Hide And Keep (3 page)

Chapter 3

“Hey, it’s Lane.” He said as he checked the oven.

“I take it you found Cabbot’s guy and made it back without too much difficulty.” Chief laughed. Lane rolled his eyes as he stirred the sauce for the chicken.

“You have no idea, Chief. This guy is a piece of work.” Lane replied as he leaned and stretched his neck toward the study, making sure Aiden was still running.

“What do you mean?” Chief asked warily.

“He’s got all kinds of weird hangups and he doesn’t act like a person all the time.” Lane said as he grabbed the tongs and turned the chicken.

“What the hell does that mean, Lane?” Chief sounded like he was getting worried.
Serves him right,
Lane thought.

“He says he has Asperger’s syndrome. I’m not sure what that is but as far as I can tell, it means he only eats cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets, wears the exact same outfit every day, can’t drive, says the first thing that pops into his head, asks inappropriate questions, is hyper paranoid about his personal safety and refuses to stay in a hotel.” Lane leaned against the counter and watched Aiden run. He’d been at it for almost forty-five minutes. “And he runs like a fucking gazelle.” He added and Chief barked with laughter.

“What the hell…” He chuckled briefly before he gasped. “Wait. He won’t stay in a hotel? Where is he?” Chief asked. Lane appreciated how tense he sounded.

“He’s here, I put him in my spare room.” He stated as he took a sip of his beer. Chief groaned.

“I don’t like this, Lane.” He replied and Lane shrugged.

“He was going to sleep at the station. What was I supposed to do?” He asked. Chief sighed.

“Let him sleep at the station?” He suggested. Lane knew Chief was full of shit, he would have done the same thing. They’d become close friends over the years, Chief was one of the best men Lane knew.

“Nah.” Lane debated for a moment before asking his next question. “Did you know he was gay when you agreed to send me to get him?” He asked carefully. Lane heard Chief hiss in shock and the tension left Lane’s shoulders.

“I swear, Lane, I had no idea. You know I would never…” Lane cut him off.

“I didn’t think so. Do you think Cabbot knew?” He hated that he couldn’t put it past Clark to use him like that. He heard a resigned sigh from Chief.

“I don’t know. He didn’t say anything that would lead me to think so. But you know that son of a bitch will do whatever it takes to win.” He admitted. “Look, I don’t like that you’ve got some lunatic under your roof. I don’t care if he’s with the F.B.I., we don’t know him from Adam. And I like it even less that he’s gay. If Cabbot’s got him expecting something from you, it might not be safe.” Chief said. Lane couldn’t stifle the laugh that burst from his throat.

“I’ll be fine, Chief. I don’t think Cabbot told him but he figured it out. I’m not feeling threatened at all by this guy. Even if I did, I could handle him.” Lane promised. He felt a smile tug at his lips. “If things were different, I’d probably take advantage of the situation.” He admitted. This time, Chief roared with laughter.

“So you didn’t take him in out of the kindness of your heart.” He teased and Lane smiled as Aiden’s t-shirt clung to his body.

“He’s definitely easy to look at.” He shook his head to clear it. “But, no. I get the feeling he's like
A Beautiful Mind
and I’m not trying to stir up more crazy or damage him even more.” Lane explained.

“Hey, that’s your call. If Cabbot’s stuck you with a bag of nuts, you might as well make the best of it. Or don’t. I’ll see you on Monday, enjoy your weekend.” Chief laughed again. Lane pinched the bridge of his nose.”

“Yeah, Monday.” He said before he hung up.

Lane plated their food and set it on the table. He made his way to the study, a beer in hand and watched Aiden as he leaned against the door. He really was beautiful and Lane was enjoying the way Aiden’s sweatpants hugged his ass as he ran. His head fell to the side as he stared.
Christ, he’s got a perfect ass,
Lane observed. He took a long drink of his beer before he pushed away from the door and approached Aiden. Lane walked around the treadmill and leaned against the window. He barely stopped his eyelids from shutting and groaning in delight and was grateful to have the glass at his back for support as the smell of Aiden’s warm body flooded his senses. Lane took a deep breath through his mouth and he swore he could taste him and stifled a groan. Lane looked up just as Aiden’s eyes swept down to his. Aiden nodded and slowed his pace as he pulled his headphones down around his neck.

“I’ll be right there.” He huffed and Lane resisted the urge to lean closer and take a deep breath before he left the room.

Draining his beer on the way back to the kitchen and grabbing another was suddenly vital to Lane’s survival.
Just don’t get drunk or you might do something you’ll regret tomorrow,
Lane warned himself as he leaned on the counter and waited for Aiden. When Aiden emerged from the study he was mopping his face with a towel and his t-shirt had settled into the grooves and hollows of his chest and stomach, clearly outlining defined pecs and a six pack. Lane raised his bottle and took several sips as Aiden crossed the living room.

“Would you like a beer?” Lane asked as Aiden approached the table. Aiden shook his head as he frowned at their plates.

“I don’t drink alcohol.” He mumbled as he stared down at the food. Lane went into the kitchen and grabbed Aiden a glass of water and set it on the table then sat down. He gestured at the chair across from him.

“Sit.” He commanded and Aiden looked stunned as his eyes flicked to Lane’s. He pulled the chair out and sat, too far from the table. Lane gave him a pointed look and Aiden’s lips pulled tight before he scooted the chair closer.

“What is this?” Aiden asked warily and Lane couldn’t help looking at Aiden as if he had two sets of ears.

“It’s chicken, potatoes and a salad.” He explained incredulously. Aiden’s eyes had that panicked look again as they met Lane’s.

“I don’t know what kind of chicken, potatoes and salad these are, Lane.” He sounded mildly terrified and Lane’s brow rose as he stared at Aiden.

“You have a chicken breast with a lemon, garlic and caper sauce, rosemary roasted potatoes and a tomato and cucumber salad dressed with olive oil and lemon.” Lane stated as he watched Aiden’s eyes grow wider.

Aiden looked like Lane was trying to feed him his own body parts. If Lane was honest, he was grateful to Aiden. That moment of overwhelming lust had definitely passed. Lane picked up his fork and knife and tried to keep his eyes on his own plate but was quickly distracted by Aiden. It was like watching a surgeon. Aiden scraped the sauce and the outer layer off of his chicken. Then, he cut the outside edges off each bite before he put it in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed quickly, repeating the whole process methodically until all the acceptable interior parts of his chicken breast were gone. Aiden turned his plate and approached the potatoes. Lane had cubed them, tossed them in olive oil and rosemary and roasted them with sea salt. Aiden cut the sides off of one cube and chewed it. He shook his head faintly and tuned his plate and stared at the salad for a few moments before pulling out a slice of cucumber. He ate it slowly then pushed his plate away and quickly drank his glass of water.

“Thank you for dinner.” Aiden said as he sat back in his chair. Lane’s eyes felt dry, he was sure he hadn’t blinked the entire time Aiden operated on his meal.

“How was it?” He asked perversely. Aiden shrugged.

“I don’t know. Good?” His eyes flicked to Lane’s and they were uncertain before they returned to his plate. Lane’s mouth fell open.

“How do you not know?” He asked loudly. Aiden stared at his plate for several moments before he took a deep breath and looked at Lane. Lane already felt like an ass before Aiden even opened his mouth.

“It’s sort of like my brain and mouth can’t process something if it’s not what I’m used to. I know what a McNugget tastes like. Or french fries. If I eat something I’m not used to, it’s just becomes a mechanical process. It’s like my brain sorts it into the generic category of Food and I can’t really taste it.” Aiden explained and Lane could only blink back at him. “And I don’t like sauces and condiments. Can I take a shower now?” He asked. Lane nodded but his eyes remained on Aiden’s plate as he left.

Lane quickly ate and took their plates to the kitchen. He was wondering if Aiden’s eating habit's could be considered an eating disorder and if it was typical for people with Asperger’s syndrome when he realized that Aiden hadn’t purchased anything to sleep in. Aiden thought he’d be sleeping in a public space and intended to stay in his clothes. Lane thought Aiden might appreciate some pajama pants and it would make Lane feel a little better about how insensitive he behaved during dinner.

Lane went upstairs and grabbed a pair of flannel pajama pants. He turned up the thermostat in the hall and leaned into Aiden’s room. The bedroom door was open but the bathroom door was shut. He was about to toss the pants on the bed when the bathroom door opened and Aiden stepped out with a towel around his waist. Lane’s mouth became dry and his throat closed.
Mother. Of. God.
Lane leaned against the door frame for support as his eyes traveled over Aiden’s body. Boom. Hard-on. Lane stifled a groan as his entire body tightened. Aiden’s body was perfect. He was sleek, every muscle was defined and despite his bizarre diet, Aiden didn’t have an ounce of fat on him. But it was the tattoos. They’d all been hidden by his street clothes, but most of Aiden’s chest, back and arms were covered in ink. Lane didn’t realize he was so into tattoos… He wanted to trace every single one of them with his tongue. And Aiden had a lot of tattoos. Lane knew he had a weakness for a defined Adonis belt. Heat flooded Lane’s groin as his eyes swept down the V shaped muscle to a peek of dark curls revealed by the towel draped low around Aiden’s hips.

“Lane?” Aiden’s voice was soft and warm but it cut through the fog and Lane forced his eyes up to Aiden’s.

“Yeah?” His voice came out hoarse and deep as he struggled to get his brain to work. Aiden’s brows pulled together as he stared at Lane.

“I’m not very good at responding to nonverbal cues. You look like you want to have sex with me but I’m not sure if you actually intend to or if you’re here for a different reason.” Aiden admitted as he leaned against the wall. Lane took a deep breath and shook his head weakly.

“No. No sex, Aiden.” Lane rasped as he held up the pants. Like a moron. Aiden’s head tilted as he stepped forward and Lane thought he saw a flash of disappointment. “You didn’t buy anything to sleep in and it gets cold. I thought you might want to borrow these.” He watched as Aiden reached for the pants. Aiden's fingers brushed his and Lane suppressed a shiver. Aiden shrugged as he took the pants.

“Thank you, I was just going to sleep in my underwear.” He said as he went back into the bathroom and shut the door.

The sight of the corded muscles of Aiden’s shoulders and his long, lean, tattooed back made hard, harder. Lane shut his eyes and moaned softly as he pictured Aiden stretched out on the bed in his underwear. The door opened and Aiden came out wearing Lane’s pajama pants and things only got worse for Lane. They hung low on Aiden’s hips and Lane’s fingers tingled as the urge to pull the cord and let them fall crashed into him. Lane fisted his hands and forced his feet to take a step back. Aiden’s eyes narrowed as he watched Lane retreat.

“You want to have sex with me but you won’t. Why?” He asked as he took a step toward Lane. “Is it because you’re turned off by my personality and the way I eat?” Aiden’s eyes clung to Lane’s face as he waited. Lane shook his head as he struggled for an explanation. Aiden was partially right but Lane didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“Not really, though I’m having a hard time making sense of all of that. It’s more a professional issue. I can’t figure out if you’re a coworker or if this is sort of like a witness protection situation. Either way, if you were my coworker, like a partner, you’d be off limit's. If I was assigned to protect you, you would be off limit's. I don’t want to complicate things for Clark’s case either.” Lane explained. Aiden seemed to relax and he nodded.

“That’s too bad. I think it would be really good.” He said as he stretched his arms above his head and yawned. “I’m versatile and I sleep better after I get laid.” Aiden pulled the duvet back and sat on the bed. Lane’s lips pulled into an O and he exhaled loudly.

“What?” He whispered. “Versatile?” Lane asked stupidly as Aiden leaned back on his elbows and smiled at Lane. He struggled to stay with the conversation and on his feet as his eyes roamed over Aiden’s chest and the small patch of hair between his pecs. They slid down the washboard stomach and lower, over the thin trail of dark hair that drew Lane’s eyes and imagination to the large bulge in the front of Aiden’s pants.

“I switch, I’m open to just about anything.” Aiden smiled and Lane felt heat rising up his neck.

“Oh. Good.” He hated that his voice broke as he stepped into the hall. “Well… I’m going to clean up and go to bed.” Lane cringed and wondered if he was the one with a disorder. Aiden nodded as he watched Lane go.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” He asked. Lane hesitated. He hated that he hesitated.

“Goodnight, Aiden.” He said before he rushed down the stairs and went straight for the fridge. He scowled when his hand shook as he grabbed another beer.

Lane pushed his hand through his hair as he leaned against the fridge and took a long drink, draining half the bottle. He was starting to get the feeling that he had been a bit naive and a little arrogant in assuming that Aiden was innocent and that Lane was the more experienced of the two. Lane shook his head in disbelief as he went to the sink and started rinsing their dishes. He definitely needed to reevaluate the situation and do some research.

Asperger syndrome or ASD effects males more than females. Symptoms and severity of symptoms are not consistent for every person with ASD, common characteristics include: