“Where have you two been? I didn’t know how much longer I could cover for you.” He took a look at them both and said, “Never mind. I don’t think I want to know. Come on, your test subjects are waiting.”
They all climbed into the waiting elevator. Kale glanced at the number pad, then exchanged a look with Erin. In unison they both glanced at Sam, giving him a look that suggested he might want to wait for the next elevator.
He was quick to catch on. With determined strides, he stepped back into the lobby. Rolling his eyes, he darted his gaze back and forth between the two of them. “I…uh…think I’ll catch the next one. Before you two corrupt me.” He put his hands over his chimp’s eyes. “And Rio.”
He winked at Erin and gave an approving shake of his head as the metal doors slammed shut.
“I like him,” Kale said.
“I like him too,” she agreed. “But I like you a lot more.”
A bad-boy grin curled his mouth. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Show me.”
Erin unzipped his pants and proceeded to do just that!
Chapter 13
Erin glanced up from her notes as Kale lowered himself onto the stool beside her. His warmth and love reached out to her as he tucked a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. Her body trembled with need as his warm fingers grazed her skin. That small gesture always turned her inside out.
She angled her head and smiled. Her gaze panned his face as she leaned into him. God, he was so handsome. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, inhaling, letting his scent curl around her.
Needing to touch him, to feel a connection, she put her hand on his cheek. It still baffled her that a little over a week ago, she’d vowed to keep things casual. Now here she was totally in love with Kale and planning a spring wedding. Her other hand automatically moved to her stomach. She’d once heard a woman say she knew the minute she’d become pregnant. Erin had been skeptical of such a claim, until now. She knew deep in her soul that during their lovemaking they had made a beautiful baby. Her heart filled with hope and joy. She just knew Kale would be an amazing father.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey yourself.” His passion-imbued eyes kicked her pulse into high gear.
She drew a fortifying breath. “Are you ready?” she asked, closing her notebook.
“You bet.”
Earlier that morning they’d presented their data to the director, and now they were anxiously waiting for him to call a meeting, to inform them whether their experiment was ready to be presented to the grant governing board or whether more testing needed to be performed.
Sam pushed open the security door. “Hey you two, the director is ready to see you.”
Erin’s heart fluttered, her pulse beat in a mad cadence. Her gaze darted from the door to Kale. “We have to tell him about us, you know.”
Kale stood and pulled her up along with him. Her body collided with his. “I know. I’ll tell him,” Kale said easily.
Erin crinkled her nose. “He frowns on office affairs, and I don’t want this to interfere with my promotion.”
Kale rolled his shoulder. “Then we have nothing to worry about,” he assured her. He dropped a tender kiss onto her forehead. “Because we’re not having an office affair. I love you, and I want to marry you.”
Erin smiled. She would never tire of hearing him say that.
Kale clasped her hand in his. “Let’s go.”
A few minutes later Erin found herself sitting across from the director as he perused the open file on his desk. She tried to assess him, but his expression remained masked.
He slowly closed the file. His glance went from Kale, to Erin, back to Kale again. He narrowed his gaze. “I received an unexpected request from Deanne today. She put in for a transfer to Castech, based on your recommendation, Kale.”
Kale nodded. “Now that I’m staying here permanently, a junior researcher will undoubtedly move up into my position and there will be a hole to fill. I think she’ll fit in perfectly,” Kale assured him.
He raised an eyebrow. “I wonder what could have happened around the lab while I was gone. The last I knew Deanne was happy working here.”
Kale shrugged, offering no explanation.
Reginald planted his hands on his desk. “Okay, enough about Deanne. I’m sure you two are anxious to hear about the experiment.”
Erin nodded eagerly.
He waved his hand over the file before him. “The data you both compiled clearly indicate the success of the serum. I believe the grant governing board will be quite thrilled with the results. I’ll make arrangements for you to present next week.”
Erin clapped her hands together. “Fantastic.”
“Good job, you two. I’m impressed with hard work and dedication. Erin, you’ll make a fine wing supervisor.”
Kale grabbed her hand and squeezed, offering silent congratulations.
The director stood. “Now, if that is all, you two can take the rest of the day off. You deserve it.”
Erin shot a nervous glance at Kale.
“Actually there is one more thing,” Kale said.
The director reclaimed his chair and arched an inquisitive brow. “Go on.”
Kale squeezed Erin’s hand more tightly and spoke with confidence. “I’m in love with Erin and we’re getting married.”
The director didn’t even seem fazed. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “Really? That didn’t take long.”
Taken aback by his comment, Erin’s head jerked back. “What?” she asked, confused by his reaction.
Reginald rocked in his seat. “That was much quicker than we would have suspected.”
Erin stood and stammered over her words. “What do you mean?”
“I mean Laura and Jay fully expected you two to fall in love. It’s just that none of us thought it would happen so fast.” He chuckled. “And of course when Laura asked me to duly warn you both about stepping out of line at
