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You forgot ‘gorgeous’.
My thoughts have taken a mind of their own. It annoys me to no end. Though I wish to despise her, I find myself—instead—intrigued by her dangerous mixture of innocence and sultry sensuality.
Dejonae looks at me with her big, enchanting eyes.
I turn my back. For her sake—and for mine—I need to keep a distance from her.
* * *
“I just left Adam’s lab,”I say on the ride back to the foundation. My phone is pressed against my ear, my tablet is on my knee and a document is open in front of me. “The programming we need is not as rigorous as I expected.”
Dejonae is quiet beside me. She has not said much since Akira brought the car around. At the moment, she is staring through the window, looking out at the gleaming skyscrapers.
“I’ve never thought to apply our algorithm to vibrational patterns and music. I’m excited to roll my sleeves up and get working on the code,” Alistair says through the phone.
“As are we. We would like to open the foundation to a beta group of students in the next week and roll out our first testing of the MTB two weeks later.”
“Not a lot of time to perfect it,” Alistair notes.
“Which is why we do not plan to officially announce the Sazuki Foundation to the media until after three months. It will give our team enough time to work out any issues.”
I hear a slight groan. When I glance across the car, I notice Dejonae’s expression shift in pain.
“I’m impressed by what you and Adam have done with the MTB. The specs are amazing. Maybe you missed your calling as an engineer, Sazuki.”
“I did the easy part. I told Adam what I wanted and he made the impossible a reality.” In the corner of my eye, I notice Dejonae sling an arm around her stomach. “Alistair, I will be in touch.” I end the call and frown at Dejonae. “Are you unwell?”
“I’ll be fine once I eat something.” She digs her hand into her stomach, her lips wrenched in pain.
“You should have had lunch,” I say sternly.
“I would have. Butsomeonedragged me away to the lab before I could order something.”
Guilt pangs a tortured rhythm inside me. When I saw her with her ex-boyfriend, I let my irrational thoughts take over. It did not occur to me to check if she had eaten already before I whisked her to Adam’s lab.
“You should have spoken up earlier,” I grumble.
She slants me a death glare. “How comforting you are.”
I know better than to laugh when she is in pain. Pulling my lips in to hide my amusement, I ask, “Do you like sushi?”
“Ilovesushi. But I don’t know if I can handle that after skipping breakfast and lunch.”
“We will get you some soup. It will be lighter on your stomach.” I tap the front seat to get Akira’s attention. “Take us to Miko San.”
Akira dips her chin, but her eyes are cold when they meet mine in the mirror. I ignore the look and lift my laptop bag. Fishing around until I locate a chocolate bar, I hand it over.
“You keep Snickers in your bag?” She gives me a starry look.
I smile. “It keeps Niko quiet when I am unexpectedly caught up in a meeting.”
“So basically you’re calling me a cranky child,” Dejonae says teasingly, unwrapping the chocolate.
“If the shoe fits.”
Soft laughter flows from her lips. “You fed me, so I’ll forgive you for that.”
My chest feels lighter as I watch her laugh. I realize I enjoy this expression just as much as I do her stormy scowls.
