Dealing with the Past (8 page)

"Have you seen anyone hanging around lately or anything suspicious looking?" Office Marks asked.

"No, nothing. I'm really a very boring person. I go to work. I come home. I occasionally might go out or have friends over. I have no enemies that I'm aware of." Aiden paused, wondering if he should tell them about what happened with Jackson. He didn't think Jackson was behind this; he'd definitely sounded shocked and angry when Aiden had called but he didn't know for sure. "The only altercation I've had with anyone in the last several years was a week ago. I punched a man," Aiden said meekly as he looked down at the ground.

"Have you got a name?" Officer Davies asked as he scribbled in a little flip top pad.

"Jackson Thompson. His family owns the Thompson Agency."

Davies' eyebrow arched at his confession. "That's interesting now isn't it, considering the note that went along with the brick. Do you think Mr Thompson could have done this in retaliation?"

Aiden thought about the question long and hard. The man he had just started to get to know over the last week didn't seem like the kind of person who would do something like this, no matter what had transpired in the past.

Aiden shook his head. "No, I don't think it was him. He's not malicious."

"Well, that's nice to hear." The affection and happiness was clear for all to hear. Aiden spun around only to see Jackson standing in the entranceway to his house, all hot and sweaty and wearing a skimpy little football uniform.

Aiden took it all in, his gaze sweeping Jackson from head to toe. Sweat-streaked hair clung to Jackson's forehead. His bicep muscles were clearly on display in the sleeveless deep green club jersey. Jackson's thighs strained against the gold fabric of the footy shorts, the black hair on his bare legs, curly, going all the way down to his socks and studded footy shoes. Aiden's mouth watered as lust slammed through his body like a freight train. Aiden's hand shot out and gripped the corner of the wall to help hold him up, his legs having turned to jelly.

"And you are?" Officer Davies asked as he eyed Jackson.

"Jackson Thompson," Jackson replied as he walked inside, his shoes clacking on the tiles. Jackson shook both police officers' hands. "And no, I didn't do this." He pointed around the room to all the glass still covering the ground and couch. "I've just come from practice, as you can see by my attire. There are thirty other guys that can vouch for the fact I've been there for the last two hours." Jackson's eyes found Aiden's and he was hard pressed not to pant at the heat he saw blazing in Jackson's expression.

"We'll need to get a couple of names and numbers to confirm that," Marks said, eyeing Jackson over appreciatively. Aiden wanted to growl at the blatant appraisal Marks was giving Jackson but stopped himself before the noise could leave his lips. Jackson wasn't his. He had no right to be acting that way. He didn't even want Jackson to be his, did he?

He distantly heard the cops asking Jackson if knew of any other incidents where clients had been threatened. They showed Jackson the note, currently in a clear evidence bag. The man's fists clenched and his jaw tightened.

Aiden tuned out what Jackson said in reply as he tried desperately to get his own wayward thoughts in some kind of order. Yes, the man was hot as hell, especially in his footy attire. Aiden didn't think he'd ever seen anything as sexy as Jackson when the man walked into his house. But did he want anything more with the other man? Could he put the past behind him enough to allow himself to be with Jackson? Aiden honestly didn't know the answers. He wanted to forgive Jackson, but wasn't sure he would be able to do anything more with him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of crunching gravel and doors slamming. Before he could do anything more than groan, Sammy and Craig—the man's partner for the past eighteen months—swept into the small unit to join in the fray.

Sammy took one look at Jackson in his uniform and whistled appreciatively. "Damn, Aiden, that's one fine looking man. Where in the world did you find a specimen like that and just why wasn't I told about this?"

Sammy ended up looking at Aiden, eyebrow arched, hands on hips and right foot tapping as he waited for an answer. Jackson chuckled from behind them. Aiden chose to ignore the man in favour of his friend. He wasn't sure what reaction Sammy would have when he found out who the hot stuff in footy shorts was.

"Well, Mr Montgomery, there's not a lot else we can do here. We'll take the note with us and see if we can pull some prints. If you see anything unusual or any more threats are made be sure to give us a call," Officer Davies said as he walked over and shook Aiden's hand. Aiden received a business card from both officers before they left carrying the brick and note in evidence bags.

"I guess I should get this place cleaned up and call someone about my window." Aiden walked to the laundry to get his broom and dust pan. When he returned to the living room, Sammy and Jackson were staring at one another, neither one saying anything.

The last thing Aiden felt like doing at this point was refereeing a match between the two. "Thanks for coming, guys, but it really wasn't necessary, you can head off."

"See," Sammy said to Jackson in a snarky tone. "Aiden said you could go."

"Sammy, what has gotten into you?" Aiden asked.

"We introduced ourselves while you were getting your broom," Sammy ground out. Aiden groaned. He so didn't want to deal with this at the moment.

"Well, that was lovely and polite of you. Damn shame it didn't stay that way." Aiden heard Jackson try and stifle a laugh and he shot the man a glare. "Everyone can go. As you can see, I'm fine. I'm just going to get this place cleaned up then call an emergency glass repair man."

Suddenly Aiden felt exhausted and wanted to be alone.

"Aiden," Sammy started.

"No, really I need some time, so thank you for coming but I'll see you later." Sammy didn't look happy with being asked to leave.

"You can call him later to check on him," Craig murmured in Sammy's ear.

"Fine," Sammy huffed then crossed his arms over his chest. "But I'm not leaving unless he does."

Sammy nodded in Jackson's direction.

Aiden groaned again. "You know you sound like a petulant little child right now?"

"Yep. And I don't care. I'm not leaving my best friend alone with the man that bullied him for years," Sammy replied, conviction ringing in his voice.

Aiden went over and pulled Sammy into a hug, refusing to let go until the other man gave in and wrapped his arms around Aiden and hugged him back. "I love you. Thank you for looking out for me, but—"

"No buts," Sammy interrupted.

"Maybe you could lay off a little, huh?" Aiden asked, not swayed in the least by the expression currently on his friend's face. "We were kids, Sammy, and what happened is between Jackson and myself."

Aiden looked over at Jackson who stood alone at the edge of the couch with a pinched expression on his face. He thought he saw what looked like pain and guilt in Jackson's features as their eyes locked. Aiden smiled tentatively at Jackson and the change was instantaneous. It was like watching the sun come out. Jackson's eyes lit right up and he grinned.

Sammy punched him in the arm. "No," the man said adamantly. Aiden thought he heard a low growl coming from Jackson's direction but decided he must have been hearing things.

"No what?" Aiden asked confused, rubbing his arm where Sammy's fist had made contact. That had hurt, damn it.

"You know what." Sammy's eyes kept bouncing back and forth between Aiden and Jackson. Aiden had a very good feeling he knew exactly what his friend was talking about but he wasn't about to acknowledge as much.

"Thanks for coming. I'll call you later," he said instead, ushering Sammy and Craig towards the door.

"That means you, too," Sammy called over his shoulder. Aiden heard the click clack of Jackson's footy boots on his tiles as the man walked towards them.

Aiden stilled when a warm hand was placed on the small of his back. "I'll call you later, okay?" Jackson's deep voice breathed in his ear. Aiden held back a shiver by the skin of his teeth. He nodded to Jackson.

"Samuel, it was interesting meeting you. Aiden is lucky to have such a protective friend. Even if it isn't needed." Jackson held out his hand and waited for Sammy to shake it. It took a nudge from Craig to make him reach out and grab Jackson's hand in return. His friend looked like he'd just swallowed a bug and Aiden bit back the laugh he wanted desperately to let loose. He didn't think it would be appreciated.

Amidst much grumbling and complaining, Craig finally managed to drag Sammy away. Jackson followed, bidding goodbye. Once everyone left, Aiden turned to survey the damage to his living room.

Sighing heavily, Aiden got to work cleaning up all the smashed glass, first with a broom and then with a vacuum cleaner. He called a twenty-four hour glass repair company and explained his problem. They told him someone would be there within the hour.

Aiden collapsed back on his couch to wait and thought over the events of the last few days. When in the world had his boring life gotten so exciting and why would someone warn him off raising Brendan? The man had been just as quiet as Aiden. He racked his brain for an explanation but couldn't come up with one.

Chapter 8

Jackson pulled out his phone and pressed the button to call Aiden, he couldn't wait any longer to talk to his mate. It had taken all his willpower to walk out of Aiden's unit earlier that day after someone had threatened him. Jackson's insides were in a knot over what had happened to Aiden. He wanted to be able to take the other man into his arms and reassure him that they would figure out who was behind the threats and why. But he was unable to do that and instead was forced to leave his mate.

He moved the phone to his ear and listened to it ring on the other end. After what seemed like forever, the call was finally connected.

"Hello," Aiden said somewhat breathlessly.

"Is everything okay? You seem a little puffed." Jackson asked, concerned.

"Hey, Jackson, everything's fine. You just caught me in the shower, that's all. I rushed to answer the call." Jackson groaned as suddenly he was swamped with images of his very naked mate standing in a shower, hot water cascading over his sexy body. "Jackson, you still there?" Aiden asked, sounding confused.

"Yeah, I'm still here, just enjoying my mental images, that's all," he said somewhat huskily.

"Mental images?" Aiden asked puzzled.

"You, naked in the shower." Jackson knew he probably shouldn't be saying this to Aiden but he couldn't seem to stop his mouth from running away from him. He wanted his mate desperately.

"You're picturing me naked in the shower?" The astonishment in Aiden's voice was clear.

"And what a picture it is. I bet my imagination has nothing on real life but I figure it's all I've got for the time being." Jackson closed his eyes and thumped his head back against the chair he was currently sitting in. He really needed to hang up if he couldn't keep his mouth shut. The last thing Jackson wanted to do was scare his mate off.

Aiden spluttered on the other end of the line. "You… Uh… You want to see me naked?" he asked uncertainly.

"More than anything else in the world," Jackson answered honestly.

"Umm…" Aiden paused and seemed to draw in a deep breath if the noise was any indication. "I'm not quite sure what to say to that," he said hesitantly.

"You don't need to say anything right now. Just think about the possibility." Jackson would love nothing more than to be having this conversation with his mate face to face but he would take what he was given. The fact they were talking about this at all astonished him. "That wasn't originally the reason for my call though."

"It wasn't?" Aiden sounded confused now.

Jackson chuckled. "No, babe, I didn't just call you up out of the blue to let you know that I want to see you naked in the shower."

"Babe?" Aiden asked and Jackson winced. He hadn't even realised the endearment had slipped out until Aiden had repeated it back to him.

"Uh… Sorry," Jackson apologised. "Too soon?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah just a little," Aiden chuckled lightly.

"So back to the reason I called."

"Seeing me naked in the shower?" Jackson could clearly hear the teasing lilt to Aiden voice now.

"Smart ass," Jackson laughed. "As much as that image has tried to distract me, I really called to ask how you were doing and see if you were up to a trip to the cemetery tonight."

Aiden was silent for several moments before he started talking again. "Did you have the same thoughts as me?" he asked, sounding unsure.

"Well, that all depends," he answered. "If you mean did I think that if someone doesn't want Brendan raised, there must be a reason behind it and maybe the man himself might know what that is. The sooner we figure this out, the better."

"Sounds about right. I wonder what the hell Brendan got himself mixed up in that would cause someone to threaten me to stop him from being brought back from the dead." Aiden sounded honestly curious.

"There's only one way to find out," he answered.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

"I'll pick you up in fifteen minutes. Can you be ready by then?" Jackson asked.

"Well, that depends on whether I'll be showing up naked or not," Aiden teased. Jackson groaned at the idea of Aiden answering the door naked and he had to reach down and palm his cock that had started to rise at the image in his head.

"Dead first, then naked," Jackson said, his voice deep and husky.

"We'll see, Jackson, we'll see. I'll be ready in fifteen," Aiden said then hung up the phone before Jackson could say anything else.

"Bastard," Jackson said fondly to no one in particular. His mate had a wicked streak to him that Jackson had known nothing about. He looked forward to exploring it more and everything else there was to learn about his mate.

Jackson palmed the hard bulge in his pants once more but decided against taking his cock out and relieving the pressure. The anticipation would make it so much better if he waited. Even if nothing happened with Aiden tonight, he would still get to see and touch his mate, and for that he would hold off his orgasm until later.