Chapter 32
I wandered back through the hospital hallway and caught Saber sitting outside Aiden’s room, long legs sprawled, feet crossed at the ankles. He scrolled through his phone with one hand, a cup of hospital coffee in the other.
“Hey,” I said.
He looked up, dark eyes sharp, assessing. “Hey.”
“What are you doing out here?”
“Listening,” he said.
I paused, listening as well, and then caught a rapid-fire string of Italian slicing through the air. My stomach dropped. I knew that tone. Wincing, I hurried into the room.
Nonna Albertini stood over Aiden, spoon in hand like a general with a sword, giving him a full-volume lecture. To his credit, Aiden sat upright in bed, the thin white hospital gown emphasizing his broad frame. His expression sat somewhere between patient and peaceful.
“Nonna?” I said carefully.
She switched back to English mid-word. “Hello, Anna. How’s your day going?”
My mouth opened, but no sound came out. I looked at her, then at him, then back again. “Good. Excellent.”
She gave a satisfied nod. “Have you gotten dear Fiona out of that mess yet?”
I gulped. “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”
Aiden’s gaze met mine, steady but slightly glazed. I narrowed my eyes. “Are you drugged?”
“I hope so,” he mumbled, his voice low and gravelly.
I crossed to him and took his hand. His skin felt warm and strong against my palm. “Nonna, why are you threatening him with a spoon?”
Her eyes twinkled, but the spoon didn’t lower. “He tried to leave. Can you believe that? Dr. Michelle Sambo, one of the best doctors in the entire universe, said he needs to stay overnight. The man passed out in a courtroom.”
“I know, Nonna,” I said. “I brought him here.”
“Oh, that’s right. Good girl.” She leaned toward Aiden, eyes narrowing. “Have I made myself clear?”
Aiden turned his head slowly, giving her a soldier’s nod. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Nonna,” she corrected.
“Yes, Nonna.”
I bit back a grin. The sight of the mighty Aiden Devlin surrendering to my grandmother could’ve cured anxiety. He looked more like a chastised altar boy than a federal agent.
“Good.” Nonna’s tone softened as she turned toward the window, rummaging through her purse.
The spoon clinked against metal before she pulled out a Ziploc bag full of cookies.
“I made your favorite—chocolate chip with brownie chunks. It’s a lot of chocolate, but you’re in the hospital. You’ll live.”
Aiden’s eyes brightened. “Thank you.”
“That’s a good boy.” She leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Anna, I’ll speak with you later.”
I stood, still half off-balance from the whole spoon episode, and hugged her when she came around the bed. She smelled like lavender lotion and powdered sugar.
“I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” she said.
“Yes, Nonna.”
Aiden nodded. “Yes, Nonna,” he echoed around a mouthful.
I snorted. I might need to keep her around more often. Apparently, she could do what no one else could—keep Aiden in a hospital bed.
She swept out of the room, the scent of baked chocolate lingering behind her. I heard her greet Saber in the hall, then the low rumble of their conversation.
A minute later, Saber loped inside, grin stretching. “Nonna said to give me a couple of cookies.”
Aiden immediately drew the bag closer to his chest. “Uh-uh. These are my cookies.” His words came muffled through another bite.
I blinked between them. Two of the most dangerous men I had ever met, both trained to kill, both with files thicker than phone books, and they were fighting over cookies.
Sometimes, life made zero sense.
“Give him a cookie, Aiden,” I suggested nicely.
“Fine.” Aiden sighed, then fished out what looked like the smallest one in the bag and handed it over.
Saber snatched it and shoved the entire thing in his mouth before Aiden could rethink the gesture.
“You better make it last,” Aiden said, tone deadpan.
Saber wiped a crumb from his lip. “She promised to bake me my own batch next time I’m in town.”
They sounded like brothers who’d survived the same wars and still argued over snacks.
“I’ve got to go, Devlin,” Saber said once he swallowed.
Aiden turned serious again. “Remember what I told you.”
Saber reached out a hand, and Aiden released mine to clasp it.
“Head on a swivel,” Aiden said quietly.
Saber nodded. “Always.”
The exchange tightened something in my chest. A realization flickered inside me. Saber was going undercover instead of Aiden now.
I moved toward Saber before I could stop myself. “Hey,” I said softly, stepping into his space. “Be careful.”
He hugged me once, quick but solid, then patted between my shoulder blades. “Always.” When he pulled back, his grin had softened into something almost brotherly. “Take care of this guy, would you?”
I turned toward Aiden. He had gone quiet, cookie bag resting beside him on the blanket, eyes fixed on me. That sharp blue gaze, the one that could freeze an entire interrogation room, held something else now. Vulnerability maybe, buried under the calm.
“I promise,” I said.
Saber turned and strode out, his boots echoing down the corridor until silence filled the space again.
I sank into the chair beside Aiden’s bed, the vinyl creaking under me. For a few seconds, the only sounds came from the monitor’s soft beeps and the distant rumble of a rolling cart outside. The sterile scent of antiseptic blended with the faint aroma of Nonna’s cookies.
Aiden reached for my hand again. His grip felt strong, grounding. “You okay?” he asked.
“Me?” I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I held. “You’re the one who hit the floor in front of a judge.”
“Still here,” he said. “Thanks to you, and your grandmother’s spoon.”
I laughed, shaking my head. “You should’ve seen her face when you said yes, ma’am.”
“I did.” His smile turned small but real. “That’s why I said it twice.”
The laugh caught in my throat, soft and unsteady. For a moment, nothing else mattered. Just us, the cookies, and the soft hum of a world that had finally stopped spinning. Rain began to tap against the window a moment later, soft at first, then sharper, each drop pinging against the glass.
He cleared his throat. “The CCTV didn’t show who stole the silver nugget boxes out of your dad’s rig at the hospital.”
I sighed. “Don’t tell me. We parked in a blind spot.”
He frowned. “How did you know that?”
“Long story.” I pushed hair out of my eyes, not wanting to talk about Cormac. “Saber will be okay.”
“I know.” Aiden’s voice carried conviction. “Saber’s excellent undercover. We built that op for me, not him. I just hope it’s not too late to swap someone in.”
I eased onto the edge of the bed and smoothed the sheet near his ribs. “He’s smart. He’s trained. He’ll be fine.”
“I know.” Aiden caught a strand of my hair and tugged lightly. “What are you up to?”
I gave him the short version of my afternoon. By the time I finished, he was nodding slowly.
“Well, at least I can stay here and keep working the mushroom angle. My money’s still on Brooke. There’s no way someone just switched the tea by accident,” he said. “Wait a second. When the leprechaun stole the silver boxes—”
I shook my head. “I thought of that. Believe me, I wish that was it. But Nana didn’t even put the tea out until the day before the grand opening.”
His shoulders lowered. “So the tea wasn’t there when the silver boxes disappeared.”
“Exactly. I’d love to blame that thief for both, but no.”
He exhaled. “Then it doesn’t make sense.”
“I know.”
“Unless…” He stopped, his jaw tightening.
“No.” I cut him off before he could finish. “There’s no way Nana knew she was selling mushrooms. She wouldn’t do that, especially not to kids.”
He tugged me closer, pulling me against his chest. I landed on his good side, my cheek against his shoulder, his arm strong around me. For a second, everything inside me settled.
“We’ll figure it out,” he murmured.
“I hope so.” My voice came out softer than I meant. “How are you feeling, anyway?”
“Fine.” His thumb brushed my arm in slow circles. “Not sure what happened earlier. Could’ve been the concussion. Maybe leftover crap from the explosion. They’ve run every test known to man. No internal bleeding, no fractures. I can go home anytime.”
He didn’t move though. Rain streamed down the window now, streaking the glass. The wind had picked up, rattling the panes in a steady rhythm. I tucked myself closer, letting his body heat chase off the chill. For a minute, the world could spin without me. I had this.
“Nonna’s going to check on you tomorrow,” I said.
He groaned. “I know.”
A grin slipped out before I could stop it. “It won’t kill you to stay one night in the hospital.”
“I’m bored,” he muttered, his voice rougher now. His hand slid to my hip and tightened.
“Hey,” I whispered.
He tugged me on top of him. Somehow. “Yeah.”
His palm flattened against my back, the heat of it soaking through my shirt. He drew me closer until my legs bracketed his hips. The IV line tugged slightly as his other hand, the one hooked to the saline bag, slid into my hair and guided me down toward his mouth.
“No,” I said just as his lips brushed mine.
Then he kissed me, hot and full, tasting of chocolate and brownies.
Oh God, he tasted good.
I forgot the room, the case, the faint beeping of the monitor. My mind cleared until there was only him. The kiss deepened, his hand sliding down to cup my butt, firm and sure, a shock of touch that pulled a startled sound from my throat.
“Aiden,” I breathed, lifting enough to meet his gaze. “We’re in a hospital.”
“I don’t care.”
The door was wide open. “I do.” I shifted to his side, trying to catch a breath. He didn’t stop. The edge of my hair brushed his arm as his hand slipped lower, tracing my ribs, then the curve of my waist before unsnapping my jeans.
“Hey,” I protested.
“Put your leg over me,” he rumbled.
I shook my head.
He hooked my knee and tugged my leg over him. Then he lowered my zipper.
Excitement ripped through me along with alarm. I looked over at the open doorway and could hear nurses down the hall.
His fingers slid smoothly beneath my panties.
“Stop,” I gurgled, grabbing his wrist.
“No.” He slipped one finger inside me and then the other.
I couldn’t breathe. “Wait—”
Then another finger. He started to move, the rhythm easy to him. His thumb scraped my clit, and too soon, way too soon, I buried my face in his neck and climaxed. Wildly.
His chuckle sounded way too satisfied as he removed his hand and fixed my zipper.
My body jerked several times.
He leaned down and kissed my cheek. “I feel better now.”