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But it was warm and cozy, and she liked the sound of hisbreathing and the way she felt with his arm around her. Safe. Protected.Beloved.
Just a minute more and she would get up.
She drifted to sleep, letting the darkness surround themlike they were the only people in all the world.
* * * *
“Dude, someone fucked you up.”
TJ looked at Aidan O’Malley. Aidan had shown up bright andearly with his fiancée, Carys Taggart, in tow. She was currently hanging out inthe kitchen with his cousins and Lou. There was the smell of bacon and coffeefloating around, and he wanted to join them but nope. He had to follow Aidan’sfinger with his eyes and get his blood pressure checked.
“That’s what happens when you’re kidnapped by a Bavarianmobster,” TJ shot back.
He sat on Tasha’s bed, the comforter rumpled, and there wasstill an indentation on the pillow where Lou had lain her head.
“Have you had any headaches?” Aidan tilted his head up so hecould get a look at the bump over his left eye.
“I feel fine with the exception of being sore as hell.” Andhis dick hurt, but that wasn’t the aforementioned mobster’s fault. It was Lou’sbecause she was so sexy and pretty and he hadn’t been able to get inside heryet.
He probably wouldn’t have a real chance until they went tothe club.
Tonight. He needed to play it cool and not freak her out.Once they were on the dungeon floor, she would sink into the play and be in themoment. Like she’d been before when they were in the cell.
Aidan brought up a small flashlight. “I need to check yourpupils. I don’t think you have a concussion because Cooper would have caughtthat, but I like to be thorough.”
Cooper had in fact checked his pupils, but he’d suspectedAidan would put him through it all again.
Aidan was a second-year resident at one of Dallas’s largesthospitals. He was working on becoming a trauma surgeon, while Carys was doingher OB-GYN residency or she would be in here, too, giving her opinion. Carysand Aidan could be playfully competitive, but some of that light was gone fromhis friend’s eyes now, likely because Tristan wasn’t with them. TJ rememberedwhen all three of them would have been joking and teasing and Tristan would saythat he didn’t need medical school because he’d been forced to watch threehundred seasons of Grey’s Anatomy.
“Do you feel groggy? Did you have a hard time waking up?”Aidan asked as he moved to the other eye.
TJ fought not to blink. “Well, I was definitely hard. Shit.Did I say that out loud? I’m jet-lagged and spent a good portion of the lastcouple of days drugged out of my mind. And not in a fun, chose-this-path way.”
Aidan looked like a younger version of his father, LiamO’Donnell. He had dark hair that was always a bit too long and intelligentgreen eyes. He was wearing scrubs because he was going straight to work afterhe left. He glanced over at the bed, likely putting together the fact that bothpillows had been used. He frowned. “You brought a woman here? In Lou’s house?”
Did everyone think he was an asshole? He didn’t spend aterrific amount of time with Aidan, but he thought the guy knew him better. “Iwould never do that. I wouldn’t have done it before, and I won’t do it now orever.”
Aidan’s expression went blank, and then he seemed to figureit out. “Lou slept with you?”
“Lou slept beside me,” he corrected. “And it’s not likethat’s such a big deal. I spend a lot of time here and the couch sucks, so Isometimes fall asleep on her bed. I’m staying for a couple of months this timearound, so Tash is letting me have her room. Lou kept me company, and she fellasleep.”
“I do not get that,” Aidan replied, pulling a stethoscope outof his bag. “I don’t get the whole we’re-just-friends thing.”
Of course he didn’t. He’d found his future wife at the ageof…birth, practically. Aidan and Tristan had been trailing after Carys sincethey were freaking toddlers. “We’re not. We’re not just friends. Not now.”
Aidan seemed to think about that. “I guess I don’tunderstand the timing. If you loved Lou, why wait?”
“It wasn’t right. It wouldn’t have worked back then. Timingis important.” He was a tad irritated by the other man’s judgment. Aidan had iteasy. Aidan hadn’t ever worried there was something wrong with him. He matchedCarys in every way. They’d literally fought over who had the highest GPA. Aidannever had to consider if he was the best choice for the woman of his dreams.
“Huh, I never thought about timing. My path always seemedset. I don’t like the whole up-in-the-air thing.” Aidan’s expression shut down,going a perfectly polite blank. “So back to what I’m here for. I don’t supposeyou want to tell me the details of how you came to be injured. Beyond quips.”
TJ wished he could say more. “Not really.”
“So it’s classified,” Aidan said, his voice tight as he puta stethoscope to TJ’s chest.
“Yeah. Sorry, man.” TJ knew Aidan had a reason to getirritated by all the spy stuff. After all, it seemed he’d lost his partner andbest friend to it.
Something had broken down when Tristan had joined the CIAteam, and now it was so bad Aidan and Carys were getting married. Without him.
