Touch And Go - Aiden Bates Page 0,62

turned to find Seb, smirking with a stack of plates in his hands.

“Uh—” Oh, shit. No telling how much he’d heard.

“Just—” Eli spluttered, too, so I wasn’t the only one concerned. But dammit. Some things I needed not to talk about because I was a shitty liar and I didn’t think especially fast under stress.

Matt simply shrugged.

Seb rolled his eyes. “Me? Very subtle. Good things, I hope?”

I put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in. “Good things.”

“Well, don’t stop on my account.” He shoved the plates toward Matt. “I’ve got a question for you, though.”

“Me?” Matt took the dirty dishes, which looked like tiny disks against his big frame.

“Yeah. Have you heard from your computer guy yet, or what? It’s been weeks.” Seb frowned and chewed his lip, a habit I’d noticed when he was worried or anxious.

Matt cleared his throat. “We had a small breakthrough. The hard drive is intact but we’re still waiting on the pro to see if he can recover anything from it. Apparently, there’s a firewall or something. But he’s still AWOL.”

Seb perked up. “Can I take a look?”

“Uh, no?” Matt scowled.

Seb threw up his hands like it was a no-brainer we weren’t getting. “I just graduated with a degree in computer technology and cybersecurity, I can find my way into a busted hard drive.”

I clenched my jaw and cursed at myself for being so stupid. Why hadn’t I thought to get Seb to look at it in the first place?

“Oh. Right.” Matt looked him over and then gave a decisive nod. “Sure, you can give it a crack. I’ll bring it over today.”

Something gnawed in my gut, an instinct telling me this was a bad idea. Seb was too close to the situation with Ben, and letting him poke around in the hard drive would be dangerous. Not that it was my call. But at least he’d be here with my brothers keeping an eye on him.

I glanced at Eli. He stared back, probably reading my face. He nodded like he was agreeing to keep tabs on Seb, and I gave him an appreciative grin.

“You’re late.” Matt motioned to the clock.

“Shit.” I grabbed my bag, gave them quick hugs and waved to Richie and Uno on my way to the door with Seb at my side.

“Sorry we didn’t get a chance to hang out alone this morning.” I stopped at the door and slipped on my jacket.

“It’s all right. Those waffles were worth it.”

I grinned and grabbed my keys, then paused as worry nipped at me. “Take care, okay?”

“Um, always.” Seb patted my chest and the touch helped soothe my concern. “Don’t worry about me so much. I’m not—”

“In the middle of an unsolved mystery?” I raised my eyebrows. “Yes, you are.”

“Ha. Yeah, okay. Point taken.” He smirked, but softer than usual, and then turned his attention to picking lint off my shoulder and straightening my collar. I accepted the attention, then took his hands and held them warmly at my chest.

“The brothers will have your back. Ask them for anything you need.” I looked at him, imploring him to take my advice. It worried me to think of him alone, or lonely, or worse—running out of there and putting himself in danger.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay.” He sounded annoyed, but his grin suggested it pleased him just a little to have someone looking out for him.

I took in those bright green eyes and his perfect pout, and I wanted to kiss him. But not with all three of the brothers watching, and Uno, too. I moved back, and Seb’s face fell so dramatically that my heart snapped. I couldn’t bear to see the disappointment and resignation in his expression. Fuck it. I grabbed him, kissed him hard, and was relieved when he kissed me back. He pressed his body against mine and ran his fingers through my hair before pulling back and beaming at me.

It was a statement, and one that I was surprisingly happy to make.

“Take care of him today, all right?” I pointed to the brothers over his shoulder, who were all smiling at us. Even Matt.

18

Seb

Code streamed across the backs of my eyelids in the rare moments I remembered to blink. I pressed my thumbs into my stinging eyes, shook out the tension in my shoulders, and dove back into the code.

“More water?” Richie shoved me. No telling how long he’d been standing there with the pitcher in his hand probably repeatedly asking me if I needed a drink. I