Missing (The Brannock Siblings Book 3) (10 page)

We walked into the store together and she immediately
grabbed a cart and her list. We made small talk about the different foods we
were each putting in the cart, but that was about it. Huge change from the many
deep conversations we had shared over the months. I wanted to ask her a million
questions, but she was too tense and I feared it would just push her away more.

We sauntered through the store, her prodding me to just go
get the stuff I needed and find her later and me telling her I would rather
stick with her. She stocked up with boxed dinners, bread, peanut butter, and
other snacks here and there, then went for the ice cream. "For Aidy,"
she said when I questioned why she needed three cartons.

Her eyes were dull and anxious and I was getting pretty
desperate to see the fire that had been snuffed out tonight. It was when I
threw in a giant bag of candy bars that her eyes finally came alive.

"Who the hell is
that
for?"

"Aidy, why?"

"For Aidy? She doesn't need any candy."

"All kids need candy, Red."

She scoffed, but kept her eyes on the huge bag of chocolate.
Her eyes narrowed as if she hated that bag with every fiber of her being,
trying to figure out why it was still sitting there in her direct vision.
Suddenly, her head snapped up and those dark eyes narrowed on
me
.
"You can't
buy
her with candy."

"I can't?" I smirked.

"You jerk! You're trying to one up me aren't you?"

I raised my hands in surrender. "Hey, just because you
don't know what kids want doesn't mean I'm trying to outdo you. I'm a scary
guy, I need
something
to help her trust me."

"You are
not
scary. Dangerous for my health
maybe, but not scary. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"At least a few more," I winked.

She chuckled and shook her head. "Fine, but I know what
her favorite candy is, so you still lose."

We walked back down the aisle and she threw in a huge pack
of Red Vines. I countered it with an even bigger bag of Starburst. She threw in
some Laffy Taffy and I tossed in a bag of Blow Pops.

"I'm not a quitter, Red."

She growled, the sound vicious and so fucking adorable at
the same time. With a huff, she turned the cart, trying her best not to stomp
her feet as she walked. I stayed behind and watched her walk away, a gorgeous
sight if you ask me. Then I grabbed another bag of assorted chocolate and
followed after her.

"Here. This isn't for Aidy. This is for you, Red."

She glanced down at my hands and her glare melted away. Her
hand shot out and snatched the bag out of my hands. "Damn straight."

By the time we left the store, most of the items we'd
purchased were for Aidy. Red's sass was back tenfold and I considered the last
two hours a huge accomplishment.

We only had to make one trip with the two of us loaded down
with bags and I followed her to her door first. While I helped her put the
groceries away, she put all of mine together on the table.

"Thanks for taking me and for helping me."

"Anytime."

She looked down at her feet, at the door, at the ceiling;
everywhere but me. The ease we had finally found was no longer present and I
needed to clear the air.

"Listen, I'm sorry for the way I've acted over the last
few months. I…" Deep breath. "There really isn't any excuse for it,
but I
am
sorry and I wish I could take it all back. I think I was just
trying to convince myself that I didn't want
you
since I was falling so
hard for, well, you."

Her eyes widened as she stared at me and her mouth opened
and closed, unsure of what to say.

"I hope that, eventually, things will turn out the way
they're supposed to."

She took a deep breath and blew it out, looking down at her
feet and twisting her fingers together. "I can see us being friends, Gus.
That's it and maybe that's best. Your job, your life… I need to focus on my
priorities and I mean, talking to you, everything I told you. Secrets. Things
I've never told
anyone
. Parts of me-"

"That I won't be giving back."

She didn't look up at me, but I heard her gasp and it
spurred me on. This… feeling… this tightness in my chest that was only for her;
it was euphoric and reckless. I wasn't going to give it up without a fight.

"Parts of you that I'm not sharing with anyone. Those
are
mine
now, babe. Mine and yours."

Her eyes finally lifted, cautious and steady, but her
shallow breaths gave her away. I don't know what she was afraid of, but
whatever it was, I wasn't going to let it matter.

 Score 1 for me.

"Goodnight, Aiden."

I grabbed my groceries and walked out of her door. She
wanted to be friends? I was going to be the best damn friend she had ever had.

***

Sunday night came all too soon and I wasn't ready to get
back to the station the next morning. I knew without a doubt the coming week
would be nauseating. Still no word from our kidnapper, but it was coming. I
could feel it in my gut, so could Linc.

We were all sitting ducks, but there was nothing we could do
about it that we hadn't already started. Extra patrols in every area that kids
tended to be more present which meant longer hours for everyone, two more
dispatchers transferred from two other departments, and everyone at the ready
the second the call came in. If it was up to me, every person would be focusing
on this case. But it
wasn't
up to me and there was nothing I could do
about it.

It made me sick. Tired. On edge. All of which were no good for
me when I needed to be at my best for more reasons than one.

I needed some relaxation and mindless entertainment. Raiding
my fridge for something to eat so I could watch American Ninja Warrior, I
pushed all the stress and worry away. I was just settling in when there was a
quick knock at my door.

Aiden smiled shyly from the other side and her cheeks
immediately reddened at the look of surprise on my face when I opened the door.

"Sorry to bug you, but I'm desperate."

Why naughty thoughts popped into my head in the next second
was a mystery to me.

"What can I do for you?"

"I need a couple eggs and some oil."

The blood drained from my face at the images coming to mind.
"Shit, are you cooking?" I immediately started thinking of a way to
save the building, or my nose, and suddenly I was grateful I had to work the
next day.

"God, will you ever just let that go? I'm making
brownies you jerk and I'm in a hurry because I have a pizza in the oven that
will be done any minute."

I scratched the back of my neck, debating on whether or not
to beg her to stop or to just go over there and help her myself. It really
wasn't that hard of a decision.

"Okay, you go back to your apartment and make sure your
oven doesn't explode. I'll bring the eggs and oil over in a second."

She smiled and my chest tightened once more. Is this what
Con had been talking about? He said he always felt like he was about to go into
cardiac arrest when he would look at Emily those first few weeks. Still did.

"Thank you so much," she squeaked and turned away.

"No problem."

I watched her scurry back to her apartment frantically and
shook my head. She was too cute for her own good and she had absolutely no
idea.

I resigned myself to missing the first half of my show and
grabbed the eggs and oil along with a couple beers and made my way to her
apartment. She'd left the door open a crack so I let myself in. I could spank
her for not being more careful, but if I
hadn't
been able to just walk
in, I would have missed the sight in front of me.

There was music coming from a stereo on the counter and she
was bent over in front of the open oven door. This sight alone would have
turned me on, but it was the shaking of her hips that made my mouth go dry. She
was dancing to the music as she placed the finished pizza on the stove and her
rhythm was off by a long shot. I chuckled quietly because she was a terrible
dancer, yet, she still managed to amaze me.

She must have heard because she shrieked and jumped away.
She caught herself of the stove and her hand landed on the hot pan.

"Ow, son of a bitch!"

"Oh shit! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle
you."

She shook her hand out and inspected the red skin on her
palm. "It's okay. I should have been paying attention."

"Here, let me see that." I walked into her space
and took her hand in mine. "We need to get it cooled down, put it under
some cold water."

"Thank you, doctor," she said with an overly sweet
smile.

I rolled my eyes and pulled her to the sink, turning it on
and holding her hand under the cool stream of water.

She winced and held her breath, making her cheeks turn red
after a few seconds. I moved a lock of hair behind her ear and she immediately
pulled her plump bottom lip between her teeth. "Breathe, Aiden."

She looked up at me, her brown eyes wide and anxious. Her lip
was viciously trapped between her teeth and the freckles on her nose were so
light you wouldn't even notice them unless you were up close. I tugged at her
lip and she gasped. Never before had I wanted to kiss a woman so desperately,
to bite that lip
for
her. Her scent swarmed around me, sugary sweet with
a hint of fruitiness. Edible.

I smothered a groan and shifted, attempting to hide the hard
on that was rapidly forming and released her hand. "Keep it there for a
few minutes while I get some ice."

"I can do that."

"No, just stay there."

She huffed and turned her attention to her hand while I
moved to the freezer, grabbing her kitchen towel on the way there, and started
gathering some ice out of her icebox. I needed a distraction or I would end up
pushing her against the wall instead of pushing her towards a relationship that
was more than friendship.

"So what's so important about the pizza and brownies
that you swallowed your pride and asked me for help."

"I didn't ask you for
help
, I just asked you for
some ingredients," she responded and I could practically hear her eyes
rolling.

"Same thing."

This time, I
watched
her roll her eyes, but her grin
held more than a little amusement. I liked that I could use her sass for good,
make her laugh at herself in the process. She shut off the water before I
handed her the makeshift icepack.

"I can't watch American Ninja Warrior without pizza and
brownies. It would ruin the whole vibe for the week."

I froze and stared down at her, her red hair falling in her
face as she struggled not to meet my eyes, almost as if she was embarrassed by
the information she had just given me.

"You watch that, too?"

Her head jerked up and a sexy as hell grin slid over her
face. "Every week. Makes me want to train to do it myself, that's what the
pizza and brownies are for. To talk me out of it."

I laughed at her reasoning because it was the smartest thing
I had ever heard. "I'm staying. You go sit down and I'll make the
brownies."

"But-"

"Go sit and trust me. I make the best damn brownies in
the state, possibly the whole country, just don't tell anyone I can bake or
cook."

"Why?"

"Because then I won't get free meals and desserts out
of pity. Pity meals are the most delicious."

She scowled at me, but there was a hint of a smile behind it
so I added, "Plus, there is no way I'm missing Ninja Warrior tonight. I
missed last week and it ruined the whole week for me."

This of course, was not true, but I wasn't above saying
anything to make her let me stay.

She bit her lip again and I felt my chest compress and my
hands clench into fists. Those lips were in need of soothing and I came to the
conclusion that the only person on this earth that would take that job
seriously enough was me.

"I have last week still recorded."

Nodding, I turned to the box of brownies, hoping she didn't
catch the quickly growing erection that was becoming a God damned nuisance
these days. "Then I guess I'm staying for a while."

She laughed and sat down at the dining table. I grabbed a
plate and set a slice of pizza on it before handing it over.

"Thanks, Gus."

"Thank
you
, Aiden. I haven't had pizza and
brownies since I was in college."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I took a bite of pizza before cracking the eggs into a
mixing bowl to start the brownies. "It means, I don't get to eat a lot of
junk food. I overloaded when I was back in Oakland and it took what felt like
forever to make up for it when I got home."

"Is that why you were always at the gym when I
contacted you?"

I nodded, remembering how quickly I would end my work out
just to talk to her.

"I thought you were a body builder or something since
you were there so much."

I laughed and started the mixer after dumping the rest of
the ingredients in. I was no body builder, but I liked to stay in shape and not
just because my job required it.

"So, tell me how you make the best brownies in the
country if you just follow the recipe."

I turned and winked at her. "That's a secret,
babe."

She huffed as if she was annoyed at my very obvious flirting
skills, but I saw the blush on her cheeks. "I'm going to go start last
week's episode, Romeo. Hurry it up, will ya?"

She tossed the ice in the sink and walked out of the kitchen
while I finished mixing the batter. There really wasn't a secret. Mom just
always turned off the oven a few minutes before they were finished and then
pulled them out when they were just right. Still gooey. Seeing how Aiden
probably hadn't had good brownies in a while since she made them herself, she
wouldn't be suspicious and they
would
probably be the best in the
country. To her.