~Aaron~
I watched as she tensed immediately, her body stiff under the shirt. Her phone slipped from her hand and hit the island surface with a dull thud as she turned around to face me.
Her face had gone pale, her expression blank, and whatever spark had been in her eyes earlier had vanished. Unease crept into my chest as I narrowed my eyes, watching her take slow, deliberate steps toward me.
“Joan, what’s going on?” I asked, my voice low as she sat on the stool, her fingers intertwining tightly. From where I stood, I could see them trembling.
I moved closer, my mind racing, unsure of what I was witnessing. There was no faster way to kill a man’s erection than this. I stopped at a careful distance-not too close, but close enough to study the storm of emotions flickering across her face.
“Joan?” I said softly, trying to pull her back to the moment. She wasn’t here, though-not really. It was like Joan had vanished, leaving behind this hollow shell of her.
“Joan!” My voice sharpened, and her green eyes finally snapped to mine. For a moment, relief flickered in my chest, but the relief was short-lived. The warmth, the fire, the life I knew in those eyes had been replaced by something distant and unreadable.
“What’s going on?” I asked again, softening my tone.
She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth-an action that would’ve been sensual in any other situation. But not now. Not like this.
“I got a text,” she murmured, her voice so quiet I barely caught it. She turned her face away, and I hated how closed off she looked. Joan was never like this with me. I could always read her, always know what she was thinking. But now? Now she was a locked door, and I didn’t have the key.
“A text?” I crouched down in front of her, leveling my gaze with hers. “From who?”
She shrugged, her vulnerability hitting me like a punch to the gut. Joan never looked small, but right now, she did. And the sudden, overwhelming urge to protect her surged through me, lighting something deep in my chest.
“I don’t know,” she whispered, brushing her hair out of her face with shaky fingers. “There wasn’t a name.”
“It said something about my parents,” Her words made me pause.
I straightened up, watching her carefully. “Did you say anything to anyone recently about your parents?”
She shook her head, biting her lip. “No, I just…” Her voice trailed off, and I saw the way her shoulders tightened.
I knew what it was like to talk about parents. For me, it was impossible to think about mine without remembering the night that turned my world upside down. The night that left me a shell of the man I was supposed to be-the man who now lived for one purpose: revenge.
Five years. Five years of chasing shadows, trying to track down the people who stole my parents from me. I hadn’t found them yet, and the weight of failure was something I carried every damn day.
But Joan? She never even had the memories I did. She never knew her family, never felt the joy of being surrounded by people who loved her unconditionally. And now, someone had shown up out of nowhere to rip open that wound for her.
“You okay?” I asked, though the answer was obvious.
She sighed, her voice tired. “Yeah. I am. I was just… surprised.” She stood abruptly, closing the space between us. I tensed as she reached for me.
“I want you to fuck me,” she whispered, her voice suddenly bold.
Her words made me stop. I tipped my head back, studying her face carefully. This wasn’t real. This was her way of avoiding the pain, of pushing it somewhere she couldn’t feel it.
“No,” I said flatly. “What you need is time. Alone. To process this.”
Her hand pressed against my chest, and I jerked slightly at the unfamiliar sensation. Joan wasn’t one for casual touches like this-not with me. She kept her hands on the surface of things, her barriers firmly in place. This was new.
“Fortunately for me, you don’t get to make decisions for me,” she snapped, her eyes flashing with heat for the first time since this started.
I grabbed her gently by the neck, pulling her closer, and she smirked, the fire in her gaze growing brighter.
“I’m going to be rough, Joan,” I said, my voice low and deliberate. “It’ll hurt. So make the right choice, go lie down and think about what to do with yourself”
Her face shifted, and I saw the hurt and anger in her eyes before she slapped my hand away and stepped back.
“Fuck you,” she spat, flipping me off before storming out of the room.
Her offer was tempting. Hell, it was always tempting when it came to Joan. But I couldn’t do it. Not now. Not when I knew how much she was hurting inside. She might think I am a monster-and in many ways, I am-but even monsters have their limits.
I walked toward the island and picked up her phone, unlocking it without hesitation. I’d breached her privacy more than once before, and today wouldn’t be any different.
The text was still on the screen, and it wasn’t alone.
Care to know who your parents are?
Your mother is a slut, but she’s living her best life now with her new family. And your dad? He’s a criminal. You’re the daughter of a wanted criminal. Fate is cruel.
Stop playing hard to get, Jo. Follow in your mother’s footsteps.
The words made my blood boil. My grip on the phone tightened, and it was a miracle it didn’t snap in two.
This wasn’t random. Whoever sent this knew Joan well enough to call her “Jo.” They knew things about her life no stranger would.
I quickly copied the IP address and sent it to myself, glancing briefly at what Joan had saved my contact as: Mr. Big diiick. Despite the fire raging in my chest, the corner of my lips twitched.
The texts had to go. I deleted them one by one. Joan didn’t need to see this. She was strong, but everyone had a breaking point, and this might be hers.
Phone in hand, I pulled out my own and dialed a number. It rang twice before the voice on the other end answered.
“Denzel,” I said, my voice low and steady. “I have a job for you,”