"The glitter—"
"What about it?"
"It says—"
I smiled. "What does it say, dear?"
His face turned a beautiful shade of deep pink. "It says... 'I love you.'"
My heart leapt into my throat, beating so rapidly I felt faint. I knew he was only repeating what he'd read on the table, yet it still felt amazing to hear. But I wanted more. I wanted him to say it to me.
I needed to tell him the truth.
"Stan," I murmured, "I told you before I'd never lie to you, and I don't intend to start now. There's something I have to admit."
A flicker of wariness passed over Stan's face, and I felt horrible making him feel uneasy even just for a second. "What is it?" he asked, voice guarded.
I smiled to reassure him. "It's nothing bad, and it's nothing aboutyou, so don't you worry your little head off."
The tension in his body eased and he nodded.
I looked around the room, clicking my tongue. "Now, there's one problem, and it's that my office just won't do... I'm afraid we have to go up to the roof."
Stan raised a brow. "The roof? For what?"
"It will make sense soon enough. Do you trust me?"
He met my gaze steadily and nodded without hesitation. Gods, he was so sweet. Did he have any clue how cute he was? The possessive part of me was relieved other alphas were shallow and looked right past Stan's previous appearance. He was mine, and mine alone. My phoenix soul itched to dig my talons into him—gently, of course.
But first, he actually had tomeetmy phoenix form.
"Follow me," I said.
On the way to the elevator to the rooftop, I waved Rudy over. Even as they approached us, I saw the hint of understanding on their face. They didn't know I was a phoenix shifter, but they were clever. No doubt they already sussed out the fact that I was head-over-heels for Stan.
"What's up?" Rudy asked.
I covered my mouth and whispered, "Just letting you know that I'll likely be unavailable for the rest of the day."
Rudy failed to suppress a grin. Hell, they didn't even make an attempt. "Oh, sure."
"What are you two mumbling about?" Stan asked behind us.
"Nothing, dear!" I said at my regular volume, leaping back to his side. "Look, the elevator is right here behind this wall..."
We entered the elevator. I entered the key and punched the button for the roof, which only I had access to.
Stan cleared his throat. "An elevator again, huh?"
I remembered our first meeting and chuckled. "Ready for round two?"
He groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "God, no. I don't even want to think about that." He nervously glanced in my direction. "I acted like an asshole. Sorry."
I smiled. He'd grown so much in such a short amount of time.
"It's all right, Stan. You were scared. I'm glad you finally came out of your shell. Now pick your chin up. Let me see that confidence again."
He laughed and stood up straight. "Right."
