“A new job?”
Rowan nodded. “I lost my last one when I was running from the draugr. Did you think they’d be okay with me just being here like this?”
“I was hoping you got leave.” Ivor’s frown was fierce. “I’m so sorry. Feel sorry for that restaurant, too.”
“They’ll probably continue using my recipes. The head chef always took credit for them.”
“That’s not right.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Was the head chef the one who was yelling at you?”
Rowan had to resist the urge to squirm in remembered embarrassment. He hated that Ivor had witnessed his humiliation. “That was him. Kevin Angler.”
“The man has no business being in charge of others with the way he behaved.”
“Unfortunately, he’s got some kind of personal relationship with the owners, so he gets away with murder.” Rowan shrugged. “But I don’t have to deal with him again, so that’s one good thing.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Looking for a new job would be great, so I’d love access to a laptop.”
“Come on. You’ll like Daniel.”
Daniel had a private office the same size as Xavier’s, but where Xavier’s was mostly sleek, modern decor, Daniel had some fantasy and game posters on his walls. There were several computer screens on his desk, and when the man himself turned toward them, Rowan couldn’t stop his small gasp. He had no whites in his black eyes, and his fingers were all tipped with black claws.
“Never seen a banshee before? Let me guess, you thought we were only female.”
“You’re my first. How the hell do you type with…those?”Or do anything else?He kept that thought to himself.
“They do retract, but I actually prefer typing with them because that’s how I learned. What can I do for you?”
Ivor walked over to a shelf that held several laptops. “I was hoping you could set him up with one of these. He’s stuck here, as you know, and could use something to do to pass the time.”
“How good are you with computers? Because I could easily put you to work. In fact, you wouldn’t even need to be good at computers, just reading.”
“Sure. I’d love to help. You are all helping me so much. If I could be of some use, that’d be great.”
“Well, I’m doing some investigative work and am reading through hundreds of chat rooms looking for specific mentions. I could print some out, and you could read and highlight any you find.”
“I could do that.” It didn’t sound like the most entertaining pastime, but anything was better than just sitting around. “I’d still like to work on a laptop, too, if that’s possible. I need to be looking for a job.”
“Sure thing.” He nodded toward the shelf by Ivor. “We keep a lot of extras here, and they’re all tapped into the wi-fi. Grab any one you want.”
Rowan walked to the shelf and stood close to Ivor. Fuck, the man smelled good, like bergamot and orange with a strong hint of something sweet and rose-like. He stepped even closer for a better inhale and realized he was really encroaching on Ivor’s private space when the man softly gasped. His gaze flew up to meet Ivor’s, and that strong connected feeling passed through Rowan again. What was it about this incubus? Was it his magic that drew Rowan in so powerfully?
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t mean to crowd you.”
“You’re not,” Ivor whispered. “I rather like you close.”
Shock widened Rowan’s eyes, though he wasn’t sure why. He’d picked up on Ivor’s interest in him. He supposed it was having that actually spoken aloud. “I like it, too,” he whispered back without thinking. He forgot that Daniel was in the room, forgot about the laptop—basically forgot about everything but feeling the warmth of Ivor’s body and his tantalizing scent.
Arousal spiked into him, and he parted his lips on a shaky breath. Answering desire blazed in those dark brown eyes. It was several moments before Ivor moved away from him, though he looked reluctant to be doing so.
Rowan cleared his throat and forced himself to look at the shelves. He grabbed the first laptop he saw and tried not to reveal just how shaky his legs were as he walked back toward Daniel.
Ivor quietly left the office, and Rowan settled in while Daniel showed him what to highlight in the pages of text. Luckily, the work wouldn’t take much brain power because his thoughts would be straying often to that sexy incubus.
Chapter Eleven
Ivor
