“Heard you were looking for a new head of security.”
“Ah. That what you want, huh? A job?”
He looks at me and I see cogs in his mind spinning, deciding on whether to make a joke or be serious. He chooses the latter, but it doesn’t come easily. “I-I want to be close to you and I want to keep you safe.”
Every good feeling I’ve ever felt, or heard of, or seen on TV, rushes through my veins and goes straight to my head. I feel dizzy. Giddy. Completely bowled over.
“You’re hired,” I say when I can.
He gives me a slow nod, and then a half-smile. “What’s BeckIT’s policy on sexual harassment in the workplace?”
“Oooh, it’s frowned upon. HR is not a fan of harassment in general. In fact, they get quite twitchy about it.” He starts to smile bigger. I think he might have a feeling what I’m going to say next. “Good thing I’m richer than God and in no way above blackmail. ‘Cause I’m about to sexually harass the fuck out of you.”
He steps towards me, and we squash the flowers between us. He drops his hand to his side, moving them out of our way, clearing the space between us, and then wraps a heavy arm around my waist and crushes my body against his. I look up at him and he leans down. He moves slowly. Slow and deliberate. He leans in until his forehead is all but touching mine. Time seems to lag. I don’t want to move. Neither does he. I soak up the feel, and the heat, and the heady, familiar smell of him. I do it until I can’t anymore. Until I feel like I’ll die if I don’t kiss him. He feels it, too. We move at the same time, brushing our lips against each other. Softly. Softly. Then harder. He parts his lips first. My tongue finds his. I whimper when I do it, but for once I don’t hate the sound. The kiss takes a turn then. It changes from light, andsorry, andis this okay?Toyou’re mine,andI want you.
We’re both panting by the time we pull away. My face feels hot, and his mouth is ajar, but we don’t break eye contact. His eyes are like dark pools. Deep. Endless. He balls a hand into a fist and presses it over his mouth, resting his nose lightly on his knuckles. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, then looks at me again. He looks different this time. The way he’s looking at me gives me a flash of him as a boy. When he wasn’t just angry. When he was scared, too.
“Missed you,” he whispers so softly I almost don’t hear it.
I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, as if his kiss wasn’t the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.
“Ew,” I say, with no heat at all.
His mouth slashes open as he gives me the broadest flash of white yet. His shoulders start to shake with laughter.
Damn.
He looks happy, and I can’t have that, can I?
“Is that what you came to say, Asshole? You miss me?”
“Yeah, guess so. That, and I came to ask if you wanted to go for lunch.”
“Lunch, huh?”
“Yep, lunch. Like a date. With flowers and romance and all that crap.”
“Hmm, when were you thinking? You may or may not be aware, but I’m kind of a big deal. I’mverybusy and important, so I’ll have to check my schedule and get back to you.”
“I’m thinking now. Right now. This second, in fact. And Damon,” he eyes me hard, letting his words settle and gather force, “you know damn well I won’t hesitate to take you against your will if need be.”
The sound of my laughter bounces off every glass surface in my office. It’s crisp and clear. It rings like a bell.
“I assume these are for me,” I say, plucking the flowers out of his grasp and turning on my heel, heading out of the door, leaving him with no choice but to follow me.
I’m met by a very concerned Alyssa. She’s sitting at her desk. Her eyes are like saucers and she’s nibbling a perfectly manicured nail. Very, very unlike her. Poor thing. She’s had quite a day and I’m afraid it’s only going to get worse. I hand her the bouquet of flowers.
“Would you mind putting these in water for me? Oh, and clear my schedule for the afternoon.”
Her face goes blank with horror. Her mouth opens but no sound comes out. “B-b-but Mr Beckett, you have the meeting this afternoon. The stakeholder meeting. The one with the head of the World Healt…”
“’Fraid I won’t be able to make it, but please apologize on my behalf.”
“But Becks, M-mr Beckett, youhaveto be at the meeting. It’s been set up for…Five people have flown in fromEurope.”
I give her ayikesface.Yikes, but also,shit happens.
Saint and I start walking toward the elevator. Alyssa follows hot on our heels. She’s trotting beside us at an exceedingly hurried pace. I’ve always hugely admired women who can walk fast in heels. It takes incredible skill. Alyssa has more than mastered the skill. No doubt about it. Her legs move like lightning, but she keeps her arms ramrod straight at her sides, so as not to disturb her hair, or draw attention to the calamity at hand.
