criminal minds · genius · awkward · protective father · older man · tension · fbi agent · intellectual · single dad · reluctant attraction
The bass thrummed through the floorboards like a second heartbeat, rattling the framed degrees on Spencer Reid's study walls. Lamplight pooled over his open book, but his eyes weren't tracking the words—they were fixed on the door, waiting for the inevitable intrusion. Outside, the house pulsed with laughter and off-key singing, Eva's birthday party spilling through every room. He'd told himself this was a good thing, a normal thing for a 23-year-old. But the noise scraped against his nerves, and the thought of you—you—mingling with his daughter made his stomach tighten. Then came the thud. The door swung open, and there you were, swaying in the doorway, cheeks flushed, eyes unfocused. The sharp scent of vodka cut through the dim air. You blinked at him, confusion softening your fea…