The door clicking behind Aiden assured him that he and his Angel were now truly alone in his office. And due to the late hour, he was also confident in the fact that there was nobody to bother them. Not that they would have dared to anyway.
Claire had burst into motion the moment she laid eyes on him. Which caused him to solely focus on what needed to be done. But now? Now he could drink in the vision of a woman before him.
She had her hair tied up in a loose and messy bun. More than a few fiery locks had escaped from it thanks to her earlier attempts to stab him. 'Let's not tell Jacob I wouldn't have cared if she did.' Aiden internally chuckled at his own realization as he watched her place a hand on the glass that gave way to the city night view.
He noticed she was in an exercise outfit. Her black leggings and simple t shirt made her red hair look even more vibrant. And her eyes even greener as she looked over the buildings. Seemingly lost in her own thoughts.
Claire's earlier rage subsided enough for him to guide her towards a more private space, but there was definitely a storm brewing inside her. One that had evidently spilled out when she learned about his last minute meeting. And now? It was nothing but the calm before another storm. One Aiden sensed could be baited out of her at any moment.
"Talk." Claire's clean cut voice was the same she would use in her meetings. And although Aiden was grateful her bloodlust had died down enough to converse, he wasn't a fan of being on the receiving end of such an impersonal tone. Especially from her.
"Colton approached me first." He wasted no time in answering. "Yet speaking frankly, I don't think I would have lasted much longer had he not done so. I may be patient with you, but with scum like Calvin? Not so much."
Having been met with silence, he continued. "The meeting had the sole purpose of having the Bloodraven derail him from whatever his original plan was. That way you'd have a bit more time to go ahead with your own plan. In the process however, I'm certain that I managed to rattle him."
"A calm breeze is enough to rattle him." Claire's unimpressed expression wasn't seen, but the message was clear. Aiden needed to provide something much more meaningful for her to be convinced.
"I noticed." He took a few steps forwards. Not exactly reaching her, yet close enough to feel less stressed about the unwanted distance between them. "But seeing as he already sloppily attempted to hack into both my private and personal networks, I'm assuming my plan to redirect his attention towards me has been successful."
"He what?" At that she quickly turned around. And as soon as she did, she registered the way Aiden was completely relaxed. A small twinge of guilt squeezed her heart. Having a conversation first was the smart thing to do, but her earlier emotions had gotten the best of her. Something she had been struggling to keep in check lately.
"Anna had already helped us reenforce the entire system, so it ended up being another failed mission on their part. But we did manage to place one of your trojan horse's deep into their own network during their sad excuse of a hack." Seeing her eyes widen was enough to make Aiden's lips spread into a soft smile. "Successfully gaining us access to a few other very interesting things he's been keeping hidden from his dear old daddy."
Claire studied the serene look on Aiden's face and couldn't help but feel shocked. "What?" She asked as her professional persona vanished instantly.
He took another two steps. Now at arms length. "It's just like I said before Angel. There was nothing but good intentions behind this strategic move. You now have more than enough to create the perfect scenario for his own downfall within the organization. You just need to decide how you want it to be done." Aiden could see the gears in her head turning.
"What do you mean? It's not that simple." Claire's chest tightened. Her logical side understood what he was saying, yet her emotional side was beginning to run rampant again. Having offered her such a big opportunity wasn't something she could easily wrap her head around. Especially after coveting it for so long. A million thoughts swirled in her head at the same time.
The same sensation from before pushed Aiden to close the gap between them. Slightly pressing her against the cold glass, he took her face in his palms. Gently caressing her cheeks. "You can build a case against him to be tried inside the clan, you can have the information anonymously handed to his higher up, you can black mail him to do your bidding, you can do anything you want baby." Her eyes darted around his face as he spoke. "I know you wanted to take the clan down as a whole, but there's nothing wrong with removing this one rotting piece before actually going through with it."
"The plan has been worked on for years." Claire's voice trembled a bit as she spoke. "We can't just derail from it just because you guys thin-"
"Colton is seriously worried about you. And so am I." He interrupted her. "You can't really expect the people around you to do nothing while you seemingly work yourself to the brink of exhaustion. Don't think I haven't noticed how everybody walks on eggshells around you lately."
An incredulous laugh burst out of her without warning. "I've been through much worse and they all know it. I can handle much more tha-"
"But it's obvious they don't want you to. And neither do I." His statement was absolute. Making her focus on his eyes. "I have it handled Angel. So just tell me how you want it so you can focus on what's truly important. Because that sorry excuse of a man surely isn't."
The image of her little Lily flooded her head like a tsunami. Making her overwhelming thoughts suddenly seem much simpler than she originally felt they were.
"So....you didn't...you didn't compromise us?" Her voice was small. But her question, yet again, spoke magnitudes of her inner turmoil.
'How is it that nobody's noticed this before?' Aiden thought to himself. 'Why hasn't anybody soothed her fears?'
His eyes softened. "I would never."
"You're sure he didn't figure out your intentions?" Claire continued to ask as she unconsciously placed her hands on his chest. Soothing herself with the sensation of his heart beat under her palms.
"I highly doubt he has enough brain cells to do so." He answered smoothly before placing a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Are you sure?" She pressed her head against his chest and let herself be wrapped in his arms. Gently squeezing her into a reassuring hug.
"Positive." Aiden kissed the top of her head. "And if he somehow did, I'll take care of it. You have nothing to worry about."
Claire let out a deep sigh and pressed herself even further into his embrace. She could feel the tension in her shoulders ease up.
They stood in each others arms in silence. Every few minutes Aiden would kiss the top of her head, but other than that, he remained still. Giving her the time she needed to fully relax and finally take a much needed moment to herself. Even if it was in his arms.
"I'm sorry about earlier." Claire broke the silence as she wrapped her own arms around him. Tightly gripping his suit with one of her hands. "I kinda.....lost control for a second."
"I would have reacted the same if I were in your shoes. So I apologize as well." Aiden had begun to slowly caress her back as they spoke. "I don't think it's a good idea to keep each other in the in the dark like that. I'll try not to do it again."
Another long moment of silence stretched between them before Claire looked up at him. Given their height difference, she had to strain her neck to be able to do so, yet she didn't mind.
Aiden on the other hand was of a different opinion.
In a single slow movement he held her by the waist and easily lifted her. Getting the hint, she wrapped her legs around his him and placed her arms around his neck. Securing herself in his arms once again.
"Anything else?" Aiden's loving gaze reassured her as he asked.
"Yes." Having regained her composure, it was easier to carry on with their usual conversation pace. "Why was it so easy for me to access the building?" Regardless of it's security, she could break into practically anywhere. Yet she didn't even get the chance to try. This thanks to her face being the access key to every door she went through.
"I may have asked Anna to add your biometrics to our security system during her visit." He chuckled as he walked towards the office bedroom while effortlessly carrying her.
"Now why on earth would you do that?" Although her tone was filled with a questioning doubt, the grin on her expression let Aiden knew she was actually happy about it.
"After the little princess's visit? How could I not?" He chuckled as he skillfully closed the door behind him with his foot. "If the chance for either of you to visit occurs, I need to be sure you can access me without any complications."
"You had Lily's biometrics placed in as well?" She asked in shock.
"Anna assured me it wouldn't put either of you at risk due to it's encryption, so I had her do it." Claire's expression was a shocked one as she was being gently placed on the perfectly made bed. "I even had Jacob redesign one of the meeting rooms into the perfect play room."
"This is a company Aiden. She doesn't need an entire meeting room to play in." Claire couldn't help but giggle at how he was so happily wrapped around her little flower's finger.
"Of course she does. What else would she look forward to in such a boring place?" Her laughter was music to his ears. Especially after such a tense episode between them. "She caught me off guard last time, but it won't happen again." After taking off his suit jacket, he kneeled down to take her training sneakers off.
"You can't keep modifying entire buildings just to accommodate her during her brief visits." She continued to banter regardless of how they both knew she didn't really mean it. Having somebody as devoted as Aiden dote on her little girl was something she very much enjoyed. Not to mention all of the doting he did on herself as well.
Aiden laughed as if he heard something outrageous. Sitting next to her to take off his own shoes, he continued. "I'd change entire landscapes to better suit her taste Angel." Having done his task swiftly, he turned towards her and immediately wrapped his arms around her. "And the same goes for you."
Without letting her answer, he pulled her towards him and collapsed onto the bed. Making sure she was securely and comfortably laid in his arms, he kissed her.
It was a soft, tender and torturously slow kiss. The kind that would force your every thought to slowly melt away. But before anything went further, he pulled back. Causing an involuntary whimper to leave her lips. Sound that satisfied him greatly.
"Today we're gonna sleep Angel." Aiden's voice was low as he spoke to her. "You've been lacking sleep for a while now and I'm at my limit of watching you go on and about while having such dark circles under your eyes." He gently caressed them as he stared down at her. "Tomorrow however, we can do whatever you want. How's that sound?"
Looking into his eyes, she knew that there was no way she would be able to say no to such a tempting offer. So after burying her face in his chest for a second time that night, she offered him a simple reply.
"That sound great."