He shot me a smile that had my heart racing. “Nutella crepes then, please, and hot chocolate?” It was phrased as a question.
“Sounds perfect,” I agreed.
“Coming right up,” Lars called out.
Kian’s eyes widened, and he leaned forward. “How did he hear that?”
I sighed because I hated lying to my mate, and without telling him what we were, there were too many things that could only be explained by a lie.
Still, I sighed and replied, “Acoustics.”
“Ooh. Cool,” Kian said, nodding.
My bear huffed. Neither of us liked lying to our mate.
“So tell me about yourself,” I said. “How did you end up a graphic and web designer?”
Kian picked up his fork and began twirling it as he spoke. “I always liked to draw, but I didn’t think I was ever going to be an artist, but my papa—” His voice caught on the word, and I leaned forward and covered his hand that rested on the table.
“I am so sorry for your loss, Kian. I can’t imagine having to go through that without my brothers.” I squeezed his hand softly. “It just shows how strong you are.”
He laughed, but there was no joy in the sound. “Can I tell you a secret?” His voice was barely above a whisper.
“Always, Kian, you can always tell me anything.” I made sure to hold his gaze so he knew I meant every word.
He ducked his head and blew out a breath. But I didn’t push him, and I didn’t let go of his hand.
“I don’t feel strong,” he whispered. “Some days, it’s all I can do not to scream at how unfair it is.” His voice broke, and I wanted to scoop him up in my arms and tell him it would all be okay. Protect him from the pain.
“Most people would have folded after going through what you did, but you didn’t let it break you. Look at you—you’re here, making a new life. I bet your papa would be so proud of you.”
Kian sniffed. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you all of this. We just met. I’m being silly.” He sat back in his chair and pulled his hand out of mine.
I felt the loss, more than I should since my mate was still sitting in front of me.
“What you feel is never silly, and I will always be here if you want to talk, Kian.”
He looked up and met my eyes, and I held his gaze steadily, needing him to see I wasn’t just saying it for the sake of saying it. I meant it from the depth of my soul.
Kian looked away and, in a small voice, said, “I thought you didn’t even like me.”
Great Urs, help me. I need to fix this.
5
Kian
Today was the day,and I was absolutely going to puke before I got to do this presentation.
Butterflies had taken up residence in my belly, and no matter how many breathing exercises I tried, they refused to budge.
The problem was I wasn’t even sure what made me more nervous. Presenting my designs or presenting them to Gabe.
I couldn’t seem to get a read on the alpha. At first, I’d been certain he couldn’t stand me and was just biding his time till he could fire me. And the whole “refusing to meet me” kind of supported my theory.
But then we’d met, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the day I’d spent with him. It was six days later, and I’d gone from not laying eyes on the man to finding him everywhere I turned.
Maybe because you suddenly started spending more time in the main office.
