Secrets - Criminal Minds

Chapter 8 - Rainbows and Butterflies

The smell of fresh pancakes filled his room, waking him up from Aaron's best sleep in a long time.

Bacon and scrambled eggs followed shortly, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee stirred him awake. The promise of food and coffee guided Hotch out of bed and into the bathroom for a quick wash.

As the water washed away Valerie's burning lingering touch, Aaron wished he could brand it to his skin so he would never forget how her hands had felt against his body. He could still feel the slight sting of Val's nails against his covered back, how even though they were only friendly neighbours, she had acted on instinct and tried to leave her mark on his body. It had felt too overwhelming to have her that close, but it had felt so right. Maybe this was their first step to becoming more than neighbours; perhaps this was the moment when everything changed and something new started.

Aaron threw on a random top and a pair of grey joggers and practically ran out of his room following the low whisper of music. As he walked down the stairs, his sock-covered feet thumped against the cool wooden floors. However, Hotch didn't make it any closer to the kitchen than the bottom of the stairs. His heart skipped at the vision in front of him.

Jack was leaning against the marble countertops, watching the pancake in the pan with such focus that it surprised Aaron. As Hotch stood on the same floor as Valerie, he could hear her humming to the song's lyrics. Her hair was up, curls falling free around her round face, framing it beautifully.

Val pulled her lip between her teeth in concentration, and the sight almost brought Aaron to his knees. That and the fact that she was still wearing his clothes made the sight too much for his broken heart to handle. Her - his - black top was tight around her chest, hips and stomach, and the shorts were snug tightly around her thick thighs, giving him a perfect view of her body.

Valerie lifted her head as if she could feel his burning gaze on her, and deep green met dark hazel. Aaron's breath was knocked out of his chest, and his lungs ceased to exist as her unforgettable eyes sparkled with excitement directed at him.

"We're making pancakes." She announces, her voice soft and husky.

At the announcement, Jack turns around, "Daddy!" The little boy runs the distance between him and his father and wraps his little arms around Aaron's neck.

"Why didn't you tell me you and Valerie were having a sleepover?" Jack innocently asks, his eyes bouncing between the adults in the room.

Aaron's eyes open in surprise at the same time Valerie's do.

"I told him it was no sleepover and that we were just talking, and it was getting late, so you offered me to crash in your spare room," Valerie explains. Her raspy voice brings Aaron a sense of peace.

"But you live right in front of us. You could've gone home."Jack insists, sounding less innocent by the second.

"I thought it would be fun for you to see Valerie here in the morning." Aaron lies. He acted only for his selfish reasons. He offered Valerie to stay home not because he knew she was alone during Christmas or because he knew Jack would love it. He did it to see her in the morning and know what she looked like when she had just woken up.

Breathtaking is what she looked like.

Valerie flips the pancake in the pan, and Jack "Woo's" in excitement, followed by Mary Puppins bark.

Valerie looked down at the dog, narrowing her eyes. "Don't you even dare. You don't get pancakes. Go eat your food." She pointed at the dog bowl on the far left side of the long kitchen, just under one of the windows, next to his fridge.