~Aaron~
I handed the ice cream to Joan, and she gave me a tight, half-hearted smile as I settled next to her on the bench.
She just stared at the ice cream, letting it drip lazily down the cone. I rubbed my hands together, nudging her lightly with my shoulder.
“Hey, what’s going on? You’ve been staring at that cone for a while now. You okay?” I asked, and her beautiful green eyes flicked up to meet mine.
I perked up immediately, searching her face.
“Or… you don’t like the flavor?” I added, trying to coax a reaction. She shook her head and let out a small chuckle, but it sounded forced, almost like she was humoring me.
“No, it’s fine. I mean… I would’ve picked chocolate, but vanilla’s good too,” she muttered. Her gaze shifted, avoiding mine.
I frowned. I could tell something was off. I knew Joan too well by now-when something was bothering her, it showed in ways she couldn’t hide, no matter how hard she tried. And right now, she was clearly wrestling with something.
I reached out, gently cupping her chin, turning her face back toward me. Her eyes glistened faintly, and I tried to read what was going on behind them.
“Talk to me,” I said softly. “What’s bothering you?”
She shook her head, brushing me off as she leaned in to wrap her arms around me. I let her pull me close, even though I knew the melting ice cream might ruin my shirt.
It didn’t matter. I had hundreds of shirts anyway.
Joan buried her face in the crook of my neck and stayed quiet, her breath warm against my skin. I stroked her back slowly, trying to be patient, even though I hated not knowing what was going on.
“Want to talk about it?” I tried again, my voice low and gentle.
She shook her head against me, and yeah, that stung. But I’d respect her decision-for now. I’d figure it out eventually.
A few minutes passed before she pulled away. Her eyes met mine briefly, and she smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Then, she turned her attention back to the ice cream, licking it absentmindedly.
We sat in silence, watching the park slowly empty out as the sky turned a dusky orange, the clouds gathering darker in the distance. Joan stayed close to my side, her head resting lightly on my shoulder.
Not in a million years did I think I’d be sitting in a park, doing absolutely nothing, just staring at the sky. But here I was. And, surprisingly, I didn’t mind.
When most of the people had left, Joan straightened up and looked at me, tossing the remains of her cone into a nearby trash can. Then, she reached for my hand, her fingers warm against mine.
“This is the darkest part of the park,” she whispered, her voice low and playful. She leaned closer, her lips brushing against my ear.
I raised a brow, amused. “And?” I drawled, though I already had a good idea of where this was going.
She wiggled her eyebrows at me.
“Don’t you think we could… you know… make things interesting?” she teased, her tone suggestive.
I sighed, giving her a look. “Seriously? There are kids here, Joan. That’s a hard no.”
She pouted, crossing her arms in mock frustration. “Oh, come on. No one’s around. And besides…” She climbed into my lap, her skirt fluttering over my legs. “I’d be doing most of the work.”
She shifted her hips, grinding against me just enough to make my breath hitch. Damn it, this woman would be the death of me.
I grabbed her hips, stilling her movements. “Joan, we can go back to the hotel if you want,” I said firmly. Public sex just wasn’t my thing.
She frowned. “I’m not waiting until the hotel. I’m serious, Thompson- I’m damn horny. Either you fuck me now, or I’ll find someone else who will.”
Her words hit me like a slap. She knew exactly how to push my buttons, and she wasn’t afraid to do it. The idea of her being with anyone else made my blood boil, and she fucking knew it.
Before I could overthink it, I tangled my fingers in her hair and pulled her into a hard, bruising kiss. If this was her way of forgetting whatever was on her mind, fine. I’d make damn sure she wouldn’t be thinking about anything else.
Her soft moan spurred me on as I fumbled with my zipper, freeing my cock. She shifted her panties to the side and slowly sank down onto me, a quiet gasp escaping her lips as I filled her completely.
“You’re using me right now, aren’t you?” I muttered against her lips, my voice low.
“Very much,” she breathed, rolling her hips and setting a slow rhythm.
I gripped her hips, meeting her movements as her moans grew louder, more desperate. Her eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, it was just us, the rest of the world fading into the background.
When she came, her body trembled, her nails digging into my shoulders. I followed right after, the release leaving me satiated.
We stayed there, breathing heavily, until-
“What the hell?” a shrill voice cut through the silence.
Our heads snapped toward the sound. A blonde woman was standing a few feet away, a young boy clutching her hand. She looked absolutely furious.
“My son just watched you two doing… that! This is a public park, not a damn brothel!” she yelled. “God, I’ll probably have to put him in therapy now. Unbelievable.” She stormed off, dragging the boy with her.
Joan snorted, covering her mouth as laughter bubbled out of her. “Well, that was… mortifying,” she said, fixing her clothes and sliding off me. “Public sex-checked off the bucket list. Though I could’ve done without the kid as an audience.”
I sighed, adjusting myself as I stood. “Let’s go,” I muttered, grabbing her hand and pulling her along.
As we walked toward the park exit, Joan pointed out random things she thought were interesting-though none of them actually were.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I signaled for her to go ahead without me. She hesitated, her brows furrowing, but eventually nodded and walked on.
The screen lit up with Denzel’s name.
“I told you not to call me unless it was an emergency,” I said flatly. “So, which is it? Is the company burning, or are you dying?”
“Neither,” he replied, his voice hesitant. “But… it’s something you’ll want to hear.”
I clenched my jaw. “I was specific, Denzel. Spit it out.”
There was a pause, and then: “Joan got another text. From the same IP address.”
I froze. That explained a lot.
“And?” I asked curtly.
“I don’t know what it says,” he admitted. “Unless you let me hack into her phone-which you won’t.”
I stayed silent, my mind racing.
“There’s more,” Denzel added. “I’ve been digging into this Ace Knight guy, and… it’s bad, man. Really bad.”
“What is it?” I demanded, my voice hardening.
A long pause.
“He was behind your parents’ deaths,” Denzel said quietly.
The world seemed to tilt, everything around me slowing to a stop.
What the hell?