The other part just wanted to leave it all alone and enjoy that casual flirting with him. Ask him about hiking and discuss this project he seemed passionate about.
We had things in common, as unlikely as that seemed, and if it were anyone else, I’d be exploring it.
I wouldn’t look away every time his eyes landed on me, making a long, slow scan of my body.
Unfortunately, Samantha and Royal were battling each other and, whether I liked it or not, I had to let Royal win.
She was the reason why I was here. And why I needed to do this for my dad.
The woman at the desk smiled at me. “Morning, Samantha.”
“Morning.”
“I’m Brittany, by the way,” she said.
She was a cute blonde woman probably in her late twenties. Every time I’d come in so far, her smile was warm.
“It’s nice to officially meet you,” I told her. Then I glanced to Declan’s office doors. “I’m not sure where he wanted me today.”
She offered another smile, this one with laughter in it like she knew just how weird it was to be working with him. “You’re good to go on in. If Mr. Dark wanted you anywhere else today, he would have told you.”
Yeah. I figured that after the text last night. But I was still kind of hoping he’d assign me some boring, like delivering mail or something, so I could explore the building more or have any excuse to be far, far away from him.
“Thanks,” I said to Brittany.
I walked to the office doors and stepped inside. Just like last time, my gaze was instantly drawn to the windows and the breathtaking view.
Then I saw Tim sitting with Declan at the wide table.
Dammit. I hoped Tim wasn’t staying long. My plan to catch Declan in the act of being, well, more than human, was already embarrassing enough. I didn’t need spectators.
“Morning, Miss Thompson,” Declan said, his deep voice reaching me all the way over here like it was trying to trap me, draw me closer.
I didn’t miss the way his gaze lingered on me, the quick sweep it did of my body. Quick enough I barely saw it, but slow enough I could feel the heat on every inch it touched.
“Good morning,” I returned, walking to the table.
I was getting better in these heels. They completed the ensemble, too, so I just kept telling myself they were part of the package, just another thing to get from point A to point B. And they made my legs look a mile long, too, which didn’t hurt.
Even Xander thought I was looking pretty sexy these days, and I wasn’t exactly his type.
I pulled the paper Tim wanted me to fill out from my bag and passed it to him.
“Good.” He smiled, only scanning it briefly.
“I’m getting ready to move,” I explained in a woefully rehearsed voice, “so I can get you my new address once it’s finalized.”
Tim shrugged. “Not a huge deal. Just as long as we have a social security number for taxes.”
Yeah, that. I’d had a disturbing conversation about that with Xander last night that ended up with me realizing my “new” identity was that of a woman who had died a decade ago. I had her social security number, claiming her life as my own, all so I could take down my boss.
Creepy.
But I kept my smile in place as Tim shoved the paper in a folder and then pulled out a lanyard.
“Your official ID—keep this with you at all times,” Tim said, passing it over. “And…” He glanced at Declan. “I guess that’s it.”
That’s it? What else was there usually? Probably a desk—an official place to work. Probably a lot of other things. Instead, I was just waiting around all the time for Declan to tell me what to do.
That probably wasn’t common procedure around here.
“Will I be working with you today?” I asked Tim.
He gave me a blank look and didn’t respond.
“You’ll be working with me,” Declan said. He nodded at Tim. “That’ll be all. Just be sure to let me know when you get in those reports.”
Tim stood, gathered his items, and said, “No problem.”
Well, they seemed friendly enough.
Pretty sure I wasn’t going to be let in the cool-kids group just yet, so I kept my mouth shut.
I nervously touched the pin on my lapel. It didn’t make sense to put off what I needed to do.
I stood and moved to the end of the table. When Declan looked up, I pointed to the pitcher of water. “Would you like a glass?”
“No, thank you.”
He looked like he was about to say something else, but I purposefully knocked my hand into the pitcher and watched it tip over.
I’d done it on purpose but still stared in horror as it thunked against the table and spilled water across the entire surface.
Declan’s gaze flashed to mine, then he cursed and stood, but not before the water dribbled over the edge of the table and onto his clothes.
My mouth dropped open. “I—I’m so sorry. It was an accident.”
Declan calmly pushed the paper he’d been looking at aside. He drew in a slow breath, released it, then met my eyes briefly.
“I’ll get cleaned up and then we’ll get started.”
I gave a weak smile. “Okay.”
He strode to the bathroom area, pointing at the bar on the way. “There are towels over here.”
Once he’d vanished, I cursed again and walked to the bar for the towels.
What the fuck? He hadn’t even moved. The water had run right off the table and onto his crotch. Even I could move faster than that.
I could picture Xander sitting at home and watching the feed, laughing his ass off because I’d just dumped
