident. Thomas could practically hear him trying to figure out how to make it better, how to make it right. And Thomas wanted so badly to let him.
That was the other problem. When Aiden was with him, it was so much easier to just let him fix things. Aiden was good at fixing things. He was good at managing crises. He was good at managing Thomas.
Too good.
Before Aiden, Thomas had spent years solving his own problems. That was who he needed to be now. For the family. He needed to be the leader. It was what was expected of him. It was what was right.
But now that Aiden was there—right there beside him—Thomas had a hard time letting go of this pull to just let him take care of everything. But he had to stop relying on him so much. That was the right thing to do. He should be taking care of Aiden, not the other way around.
Fuck.
Thomas had let the others leave the coroner’s house first, ensuring they were far out of sight before he stepped on the gas and eased onto the barely-there road. He thought about turning on the radio, just for something to take his mind off his thoughts, but couldn’t bring himself to lift his hand off the wheel long enough to reach for the button.
He jumped when Aiden’s hand landed on his thigh, squeezing gently. “You good?”
Aiden’s voice slid over him like silk. That low timbre just did something to his insides. How did he do it? How did Aiden carry himself like he knew all the secrets of the universe? Like he always knew the right thing to do? There had never been a time—not even when he was eighteen—that Aiden hadn’t walked with the confidence of ten men.
“I’m fine,” Thomas managed, even though it was obvious he wasn’t.
Aiden smirked at him, eyeing his semi-hard erection, his hand sliding farther up Thomas’s thigh at a pace designed to torment. “You sure?”
That level of ego was intoxicating. Thomas’s kink was competence, it seemed. And Aiden did everything well. Thomas took a shuddering breath as Aiden’s thumb traced the outline of his now rigid cock.
Yeah, everything.
He let his knees fall open as much as he could while driving, letting Aiden know he wasn’t opposed to whatever he had in mind. His tongue darted out to wet his lower lip, and he stole a glance, only to find Aiden looking at him like he was about to tear him apart.
Fuck, how did he do that? How did he make Thomas’s heart hurt and his cock ache at the same time? He shifted in his seat, wanting more of Aiden touching him, but Aiden refused, teasing his thumb along Thomas’s zipper in a light touch that made him squirm.
When Thomas groaned, Aiden chuckled, then leaned into his space, his other hand landing on the back of his neck to hold him steady while he traced the shell of his ear with his tongue. “Eyes on the road.”
“They’re on the road,” Thomas said, once more trying to coax Aiden’s hand on his dick to do something.
“What’s wrong?” Aiden teased, applying just enough pressure to make Thomas grind against his palm.
“You’re distracting me,” Thomas chastised. “We could get into an accident.”
“Mm,” Aiden agreed. “Should I stop, Tommy?”
“You should stop being such a fucking tease,” Thomas murmured.
Aiden sucked at his earlobe, squeezing the back of his neck and his cock in tandem. “Okay, I can do that. But you need to pull the car over. Safety first.”
Thomas didn’t pull over, just hit the brake and threw it in park, turning to press his lips to Aiden’s. He let him kiss him but didn’t deepen the kiss.
“Tell me what you want,” Aiden said, licking over the seam of his lips.
