Aiden sputtered. His cheeks grew even redder as his eyes narrowed at me.
A sense of unease filled me, as I got the feeling I had missed something important along the way.
“So, what? Now you’re going to sit there and try to explain my own feelings to me? You couldn’t possibly understand what I’m thinking or feeling right now, Nate!”
His eyes went wide, and he slapped a hand over his mouth at his words.
“Shit. I’m so sorry. That wasn’t… I didn’t… That came out wrong.”
I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle. Everything about Aiden was a breath of fresh air—from his anger, his honesty, and even his embarrassment.
“You’re right,” I conceded as I cocked my head and studied him. “I shouldn’t have assumed anything. Just, I know from past experiences what comes next when people realize I’m… different.”
I shrugged, trying to feign indifference, but the buzz of vulnerability made my skin feel itchy. I wasn’t used to feeling so exposed. To make matters worse, I was sure I wasn’t fooling him. “It’s a lot and not something most people want to stick around and deal with.”
“That sounds… lonely,” he said. His expression was soft and sorrowful enough that I couldn’t help but nod in agreement with his words. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, little bird. It is what it is.” I let out a sigh and stood. “Come on, let’s get you home.”
He frowned but said nothing else as we walked out of the restaurant. When we got to the parking lot, I remembered we had driven separately. The pang of sorrow was like a punch to the gut as I realized I didn’t even get to take him home one last time.
My eyes tracked him as he walked through the lot, before he stopped between our cars. I wasn’t sure what I expected him to do, but I hadn’t expected him to roll his eyes and tease me.
“Are you going to wait until next month’s anniversary to unlock the door so I can get in?”
My legs carried me over to where he stood before I even made the decision to go to him. His words bounced around my head as I tried to wrap my mind around it.
Next month’s anniversary.
But there wouldn’t be a next anniversary, would there?
“I thought you would take your car.” It was the stupidest thing I could have said, and from the soft look on his face, he knew it too. But he didn’t call me out on it.
“Unlock the damn door, Daddy.”
My head swam at his words, and for a moment, I considered asking him to drive.
But just call me a genie in a bottle, because his wish was my command.
I wasn’t sure what he expected when we got to his house, and the drive was filled mostly with tense silence as I contemplated all the things that had been shared during dinner.
The most logical thing for me to do would be to kill him, and soon. A small part of me craved to feel his blood on my hands for the way he made me feel. But I knew it couldn’t be that night because his partner knew we’d gone to dinner, and that would have made me the prime suspect.
And it wouldn’t take a genius to be able to put the pieces together when he was hunting a serial killer and his boyfriend was a psychopath.
Then again, there were plenty of psychopaths—many more than most people realized—who were able to live full and productive lives and never hurt anyone. When I looked at Aiden, I wished I could be one of those people. He deserved better than me and my defective brain.
“Aiden—” I tried to leave him at the door, nice and safe, but he cut me off by pulling me against him and slamming the door closed as our lips connected.
“Shut up,” he mumbled as he let out a sigh when my tongue snaked out of my mouth to seek entrance to his.
I officially shut up. If this beautiful and intelligent man wanted me despite my flaws, I didn’t think I was strong enough to walk away on my own.
My hands cupped his face as I slowed the kiss and walked him backward toward the stairs so we could get to his bedroom. I might not have had words for him, but I could show him how I felt by making my little bird fly.
When we made it to the bedroom, I picked him up, and he immediately wrapped his legs around my waist, rotating his hips and igniting sparks as our cocks glided together through the fabric.
“Fuck, Daddy,” he whimpered in my arms as he let his head fall back and began to rut against me in earnest. “You always make me feel so good.” His voice was full of awe, and his eyes were already blown and glazed over.
