Once he hung up, he realized what he could do tonight with his suddenly free time.He just had to run a small, personal errand first.
Unfortunately, before Ian could run his errand, he had to finish this damn agenda.He was sitting at his desk, working on it and eating the pineapple he’d brought from home when Andy walked into his office, holding her ever-present cup of coffee.He glanced up.“Hey,” he said, then went right back to the stupid fucking agenda he was trying to draft for the stupid fucking meeting.
“Hey.”She stopped next to his desk.“Your eye looks better.”
“Huh.”
“I think I found our last employee.When can you do a final interview?”
“Can it be after this stupid meeting?”
She snorted delicately.“Next week?I think not.”
Ian sighed and dropped his pen to rub his good eye.“I don’t know.Talk to Dalton about my schedule.”
He could feel the sheer wattage of her shit-eating grin heating the back of his head.There was no way he was looking up at her.“Aren’t you glad I made you hire my little brother?”she asked.
Yes.He grunted noncommittally and made a show of ignoring her in favor of spearing another piece of pineapple.
“Jeez, you eat a lot of fruit,” she said.
“Fruit for the fruit.”He could tell by the way her whole body jerked in his peripheral vision that she’d almost spit out a sip of coffee.He smirked up at her.
“Wow,” Andy said, wiping a few stray drops of coffee off her chin.“Since you started seeing yourfriendyou’re sure more lively, aren’t you?”She gave him a sly wink and sauntered off toward the door.
It took him a few seconds to think of a comeback.“Shut up,” he grumbled just before she walked out.
She laughed all the way back to her office.
Later, when he went to see Andy to tell her he had personal business this afternoon, a book shoved into the side of her briefcase caught his attention.The cover looked familiar.A wild-haired chick clutched to the semi-bare chest of some rough-looking dude with long, brownish hair.There was a castle on a distant hill behind Rough Dude’s plaid-draped shoulder and some stormy looking skies.
Ha.
“Sooo,” he said, “you read a lot of those Highlander romance novels?”
Her head snapped up, then she looked over at her briefcase.“Oh, shit,” she said, dropping her papers on her desk.
His grin was so wide his cheeks hurt.“Andy, I think we need to talk,” he said, sitting down in the chair in front of her desk.“Now, these Highlander romance thingies, let’s talk about that, uh, what do you call it?Oh, yeah—trope.I need to conduct a little research.”
She eyed him suspiciously for a second, then arched an eyebrow.“This research, does it have anything to do with your boyfriend?”
Hell.“Maybe.”
“I’ll consider that a yes.Now, I think I have just the scenario for you ...”
In the middle of class, Sam got a text.He slapped a hand over his vibrating front pocket before things got out of hand, then snuck the phone out.He didn’tknowit was from Ian, and he shouldn’t check it in class, but ...
It was Ian.
I want you to be at my place by 6:30.
Sam swallowed.Some of his blood got excited and started rushing around in his ears.Fuck, that was hot, being texted in the middle of class with instructions from his ...friend.His fingers shook a little as he typed under the desk.Okay.
I’d like that.Ian texted back immediately.
Me too.
I have a present for you.You might need your safeword, kiddo.
