because I'm annoying the shit out of you—"
"You're not. I just don't…"
"Don't what?"
Jessie's focus snapped to Aidan. The concern staring back at him made his heart beat faster. "I don't want to be a bother," he said, looking away. A bother, a burden, it was all the same thing. He hated feeling this way.
"You're not."
"You spoil me."
"I want to."
Jessie looked up and his lips parted on a quiet gasp at the intensity in those hazel eyes before Aidan turned away, busying himself with the folders on the table.
Two quick, hard knocks sounded at the door, signaling Cole's arrival.
"Come in," Aidan called out, rising from the chair and stuffing a stack of folders into his bag.
Jessie bit back a grin. Aidan couldn't escape fast enough when Cole was in the same space.
"Wow…look at you. Aren't you all polished up, little man!"
"Don't call me that," Jessie grumbled through a smile, happy as hell to see Cole's smiling face.
Cole grabbed the chair next to Jessie's bed and flipped it around, leaning his crossed arms along the back. He looked over to Aidan. "Are you hanging around or are you working on your escape?"
Aidan peered up as he dug into his duffle bag. "Escaping from you. How long are you staying?"
"Until Jessie gets tired of hearing me yak away. When are you coming back?"
"I need at least two and a half hours," Aidan said, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "If you can't stay that long, let my guard at the door know."
"I can easily talk a hell of a lot longer than that. Now get the hell out of here so we can talk shit about you."
Aidan sighed. "Jess, anything else before I go?"
"I'm good."
Aidan stared down at Cole and pointed a finger at him. "Don't give him a hard time."
"I'll behave," Cole said with a huff of amusement.
Aidan exited the room, grumbling something that sounded remotely like a curse.
Jessie flattened the sheet on his thighs again, trying to busy himself with anything to do while lying in bed. "You enjoy driving him crazy."
"It's the only way I can get him to show any sort of emotion. He's a tough nut to crack."
"I want to crack that nut," Jessie mumbled before realizing he'd said that out loud.
"I bet you do," Cole said with a chuckle.
Jessie's cheeks burned as he ducked his head.
Cole rested his chin on his crossed arms. "I'm glad to see you're not shying away from him anymore. I think he needs that."
"Why's that?"
Cole shrugged. "He's standoffish, but I think it's part of that whole fuck-off-and-leave-me-alone-so-you-don't-know-the-real-me type of thing. These Calloway men are guarded and keep to themselves. But when you get them to open up…"
"Yeah?"
"It's a beautiful thing."
"You're very poetic. I think Ty's rubbing off on you."
"He rubs off on me, but that makes me horny not poetic." Cole finished with a guffaw.
Jessie shook his head. "You're impossible."
Cole quieted, leaning forward and focusing his mismatched eyes with intensity. "And you're crazy in love with Aidan and horny as hell. Go crack that nut already."
"He's… I don't know…"
"Tough. Stubborn. I can do this all day."
Jessie sighed.
"He's been here every day. He didn't even trust me to stay with you at first, only Hunter. You didn't see him those first few days." Cole straightened in the seat and lowered his brow. "Or hear his voice that first night. He sounded…broken somehow. I don't know how else to explain it. But fuck me, I didn't know what to do so I contacted everyone I could think of to help him. But he's calmer now."
Jessie tugged the sheet and shifted in the bed. "I think it's a defense mechanism. He distances himself. Sometimes, I feel as if we're getting close, but…who knows for sure. He keeps me just outside that line and I can't seem to cross it. And when I get a little close, he shuts down. All those weekends working together, he never once came over to my apartment to work on Cam's case. Not once. It was always from his house because that's where it all started with Hunter when
"You're not. I just don't…"
"Don't what?"
Jessie's focus snapped to Aidan. The concern staring back at him made his heart beat faster. "I don't want to be a bother," he said, looking away. A bother, a burden, it was all the same thing. He hated feeling this way.
"You're not."
"You spoil me."
"I want to."
Jessie looked up and his lips parted on a quiet gasp at the intensity in those hazel eyes before Aidan turned away, busying himself with the folders on the table.
Two quick, hard knocks sounded at the door, signaling Cole's arrival.
"Come in," Aidan called out, rising from the chair and stuffing a stack of folders into his bag.
Jessie bit back a grin. Aidan couldn't escape fast enough when Cole was in the same space.
"Wow…look at you. Aren't you all polished up, little man!"
"Don't call me that," Jessie grumbled through a smile, happy as hell to see Cole's smiling face.
Cole grabbed the chair next to Jessie's bed and flipped it around, leaning his crossed arms along the back. He looked over to Aidan. "Are you hanging around or are you working on your escape?"
Aidan peered up as he dug into his duffle bag. "Escaping from you. How long are you staying?"
"Until Jessie gets tired of hearing me yak away. When are you coming back?"
"I need at least two and a half hours," Aidan said, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "If you can't stay that long, let my guard at the door know."
"I can easily talk a hell of a lot longer than that. Now get the hell out of here so we can talk shit about you."
Aidan sighed. "Jess, anything else before I go?"
"I'm good."
Aidan stared down at Cole and pointed a finger at him. "Don't give him a hard time."
"I'll behave," Cole said with a huff of amusement.
Aidan exited the room, grumbling something that sounded remotely like a curse.
Jessie flattened the sheet on his thighs again, trying to busy himself with anything to do while lying in bed. "You enjoy driving him crazy."
"It's the only way I can get him to show any sort of emotion. He's a tough nut to crack."
"I want to crack that nut," Jessie mumbled before realizing he'd said that out loud.
"I bet you do," Cole said with a chuckle.
Jessie's cheeks burned as he ducked his head.
Cole rested his chin on his crossed arms. "I'm glad to see you're not shying away from him anymore. I think he needs that."
"Why's that?"
Cole shrugged. "He's standoffish, but I think it's part of that whole fuck-off-and-leave-me-alone-so-you-don't-know-the-real-me type of thing. These Calloway men are guarded and keep to themselves. But when you get them to open up…"
"Yeah?"
"It's a beautiful thing."
"You're very poetic. I think Ty's rubbing off on you."
"He rubs off on me, but that makes me horny not poetic." Cole finished with a guffaw.
Jessie shook his head. "You're impossible."
Cole quieted, leaning forward and focusing his mismatched eyes with intensity. "And you're crazy in love with Aidan and horny as hell. Go crack that nut already."
"He's… I don't know…"
"Tough. Stubborn. I can do this all day."
Jessie sighed.
"He's been here every day. He didn't even trust me to stay with you at first, only Hunter. You didn't see him those first few days." Cole straightened in the seat and lowered his brow. "Or hear his voice that first night. He sounded…broken somehow. I don't know how else to explain it. But fuck me, I didn't know what to do so I contacted everyone I could think of to help him. But he's calmer now."
Jessie tugged the sheet and shifted in the bed. "I think it's a defense mechanism. He distances himself. Sometimes, I feel as if we're getting close, but…who knows for sure. He keeps me just outside that line and I can't seem to cross it. And when I get a little close, he shuts down. All those weekends working together, he never once came over to my apartment to work on Cam's case. Not once. It was always from his house because that's where it all started with Hunter when
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