I assumed this building had a great vantage point. I couldn’t imagine why she’d insisted on this rooftop.
“Why?”
“There’s a journalist in apartment 7C I thought you’d be interested in seeing.”
“Aiden?” She already knew my identity. There was no point in trying to hide my connection to him.
“You need to stop being selfish. We do this for reasons beyond ourselves. When you have somebody worth saving, you’ll understand why we put on the masks.”
Before I could answer, the woman jumped off the ledge. I peered downward as she somersaulted, and my muscles tensed as I prepared for a splat. But Hellcat lived up to her vigilante namesake. With an arm held out, something shot from under her jacket. Grappling onto a building, she sped downward until the line tightened. The woman looked like a modern-day Tarzan as she soared upward, covering blocks in a few seconds.
“Not fair,” I mumbled. I think I’d rather take on a supervillain.
12
It’d only take a knock.Inches separated my knuckles from connecting with the metal door. I saved innocents, foiled robbers… hell, I stopped bullets with my chest. But staring at the embossed 7C on Aiden’s door, I feared I had met my match.
“Just knock.” Even whispering the words caused my heart to beat a little faster. I wasn’t there because he saved me, and no villain required heroic intervention. This was a simple emotion tying knots in my stomach. The conflict played out like a turbulent storm. One moment my brain retreated and my heart said, “I want this,” and in the next, the script flipped. I wanted this, but did I deserve it?
Two knocks came from the other side of the door. I nearly jumped from the confident bang echoing through the hallway.
“In case you weren’t sure how doors worked.” Even muffled through the door, I imagined the words came with a sly grin. It should have calmed my nerves, but knowing Aiden was only inches away, the butterflies flapped with reckless abandon.
I knocked.
“Who’s there?”
Was he really going to make me say it? I owed him my life, but groveling was not on the agenda. I scowled at the small eyehole, ready to give him a sarcastic remark. Betrayed by my body, my knuckles struck the door. Well, might as well go for broke and do it again.
The door opened and Aiden tried looking surprised. “Were you waiting long?” He could fight it, but the edge of his lip turned up. I didn’t like that he held all the cards, but seeing him in a white undershirt and a pair of basketball shorts, he stole my breath.
“Xander…” his voice turned serious. “Are you okay?”
I wasn’t okay. I was smitten.
“Uh, I wanted to see you.” I could bury it underneath sexual innuendo and the thought of him straddling my hips. But the truth of the matter… it was that shit-eating grin that I wanted to see. I had never been an emotional man, but it was the truth. I wanted to see his stupid face.
“Here I am.”
“You’re going to make this awkward, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “I’m enjoying this.”
Despite surviving a shotgun blast, the playful banter from this handsome man nearly did me in. I spent the majority of my day nestled in the comfort of my rage, a general annoyance for the world. But here, with the man I daydreamed about, I could barely form words.
“I wanted to say thanks.” I slid my hands in my pockets, trying to avoid being any more awkward than necessary. “You know, for saving my life.” I dropped my eyes.
“You could have said that in a text.”
Alejandro would be in stitches when he heard how the mere sight of Aiden evaporated my swagger. Even Griffin had more game than I did at that moment. I balled my hands into fists in my pockets, mustering the courage to put it all on the table.
In a graceful movement, his hand slid to my back and…
Aiden kissed me.
Rushed, his lips pressed against mine, his beard brushing against my chin. He lingered, and with my eyes closed, I could only sense the confidence. I could have shown up, dropped my pants and spent the night sweaty, but my heart spoke louder than my cock.
The kiss was soft, and too quickly, he pulled back. I leaned in, chasing one more second. The first move had been made, but I wouldn’t let it be the last. I wanted—no, I needed whatever drug he pumped in my veins.
