“Fallon? Do you want the food in your room?” Keir’s voice sounded strained.
Snatching up the towel, I spun so fast I fell onto the couch, immediately sitting up.
Keir had seen. “Are you all right?”
I nodded, rolling the towel and putting it under my arm. I grabbed my computer and stood. “My room is fine.”
I ran back to my room to my unmade bed and froze before it unsure what to do. Get in the bed? Sit on the floor on the other side and hide? Maybe under the bed?
I could work anywhere if my mind was clear. The heat threatened that clarity.
Slowly, I sat on the edge of my bed, setting the towel next to me until I found a more permanent spot for myself. I heard footsteps and looked up.
Keir appeared in the doorway, tray in hand. The food smelled delicious. But it wasn’t food I wanted. Keir looked more delicious than any hot serving of pancakes and syrup. My mouth watered. The slick began to run.
12
KEIR
Fallon shone like a beacon, his scent as sweet as honey. I promised him I could control myself. I might have spoken too soon. My body rippled with want. I’d never been attracted to someone so much before.
In my youth, I’d experimented, had many lovers. But now not so much. I’d never found my mate. People told me I was married to my career. I couldn’t disagree.
Fallon had appeared as if by magic. I’d hired him simply as a part of work. Attraction came right away but so did my own denial. Work was work. Distractions could wait.
But the heat coming off him… the beauty of his need… I couldn’t look away.
I gripped the breakfast tray tighter.
Fallon looked ready to run. Toward me.
I cleared my throat. “Where do you want this?”
He stared at me, silent.
“The tray has legs. You can eat it in bed.” That sounded not quite how I meant it.
“It’s my favorite tray. Santa and his reindeer are painted on it. My mom let me take it when I moved.”
“It’s beautiful.” I needed my inner alpha boss to come into play. “Go on. Get into the bed.”
He moved back, pushing himself up into a sitting position against the pillows. His bare feet stretched under the blankets.
I set the tray over his lap trying not to look at the obvious tent of his robe. I quickly turned away and found his computer sitting at the foot of the bed. I moved it closer to his side.
“Anything else you need right now?”
He shook his head. The motion seemed to hurt him.
I practically ran from the room. It was filled with pheromones, sweet and alluring. I could barely breathe or risk losing myself in it.
Once past the threshold, I called back. “I’m closing the door.”
I took my own breakfast to the couch along with my laptop, eating fast while barely tasting the good food. Glancing about the living room, I noted Fallon had no Christmas tree. I knew he’d just moved in a few weeks ago, but still it seemed a crime.
The fire burned merrily in the electric hearth. There were soft pillows and a throw blanket on the couch. I got cozy and began to work.
Updates. Analysis. Corrections. Countless messages and emails. I forwarded everything to Fallon. Working remotely with Clea, Drake and the rest of the team wasn’t so different from working from my office except I couldn’t go downstairs and check on them personally.
