Chapter Three

Aiden

I am so fucking screwed.

Aiden tried hard to keep his mind on the tasks being given to Rocky and himself, but all he could think was that one looping thought. How the hell was he supposed to keep control of his ever-growing attraction to Rocky when he was being assigned a job that would keep him in Rocky's company almost constantly over the next few months?

Also, he didn't do well when talking to new people. How was he supposed to supervise contractors when he could barely talk to them? Not that he would tell anyone that. He didn't want to come off as weak. As far as anyone here knew, he was a Daddy and Daddies handled their shit. No, they hadn't specifically asked but they'd assumed, and Aiden had let them. He couldn't go running to Blade now saying he couldn't have a simple fucking conversation.

I am so fucking screwed.

Shit. If he was handling contractors, how was he going to get into finding the traitor? He needed to find the bastard and fast before someone he loved got hurt. Aiden had been given up for adoption at birth. He'd bounced from foster home to foster home but had never found one that felt like a family. He'd thought he had once, when he'd been fifteen, but the only thing that had come from that was a crushed spirit and Octavia. He'd learned not to get his hopes up. Or he'd thought so. Until he turned eighteen and realized he could make his own family if he found the right people. Finally in Lilton, following heartbreak after heartbreak, he'd found what he'd been searching for in this club. In the men in this room. He needed to focus his time on protecting them, not sprucing up a bar that seemed just fine as it was.

"Pup!" Blade's sharp tone drew Aiden's attention, and he realized it was time to give his findings. Or, his lack of finding, as the case was.

"I was telling the guys yesterday..."

"We know that part. Rocky filled us in so you wouldn't have to go over it again."

As Blade explained, Aiden shot Rocky a grateful smile. Repeating himself made him itchy. It grated under his skin. He wasn't sure why. He'd just always been that way.

"Well, after you called the meeting, I went back to my office and went through everything there, then headed to my room and checked my second laptop, as well as my phone and tablet. Anything connected to the internet. I couldn't find any sign of a rootkit that seemed to be compromised. I plan to head out today and replace both laptops just in case there's a compromise I can't detect. It's a better-safe-than-sorry precaution, though. Honestly, I don't think anyone hacked into the system."

"If no one got in, how the..."

"I don't know, Blade. I only told the men in this room what was where and how it worked. Unless someone was listen..." That was it! That was fucking it!

Aiden rose from his seat so fast, it toppled over behind him as he ran from the room. He could hear the inquiries about what he'd figured out but there was no time. First, he needed to check his theory was correct before he approached them with it. He was running so fast as he took the corner to his office that he slammed into the wall and bounced off, landing hard on his bottom and bouncing his head off the concrete floor.

Aiden had heard the phrase I saw stars before but had never experienced it. He wondered why it was called seeing stars. It didn't fit. As he lay there stunned, a veritable kaleidoscope of flashing colored lights blinked in and out of his vision, reminding him of the fancy light displays they set up at Christmas time.

After a moment, the pain set in, the back of his head bursting with sharp radiating pain and his bottom throbbing. As soon as the pain registered, Aiden's nature took over and he burst into tears. He tried to be stoic and hold them back but it hurt too bad. He just couldn't do it.

"Ouchie!" he yelped between hiccupping sobs, "It...h-hurts!"

Suddenly, strong arms were working their way underneath his back and his knees as a deep soothing voice whispered in his ear, "It's okay, little one. I've got you," and he was lifted up and against Rocky's rock hard chest.

In that moment, it didn't matter to Aiden that Rocky had called him little one or that he'd acted like such a baby. His head hurt and his butt hurt and all he wanted was someone to make it better.

"I've got you, baby. I'll help take the hurt away."

Just hearing the words soothed some of Aiden's pain. It had been so long since someone had offered to take care of him. He soaked up the caring comfort like a sponge, hoping it would be enough to hold him over when the crisis passed and he had to go back to being "strong and capable Aiden". It was coming soon and Aiden knew it so he decided to cherish every minute of the time Rocky was offering to be strong and capable for him.

Rocky set Aiden on the couch in his office and positioned him on his side so his bottom wasn't resting on the cushion. He placed a pillow under Aiden's head and without asking, reached into the messenger bag next to the couch removing Octavia and settling her in Aiden's arms.

"How..."

"Shhhh, it doesn't matter right now." Rocky brushed a lock of Aiden's hair off his forehead and bent down to his level before asking, "do you have any type of pain reliever here? Tylenol, Advil, anything?"

Deciding to leave his curiosity for now in favor of relieving some of his headache, Aiden set aside his reservations and answered, "Top right drawer of my desk."

Immediately, Rocky stood and headed to his desk. Before finding the Advil, Rocky found a package of chewy antacids and frowned deeply. Aiden had a feeling he was going to get asked about it but he didn't have the wherewithal to care at the moment. Finally, Rocky lifted out the bottle of liquid pain reliever and the measuring cup. His face took on a wistful smile as he stared for a moment before seeming to shake off whatever thought he'd been having and headed back to Aiden, measuring out the correct dose as he walked.

Rocky once again knelt down to Aiden's level and gently cradled his head as he helped Aiden sit up enough to drink down the grape flavored medicine. Once he'd had the medication, Rocky stood again and bent over him to check the back of his head. Aiden marveled at how he could be in so much pain, and still find himself drooling when he came face to face with Rocky's jean-covered cock. His very large and very hard jean-covered cock.

Rocky D'Angelo was hard. For him. Rocky found him sexy? Oh, hell.

"It's okay, baby. I don't see any bleeding. You've got a nice bump back here, though." Aiden could barely hear or register the words as he fought against his urge to reach out and touch the holy grail. He shouldn't. He couldn't. Could he? Rocky's next words snapped him out of it, though, making his internal debate superfluous. "That's quite a bit of swelling, maybe I should take you to the ER."

Aiden sucked in a breath and practically shouted, "No!"

He fucking hated doctors. All they wanted to do was poke people and give them medicine and try to tell people that they weren't normal and couldn't live normal lives. Doctors ruined families and got people sent away. He wasn't going to a fucking doctor. Not ever again.

"We need to get it checked out and make sure you don't have a concussion." Rocky began tenderly prodding his finger over the sore area and Aiden hissed in pain. "I was going to ask if that hurt but I can hear it does. I really think you need to get this checked out, baby boy."

"But you're already checking it out," Aiden whined, "There is no need to bring an icky doctor into this."

Rocky knelt down and looked Aiden directly in the eyes. "If you won't go to the ER, then I'm willing to compromise. You'll come home with me tonight. I'll keep an eye on you." Aiden was already nodding his agreement despite the pain. Anything to avoid a damn doctor. "But..." Uh, oh. Buts were never good. "If I see even the tiniest hint that you might have a concussion, you will be going to the hospital if I have to hog tie you, throw you over my shoulder, and carry you there."

Well, fuck. All he could do was cross his fingers he'd be fine and wouldn't need to go. Distracting himself from the possibility, he wondered why the hell the image of Rocky carrying out his threat had Aiden about ready to come in his pants. What the ever-loving hell?