Darren’s dick jerked in his pants. That mouth.“I think you are an arrogant smartass that likes to get off by feeling superior.”
Aiden’s expression gave nothing away. Didn’t change, didn’t falter. It simply remained the same, a mask devoid of any emotion.A disguise, there to hide his true intentions, whatever they were.
“How insightful. Is that the conclusion you reached based on your background in GN Intelligence?” he shot back, gaze narrowing.
Darren wanted to shove him into the wall and shut him up with his dick. To watch that mouth stretch around his girth and drip saliva. “I didn’t need to rely onanyIntelligence background to derive that much.”
“I’m impressed, Mr. Howe.” Aiden broke away from the glare, another notification dragging his attention back to the screen. “But also, you are free to go, seeing as lunch isalmost over. There are peaches today. You wouldn’t want to miss them.”
Darren pulled back and let go of the desk, shaking his head at the stern look Aiden threw him. Had he gone too far? Calling the acting warden an arrogant smartass in his face was probably not the smartest thing to do. But he’d gotten lost in the moment, trying to irk up the stone-faced man, to get past that immaculate façade Aiden seemed adept at maintaining when all that Darren wanted was to tear it down and see a hint of the realness under it. To figure him out and whether there was more to his advances. Because he’d not imagined it, the haunted rawness that called out to him through the warden’s hazel eyes. Aiden Kesley was hiding something, and it was up to Darren to figure it out. Whatever it was, it existed, if currently suppressed, he was sure of that just like he was sure he’d overstepped.
Was Aiden going to cut him loose because of his big mouth though? He certainly had every right to since inmates justdidn’ttalk to wardens this way.
Darren was two steps out the door, saying goodbye to his half-a-day long secretary career when Aiden cleared his throat.
“Tomorrow, come after classes are over,” he said, arms folded over his chest and eyes narrowed in that evaluating manner from earlier. Like he was looking for something.
“Got it, warden,” Darren acknowledged with an apologetic smile that turned into an ear-wide grin the moment he stepped into the hallway.
The way Darren would grimace at each new invoice made the corners of Aiden’s lips arch up despite him fighting it. His blood stirred, heat flooding him. He hadn’t expected his silly method of petty torture to work so well, but he had to give it to man—Darren did not lack intelligence. Irritatingly so and to the point where Aiden had to really stifle down the need to haul himself over the desk and strangle the man just because intelligence was a trait he found genuinely attractive.
Along with Nyle, Darren was always at the top of the class too, working hard and making it so that Aiden looked forward to holding debate-type discussions just so he could have those two in opposite corners. Observing Darren, the way he built his arguments, the way he approached every problem, the way he prioritized and compartmentalized to arrive at the best possible solution was all part of Aiden’s mission, a way to figure out Darren Howe and find a weakness he could exploit. That was all there was to it, or at least Aiden told himself so, choosing not to dig deeper into his own motives.
Or into the way his stomach knotted whenever he caught Darren’s tongue peeking out and running over his pierced lip.
Aiden was fixated on that little ornament. He wondered how it would feel against his own tongue, his teeth pulling on it, his lips pressing into it. Such thoughts and no business swirling around in his head, but he couldn’t always stop them. They just happened, his will and better judgment powerless to keep them at bay.
Despite the occasional protesting sound escaping him, Darren finished the pile by lunch time and left. He didn’t complain even once, nor did he attempt to make small talk until after he’d completed his task. And then, with a little help from Aiden’s sharp remarks—a means to test the waters and get a better feel for whom he was up against—he’d gone wild and called Aidenan arrogant smartass.
Aiden scowled at the screen as he hit send on yet another report. Maybe he was, he didn’t deny that. Only his goal mattered while everything else was simply white noise, variables and roles to use and abuse so he could reach that elusive truth. It had taken him a while to find this sanctuary of numbness within himself, and he liked it there. It allowed him to focus only on the important things, to survive and ignore those feelings that made him want to scream and cry and break things.
Aiden leaned back into his chair and stared at the white ceiling where a square of recessed lights shone dimly. Coming across as full of himself was not something he worried about. Even more so since his unintended self-importance clearly worked in his favor and he had Darren Howe right where he wanted the man. Opening up, more and more with every interaction. Giving Aiden power over him beyond the one he already had as a warden.
A rush of heat raised Aiden’s hackles when Darren’s flirty smirk flashed in his mind. He’d allowed Darren to get close,so close, so he had been able to pick up on the soapy scent of prison shampoo.
Anger and disgust stirred in his gut. Why had he allowed it? Why had he gotten carried away for those few seconds and let Darren speak to him like this? It furthered his goal, but he knew, even if he refused to acknowledgeit, that there was another reason behind his response to Darren’s attractive smile.
Aiden took out the amber stone from his pocket, gritting his teeth. Pain struck his chest, squeezing his lungs and making it a little harder to breathe. He couldn’t allow this thing between him and Darren, whatever it was. He had to shut down his reactions and stay focused. He wanted this to be over… He wanted the answers he was owed and Darren Howe dead.
A bolt of anxiety rushed through Aiden, but he used his budding anger to squish it. The guards were already accounted for—courtesy of the salary increase and the effort he put into building a relationship with them—and the field repairs were progressing at the projected rate. Perhaps another week and they would finish, giving Aiden plenty of time to take care of the few outstanding things before all the key pieces of his plan were in place for the accident.
And when that was all taken care of, Claudia could finally have justice.
Chapter 13
The most important thingabout staging an accident was preparation. Everything had to be accounted for, every scenario considered, and every pawn had to be in its place.
“Good morning, Lin,” Aiden greeted the supervisor of the renovation team, who was headed up the ramp. “How are we getting along?”
The work on the repairs was going well from what Aiden could tell and with each passing day the few small scuffles between the prisoners dwindled too as a buzz of excitement settled across Horizons. Darren Howe, on the other hand, seemed more interested in helping Aiden get the books in order than the improved infrastructure, though he’d toned down his familiarity after that first day, letting Aiden dictate the pace.
Aiden liked that, and not just because he was the warden. It allowed him to control the dynamic, to steer things the way he wanted to so he could line themup just right for the next stage of his plan. It was all coming together so perfectly that he couldn’t help but worry every time he got a few moments of downtime.
What if he was missing something between making sure the prison was functioning while he worked late on Claudia’s case? His sleep was shit and his meds made it hard to focus sometimes. But he had the habit of checking. He was detail-oriented and cautious even when he wasn’t at his best.
“Ah, Warden Kesley. I was just thinking of stopping by your office, so your timing is perfect. We just have the glass change and the flooring left and I can sign-off the repairs.” Lin flashed him a toothy grin, tipping his head at the refurbished entertainment unit, where a gym section and an IT corner with three flat screens and a media player had replaced the debris from the impact.
“When will that be?” Aiden asked as they walked by the workout area. Along with the usual machines, there were various devices and installations hanging from the solid beams overhead, including a punching bag, hoops and climbing rope.
