The morning light brought none of the clarity I hoped for. I could still feel the way Tom’s stubble felt against my palm, the intensity of his gaze, and the smell of his cologne.
It felt like in the short time we’d been trapped together, he’d imprinted himself on me. I hadn’t asked and I’m sure he didn’t mean to.
It just happened.
Like the almost kiss…and more that I had to physically walk away from last night.
Sipping my second cup of coffee, I turn back to my computer, the anguish and sexual frustration I’d felt staring back at me on the page.
Silver linings and all that.
This story is good—maybe my best ever and all because of the man sitting downstairs in my kitchen.
“What are you working on?” Tom’s voice is soft but no less startling, the coffee in my mug sloshing over the side as it lands on my desk, my sweatpants, and the sleeve of my shirt.
Apparently no longer downstairs.
“Listen, super spy, you can’t just sneak around here. I was in the zone.”
“Was it zoning out?Because that’s what it looked like.”
Mopping up the liquid, I give him a dramatic huff. “Royce told you to bereally niceto me.”
“That was the other day.”
“I didn’t realize it had an expiration date.”
He shrugs, the picture of ease as he leans his shoulder against the doorframe. It’s times like this that I forget why we’re here and what we’re doing because he justfitsin my space. It’s ridiculous but part of me wonders if he feels it too.
“I wanted to let you know that the team will be arriving soon.”
“What time is it?” I ask, bringing my screen back to life, my eyes locking on the little numbers in the top corner at the same time Tom answers me.
“It’s almost three. Jace will stay here with you while Grimm and I go talk to Dahlia Anderson. Ozzy will be somewhere between the two locations. Once we talk to her, we can have a sit-down with Amelia and Hazel.”
My eyes widen. I know we talked about her at Colt’s but I didn’t think they’d actually go and talk to her. It’s silly, really—I know she’s a part of the investigation and Ishouldn’tcare after all this time, but I’d be lying if just hearing her name doesn’t send an acute mix of sadness and hurt through my gut. She’d been a mentor to me and I thought we were friends, but she trashed me all over social media the first chance she got. It’d been a rude awakening and a stark reminder that in this business, trusting people always comes with a price.
There had been plenty like her since then, people both in Kat’s world and Sloane’s that wanted to latch on to my success after tearing me down.
But Dahlia Anderson would always hurt the worst.
“You really think it could be her?” I ask, a weird tone to my voice that has Tom narrowing his eyes as he takes a step into the room and crosses his arms over his chest.
“What’s with the face?”
“She was the first one who took advantage of how green I was in the industry. She was mean, and I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s something that always stayed with me.”
“It hurt because it was personal.”
“Yeah, and it feels silly that I can’t just get over it, that I can’t be stronger and let it roll off me like I do with so many other things.”
“Strength doesn’t have to mean getting over something, Kat. It can simply be the recognition that there’s a time in your life you don’t want to revisit and you’re actively working to make sure you never have to.”
“You make it sound so easy,” I say with a chuckle. “You’re way stronger than I am.”
The flash of heat in his eyes is there and gone before I can blink, but I know what I saw. Tom’s intensity is something I’ve grown to crave, and I have the urge to climb him like a tree right here in my office. The fantasy has me shifting as subtly as I can in my seat.
“Not always strong,” he admits, his piercing dark eyes locked on mine. “Last night…it shouldn’t have happened and it won’t happen again. It was unprofessional and I need to apologize for putting you in that position.”
