Page 30 of Sight of Fate

“Where’s the meeting?” I ask, grabbing my laptop to hide my growing hard on. A seemingly perpetual state these days. When she tells me it’s on the second floor, I wave a hand toward the stairs, needing to burn a little energy. “Faster than the elevator.”

She nods and follows.

We’re the last two to join the meeting. “Sorry we’re late. I didn’t realize the meeting had moved. Good thing Charli did.”

Sam, a petite woman with black hair and pretty blue eyes, waves a hand. “I have to leave early. Family stuff.”

Macklin mentioned Sam was worried about her niece. Hadn’t heard from her in a while. “Let us know if you need anything.”

She jerks her chin and jumps into the meeting.

Charli looks flushed from our trek down the stairs. Getting up, I pour us both a glass of water. She smiles when I set it down in front of her. I stifle the guilt that rises.

Everyone quickly gives their status, and the meeting ends. Charli gathers her stuff.

“Sam, I want to walk through a few changes to the schematics. Should only take a few minutes,” I inform her before glancing at Charli. “Let Andros know I’m skipping his meeting today.”

She gives a brief nod and heads toward the elevator.

Pulling up the schematics, I walk through the changes with Sam, then stay after she leaves to grab the glass with Charli’s fingerprints.

Susan arches a brow when I stride into her office and set the glass on her desk. “An empty, clearly used glass. I’m guessing you want me to send it off to the lab and have them run the fingerprints?”

Susan was one of the first to move to Greystone. A bear shifter, she was tired of her family being hunted for their pelts and wanted a safe place to raise her four cubs. Now, she’s the matriarch of a huge family with close to a hundred and fifty members. Nothing surprises her.

“I do,” I reply softly. “My eyes only, top security. I don’t want the information getting out. Do not send the results to Charli.”

She sighs and shakes her head. “Sometimes the lid can’t be put back on. Sure you want to do this?”

“She’s scared. Running from someone,” I reveal, watching her brown eyes spark with outrage. “We can’t eliminate the threat unless we know who it is.”

“We, huh?” She pulls a clear plastic bag from her desk drawer and carefully sets the glass in it. “It will take at least a week to get the results. And that’s with a rush.”

“That’s fine. Thanks, Susan.”

I leave her office and head to mine.

Charli returns a half hour later, bringing the delicious scent of vanilla with her, and I subtly adjust myself. The smell wrapped around me when I carried her out of the Wolf’s Den, and now I can’t escape it. It lingers in my sheets and in my office, driving me crazy. One whiff of it and I’m sporting a semi. If this keeps on, everyone in the office—hell, the whole town—is going to notice.

She stops when she sees the lunch on the table. “Teague, umm, that’s a lot of food. How many people did you invite?”

I lift a shoulder. “None. It’s for you and me. I thought we could take the time to catch up and check in.” I glance at the office door, wishing I could close it, but I don’t want people to gossip about her. “Did you want something besides water?”

She shakes her head and sets her stuff on her desk. “Water is fine.” Walking over to the small table in the center of the room, she takes a seat. “Roast chicken? Mac and cheese. Salad. This smells delicious.”

Taking a seat next to her, I lean over and put my lips close to her ear. “And they had s’mores cookies for dessert.”

Her eyes widen. “I’ll be in a coma after lunch.”

“I’m always up for a nap,” I murmur, watching the delightful blush take over her cheeks. After we fill our plates, I watch as she takes a few bites and the corners of her lips turn up. “Good?”

She nods. “Delicious. What did you want to talk about?”

You. Us. “I know this is only your second day, but what do you think? Like it enough to stay?” Not that I’d let her go, but I want her to love whatever she does.

“It’s like being thrown into the deep end without knowing how to swim, but I kind of like the challenge. I’ve always been creative-minded, finding satisfaction in designing and creating, but this job is making me think differently.” She takes a bite and looks at me. “I definitely want to stay.”

“Good,” I state firmly. “What was your major in college?”