Save Me | Aaron Hotchner x Female OC

Chapter 15 - Nervous

//A/N// Thank you for your patience with my updates - life has been very busy with work and personal stuff.

Also, THANK YOU over over 3k reads! I appreciate your likes, comments and reads so very much :)

//x//

Elena

I was sitting between Aaron and Spencer, trying desperately to keep up with the conversation but understanding very little about what everyone was saying and who they were talking about.

"Swan!"

Spencer leant over to me. "That's you."

I hadn't even registered that my surname was being called, as I was never referred to by it. It was nice actually, made me feel like I was somehow part of the team. I glanced over to the source of the sound to see Derek, gesturing the universal 'do you want a drink?' sign.

I looked to Aaron, who had only a few mouthfuls of his beer. I knew he'd want to be getting home, and I hated the idea of keeping him.

I went to shake my head to Derek, but Aaron's hand gently grabbed my forearm.

"You can have another drink," he said quietly. "I'm more than happy to stay."

"No, no honestly it's fi-"

"Elena..." he cut over me, that little tone of warning in his voice that made me shudder.

I looked back at Derek and nodded a 'yes please' before turning back to Aaron. "You know it'd be easier if you let me walk home."

He finally let go of my arm, although the moment he did I wished he hadn't. "We live in the same building, it makes no sense that I leave you here alone."

"Are you sure it's not because you don't trust me with your colleagues?" I joked.

His eyes narrowed, and I regretted my 'joke'. "What was that?"

"I don't...uh..."

His hand was back on my arm, and this time he was pulling me in to him. "It's them I don't trust," he said, gesturing to where Derek was now stood at the bar. "Morgan's got the hots for you and Reid will fold any time a pretty girl looks at him."

Aaron thinks I'm pretty?

We were now closer than I think we'd ever been. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, feel the whispers of his breath travelling across my neck. My breath caught in my throat as I rasped out, "Why do you care so much?"

He looked at me for a beat before dropping my arm like it had scaled him and leaning away from me. "I don't."

I rolled my eyes. By this point, I was more convinced that maybe Aaron did have a thing for me. There wasn't another reason I could think of for his behaviour. He was hot and cold like a convection current, and I was starting to think that perhaps he was the problem, not me.

I was about to reply but Derek returned with my drink.

"Here you go Swan, sweet white wine for the sweet lady."

I chuckled and accepted the drink. "Do those kinds of lines really work for you?"

He shrugged. "You tell me."

I shook my head. "No offense Derek, but I prefer my men without added cheese."

He angled his head towards Aaron, who was watching the interaction with intensity. "You just prefer them with very little added seasoning, eh Swan?" he teased.