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“You two look like shit.” Our boss, CJ, stops us before we get to our desks. Harper spent the night last night, only we stayed up talking about what I’m going to do. “You better get some caffeine in you because I need you both out in the field today. We had a person go crazy and kill four family members this morning. Go get your shit together and I’ll brief you in my office in fifteen minutes.”
After a quick dose of coffee, I’m doing much better. I put on my Crime Scene Investigator vest on my way out the door. Harper and I take the crime scene van. Once we get there, we grab our kits. The press is here with grieving friends and family. We’re so used to the chaos it doesn’t faze us anymore. My job is dedicated to the people who have been murdered, finding who did this and bringing them to justice.
The crime scene is gruesome. The parents and two kids have been murdered. It looks like a home invasion with furniture upturned and smashed. Harper and I get to work immediately. There is no need for discussion. Nothing we can say can reverse this horrendous act, but we can hopefully help find out who did it before they do it again.
After an hour of tagging and taking pictures, I run out to the van to grab some more tape. I notice a couple of black SUVs pulling up.
And so it begins. I release a quick breath, knowing this would happen.
I’m not surprised to see Aiden and Damon get out of one of the SUVs. Aiden spots me and struts over. I shift from one foot to the other. Before he can say anything, I ask, “Why’d they call in the feds?” It isn’t normal for the feds to be called for this type of case.
“They think it might be a serial killer, so they called us in to help.” He shrugs and looks me up and down, causing my body to react. Which it shouldn’t be doing. “You look good.” He flashes a sexy grin, revealing his dimples.
“Thanks.” I twist my lips and tilt my head. I could definitely say the same for him.
“All you need is a gun and then you won’t have to steal one if you need to shoot someone,” he teases.
“Maybe someone shouldn’t have made it so easy for me to steal.” I laugh and turn around, walking away with a little more sway in my hips than usual.
“Touché, Addison,” I hear him chuckle behind me.
I only see Aiden a couple of times after that. He is definitely a sight to see. His arrogance is evident in his powerful stride and the straightening of his back, which causes him to appear taller, but when he talks to people, he makes them feel at ease. It’s that damn sexy, deep voice. He is a confident, beautiful man. My heart flutters the couple of times our eyes meet.
Harper and I get back to the office a little after three. It’s been a long day. We unload and enter all of our evidence in the lab. As we’re working, one of the techs sticks her head in.
“Hey, Addison, looks like you have an admirer,” Kenlie says.
I look up from the computer, confused. “What are you talking about, Kenlie?” Harper shrugs.
“Have you been by your desk since you came back?” Kenlie asks.
Harper and I look at each other and both make a fast dash to my desk. We round the corner, and there on my desk are two dozen beautiful red roses.
Harper looks at me. “Is it from… you know who?” she asks with a squeal.
“Oh, my God, did you just squeal? I don’t know who it’s from,” I say, walking over to pick up the card attached to a stick.
“I don’t know you, but I want to.”
Aiden
I stand there staring at the card. Tingles spread through my body, remembering that night. Harper grabs it out of my hand and reads it. “Wow…” She breathes out, fanning herself with the card.
“Well, you’ll be even more wowed when I tell you what it means. When we were together, or whatever you want to call it, one night we danced to Sam Hunt’s ‘Take Your Time.’ That’s what he sang to me,” I say softly. Of course I skipped the part about being handcuffed to him.
“Addison! You missed a few details when you told me what happened. You made it seem like it was a one-night stand.” I wish it had been. Do I? The sparks that we had definitely have not gone away. Just the sight of him has my body humming, craving his touch. When those eyes catch mine, they penetrate deep into my soul, making me question things, but I can’t give him my heart fully just for him to tear it apart when he finds out who my father is.
“It’s complicated.” I sigh as we head back to the lab.
“Do you like him?” she asks.
“Yes. No. Yes. Shit! See, I can’t even decide if I like him. We don’t know anything about each other.”
“Exactly. He obviously wants to know more about you,” she says, wiggling her eyebrows, pointing back to my office. “Listen, I’ve known Aiden for six years, and I’ve never seen him go after a woman. Ever. He has always put his job first. Women come and go. Shit, we all thought it would be a cold day in hell if we saw him settle down. Addison… it’s getting cold in here,” she says, laughing, rubbing her hands over her arms acting like she is freezing.
“Shut up.” I laugh. “He doesn’t know how to handle a woman who doesn’t throw herself at him.”
“I don’t think so, but you keep telling yourself that.” She grins.
