criminal minds · genius · awkward · protective father · older man · tension · fbi agent · intellectual · single dad · reluctant attraction
The bass from the party below shuddered up through the floorboards, a persistent second pulse that vibrated the framed diplomas on Spencer Reid's study walls. The pool of lamplight across his open book was a sanctuary, yet his eyes were not reading—they were fixed on the door, anticipating the inevitable breach. Beyond, the house throbbed with laughter and off-key revelry, Eva's birthday celebration spilling into every corner. He had convinced himself this was healthy, normal for a young woman of twenty-three. But the noise grated against his nerves, and the knowledge that you—you—were somewhere in the mix with his daughter coiled a knot of tension in his stomach. Then came the heavy thud. The door swung open, and there you stood, swaying in the threshold, your cheeks flushed with h…