Pursuing Pansy
by Brynn Paulin
She’s completely off-limits. But I want her and I plan to make her mine.
I mean…she’s my best friend's mom. Yeah, you read that right. Pansy Parker is my best friend’s adoptive mom. I'm totally violating the “friend code” here. But when I find out Pansy’s got a stalker and is “handling it” on her own yet not telling anyone, it’s time I step in and take care of what’s mine. She might think I’m young, but I know my mind. I know what I want.
And when I know that, when I have a goal, nothing stops me. I’ll keep her safe. And then…I’ll just keep her.
Copyright
© 2020, Brynn Paulin
PursuingPansy
Cover Art by Supernova Indie Publishing Services, LLC
Electronic Format ISBN: 978-1-62344-369-6
Published by: Supernova Indie Publishing Services, LLC
Warning: All rights reserved. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and occurrences are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places or occurrences, is purely coincidental.
ThankYou! Thankyou foryourpurchase ofPursuing Pansy. Ihopeyou enjoy the story andwillconsider leaving a review or telling a friendaboutthe book. Ilove hearing from readers!To keep in touch andfollow my news, please visitme on my website atwww.brynnpaulin.com.
Dear
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Chapter One
~AidenBolthouse~
Pansy Parker was my obsession. And I hadn’t seen her in three weeks.
Like a junky jonesing for his fix, I craved her. I thought about her more than I didn’t. She was always on my mind. It had been that way since I was thirteen. Yes…thirteen. Eight years later, and I still knew she was mine.
My fingers tapped on the steering wheel as I threaded through the streets to her townhouse. It had been too long since I’d been there. The last time was when I’d said goodbye to her son, my best friend, before he’d left for basic training. He’d made me promise to keep an eye on his mom.
Oh, I would. I sure would.
The next day, though, my uncle, the owner of Bolthouse Security, had sent me out of town on an assignment. It had been a sweet job, helping my cousin Shane, who was doing security for Hunter, one of the hottest groups around while they toured. Even so, I’d just wanted to be home.
My heart slammed against my chest when I turned into her complex. I willed my dick to stand down. Ha. That length throbbed, rock-hard, against my fly. No way was it deflating without some fivefinger assistance. Because my hand was the only thing touching it until I convinced her into my bed.
Don’tthinkaboutit.Stopitnow.
Fuck. Was I even harder? I was. How the hell would I walk up to the front door this way?
Taking deep breaths, I pulled into the free spot in front of her place. She was assigned two, but I knew the neighbors tried to take advantage of her only having one car, sometimes.
I’d barely parked when the door swung open and Pansy stood there in all her blonde glory, looking like a damn angel dropped down from heaven for me. Her jeans and red tee molded to her slim frame, honed by her hours and hours running around the ER as a nurse. My eyes involuntarily scanned down her body as if I could have stopped them—to her bare feet. Double fuck. How could feet be so damn sexy? I quickly averted back to her face and the wide, sunny smile greeting me.
Pansy waslike the sun…or perhaps, like a flower opening to greet the day. Breathtakingly beautiful. My best friend Pike’s mom. Fourteen years older than me. Still destined to be mine. Even if I had to seduce her into it.
Yeah, seducing Pansy…pursuing Pansy… That seemed like a really good idea. But I wouldn’t just pursue. I’d catch her.
Pasting on a smile of my own, I opened my truck door and used it as a shield to yank down my button-down, hoping like hell it hid enough to keep her from viewing just how happy I was to see her. Of course, if she was looking at my dick, that was a good sign, right?
Even so…
I needed to proceed with caution. I’d held out forever, and my waiting was about to come to an end. Today, she’d know I wanted her.
“Hi!” she called cheerily. “How was your trip?”
“Great, thanks,” I said, giving her a partial hug, which was the only way I could keep my boner from prodding into her. It wouldn’t
take her nursing degree to know what that was. “It was kind of cool to meet the band.”
“I’m so jealous,” she laughed. “You might think I’m too old for it, but I’m totally into all their music. I bet you were way smoother than me. I would have been fangirling all over.”
I didn’t like the idea of her interested in any man who wasn’t me. “Well, I’m not into dudes, for one thing. But…” I pulled a CD from my pocket. All the Huntermembers had signed it to her.
Her eyes went wide as she took it and turned it over in her hand. “Oh my gosh! Thank you!” she exclaimed and dragged me in for another hug. A real hug. A damn revealing hug.
If anything, her eyes were wider when she pulled back and looked at me. “Um…”
I raised an eyebrow and tilted my head, silently affirming. “Yeah.”
She bit her lip then angled her chin slightly and took a shaky breath. “Um…” she repeated. Interesting that my erection made her speechless. I kind of liked it, even though I enjoyed talking to her just as much. “Breakfast!” she said quickly. “You came over for breakfast. Come in.”
Yeah, breakfast. We could go with that for now.
Chapter Two
~PansyParker~
Aiden Bolthouse had a massive dick.
I shouldn’t have been thinking it. I shouldn’t even know it. Heat burned in my cheeks, and I hurried into the house with him on my heels. The entryway was small, even smaller with him in it. Aiden was a big man—and not just in the place I couldn’t get out of my thoughts. I wasn’t sure, but I thought he was a good eight to ten inches taller than my five-foot-six. Over the years, he’d grown to be wide shouldered and full of muscle. I knew men fully matured into their manly bodies in their mid-twenties, but he seemed to already be there.
Those moss green eyes had looked full of determination out there on the porch, his full lips tugging into just the slightest of a smirk. I’d seen that look before. That was a man who wanted something—or more specifically someone.
But Aiden…looking at me like that? Unfathomable. I mean yeah, I’d been noticing his grown up body for a couple years now. I was thirty-five, not dead. He and Pike had been outside working on Pike’s bike. They’d just graduated, the two of them eighteen and prepping to go to college. They’d been sweaty and shirtless, and when Aiden had grinned at me and stood to take the lemonades I’d brought out, I’d about expired from arousal and shock and shame right there on the spot. I could not, absolutely could not, lust after my son’s best friend.
Well, not so anyone could knew, anyway. Least of all Aiden. But sometimes alone at night… Thoughts happened.
I jumped as his palm landed low on my back. “Need help with anything?”
Was he…? No, he wasn’t suggesting anything. He was asking about breakfast.
I cleared my suddenly dry throat. “No. Everything’s about ready.”
“I hope so,” he whispered. “It’s been a long wait.”
“What?” I knew I hadn’t heard him right.
“Nothing. Just starving. You make the best breakfasts. I knew that, so I didn’t have anything this morning.”
“Well, we can’t have you starving. Come on.” I put on extra speed to escape the touch I liked way too much. His palm fell away, and I practically raced to the small kitchen. My place wasn’t much—a two bedroom townhouse with a full basement. The main floor was a kitchen, living room/dining room combo and a half bath. Upstairs held the bedrooms and a full bath. Small overall, but I didn’t need more than this. It had been home for Pike and me for years.
Now, with Aiden here, it seemed smaller than ever. His presence filled the space, rousing receptors I’d kept dormant for years. I’d been a barely legal teenager when I’d had my four-yearold brother thrust into my care. Since then, I’d been busy being his mom, muscling through college and supporting us. I never had time for any interest in the opposite sex.
When Pike left for basic training, breaking my heart, three weeks ago, I’d considered moving into the dating scene. I just hadn’t worked up the desire. My thoughts were all twisted up with one very inappropriate attraction that wouldn’t go away.
On my way to the kitchen, I set the CD he’d brought me on the end of the table. I couldn’t believe he’d been so thoughtful. Shaking my head, I pulled dishes from the oven where they’d been warming and set them on the stove. When I straightened, Aiden
stood in the doorway of the narrow galley-style room, his gaze firmly on my rear.
“Aiden. Stop,” I said in my mom voice. I had no idea what was up with him, but as the adult here, it was up to me to nip it in the bud.
“Why?”
“You know why,” I admonished.
“No, I don’t,” he said. He moved in and took the bowl with the scrambled eggs and the platter of pancakes to the table I’d already set earlier. I brought the bacon then snagged the carafe of juice from the fridge.
“You’re being obtuse on purpose,” I answered as we sat across from each other.
“No. Not really. Yes, you’re Pike’s mom. Yes, you’re a little older than me. And fuck yes, I’ve wanted you since the day you drove me home from baseball when my mom didn’t show up.”
My mouth opened then shut then opened again. I shook my head, speechless. “We can’t…” I said slowly.
“We can,” he said just as slowly. I narrowed my eyes. Was he mocking me? His gaze speared into mine, and I forgot everything for a moment. “You just think we can’t.”
“Aiden, I don’t get what you’re up to here.”
“Six-three, but I don’t think that matters. It’s the perfect fit for you. Your head nestled right here.” He flattened his palm on his chest, and I bit back a groan at the fluttery sensations it elicited inside my belly.
He leaned toward me. His hand reached across the narrow table and grasped mine, his thumb stroking the inside of my wrist.
“Here’s the thing, Pansy. I’m not going to hide what I feel anymore. I’ve waited. I’ve gone to school, so I’d feel worthy of you. I have a job—a good job. We’re both adults, and I want you.”
“I…” I cleared my throat, taken aback, yet thrilled, yet ashamed that Iwasthrilledby his declaration. “Fourteen years,” I whispered.
“We’re both adults,” he insisted. “Tell me you don’t want me.”
“I…” Why had words escaped me? And could I lie?
Chapter Three
~Aiden~
“Don’t lie,” I murmured, sitting back in my chair. My hand tightened slightly, not enough to hurt her, but enough that she couldn’t escape. Not yet. Not that I ever wanted her to escape me, but eventually, I’d have to let go so we could eat.
“This is a lot for this early in the morning,” she said, her voice tremoring ever so slightly.
“Tell me you don’t want me,” I repeated.
“Aiden…”
“Tell me.”
“What would Pike think?”
I growled under my breath, frustrated with her. “Well, actually, he said he’d never call me dad and that he’d kill me if I hurt you— though truthfully, with the stuff he’s learning and the things I’ve learned for my job, we’re pretty evenly matched. Not that it matters. Hurting you is the last thing I’d ever do.” She stared at me, clearly shocked. “Next question.”
“You’re family,” she said, her voice weak.
“My Uncle Xander won’t care. My mom and dad—who’s actually my stepdad—won’t mind either. I guess you don’t know that my stepdad is twelve years younger than my mom?”
“You have all the answers, don’t you?”
“Nine years. Nine years I’ve wanted you. Three that I’ve been old enough, but couldn’t claim you yet.”
“Claim me,” she repeated.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“I… You can’t just… This is ridiculous.” Picking up her fork with her free hand, she stabbed two pancakes onto her plate. Then grabbing the small tongs she’d laid out, she took a couple strips of bacon.
She tugged at her arm, and I reluctantly released her. She was angry. No, not angry. Flustered and masking it as being mad.
Pansy jabbed her utensil, indicating the food. “You should get some and enjoy it. We won’t be having breakfast again.”
“We will. Lots and lots of breakfasts. You’ll find I’m not easy to shake. I know you want me, too.”
“How I mean, no I don’t.”
I chuckled. “Part of my training with Bolthouse Security was learning to read people.”
It was true and I sure hoped I was reading her right. The signals either hadn’t been there before or they’d been subtle enough that I hadn’t recognized them. Pansy was really good at hiding her feelings…about everything.
Without saying more, I started dishing up the breakfast she’d made. It was just basic breakfast foods, but they were my favorites and she knew it. That didn’t pass my attention, either. She knew I liked scrambled eggs with a little cheese in them. That I liked bacon and not sausage. That pancakes were my favorite food on the planet.
I reached for the blueberry syrup she’d placed near me and tried not to smirk. Okay, I didn’t try that hard. Neither Pike nor Pansy liked this kind of syrup. She’d gotten it just for me.
“Oh shut up,” she grumbled.
“Didn’t say anything.”
She raised a brow at me. “You’ve said an awful lot. And you’re thinking loudly. I was being hospitable.”
“Um-hmm,” I said, the sound telling her I was on to her.
“So you’ve talked to Pike recently?” she asked, changing the subject.
“For a few minutes. He barely has any free time. I think he called me right after talking to you.”
“He asked you to check up on me, didn’t he?”
“He didn’t need to ask. I was counting the days until I was back in town. Hell, I just got back last night.” And it had taken all my willpower not to show up on her doorstep at one AM. “But yeah, he pulled me aside at his going away party and asked me to keep an eye on you.”
She huffed. “Who’s been taking care of him for seventeen years? Geez.”
“Beautiful, he just worries about you. He loves you, and he hates that you’re alone.”
“Then he shouldn’t have up and joined the military,” she exclaimed, not even reacting to the endearment I’d used. I took that as a good sign.
“You know why.”
“Yeah, I know why, and I’m still pissed about it,” she growled.
Pike’s girl… The girl he’d dated since freshman year had broken his heart. He couldn’t stay here and deal with it. I could think
of about a hundred things he could have done aside from joining the Army, but out of his mind with grief he just wouldn’t listen. God help that woman if Pansy got hold of her.
I was more concerned about me and Pansy. Pike and Maren could wait for another day. “Even if he didn’t enlist, he wouldn’t have been here forever.”
“I know.” She pushed around some of the eggs on her plate then set down her fork. “Do you want some coffee?” she asked suddenly.
I grabbed her wrist again as she stood. “No, I don’t,” I said as I rose too and came around the table. I pulled her so we faced each other, inches apart. Lifting my hands, I cupped her face. She didn’t try to move away, giving me the encouragement I needed—not that I needed much.
“You don’t even have to be alone again,” I promised.
Chapter Four
~Pansy~
I gasped as his lips touched mine. My entire body went hot and melty, softening against him but going tight in my core. My thighs clenched, and I fisted his soft button-down so hard one of the little disks plinked right off and smacked me in the chest. But his mouth was on mine, parting my lips and delving in. Tasting, devouring…claiming.
My mind blanked to anything but him. The feel of him pressed to me. So hard…everywhere. Aiden skimmed a palm down my spine to my lower back, pulling me even closer. His other large, strong hand speared into my hair, holding me in place and angling me how he wanted me.
I moaned, overwhelmed, confused. Everything about him consumed me. Somewhere, way, way back in the furthest reaches of my mind, I knew I’d have reservations once I was free of his tractorbeam pull. But even that thought fuzzed out as I breathed in his fresh, male scent.
An explosion of glass thrust us apart. I ducked, shielding myself, while Aiden wrapped himself around me. I felt Aiden surveying the area though his grip on me never loosened.
“Fuck!” he swore.
“What is it?” I asked, twisting around to look. My eyes widened. My large kitchen window was shattered, and a huge cinder block brick lay in the middle of my linoleum floor. “Oh my God,” I whispered, taking a step back. I bumped into Aiden, who gently moved me to the side to a spot shielded by the wall.
“Stay here,” he commanded, taking over the situation, his training kicking in. His lips pressed quickly to the top of my head, then he was gone. I heard him open the front door, and when I peeked, I saw him carefully looking about. “Do you have your phone within reach?” he called, quietly.
“Yeah.”
“Dial the police and tell them what happened. That might be random vandalism, but it wasn’t a mistake, not a fluke.”
“It’s not,” I muttered.
“What?” he rasped, his own phone halfway to his ear.
I shook my head. His eyes narrowed, and he lifted the cell, speaking into it and telling the person what had happened. I pulled mine from my pocket and called 9-1-1. The dispatcher asked about my safety and let me know someone was on the way. They disconnected when I let them know I wasn’t alone and whoever had thrown the brick was gone.
“My uncle has a team coming,” Aiden said, returning to me. His arms went around me, pulling me against his solid body. Only then did I realize I was trembling. “Whoever did this is gone,” he said.
“Good. I guess.” My window though. Taking care of that would be a pain in the ass…on a Saturday.
“What did you mean about it not being a mistake?”
A growl darkened his voice. It startled me to hear it from Aiden…my son’s best friend. After that kiss though, I guessed I had to start thinking a little differently.
There were too many things to consider at once. This day was becoming one shock on top of another.
“I’ve been getting notes,” I admitted. “And strange things happen, sometimes.”
“What kind of strange things?”
“I’m dealing with it, Aiden.”
“Ignoring the problem isn’t dealing with it. I know you haven’t told Pike. Have you told anyone?” he demanded.
“Nothing’s really happened until today,” I defended. “And those things… It could just be me being absent minded. Sometimes, after a long shift, I’m distracted.”
He leveled assessing eyes at me. “Do you really believe that?”
I glanced at my window. “Not anymore.”
“You’re not staying here.”
“Aiden—”
“You’re not. There’s no security, and obviously, your stalker is escalating. That brick isn’t a friendly hello. You’re coming home with me.”
“I—”
He caught my chin, and I saw his determination and a maturity that stunned me. “You’re coming home with me. Final answer.”
I frowned but didn’t argue or reply at all. Both the police and the Bolthouse team arrived at the same time. The officers seemed to know the three men who’d come, and frankly, they seemed relieved to have them there. After taking my report, they left things to Bolthouse since I “had security.” They told the man who seemed to be in charge to contact them. I watched them leave, stunned that they’d just dropped the situation into someone else’s hands. What the hell? I didn’t even know these guys—except Aiden, of course.
“There’s not a lot they can do,” that same guy told me as he approached. He held out his hand. “Xander Bolthouse, Aiden’s uncle.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“I figured I’d come over with the guys since Aiden said his girl was involved.” He raised a brown eyebrow just a shade darker than his wavy, light-brown hair. Now that I looked with more critical eyes, I saw the family resemblance. They had the same green eyes, too. And he was around my age, so I could see where he might be bemused by the situation. God knew I was.
Xander looked to Aiden who crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow right back at him.
“Okay then,” Xander said. He glanced back to me. “So tell me. How long has this been going on?”
“I just found out he felt this way today.”
Xander chuckled, shaking his head. “I meant the stalking.”
“Oh. Um, couple months?”
“A couple months?” Aiden exclaimed. He took a deep breath, shaking his head and obviously reining in his temper. “Tell us what’s been happening,” he gritted.
“Notes in my mail. Local. Always in the mail and not left here or other places.”
“Postmarked?” Xander asked.
I blinked at him. “I…I’m not sure I ever looked.”
“Do you have them?”
“Not all of them,” I said. “At first, I thought it was just a joke. Weird mail. I threw away the first two.” I shrugged, my shaking starting again. “After that, I put them in a zipper bag. I sort my mail in the kitchen, so I put it on top of my fridge. I figured if I was just careful… And…nothing was escalating,” I defended.
“I think it’s safe to say things are escalating now,” Xander said.
Youthink?
Aiden drew me over to sit on the couch while his uncle retrieved the letters. “What other things?” he asked gently, his embrace never loosening. His hand stroked up and down my back. “You said other things were happening.”
“Xan,” one of the team said, coming inside.
“That’s Rohan,” Aiden told me. “The other guy is Dell.”
“Yeah,” Xander replied, coming from the kitchen with the Ziploc.
“Her tire was punctured. Slow leak. And we found a tracker on the vehicle. Looks new. No cameras in the area and no one saw anything.”
“Of fucking course, they didn’t,” Xander muttered. “Check Aiden’s truck. Make sure it’s cleared. She’s going home with him. Can one of you call about the window?”
“On it,” Rohan answered, leaving again.
I stared, shocked. Not only had someone violently broken my window, but they’d vandalized my car. And…a tracker? And Aiden was claiming me as his—Aiden, my son’s best friend. And apparently, I was staying with him now? And these four guys were just stepping in and taking care of things? No one had taken care of me since… Well, not in at least seventeen years.
“What else has been happening? I heard Aiden asking you.”
“Things moved in my car. Things moved in my house. Lights on when they shouldn’t be. Oh God!” I gasped, the whole implication hitting me like a freight train. “Whoever it is has been in my house. When I was here! They could have… They…”
Tension vibrated from Aiden so strong I felt it through my own shuddering. “You’re coming home with me,” he growled. “No one’s touching you.”
“No, no one is,” Xander agreed “Pansy, Bolthouse Security is on the job.”
Chapter Five
~Aiden~
“You have a tiny house,” Pansy observed.
It wasn’t a judgement but rather a recognition that I’d gotten on board with the off-grid tiny house movement. Sort of. I’d left things open for this place to expand if I stayed here once we were married. Yes, once we were married. Pansy had always been my end plan.
“It’s just me—but with plenty of room for two people. I built it myself,” I told her, leading her through the living room.
“How?” she gasped.
“Well, you know… I sent in ten proof of purchases from cereal boxes along with nine-ninety-five and they sent me a kit. Nice stuff, don’t you think?”
“Ha-ha,” she deadpanned.
“I had an inheritance from my dad in a trust. I got it when I turned eighteen. I used some for my truck, some for school and some for this and the land.” I didn’t tell her that I hadn’t done the typical young adult thing and gone on a spending spree. I’d saved because I already had plans for us back then. I’d been getting ready. I’d been frugal enough that I still had quite a bit in the bank too.
I shrugged. “Bedroom’s this way.”
This was actually a little larger than a typical tiny home. I’d splurged for an actual bedroom rather than a loft.
“This is beautiful,” she commented as we walked. It was all blond shiplap and windows, making it look a little like a pseudo-log
cabin. Everything was bright and clean, just the way I liked it.
“Thank you. I really did do most of the work. I had help with the cementing and framing, but I did the rest. Don’t worry. It’s all safe. I had to get inspections on everything.”
“I can’t believe you did all this.”
“I’m kind of inclined that way.”
“And yet you’re going into security with your uncle?”
I shrugged again. For one it was more lucrative, but she didn’t need to know that part yet. “Xander is my dad’s little brother. Besides my mom and her new family over in Washington state, he’s my only kin. And I feel closer to my dad when I’m around him. Xander’s actually a lot like my father—that I remember. Also…I’m more talented with computers and hacking—cyber security, if you will—than I am with construction.”
She stared at me then looked around again. We stood beside my bed—a fact I tried to forget for the moment. Me. Pansy. A bed. There went my dick again. I had to refocus.
This room took up the entire back of the house. The blinds were open, and the three large windows—facing east, west and north—showed the glory of the surrounding woodland.
“You must be incredibly gifted with computers,” she murmured. “I mean…if you’re more talented at that than building.”
“You could say so. My uncle was glad to have me sign on.”
“For more reasons than one, I’d guess.”
“Yeah.”
She looked around again. “There’s one bedroom?”
“Yeah,” I said, unrepentant. We’d have to share, and I had no qualms about it.
“I’m not having sex with you.”
“Not yet.”
She sighed but didn’t argue. Because she knew it was true. At least, that was what I figured.
After setting her bag on the bed, I took her hand and I led her back out of the bedroom. I pointed out the bathroom, the closet in there with the built in washer and dryer, the loft that was currently empty, then where everything was stored in the kitchen.
My table sat two people, and I had her sit while I got together some lunch. We’d barely started breakfast before we’d gotten sidetracked this morning.
“I hope grilled-cheese sandwiches are okay,” I said.
“They’re fine.”
“Fair warning, I’m not as good a cook as you, but I get by.”
She started to get up. “I can cook.”
“No, sit down. Let me take care of you. You’re always taking care of everyone. Pike, me, people at work. Let someone look after you. I’ll try not to burn them.”
She grinned. “Okay.” Then after a second, she added, “Thank you.”
Her brows furrowed as she watched me, and I could tell she was thinking hard.
“What?” I asked as I pulled out the ingredients for our meal then started putting things together.
“How did I not see all this in you? How talented you are. How…I don’t know…take charge you are.”
“Because all you saw was a kid?” I said as I put the pan on the stove. I heated it for a moment before dropping in the sandwiches. “You didn’t let yourself look past my age to see that I was grown up and doing grown up things. Of course, you saw a lot less of me with Pike at college.”
My friend was a right genius. He’d taken college courses for free via our high school and ended up graduating from the university in three years rather than four. Now he was doing basic before he entered officer training. At least I thought that was the whole process there. I wasn’t completely clear on the progression…just that he was doing special forces training.
“You were taking classes, too.”
“Yeah. And I saw him a lot on campus, but I didn’t have a lot of excuses to come see you. Trust me, I took all of them I could.”
“And whipped off your shirt to do things whenever you could, too?”
“You didnotice that!” Fuck, I’d thought she hadn’t glanced my way at all.
“I might have. I might have stared a little, too.”
“Did you think about me later? When you were alone?”
“Um… So what are you doing with your uncle?” she asked, rather than answering.
I flipped the sandwiches, pleased they were somewhat golden. “Mostly, I study. I do hand-to-hand training and range practice. And I file. A lot. Office crap. Sometimes, when I’m lucky, I get to do the bodyguard gig like I did with Hunter. That’s because I can look big and intimidating while being a gofer, and that’s what they needed.
About half my day right now is learning cyber-security and building on the skills I already have.”
I slipped the sandwiches on plates and added some cut fruit from the fridge.
“Viola!” I joked.
“Aiden Bolthouse, you surprise me all around.”
“And that’s a good thing?”
She grinned. “Maybe.”
