Page 16 of Aaron (Dresden Pride #1)

Mac was enjoying her afternoon when her door opened.

She was shocked to see her boss there, Agent Gravestone.

He looked like he’d been brought in by boat; he was so windblown, and his hair was a mess.

His face was red, like he’d been sunburnt, but she’d been around him enough to know that it was his pissed off look and not because he had a healthy glow from the sun.

Sitting up higher in the bed, she asked him what he was doing here.

“You’ve not been doing your job.” She looked around the room before looking at him again. “I had to come and see for myself if you were really hurt or not. I don’t care for my people to be faking their injuries to get out of work, young lady.”

“As you can see, I’m not faking anything.

And I don’t appreciate that tone you’re using.

” She didn’t know what was wrong with her, talking to him that way, but she wasn’t going to be accused of something when she had not lied at all about how she was feeling.

“Also, I’m in the hospital, not lounging about in my bed at the B I’m bigger and meaner. Either go out on your own, or I’ll show you what I do to people that piss off my family.”

She felt it again, but this time saw what it was that made the room tighten around her.

It was Aaron. And when he did it, she could see his tiger running along his skin.

She wondered if he was going to shift when her boss seemed to shrink in size and leave the room.

Aaron looked at her and asked her if she was all right.

“Yes. I am now.” He nodded once and turned on his heel and left.

She didn’t know what his plan was with her boss, but she had a feeling that it was going to take a great deal for him to return demanding that she have her cast removed.

“Thank you, too, Franklin. I had no idea he was coming here, or I would have warned someone.”

“It’s all right. Aaron will take care of him.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen him so upset before.

Aaron is usually so laid back that…well, it doesn’t matter.

He’ll take care of your boss and make sure he doesn’t do this again.

” She pointed out that her boss was an FBI agent.

“So is Aaron. He’s only here being a detective when things are needed of him.

He didn’t care for the rat race of being in the big city when he wanted to be home with us.

I’m surprised that he didn’t mention it when the two of you were talking. ”

She wasn’t mad at him, just curious as to why he’d never mentioned it before.

They had talked about a lot of things last night, but she didn’t remember asking him what he’d done for a living.

She’d have to do that when he returned. Also, she needed to talk to him about his cat and why she could feel it so close to coming out.

Wondering what would have happened if he had shifted, she settled back in her bed when Franklin left and decided it might be nice to have someone coming to her rescue when she needed it.

When Aaron returned, she asked him if he was all right.

He didn’t seem to be anything but pissed off, so she didn’t say much to him.

But the questions in her mind were running in circles around and around.

First and foremost, she wanted to know about his job, then about his cat.

What she’s seen of him made her think that he was a lot bigger than any other tiger she’d seen in the zoo.

“He’s an asshole.” She smiled and said that was one way to describe him. “Stubborn too. And an idiot. Who would think that when you visited someone in the hospital, the injuries were fake? I’m going to call his boss when I get home.”

“Your dad said you were an FBI agent as well.” He said that he was retired now. “You don’t seem to be all that old to be retired. I’m just wondering what else you do for the government. Or is this job you have now the only one that you have?”

“I was an agent for about five years, and I got shot. I healed all right, but it was never the same after that. Being shot made me realize that it wasn’t the job that I thought it was.

Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but it was just too much for me to wrap my head around.

” She asked him how he’d been shot. “I was the detail for the president. One of many, but…remember about five years ago when the president was shot at? That was me who saved him from the bullet. Not that I wouldn’t do it again, but the aftermath of the situation is what got me to want to quit.

People didn’t want to believe that I wasn’t a part of it. The shooting, I mean.”

“Because you’re a tiger.” He nodded, and she felt her heart break for him. “You healed quicker than you should have, and that’s what got you into trouble with the powers that be.”

“Something like that. I did heal faster, but I didn’t shift to heal.

The wound was bad, but not as bad as it could have been.

I was wearing my vest, and the others weren’t.

They said because I took that one precaution that I was in on it, and the reason for myself getting shot was to gain the president’s attention for myself.

” She told him that was just nuts. “Tell me about it. I thought wearing a vest was required of all of us when we were on duty. Apparently, I was wrong to do it.”

“So when you said you were going to call Peter’s boss, you meant the president, didn’t you?” He nodded again and smiled at her. “You know something that I don’t. I don’t like secrets.”

“I don’t either. But in this, you’re probably better off not knowing what sort of relationship I have with him.

For now, anyway. I don’t want it known that I called him because my mate was being harassed.

It is the reason, but there isn’t any point in showing my hand right away.

” He took her hand into his and leaned closer.

She thought for sure he was going to kiss her, but all he did was whisper in her ear.

“The president is a tiger as well. I don’t know how many people know that. So keep that under your hat.”

“I will.” He didn’t seem to be in a hurry to move away, and she drew in a deep breath that smelled of him.

She didn’t know what he was wearing, but it seemed to her that whatever it was, he wore it better than anyone else would.

He smelled delicious. Finally, she decided to ask him. “Are you going to kiss me?”

“Would you mind if I did?” She told him no in the same whispered breath he’d asked her about it. “The nurse is coming in, so we’ll have to wait a bit for that.”

When he pulled away, the door opened, and she felt like she could have murdered the nurse. But when Aaron put his hand over hers, all her anger just disappeared. Just evaporated like it hadn’t been there in the first place.

She wasn’t one to lose her temper often, rarely as a matter of fact. But to have it just go away like it did shocked her to her core. As long as he was touching her, she felt a calmness that she’d never felt before. Not just from being angry, but a calmness that engulfed her entire being.

After getting her blood pressure taken and her temp, the nurse asked if she needed anything.

She pointed out that there were still pain pills she could take if she needed them.

It was then that it occurred to her that she’d not had any pain since the day before yesterday.

She looked at Aaron when he squeezed her hand.

“I’ll tell you later.” She nodded and realized that he’d not said anything. “I can talk to you this way, the same as you can talk to me. Just think about what you want to say while thinking of me, and I’ll hear you. Just don’t speak aloud.