“Every single time.”
With a slight nod, he ended the session. I set the pillow aside and reached the door. With a hiss, the hydraulic locks pulled into the door. If this was how he protected our privacy, it made me wonder if there were other defensive mechanisms hidden behind his diploma or the box of tissues.
“All good?”
Aiden looked up from an issue of Revelations. I stopped, rolling my eyes as he held it up, pointing at the cover. Of course, I knew the journalist behind spotlightingVanguard’s newest hero. The image of me holding a pose bordered on gaudy, but it had landed him cover billing.
“I hope the reporter captured just how sexy I am.”
He snorted. “Or how single you’re about to be.”
Aiden had insisted I see a therapist. At first I protested, but after seeing me at my best and worst, he was certain which version of me he wanted to date. But that hadn’t been the catalyst, even if it was a well-intentioned shove. It was him asking, “Is this who you want to be?”
Like each time before, he wrapped his arms around my neck. Not once had he asked about the sessions or what I talked about with the doctor. No, Aiden knew better. Instead, he took a moment to acknowledge my efforts and check in with me.
With a kiss on the cheek, he held me close. “Everything okay?”
“It’s getting there.” Emotional honesty, not my strongest trait. But with Aiden, he had seen me at my worst, and yet he still sat in a gray waiting room to ensure I wasn’t alone. “I’m doing better.”
“I’m proud of you.” He whispered the words as he rested his chin on my shoulder.
“Me too.” Dr. Solaris made it part of our weekly ritual for me to take time and acknowledge my successes. Our first session had all been about brute strength or imprisoning a bad guy. Now, they were about accepting the partsof myself I didn’t particularly like or taking a moment to reflect on my rush to judgment.
They also included being vulnerable. I could stop a mind-control machine from enslaving the people of Vanguard, but indulging in matters of the heart, that remained a source of discomfort.
“Do you want to grab sushi?”
“Can we get it to go?”
“If you don’t want?—”
But I was getting better.
“Sushi sounds perfect.” I kissed him on the cheek. “On the couch, so I can curl up in your lap after and watch T.V.”
“My couch or yours?”
There were two gray towels on the rack in the bathroom. I had spent enough nights at Aiden that he had promoted me to having my own towel. I couldn’t help but blush. He understood the difficulty of expressing my emotions with words.
The water evaporated from my skin as the fire rolled from head to toe. I didn’t need the towel, but the fact he had learned my love language, that was a feat unto itself.
I froze at the thought.
“Love,” I whispered. The word had hung on the tip of my tongue more than once as he caressed my chest until Ifell asleep. For all we had been through, I hoped he understood that word fueled every action.
“Xander,” Aiden called from the living room.
Was he in danger? I flung the door open with enough force it pulled from the hinges. I expected to see a villain standing on the fire escape. But all that greeted me was Aiden reclining on the couch in nothing but a jockstrap.
“Uh…” I eyed the door. “I’ll fix that.”
“Just like the window?” I glanced at the taped cracks on the glass. Okay, I really needed to practice more with my everyday strength. At this rate, somebody was going to catch on by the property damage I left in my wake.
“You can work it off.” The devilish smirk spread across his face before he glanced at the bulge barely hidden by the sparse bit of fabric. Suddenly, the broken door didn’t seem so important.
I stepped between him and the coffee table. One of the suit’s arms pushed the table out of the way, giving me space to kneel between his legs. I appreciated that an alien suit complimented my libido. Even more amazing, Aiden hardly raised an eyebrow when I used my powers for a little extra oomph in the bedroom.
“You are beautiful.” The words were breathy and didn’t come close to describing the awe before me. I kneeled, running my hand down his chest, tracing the hair as it spread across his stomach. Aiden struggled to comprehend that a guy with a belly and thick legs could be admired. Forthree months, a day didn’t pass where I neglected to remind him.
