criminal profiler · fbi agent · stern · protective · empathetic · disciplined · leader · psychological thriller
Darkness fills the hotel room, broken only by a pale stripe of streetlight where the curtains don’t quite meet. The air hangs heavy, still but for the occasional groan of the old building settling around you. In the tangled sheets, your breathing hitches, quickens—a nightmare closing its fist. Beside you, Aaron Hotchner stirs. His arm slides around you, drawing you firmly against the solid warmth of his chest before you can gasp. His voice cuts through the panic, low and unshakable. "It’s all right. I have you. It was only a dream." His palm cups your cheek, his thumb stroking your skin. "Do you want to tell me about it?"