Ayden's Secret

CHAPTER 1

It was a hot July day in North Carolina. July first. Two months to the day, he had forgotten the anniversary. Alone in a coffee shop in Las Vegas she had waited, and waited, and waited. When he didn’t show, it set her on fire with both fear and anger. She knew how dangerous his job could be. It gnawed at her gut constantly. She worried for him everyday. She had to find him, had to know he was all right, and after she knew he was okay, she’d either kiss him or kick his ass for leaving her in suspense like that. The moment she met him she felt connected. His baby blue eyes looked too soft to be a part of such a hard man. Everything about him was etched in stone, except his eyes.
Year after year, they would meet for one day, at least one cup of coffee. Year after year, she prayed it would lead to more. This year she was going to make it happen, but he never showed up.
She stepped out of the cab and grabbed her bags. Thankfully, the cab driver helped her unload the two large suitcases on wheels, placed two duffle bags on top of those, and then handed her a smaller bag, which she slung over her shoulder. The red sundress was sticking to her body. She pulled it away, but the fabric went right back in place as she took a step forward, pulling the heavy luggage behind her. The humidity was a far cry from the dry desert heat of Las Vegas. It felt like even her waterproof makeup was beginning to slide.
It seemed as though she would never make it to his house. She took great pains to cover her trail. Even greater pains to face a few fears and get on a bus filled with strangers. No one really understood how she could perform on stage night after night, yet have a panic attack at the supermarket. The anxiety was real. She used medication at first, but then she stopped. The pills she had saved, she used on the long route here.
Looking at the large two-story house on Ann Street in Beaufort, North Carolina, she shook her head. Never in a million years did she see Ayden in a small town like this. He belonged in Memphis, close to Graceland, close to the King. It seemed like a nice enough place; she just didn’t understand why he would be here. Resigned to her fate, she took the first steps toward the rest of her life, with or without him. Either way, this was it.
Inside the old Patterson house, a group of very hot men were finishing up the final touches on the place. The windows were open due to the paint fumes, and everyone was down to shorts and shoes. All of them were singing, well crooning, along with the King. No wonder they didn’t hear the knock on the door.
Charlie opened the door. Elvis blared through the open windows, along with some very off key back up singers. This had to be Ayden’s house.
If she thought it was hot outside, she had just stepped into hell.


Half-naked men were all over the place, painting, hanging things, and here she thought Vegas had the best show around. This one could sell out. A tall tanned man with chocolate brown hair rolled paint on the wall. The motion displayed a very impressive back. A shorter blonde in starched Tommy Hilfiger shorts with a tight little behind was standing high on a ladder hanging some kind of candle holder on the wall. The man holding the candle holder balanced on tiptoes. The position flexed lean brown leg muscles.
“Excuse me?” Charlie spoke, but no one heard her. She set the bag she had on her shoulder down and headed for the counter with the radio on it. She turned it off.
Everyone turned and looked at her.
Chase was aiming for the nail, but he hit his thumb. Malcolm stepped too quickly, lost his balance, and landed on his ass. Ethan hit the ceiling with the paint roller leaving a big green spot on the white ceiling.
Joshua came down the hall and saw the woman standing there with a look of …lust maybe? Hell this day was turning out better every minute. Nothing made him happier than catching his brother-in-law off guard, and damn if this woman hadn’t caught every man in the room off guard. He couldn’t wait to see Ayden’s reaction.
“I’m looking for Ayden Wolf,” she said and tried not to laugh at the men who fumbled.
“Are you little red riding hood?” Joshua couldn’t help himself. The woman was stunning. A short red dress with spaghetti straps left just enough to the imagination. It clung to her more tightly than it normally would have, and she seemed a little wet. Hell, she almost looked him eye to eye. Like a supermodel. And she was looking for Ayden, the Wolf. A woman in a red dress was looking for the Wolf? He looked around the room. Chase had his thumb to his lips. Malcolm was pulling to his feet again, and Ethan just smiled from ear to ear.
“No. I’m Charlie, Charlie Mann. Is he here?” Charlie extended a hand. This one was tall with black hair and amazing green eyes. His chest was peppered with black hair. They were all sweaty, and the room was intoxicating with the smell of raw man and paint. Where was Ayden?
“Let me go get him.” Joshua tried to be cool considering everyone else had faltered, but he slipped on the rag that had fallen from his back pocket when he came in. Steadying himself, he picked up the rag and headed out back for Ayden. His reaction would be priceless.
Charlie stood in the room and looked around at the three men. They all tried to act cool and looked anywhere but at her. She was used to it. She wasn’t used to having so many impressive men in one room though. It was usually the other way around in her world. All the women were beautiful. All the men were in the audience.
Ayden came running through the back door and stopped when he saw her, sliding a bit on the newly waxed wood floors. “Charlie?”
Charlie’s heart jumped from her chest into her throat. She had forgotten how impressive he was without a shirt on. She could feel her face getting hot, but in this weather and all these men around her what red-blooded woman wouldn’t be blushing. God he looked good. Then again, he always looked good to Charlie.
“Ayden!” She smiled as her heart fluttered. He seemed happy to see her.
“Darlin’, what are you doin’ here?” Ayden had to get a grip. Everyone was watching them. At least they were all watching Charlie, and he wasn’t blind. He knew why. For some reason today he was more aware of her.
“Tom told me I would find you here. The question is what are you doing here?” Charlie sent him a hurtful glare. He was safe, really safe. That meant he just didn’t show, and that hurt. “You didn’t show up. I was worried to death about you.”
“Shit!” Ayden moved slowly toward her. He had no excuse. The renovations had consumed him, and by the time he realized what day it was, it was too late to get there. “I’m so sorry. I have been tied up with this house. I…”
“Forgot about me?” Charlie lowered her head.
“No, darlin’, I didn’t forget about you or the day. But it was too late for me to get out there.” Ayden took her hands. He knew her feelings were hurt. Ten years he had never missed a meeting until now. He hadn’t forgotten about her. He thought about calling; he could get the number if he really wanted it. But she hadn’t called him either. “Look at me, Charlie.”
Charlie lifted her head. At six foot tall plus her three-inch heels, she only had to glance upward to look him eye to eye. Her platinum blonde hair was loosely curled and disheveled. The wispy bangs almost hid her right eye. Charlie was enough to take a man’s breath away. Her green eyes were big and sad looking at him. Her lips stilled in a natural pout. They were perfect, with a little space between them that made her look ready for kissing all the time.
“I’m sorry. I should have…”
“Oh Ayden!” Charlie threw herself into his arms and tears streamed. She didn’t care that he was dirty and sweaty. She didn’t care that four other men were watching. She sure as hell didn’t care about crying. She had gone through hell to be there. The relief of seeing him, knowing he was all right, just took her over.
Ayden wasn’t sure what to do. He pulled her away from his chest, practically peeling her off, of him. He had hugged her before. Once a year actually, but this time was different. This time she really affected him. He could feel her on his bare chest. He could smell her scent against the paint fumes and his own sweat. She smelled good. Too, damn good. Maybe it was because he was no longer on the job that she penetrated his senses. He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t like it. Or maybe he liked it too much.
“Darlin’, you’re ruinin’ your clothes now. Tell me, what’s wrong?” Ayden looked at her. She brushed her tears and straightened her dress. Not a streak of mascara, of course not. She had a waterproof face on.
“I can’t.” Charlie smiled a weak smile back trying to pull herself together. Ayden was her hero. She had loved him since the day she met him. She was nineteen, and he had captured her twin sister’s killer. They met each year to celebrate. Each year in May, each year, but this one, and this year she needed him most. “Not in front of everyone.”
It was then Ayden was aware that they had everyone’s undivided attention. “Guys, do you mind?”
The four men collectively went about acting as if they hadn’t been watching with jaws dropped. But really, this was the Wolf, and this woman named Charlie, Charlie Mann no less, had thrown herself on him. Everything about her name was masculine, but one look at Charlie told you she was all feminine curves and wonder. She had indicated a relationship, and she was jaw dropping hot. The real shocker was that Ayden had never mentioned her before, ever.
“Gentlemen, your wives are a few doors down. Please. Go to them.” Ayden shot Joshua an evil glare. Joshua married Ayden’s sister Evelyn last year. Ethan and Chase were his cousins, married to Grace and Megan also cousins. Poor Malcolm was dating Joshua’s sister Stephanie. This was the first of an annual tradition they were trying to establish. Everyone together for the Fourth of July. Ayden’s other sister Noel and her husband Tom would be arriving later that evening.
“All right, all right. No need to bite me on the ass, Wolf.” Joshua winked at Ayden.
Indeed the Wolf was marking his territory though every other man in the room was unavailable. He also called her darlin’. He only called his sisters darlin’. None of the women would believe this. Charlie looked like an angel, impossible for any man to ignore completely.
They filed out the door. Ethan stopped, hauled the luggage into the house without a word, and then headed back out to join the guys.
Ayden could hear them whisper and laugh all the way down the porch. Evelyn no doubt would be on her way back up the street in minutes.
“Okay, Charlie, what’s going on?” Ayden looked her over from head to toe. With those heels, she practically looked him eye to eye. Her long legs disappeared into the short red dress, and her breasts filled out the top. He had to remind himself that she was a case, not touchable.
“I’m…Well. I’m looking for a new start. I quit my job, gathered everything I thought was important, and came here.” Charlie didn’t want to tell him the whole truth. Not yet. She spoke very light but matter of fact about it all. The best way to avoid Ayden’s interrogation would be to head it off in short quick bursts.
“What do you mean, Charlie?”
“I called the FBI, not the brightest idea by the way, because they sent agents out to question me. They got all freaked out because I knew anything about you. I gave them my information, and then a couple days later Tom called me.” Charlie swallowed. “He said you moved to North Carolina. I went online and here you are. I found you.”
There’s a lot to be said about the security of a man’s personal business when a showgirl from Las Vegas tracks a former FBI agent down on the internet. Ayden immediately began reevaluating his plan to open the bed and breakfast. Most likely, it was the business license that gave him away. Shit. Oh well, he wasn’t ready to let people into his life anyway. He kept finding something in the house to change, prolonging the plan. He needed an excuse to be near Evelyn, to establish a relationship with his sister. The house was a bed and breakfast before; it sounded like a plan at the time.
“Ayden, I…I missed you. I look forward to seeing you every year.” Charlie took a breath.
“Charlie, we have been over this. You’re too young for me, darlin’. You were a child when I met you.” Ayden thought of her as a child, but she had been working as a showgirl for three years by then, her and her twin sister both. Michael was the reason they met. Her murder brought them together.
She sure didn’t seem too young for him now.
“Where were you when you were nineteen?” she snapped at him.
“That’s not the point. The point is I have almost six years on you.” Ayden knew she had a major case of hero worship. He had brought her sister’s murderer to justice. It was his first case, and he caught the bad guy.
“Fine.” Charlie waved a well-manicured hand in the air. Her eyes dropped to the floor, looking at his big feet in steel-toed work boots. She was tired and felt defeated. She could fight this fight another day. “Call me a cab. I’ll go. Find somewhere else to stay. It’s been a long day.”
“Go? Ayden, she just got here.” Evelyn stepped into the house and looked the woman up and down. Maybe she should go. The woman was stunning, like a model, perfect proportions everywhere. With the red dress clinging to her like a second skin, anyone could see that.
“She’s not going anywhere.” Ayden looked at Evelyn and laughed a defeated laugh. “The whole area is booked solid. There’s nowhere else for her to go.”
“And she is…” Evelyn smiled.
“Charlie, Charlie Mann.” Charlie extended a hand toward the woman.
“Evelyn, Evelyn Young. I’m Ayden’s sister.” Evelyn shook her head. Now she understood what all the fuss was about. The men had came through the door like a bunch of wild dogs hooting and howling talking about little red riding hood. She came to see for herself. Sure enough, a woman was here for Ayden.
“The bounty hunter?” Charlie lit up. He had finally told her they were family. God a lot had happened in the last year. Charlie knew all about his family. Apparently, they had no idea who she was.
“Yeah, how did you…?”
“Darlin’…” Ayden wanted to stop this conversation right away. Charlie had a way of talking, or rather getting him to talk. She knew more about him than anyone, he realized in that moment.
“Yes?” They answered in unison then looked at each other.
“Are we related, too?” Evelyn looked her over closer now. She didn’t look like either of them, but she answered to darlin’. And Ayden only called women he cared for darlin’.
“No,” Charlie said blushing, and Ayden said distinctly at the same time.
This was exactly what he didn’t need in his life—confusion and reminders of the past. He wasn’t in the Navy anymore; he wasn’t in the FBI anymore. He was a regular guy trying to lead a regular life. Charlie was complicating that just by being here. She knew things that other people didn’t know about him. He knew the same things about her, but they didn’t really know each other.
“Oh. Well, anyways, you met my husband Joshua earlier.”
“Actually, I didn’t meet anyone. They left moments after I got here. Someone asked if I was red riding hood, but that was it.” Charlie shrugged.
“Black or brown hair?” Evelyn smiled though she already knew who it was.
“Black.”
“That was Joshua. The one with brown hair is Ethan; the blonde is Chase, and the guy who looks like Warrick from CSI, that’s Malcolm.” Evelyn shook her head. Ayden was practically blushing. That threw her for a loop. He loved his family; that he was open about. When it came to outsiders, Ayden was withdrawn and cautious. Charlie had him almost flustered. No one would believe it. “They have been working, and I use that term loosely, all afternoon.”
“We have been playing video games most of the afternoon, only working for a few hours when Charlie showed up.” Ayden smiled and nodded to Evelyn. Oh, Joshua would get it good now.
Nothing made him happier than getting Joshua in trouble. He didn’t have a brother, and he and Joshua were so much alike they could have been brothers. Besides, he needed to get her attention off Charlie, at least until he could figure out what to say. Of course, Evelyn didn’t wait to take charge.
“How long have you known him?” Evelyn could have sworn Ayden was now smiling. The big bad Wolf, a man even she once feared, seemed nervous in this woman’s presence. Evelyn turned it over in her mind, who was this woman, and why had he never spoken of her before?
“Almost eleven years.”
Evelyn choked though there was nothing in her throat. “The hell you say?”
“Evelyn, Charlie is a very old friend of mine. Please. We’ll be down in a bit, but I need to catch up with her first.” Ayden needed to get Evelyn out of there. He needed to talk to Charlie. He needed to sit down and plan. He hated surprises.
“I bet you do.” Evelyn looked at Ayden with a very suspicious eye. This didn’t seem right at all. Ayden had been trying to date unsuccessfully over the past year, now this bombshell drops in and says she has known him for eleven years. Evelyn felt an itch, an old itch. She didn’t like it. She closed the door behind her and planned to make a call if Charlie was still there come Monday.
Ayden walked over to Charlie’s bags and picked them up, two large suitcases on wheels and two duffle bags. “Follow me.”
“You don’t have to do this. I mean I can find somewhere else to stay.” Charlie followed him, thankful she was staying. She had no place else to go. She was running. Hopefully, she had run far enough.

***

Ayden set the duffle bags on the guest bed. The house had five bedrooms, set up almost the same as Joshua and Evelyn’s house but bigger. He had stocked them with furniture, good solid wood beds and dressers. He turned one into an office where his secrets remained safely locked. “You carried all this?”
“I set the duffle bags on the suitcases and rolled all that.” Charlie pointed at the wheels.
“You pack everything you own?” Ayden looked around the room, anywhere but at her. Each bedroom had a different theme, thanks to Evelyn. This one was serenity. It was earthy and comfortable; he liked it. The main reason he put Charlie there though was because it was right across from his bedroom. He needed to keep tabs on her. Something wasn’t right.
Charlie had come a long way to see him. He didn’t know why. She’d told him years ago, she loved him, but Ayden knew that was just her grief talking. She had a lot of living to do then, and he was a green FBI agent eager to get promoted. He had no time for a woman. It was the same when he was in the Navy. He was a part of the SEAL team, always on an operation. No time for a woman then either. Actually, Ayden hadn’t made time for a woman since high school. He had been with only a few women in the last fifteen years. He gulped hard at the realization. He was always on the move, always on a case. He was so busy he never realized the time had passed him by so quickly.
“Yes.” Charlie looked around the room. The queen size bed looked like an antique. The dresser and bed were made of cherry wood and aged. A nice sitting chair next to the window gave a welcome and peaceful feel to it.
She knew he was opening a bed and breakfast. That’s what the business license was for. As far as she could tell, he should be open already. He’d had the license for six months. Charlie thought it was a stretch for him to let so many strangers into his life. Maybe he was still debating it. Or maybe he had met someone.

***

Ayden had been dating a year now, and it wasn’t going well. He considered himself a nice guy, but he didn’t like the dating scene. Women seemed too fast. They were ready to jump into bed on the first date. That just wasn’t his way. He had to know a woman before he could sleep with her. His past could catch up to him any day now, apparently today, since Charlie was in his house. He wasn’t afraid to let Charlie stay here. It seemed almost natural for her to be in his home. An old memory from hiding her surfaced.
A serial killer had murdered her sister and other girls. They thought the killer was after Charlie next. Ayden broke several rules to keep her safe. He kept her at his apartment. Charlie knew him all right. She had nothing else to do but sift through his stuff and watch television. He never touched her sexually though he was rarely home to indulge the thought. When it was all over, she made him promise to come see her.
“You wearin’ that to dinner, darlin’?” Ayden looked her over again.
Damn he had to stop looking at her like this. He knew she was beautiful by any standard. The twins had just accepted a contract for a well-known lingerie company when their lives were turned upside down. Of course, the contract was cancelled when Michael was murdered. It wouldn’t have been smart to put Charlie in the public eye. It was a shame though. She could have been living a good life, her and Michael both. Instead, she was stuck in Vegas, on the stage, night after night performing.
“What are you wearing?”
“Different pair of shorts, T-shirt, some flip-flops.” Ayden was sure she wasn’t expecting that, but it was July and the coast was hot and humid this time of year. He had long hung up his suits and ties. Now he only wore them when he taught classes at the college for their Basic Law Enforcement Training known as BLET classes, or when the FBI called him to give a class for them. “Those kids will be all over you.”
“Kids?” Charlie gulped. She was a showgirl. She was single; not many people she knew had kids. They were all young single women like her. A couple may have been married or dating, but many were too caught up in the career to have a life much less children.
“Three of ‘em.” Ayden nodded.
“Are you taking a shower?” Charlie let her eyes wander over him freely now. His feet were in the work boots, big socks pushed down above them, a pair of green cargo shorts and no shirt. Charlie looked him over slowly, and it felt like she stroked him with her fingers everywhere her eyes traveled. Ayden was grateful she was at his chest by the time his shorts had tented. He had to get out of there and fast. What was happening to him? Charlie needed his friendship and his protection, he was sure of it. Not his wandering eyes, definitely not his wandering hands.
“Yeah. I’ll meet you downstairs in a few.” Ayden hurried out of the room.

***

Fifteen minutes later, he had talked himself down from the ledge of lust he had been standing on. Cold water poured over him, and he scrubbed his hands over his face. After another five minutes, he was ready. He had showered and was now prepared to take Charlie down the street to meet the family. He would never hear the end of it. No amount of planning would be good enough, and now there wasn’t time.

***

Charlie sat on the couch in a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a T-shirt. She owned flip-flops, too. Looking at the men earlier, they were all tall, at least her height, but Evelyn was shorter. Tall for a girl but not tall like Charlie and that had always been a problem in her youth. She didn’t want to draw too much attention, but she always did.
“You ready?” Ayden asked. When she stood, he wanted to die. The shorts weren’t real short, but Charlie had legs so long that anything looked short on her. The T-shirt clung to her like a second skin showing generous breasts and a flat stomach. This was going to be one hell of a family dinner.
“Yes.” She walked to him. “I’m a little nervous. I didn’t plan on meeting so many people.”
“It’ll be fine.” Ayden pressed his hand in the small of her back to lead her out the door. Charlie stumbled and then caught herself. “You okay?”
“Fine, just caught my shoe.” Just caught her breath was more like it. Having him touch her always threw her off balance.
They walked side by side to the house a block down. Charlie felt more nervous by the step. “So, why did you choose to live here?”
“Evelyn.”
“So how long have you been here?”
“Almost a year now.”
“Your house is beautiful.” Charlie was really running out of things to say, yet she had so much she wanted to tell him.
“Charlie.” Ayden stood outside the front door. “I’ll follow whatever you tell them about how we know each other. If you don’t want to tell them…”
“No, I’m fine about that. It’s just…women tend not to like me.”
“What’s not to like?” Ayden smiled. He knew she was afraid of crowds, knew this would be a challenge for her, so he would stay next to her, protect her, even though she wouldn’t need protection from his family. “You’ll do fine.”
He opened the front door and walked in. Charlie stepped in behind him, and he could have sworn time stopped. Everyone froze and looked at them, even the kids.
“Holy cow, you’re as tall as my daddy!” Chase Jr. ran right up to meet her. “My name’s Chase. What’s your name?”
“Charlie.”
“Charlie? That’s a boy’s name, lady.” Gray was now at his cousin’s side.
“Yes, it is. My dad named us. He thought me and my twin sister were boys because he showed up to the hospital late and saw twin boys in the nursery.” Charlie smiled down at the little monsters. Leave it to kids to tell the truth.
“What’s your sister’s name?” Chase asked.
“Michael.”
“Is she here, too?” Gray looked around to see if anyone else was coming.
“No.” Charlie swallowed hard.
“What is this? You guys with the census bureau?” Ayden looked down at the boys.
“No,” they answered in unison.
“You’re very pretty,” Gray informed her.
“Gray Alexander Young, are you flirting with another woman in front of me?” Evelyn teased the toddler who, up until Charlie walked in, was in love with Evelyn.
“She is.” He shrugged and went about his business.
“He is his father’s child.” Grace walked to the door to meet the woman. “I’m Grace. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Come on in.”
“Thanks. I’m a little nervous,” Charlie admitted. Grace was about the same size as Evelyn. Both had red hair, but Grace’s was bright and curly, wild. Evelyn had dark red hair, pulled into a ponytail. “I’m not used to being in large crowds.”
“We’re harmless.” Grace smiled then looked at the three-year-old boys who now followed behind Charlie. “Most of us anyways.” To the boys, she said, “You guys go play out back with your dads and uncles.”
“Are you coming, Ayden?” Chase Jr. looked up at him.
“No. I’ll be out in a while.” Ayden stood by Charlie. Evelyn circled around him.
“Ayden, go play out back with the boys. You’ll be the only man in here.” Evelyn came around and pushed him with both hands toward the back door. “Scoot.”
“I’ll be just outside if you need me…”
“For what?” Evelyn cut him off and shook her head. “Get!”
“Men!” Evelyn turned back to Charlie. The poor woman looked like a deer trapped in headlights watching Ayden go.
“Are you okay, Charlie?” Evelyn looked at her with a concerned eye.
“I, uh, yeah, I’m just not used to crowds.” Charlie felt like she would hyperventilate. Being on stage in front of hundreds of people was one thing. Actually talking to people, that was another matter entirely. She never went out. The world was a dangerous place. She’d learnt that the hard way. She did all her shopping online. Getting to Ayden had been one of the most challenging events of her life. Now she had to be in a crowd and talk to people.
“Honey, this isn’t a crowd,” Grace added with a warm smile. “We’re all family.”
“Oh.” Charlie swallowed. It sure seemed like a crowd to her.