Dan chuckled, crossing his arms. “Explains the energy dip.”
Arden sighed, regretting this plan. “Penny…”
“What? He started it,” Penny said innocently.
Dan’s eyes flicked to Arden. “So, is this a visit to Gideon, or did you bring her for entertainment?”
“Both,” she muttered, holding up the takeout bag like a peace treaty.
Dan smirked. “Well, if you’re looking for a distraction, I could give Penelope a tour. We can sit in the executive lounge and pretend she belongs.”
Penny gasped, clutching her chest. “You wound me, Daniel. I always belong.”
“You belong in the world of chaos,” Dan countered. “But come on. Let’s see if you can sit for five minutes without launching a social experiment.”
Penny didn’t hesitate. She linked her arm through his as if they’d done it a hundred times. “Lead the way, Daniel. I promise not to turn the boardroom into a runway.”
As they disappeared down the corridor, still bickering, Arden released a slow breath and turned toward Gideon.
The distraction crumbled, leaving only the magnetic pull of him, uncomplicated and undeniable.
This devastating man she’d come to distract?
He was watching her like she was the only thing worth seeing.
Gideon’s gazedidn’t just land: it locked. Not with surprise. Not with amusement.
But with a heat far more dangerous.
Possession.
It coiled beneath his polished exterior, dark and undeniable.
The part of him that belonged to civility had smoothly stepped aside.
Arden adjusted her grip on the takeout bag, as if food could anchor her against the pull in his stare.
“You brought me lunch?” he asked, his voice deceptively smooth.
“You do need to eat, don’t you?”
The smallest curve ghosted across his mouth, not quite a smile.
Not amusement.
A hunger barely contained.
His hand closed gently around her wrist, firm and unhurried.
She stepped in behind him, the quiet click of her boots muted by the plush carpet. The door eased shut behind them, soft but certain.
And the rest of the world fell away.
He’d barely survivedthe morning—one relentless meeting after another, an endless churn of numbers and egos. His tie was loosened, his patience frayed.
And then she showed up.
Arden. With a bag of overpriced takeout, a look that should’ve come with a warning label, and a smile that knocked every strategy out of his head.
