Missing (The Brannock Siblings Book 3), page 9
He had called her 'babe' several times before, but each and every time it made her feel like she was about to melt to the floor in a giant puddle. He couldn't know how the endearment affected her. If he did, it could only be assumed that he loved to torture her and she would continue to let him. She drew in a deep, cleansing breath before she finally spoke. "I suddenly don't even want to see the place. It's in a shitty part of town anyway so I'm better off without it."
He studied her face for several seconds then dropped his fingers away from her chin and clasped her hand in his. "I've been wanting to talk to you about that for a while now. Come on."
She followed him inside his apartment and dropped her purse on the counter when he released her hand. Every time she saw the bare walls and sparse furnishings, she felt a brief moment of bewilderment. His personality wasn't nearly as empty as this place.
When he shrugged off his jacket and tugged his tie loose, she watched him closely. He always looked so comfortable in his own skin, and every effortless movement made her mouth go dry. His shoulder holster was strapped on and his badge was clipped to his belt. Never before had she thought that a cop could look so sexy, but he did. He looked like a man with a purpose in this life.
"I have a place that I use as storage," he stated and gestured for her to sit with him at the table. "I recently cleaned it out and there is plenty of room for you to set something up, lots of space to store your paintings, too."
"I'm sorry?"
"I think it would be more useful as a studio for you than storage for me. It's right across the street."
"Gus, I couldn't take-"
"It's just a suggestion, Aiden. I didn't think it would take you so long to find a place and I would rather you not end up going somewhere that you aren't safe."
She hated accepting help for anything. Especially when it came to her painting. She had purchased everything on her own, found it on her own; did everything she could on her own. But he was right and she hated to admit it. His concern for her safety wasn't really a surprise, but it grated on her already frazzled state for unknown reasons. He wasn't supposed to care so much.
"I'll think about it."
He nodded and grasped her hand once more. "You're a good friend, Aiden. I was an ass and I want to make it up to you."
"Gus-"
"Please? Just really think about it."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Okay."
"You're going to consider it?"
"Yes."
"You're going to forget about the dump you were supposed to see today?"
"Yes," she nodded without hesitation.
"You're going to have dinner with me tonight?"
"Yes… Wait!"
"Nope, too late," he winked.
She shook her head, trying to be angry with him, but it was impossible so she ended up laughing instead. When she looked back up at him, he was rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands as if he was fighting off a headache and she could only imagine how tired he must be. His schedule was never light and the hours he had been working lately were unpredictable and extensive.
"Tell me why you look so tired, Gus. You've worked long hours before, but lately…"
He sighed and squeezed her hand before he started to play with her fingers, running the length of them between his own. It was an intimate motion that made her stomach flutter and her cheeks heat. He didn't seem to even realize he was doing it.
"We've got a case that is frustrating all of us. I know you are aware of this, but I mostly focus on missing persons, mainly children. You'd be surprised how many calls we get. A lot of them end up resolving within twenty four hours. A missing child that went to a friend's house without letting the parents know or even a kid taking a nap in the bathroom cabinet and never hearing the parents shouting for her. Those are the good ones. Then there are the ones that involve a sick fuck who just wants to torture people. Sorry."
He had never apologized for his language before which made her wonder how run down he truly was.
"Several weeks ago, a little girl was taken from her mother while they were playing in the park. She was missing for a few days before my partner and I got a tip on where to find her. She was in an abandoned warehouse and there was nothing pointing to the person that took her. Shortly after that, a little boy was taken and it was a mess. Ransom, missed deadline, parents thinking their child had been killed. I almost quit my job during that case because I just couldn't take it anymore. Then we got lucky. Too lucky. Another ransom demand ended up with the guy just dropping the boy in the middle of a store.
"This was the same week as our blind date. Couple days before it actually. I hoped the kidnapper had left. Taken off to another city and given up on his new hobby. Then we got a letter from him. He was warning us that he was about to take another kid."
"Did he?" she asked anxiously.
He shook his head, "Not yet. Which is almost worse. We have no way of preventing it and nothing to go on except a glimpse of the back of the guy on camera."
"Can the children identify him?"
He shook his head again, this time slumping his shoulders more and looking like he wanted to just go to sleep for days. She had no experience with anyone in law enforcement, but she could imagine the daily stress of the job. It made her career look like a piece of cake. Gus seemed to be struggling more over the last few weeks than he ever had since she had first known him.
"This guy has been too careful. We literally have nothing. It's embarrassing and frustrating and too damn convenient. Plus, he knows more about the children and their families than we originally thought. At first, it seemed random, but now… the families either know this guy personally or he's got the skills to obtain private information. Either way, he's one step ahead of us."
That was seriously messed up. What kind of world was it that you couldn't trust anyone, even the people you know and talk to often? Her thoughts went to Aiden, her little niece that was so damn sweet and such a huge part of her life. What would she do if Aiden was taken from them?
"My partner, Evan Lincoln, and I wanted to take a breather this weekend. Regroup on Monday, so I'm basically on call today and tomorrow."
She wasn't sure why, but the need to fix this for him was gnawing away at her. What could she possibly do to make it any easier for him? Nothing. "I know this is a long shot, but if there is anything I can do…"
He entwined their fingers together and lifted her hand to his lips, placing the softest of kisses to her knuckles. "I'll let you know, but don't count on it. I wouldn't want you anywhere near this case in the first place. It's weighing on me pretty hard, I don't want it affecting you, too."
For some reason, she wanted to take the burden off of him, share in his frustration so he wouldn't have to do it alone. It was a strange feeling, but not unwelcome like she expected it to be.
She stared down at their hands, hers so small and engulfed so perfectly in his, the place his lips had touched was still burning. The familiar hum that had started off as intriguing was starting to become a major distraction that she didn't know if she wanted to face, no matter how good it felt.
"Aiden."
Their gazes locked, his blue and grey eyes staring intently into hers like it was the only place he wanted to be. How many times had she started painting those colors, moving them across the canvas only to realize they didn't even come close to the real thing. "Yeah?"
"I…" he stopped, swallowing hard and looking away, as if he changed his mind about whatever it was he wanted to say. "I appreciate you being here. I think I'm going to hit the sack and then tonight I'll make you some dinner."
"Gus, if you're tired there is no need-"
"I'm making you dinner, babe. No backing out of it and you're going to help me."
She threw her head back and laughed, the tension between them still ever present, but lighter. "Sure I am."
"You are. Think of it as a cooking lesson."
"Oh God. You are in for a treat then, Gus."
He gave her his smile, the one that made her heart skip a beat and all the heat in her body pool between her legs. "I sure am."
***
Watching Gus cook was probably one of the sexiest things she had ever seen in her entire life. Yes, she attempted to help at first, but when she nearly cut her finger off and left the butter softening in the microwave for too long that it exploded everywhere, he told her to sit back and relax. Oh, he laughed. Laughed a little more than she liked and even said that in his family, he was the worst cook out of all of them so she was making him look good.
He was making her Fettuccini Alfredo with garlic bread and it smelled delicious. He actually made his own sauce, a sauce that he said was his mother's favorite and she had made sure all of her kids could memorize the recipe. After he let her taste it, she honestly couldn't imagine anything tasting better.
Now that was sexy. Still, watching him stir, strain, spread, and serve that meal… just the image of it made her mouth water.
Yep, she was losing it.
Conversation was steady and easy, no awkward lulls or uncomfortable questions. They strictly kept the topic on anything but his job. He asked about how she got into art which she told him started with finger painting that led to photography and eventually more.
"Do you sell any of the pictures you take?"
"I do," she nodded and took another bite of pasta, chewing slowly and enjoying the rare opportunity to have a gourmet meal. "I don't put a lot of them up for sale since I usually end up putting them on the canvas, but I have sold a few that were just too good not to."
Gus smiled. "I'd like to see some of them, if that's possible."
She swallowed her last bite, barely getting it past the lump of nerves that had formed in her throat. His request was genuine and knowing how much his opinion actually mattered to her, made her second guess herself. "Sure," she squeaked.
"You ready?"
"For what?"
"To see your hopefully future studio."
"Oh, yes." She helped clear the table, both of them agreeing to come back and do the dishes together afterwards.
They walked down the stairs, side by side, in silence. He held her hand as they crossed the street and winked when she waited for him to open the door to the building, sending those nervous flutters into complete chaos. The apartment was on the second floor and from the looks of it, the building was in excellent condition. He stopped in front of the last door and hastily handed her the key.
"Go ahead, check it out."
She unlocked the deadbolt and pushed it open gently. Her hands were shaking with excitement and the smile Gus was throwing her way wasn't helping her racing heart. He looked just as wound up as she felt.
The door squeaked open and they stepped inside, barely seeing past the darkness. Gus flicked on the light and she immediately knew this was the place she had been looking for. Not only was it the perfect size to fit all of her stuff, but the windows faced west and from what she could already tell, would be the perfect spot. Images of sunsets, all different colors of them, and silhouettes of skyscrapers flew through her mind.
She glanced around the room, taking it all in slowly. The kitchen was just a small counter, a sink, and a couple appliances; perfect. The area for a bedroom was raised on a small platform a couple steps up and the floor was dark hardwood, the walls white; freshly painted.
"Did you paint?" She turned to find Gus watching her, a look in his eyes that would have made her catch her breath if she wasn't already holding it in from excitement.
He raked a hand through his short hair and looked around. "Yeah, a few nights ago. Needed a touch up."
"Tell me the truth Gus. Did you clean this out for me?"
He met her steady gaze and nodded. "I didn't need it. You do. Plus, there's still enough room for me to keep a few things. The rest is yours."
"Why?"
He stepped toward her, in her space like always. "Your paintings are beautiful, Aiden. If having this place makes it easier for you to do what you love, then… why not?"
"How much will it be?"
He stepped closer, this time his hands raised up to her shoulders, his fingers softly grazing her neck as he swept her hair back. "Nothing. I don't pay much anyway."
"No, Gus. I have money that I can pay you each month. Don't do this for-"
"Tell you what. You decorate my place with all your work, this place is yours for as long as you'd like."
The look on his face confirmed that there was no argument she could use that he wouldn't counter. She would have to take it his way or leave it completely and she had already fallen in love with the small space.
"Thank you, Gus."
His fingers lightly brushed over the sensitive skin of her neck once more, sending a shiver over her body. "You're welcome."
Neither of them moved. Aiden couldn't have moved from that spot, feeling his hands on her skin and his breath fanning her face; no, she couldn't have moved unless a semi truck plowed over her. His thundercloud eyes darkened, flickered back and forth between her own eyes and her lips. He did that a lot. Did he not know how it affected her? She could barely breathe being this close to him, but that look in his eyes and the way his touch made her burn… it was all too much. She wanted the kiss that she knew the both of them were imagining. Needed it.
The need to be closer to him was excruciating. She would have liked to think it was because of the pull between them that their situation was turning into that 'more' she had been wanting for herself for so long, that constant heat of their attraction to each other. It could have been exactly that, but she questioned it when he suddenly pulled away.
Her heart plummeted and her mind told her that she should have known better. They were just friends and it needed to stay that way.
Right?
"So, you'll take it?" His voice was strained and it made the ache his distance caused deepen until she couldn't think past it.
With the tension in the room still very present, it took her a moment to process what he was asking. "Um, yes. As long as you'll let me."
"It's yours."
Mine, she thought as she watched him cross the room to the window where the setting sun was no longer beautiful to her. The exhilaration she had been experiencing was rapidly waning. The one thing she suddenly wanted to be hers, wasn't.
Oh God, I actually like him. Want him.
No. Not like. More.
More than she knew what to do with and the thought was terrifying. No man had ever made her question her priorities. She loved her family, her work, but she knew that when the day came that she met the one, everything would change. She had been so careful, so attentive to the course her life was taking that she figured she'd have control of that change when the time came. Now she was so completely lost and she had no idea how to control it.
Would being with Gus destroy her? She didn't consider herself a needy woman, but the thought of him going to work every day and not knowing if he would come back… it had already caused her endless hours of worry and they were just friends.
So why did she feel the need to be there for him? Why did she feel like she was the only one that could?
***
"Wake up, Aiden! You're running late."
She struggled to open her eyes, her head pounding from the lack of sleep over the last several days. After dinner with Gus, she had spent the rest of the night organizing her paintings and setting aside the ones she thought he would like. She had been gradually moving her work to the studio and ended up spending hours at a time just sitting by the window, wondering what the hell she had gotten herself into.
She was falling in love with the man she had so indisputably hated just weeks ago and it was consuming her. There was no way to stop it. She didn't know why she even wanted to stop it. She didn't, but telling herself she did made her feel better. Tougher. Like she could just casually go about her day not pining over him or thinking about him every two minutes.
She was working on it, but it wasn't looking good and the last four nights were proof of that. She hadn't seen or spoken to Gus since she had left his apartment after their moment in her new studio and she felt like the biggest coward. She wanted him. God, did she want him. She just couldn't figure out how it would work. She had to think about her sister, who was telling her she was being an idiot.
She knew she was and that's what pissed her off the most.
The men from her past never dove any deeper than the shallow waters she had allowed them in. She had slept with two of them, but it wasn't about feelings, it was about release. Change was never a worry because none of those men put her in that position.
She knew it was ridiculous, thinking she had to choose between her family and a man, but her mind just wouldn't give it up. Lily's marriage had been intense in the beginning and she hadn't hesitated to give Brandon everything. Lily had recovered, but Aiden didn't think she was capable of that, especially when the man she could see herself giving everything to could be the man that destroyed her so completely. Being so consumed by him, she hadn't even checked her profile, didn't care about another man's interest. They didn't exist to her, not when he was all she could see.
Her room was bathed in the dim grey of early evening. Not a damn color in sight. Gloomy.
Figures.
"Aiden! Get your ass up and dressed. You've been sleeping for four hours."
Her sister's exasperation was expected, but her yell was so loud that Aiden's head throbbed with each word.
"Good God, Lily. Pipe down and switch off the megaphone. I'm getting up."
"Well, I've been trying to wake you up gently for the last half hour, but you've been dead as a log. You've only got an hour before you have to be at the gallery and you haven't even wrapped your paintings."
Shit.
"Alright. I'm moving."
Lily walked into the bedroom - apparently deciding that her yelling wasn't working anyway - and stared down at her sister. "You alright, Aid?"
Aiden nodded as she crawled out of her warm fluffy bed. She couldn't look her sister in the eye knowing that her own attitude was completely uncalled for. There was no way she could change it now.
