Page 64 of Off Limits Daddy

Deep down, I knew that was a dangerous sentiment. I knew myself well enough to know that I'd want to break the barriers she held up, maybe convince Veronica Marsden that some entanglements might just be worth it after all.

I must have been drifting when the soft click of the door roused me. The faint glow from the hallway silhouetted Veronica as she stepped into the room.

I sat up, my heart picking up a beat as I squinted through the darkness.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" Her voice was a whisper.

"Nah, I was just lying here thinking." My attempt at nonchalance might have worked better if my voice hadn't betrayed the surprise that she was here. "You got news about the case?"

She moved closer, the ambient light casting shadows across her face. "Nothing new to report." There was a weariness to her words that spoke of long hours, dead ends, and frustration. "Tomorrow, I'd like to ask Aiden to look at some pictures. Members of the Crew. See if he recognizes anyone."

"Veronica, you know that's going to scare him." My words were firm, edged with the need to shield Aiden from any more darkness.

"I know." I heard her reluctance in her tone. "But it's necessary, Duncan. We need his help to put these guys away."

I sighed, running a hand over my head in frustration before letting it drop back onto the bed. She was right. I knew it deep down. Aiden and I were in a bubble, outside of reality. Butthat didn't mean reality couldn't reach us. As long as someone wanted to get Aiden, we'd always be vulnerable.

"Okay. We'll do it in the morning."

"Okay."

I sat and waited, expecting her to turn and leave. Disappointment filled me as she did just that. Except she didn't leave. She shut the door and began to undress. I said nothing, just watching as her clothes fell away and the moonlight cast an ethereal glow over her skin. Warrior angel.

She climbed into bed beside me, looking at me but saying nothing. But nothing needed to be said. She was accepting my offer. That knowledge calmed the storm within me.

I pulled her to me, kissing her temple. "Thank you."

Her hand pressed on my chest. "No expectations."

I smiled even as my chest constricted. Looking down at her lovely green eyes, I expected so much. Wanted to much. But I nodded. "No expectations." Then I shucked off my pants, rolled her under me, and filled her body, felt her wrap around me and make me feel whole.

The next morning, the January sunlight poured through the windows, casting a deceptive warm glow across the dining room that we'd transformed into a makeshift classroom. Aiden was halfway through a math problem, his face pinched in concentration, when Veronica joined us. She had that look in her eyes, a blend of resolve and kindness that she reserved for the toughest parts of her job.

She glanced at me, and I nodded.

"Hey, buddy, let's take a break." I took his paper and pencil from him. I sat down next to him as Veronica sat on the other side.

"Aiden, I need your help."

His brow furrowed as he looked from her to me. I nodded to encourage him.

She set pictures on the table. "Can you tell me if any of these men were the one you saw at school?"

Aiden tensed, and I set my hand on his back to let him know I was there. Veronica slowly set each photo in front of him. With each one he looked at, he retreated further into himself. My chest tightened as I watched him have to wrestle with the monster in his memories.

Then he stopped, his finger hovering over one picture.

Veronica leaned in closer. "Is this the man from school?"

He nodded.

Her brow furrowed, as if she wasn't expecting that. She then set Aiden's picture of the two bodies by the car in front of him. "Was he here too?"

Aiden flinched and leaned over to me.

"It's okay, buddy. We're safe. This is going to help get the bad guys."

Aiden nodded then buried his head in my chest.

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