Safe and Sound

Safe And Sound

By

K. Sterling

**A Note From The Author**

Dear Reader,

We’ve come such a long way over the last year. I’ve grown as a writer and I have you to thank. Your support has been inspiring and precious to me. Of all my characters, Aiden is still my favorite and I’ve been delighted by your response to him. As the mother of a severely autistic child, he’s very dear and personal to me. Seeing that he holds a special place in so many hearts gives me more joy than you can imagine. I love every character that wanders from the twisty depths of my brain. They all continue in their little worlds and now and then, I check in on them. I see them cuddling on the couch or flirting over breakfast. Have you noticed that
every book
has at least one breakfast scene? Breakfast is my favorite. I’m such a chubby girl. Anyways, they all go on in their Happily Ever Afters. I thought that since I’ve had such an amazing year and you’ve all been so generous, we’d take a very little peek at Aiden and Lane and see what their Happily Ever After looks like.

Happy Holidays and have a magical New Year, Lovely Reader!

Yours,

K. Sterling

Prologue

“There is no detectable pattern. Nothing is consistent. There’s nothing to link one crime scene to another. The data presents a wide variety of accelerants, methods of ignition, several different types of structures… It’s all so perfectly random, it’s brilliant,” Aiden said and Captain Graves snorted then rubbed his hand over his bald head on the screen of Aiden’s phone.

“You don’t have to be so complimentary,” he complained and Aiden shrugged.

“It’s not often that I encounter such a methodical, intelligent and original criminal,” he said and Graves chuckled.

“I suppose. You’re sure it’s all the same person?” He asked and Aiden blinked several times as he considered Graves’ question.
Why wouldn’t I be sure?
He wondered.

“The matches,” he said and Graves brows pulled together in confusion.

“The matches?” He asked and Aiden rushed across the living room and snatched a photo off the table and pointed the phone at it.

“They’re at every scene. Even the ones that didn’t require a match. If you have them analyzed, you’ll find they’re the same brand and type,” Aiden suggested and Graves gasped.

“Son of a bitch,” he whispered. “How did we miss this?” Graves asked and Aiden shook his head.

“I don’t know.” He looked up as the front door opened and Lane gave him a pointed look, warning him. “I need to go. Lane’s home and you know he doesn’t like when I do FaceTime calls when he’s here,” Aiden said and Graves saluted.

“Have a good evening and thanks for the lead on the matches,” Graves said and Aiden smiled.

“You’re welcome. I’ll call or email if I find anything else,” Aiden said and Lane cleared his throat impatiently. “Bye.” Aiden watched Graves wave then ended the call. He set the phone on the coffee table and reached for Lane just before he crashed into him. “How was your day?” He asked as he pressed his face into Lane’s shoulder, inhaling as much of his scent as he could. Lane sighed heavily as his hands swept over Aiden’s back.

“Boring. But it’s better now that I’m home,” he said as his hands traveled lower. Aiden growled softly as his lips found Lane’s ear.

“I missed you. Why are we still wearing clothes?” He asked as he backed Lane toward the stairs and Lane gave him a pointed look.

“I was ready at the door but you were in a call. I can’t strip off my pants if you’ve got the camera on,” he complained and Aiden smiled.

“I got off the phone quickly. In case we had a No Pants situation,” he said and Lane laughed.

“You’re a No Pants situation,” Lane murmured and Aiden nodded in agreement as he flicked the button of Lane’s trousers and pulled the zipper. Lane groaned as his lips covered Aiden’s and his tongue was demanding as it swept through Aiden’s mouth. Aiden’s hand slid beneath the waistband of Lane’s boxers and he hummed happily as it wrapped around Lane’s heavy, thick hard-on. Lane sighed in relief as Aiden stroked. “Fuck. I love you,” he panted and Aiden grinned.

“I love you. And I love this,” he said as he tugged firmly.

The doorbell rang and Aiden shook his head, willing whoever it was to go away. He grabbed a handful of Lane’s hair and kissed him hungrily as his hand reached lower. Lane moaned as Aiden squeezed his sack. The doorbell rang again and Lane cursed as he pulled his lips free.

“I think I have to get that,” Lane grumbled and Aiden shook his head.

“You’re Chief of Police and it’s your house. You can do whatever you want,” he argued and Lane groaned as he pulled Aiden’s hand out of his boxers and zipped.

“No. If that was true, I could shoot whoever decided it was a good idea to ring my doorbell,” Lane said as he quickly tucked in his shirt before he looked through the peephole. “Kat?” He gasped as he unlocked the door and pulled it open. Aiden’s lips pulled tight as he waited and prepared himself. He loved Kat but she was very unsettling. She was loud, uncouth and liked to touch and hug a lot. He had adjusted to the loud and the uncouth but the touching and almost violent hugging was still a shock. But she always warned them before she visited. She usually called one of them at least a week prior. “Kat?” Lane asked as he held open the door. She didn’t look right as she swept past him. “Is everything ok?” He asked and she waved dismissively.

“Everything’s fine!” She insisted and Aiden’s head tilted as he detected a slight waver in her voice. Lane frowned at her back as she advanced toward Aiden. “Can’t I drop in and visit my favorite brother?” She asked as she flung her arms around Aiden’s neck. He groaned and gently patted her back. She laughed as she looked over her shoulder at Lane. “And you,” she teased before she gave Aiden another squeeze. He endured it and noted that she was shaking.

“You’re implying that I’m your favorite brother,” Aiden murmured and Kat giggled as she leaned back. His lips twisted as he considered. “I don’t know my biological sister and I don’t like Stacey. She talks to me like I’m a child or behaves as if I’m not in the room. I think I can safely say that you are my favorite sister,” he decided and Kat sighed happily as she pulled him close for another tight hug.

“God, I’ve missed you,” she said before she kissed him firmly on the cheek. “I adore you, Aiden,” Kat whispered. She released him then turned to Lane. “I suppose I’ve missed you too,” She skipped over to Lane and he caught her as she threw herself at him. Lane held her close and his jaw twitched. Aiden assumed that Lane was observing the same irregularities.

“What’s wrong?” He asked and Kat shook her head and was about to offer a denial when Aiden cut her off.

“You’re unwell. You’re pale, you’re shaking, you’re unsteady on your feet, you’re emotionally unstable. But not in your usual way,” he explained and Lane chuckled softly as he held Kat’s chin and searched her face.

“What is it?” He asked firmly and Kat’s eyes shimmered as she bit her lip.

“I think mom and dad are going to kill me,” she whispered shakily before she buried her face in Lane’s chest. He made a soft shushing sound as he brushed his fingers through her hair and rubbed her back.

“No they won’t. You know they’ll always forgive you and support you, even if they’re disappointed,” he said and Kat shook her head.

“Not this time,” she warned. “I’m pregnant, Lane.” Kat pulled in a shuddering breath and Lane froze.

“They might kill you.” His voice was weak as the color left his face and his eyes turned into saucers. Aiden pushed his hand through his hair as he studied Lane. He was fairly certain Lane meant it as hyperbole but he’d seen plenty of cases where people were killed over less. And “honor killings” were still common in some parts of the world. “And the father?” Lane rasped and Kat shook her head.

“He’s not going to be involved. He’d be a terrible father anyways,” Kat mumbled and Lane was about to argue. “He’s a Vegas magician. He’s always broke because he’s got an unbelievable coke habit and he’ll fuck anything that moves,” she said and Lane bit his knuckle to keep from yelling as he stepped away from Kat.

“Excuse me,” he said softly. “I’m going to grab a bottle of wine from the fridge,” Lane said before he turned away.

“I can’t drink that!” Kat said loudly and Lane glared as he reached into the fridge.

“Of course you can’t. I was planning to drink it by myself,” he said. A moment later, the cork made a soft pop and Lane raised the bottle and nodded at Kat and Aiden before taking a long drink. He kept drinking until the need to cringe and shudder from the tartness of the wine became too strong. He twitched and gasped before taking another drink. Aiden chewed his thumb knuckle as he watched and wondered if Kat considered the possibility that Lane would want to harm her.

Chapter 1

Seventeen months later…

Lane turned away from the window and laughed softly as he watched Aiden pace nervously in the living room.
You’d think we were about to be attacked by vikings or barbarians,
he thought as he reached for Aiden and pulled him against his chest. He kneaded the muscles of his neck, trying to ease some of the tension as he kissed his hair.

“It’s not going to be that bad,” he promised and he heard Aiden snort as his body became more tense.

“We’re going to have a tiny barbarian in our home, Lane. That’s really bad,” he grumbled and Lane couldn’t stifle the laugh and his body shook as he tried to soothe Aiden with his hands.

“He’s only seven months old. He’s just crawling and as long as he’s in his chair, play yard or we’re holding him, we don’t have to worry about him getting into trouble. Henry won’t be loose in our house at any time, I swear,” Lane said and Aiden didn’t feel any less taut as he nodded. “It’s just overnight. We agreed that it would be good for Kat to have a night off. If you can call closing on her new apartment and going to an interview in the morning a night off,” he said and Aiden sighed heavily.

“Are you certain it was wise of us to encourage her to move to Chicago? We’re only going to be an hour away. We’ll end up babysitting more often,” he complained and Lane rolled his eyes.

“An hour away isn’t very convenient. She’ll have to find a regular sitter or a nanny,” he said and Aiden relaxed.

“That makes sense. So, we just have to get through the rest of the day and tomorrow morning. She’ll take him back before lunch,” Aiden confirmed and Lane nodded as he leaned back and found Aiden’s eyes.

“Exactly. Just survive the less than twenty-four hours Henry will be here and everything will be back to normal,” Lane said and Aiden looked at the clock.

“Ok. But if it’s too much, I’m going to Chief and Sandra’s,” he warned and Lane shook his head. Even though he retired a year earlier, everyone still called him Chief. Aiden adopted Chief and Sandra and their home was one of the few places aside from theirs’ that he was comfortable.

“You have to stick it out with me,” Lane said and Aiden groaned. “And you’d miss me tonight,” he added as he slid his lips up Aiden’s throat. He licked his earlobe and Aiden’s body became warm and pliant in Lane’s arms. “I was planning on being very grateful tonight,” he breathed in Aiden’s ear and he shivered as Lane’s hands worked at the fly of Aiden’s jeans.

“Can we do that with a baby in the house?” He asked and Lane chuckled as he backed Aiden to the sofa.

“He has to sleep sometime,” he purred as he pushed Aiden’s jeans down his thighs. Aiden nodded faintly and Lane knew that his mind was distancing itself from all thoughts of Henry and the terror to come.

“That’s good,” he mumbled as he nibbled on Lane’s lip. “Do we have enough time for this?” Aiden asked and Lane grinned as he pushed on Aiden’s chest and caused him to fall and sprawl on his back on the sofa.

“We’ll make time. If she shows up before we’re done, she can wait,” Lane said as he put his knee on the sofa between Aiden’s legs. He gave Aiden’s boxer briefs a quick tug and his cock was hard and twitching as Lane wrapped his hand around it. He lowered his shoulders and sighed happily as he breathed in the smell of Aiden’s body. His lips brushed over Aiden’s sack and skimmed up the length of his erection and Lane felt his jaw twinge as his mouth watered. He didn’t know what it was about Aiden but he’d never get enough. After five years, Lane still craved the taste of his skin and the feel of their bodies locked together. Somehow, he got to come home to the most amazing man in the world and as long as his phone’s camera wasn’t on, clothes were rarely present. Their home was a peaceful haven where Aiden and lots of sex were waiting for Lane. His life was about as perfect as it could possibly get. “One last blow-job before we descend into chaos,” Lane teased before he set his tongue to the base of Aiden’s cock and slowly slid it up his length. Aiden moaned softly as his fingers pushed into Lane’s hair.

“Fine… Chaos…” He mumbled as he shut his eyes and melted onto the sofa. Lane hummed in agreement. He knew that Aiden wasn’t listening, his mind was receding and he was sinking into sensory bliss. Aiden panted Lane’s name as his head lolled on the cushions and Lane’s hands pushed up Aiden’s thighs as his lips wrapped around the head of Aiden’s erection. He sucked and the fresh, clean taste of Aiden’s skin and the softly sweet and salty taste of his pre-cum filled Lane’s mouth. Jesus Christ, he was so fucking good. Lane growled as his lips slid down and he greedily swallowed as much as he could. “That’s so good, Lane,” Aiden whispered breathlessly as his hips began to buck.

Lane let them go and timed the rise and fall of his head with their gentle thrusting and Aiden moaned deliriously as Lane sucked harder. His hands slipped beneath Aiden’s shirt and his nails grazed as they pushed up Aiden’s stomach. Aiden gasped when Lane’s thumbs brushed over his nipples and he jumped when Lane pinched and rolled them between his fingers. Lane sucked harder as his head rose and fell faster and Aiden whimpered as he undulated beneath Lane. The taste of Aiden’s pre-cum filled Lane’s mouth and he groaned in delight. This man was everything. The pleasure and peace that Lane found in his body was precious and he would do anything to protect and keep him. His hand closed around Aiden’s length and he stroked firmly as he raised his head.

“Please, Aiden,” Lane whispered. “I need to taste your come,” he begged and Aiden nodded drunkenly as his head thrashed from side to side. Lane stuck a finger in his mouth and drenched it with his saliva before taking Aiden deep into his throat again. He gently massaged Aiden’s entrance before his finger pushed past the tight ring of his ass and Aiden’s shoulders came off of the sofa as he sobbed Lane’s name. He wanted all of it. Lane found Aiden’s prostate and it was already tight and firm. Aiden was close. Lane stroked the tiny gland firmly and Aiden’s legs began to shake.

“Oh, fuck! Laaaaaane!” He moaned as his head snapped back and he arched and twisted.

Aiden’s cock jerked and pulsed as Lane pulled back until the head rested against the tip of his tongue. He teased the slit as he sucked and Aiden’s hand fisted in his hair just as come burst from the end and flooded Lane’s mouth. Lane’s finger continued to massage deep within Aiden as he swallowed rapidly, hungrily claiming every drop of his release as he writhed on the sofa. Lane didn’t stop until Aiden was limp and he was sure he’d given him everything. When Lane released Aiden’s softening cock and raised his head, Aiden was staring blindly at the ceiling and smiling goofily. Lane carefully settled him into his briefs and jeans before he crawled up to Aiden’s lips.

“I love you,” Lane said softly as his lips brushed back and forth over Aiden’s. He heard a soft rumble and felt Aiden’s hand splay and glide up his back.

“I love you too. So much,” Aiden breathed as he opened his lips and traced Lane’s with the tip of his tongue. The sound of a car coming down the drive had their heads snapping toward the front door and Aiden groaned as he wrapped his arms tight around Lane. “Damn it, I know that’s her,” he complained and Lane grinned as he pecked at Aiden’s lips.

“Of course it is. Her timing has always been impeccable,” he said and Aiden squeezed his temples and groaned.