More words fluttered through my mind.
So lucky.
Were they really coming from Sebastian? Or was I have a mental health emergency?
Bryce… best boss.
I jerked back. The words really did seem to be Sebastian’s thoughts.
Best day ever. Get to work… my mate.
I flinched. Mate? What or who was he thinking about? Breathing deeply and battling to keep up a calm façade, I motioned to reach out and touch Bryce’s shoulder, but abruptly stopped myself before I said, “Oh, I didn’t tell you, Bry—Mr. Harding?” Dammit, I needed to stop making that slip. “Guess I didn’t, since I didn’t realize you knew each other. Sebastian was the one who kept that poor kid Rico alive at the shelter. He saved the boy’s life.”
“Did he indeed?” Bryce gave Sebastian an impressed look.
Sebastian glanced back and forth between us.
How close are they?
Was Sebastian wondering about my relationship with Bryce?
“Well then, that makes me only more grateful I hired him,” Bryce said. “We need a bit more diversity around here, but more than that”—he clunked the office door shut and pulled down the window blind—“we need people who give a damn about others. Who really care. Sounds like my first impressions were more than correct.”
Sebastian raked a hand through his umber hair, eyes dipping to the desk. “Thanks, sir.”
Looking at his gentle features and remembering everything I knew about him so far, I found myself warming to a surprising admission. My prejudices against Sebastian may well have been incorrect.
But why the hell was I hearing his thoughts in my head?
Bryce
Serenity’s first day was going great. She was going to be such a valuable addition all around Midas. On top of her design skills, and the professionalism she’d shown in dealing with some difficult co-workers this morning, she was someone I could trust. Someone I could confide in with no worries about tattle-telling or gossip.
I needed a lot more employees like her and Seb. Especially working together. Serenity and Seb already knowing each other was an unexpected plus.
Although I was a bit concerned about her reaction in his office. Even though she’d tried her best to hide it, she’d seemed shaken by their interaction.
We’d wished Seb a good day and headed for the elevator to go up to the production floor. As we went, the cogs in my mind were turning, searching for solutions to Serenity’s obvious discomfort around Seb.
Because of my condition, and needing to be aware of people’sintent at any given moment, I’d developed an uncanny ability for reading body language and paying attention to subtle emotions. I’d immediately detected Serenity’s distress. And of course, her wary glance at his fangs. Her apprehensions about Seb were totally understandable. But I hoped to convince her not all vamps were bad.
I’d wanted to reassure her that I would never partner her with someone who would hurt her. More than that, I’d wanted to reach out for her, pull her against my chest and hold her tight. I’d wanted to be there for her. Not as a boss. But as a normal guy who could express his attraction and admiration for her, touch her without my condition getting in the way.
It was a pipe dream. Even the small chance of direct skin contact, despite my specially-tailored suit sleeves—I always ensured Simeon weaved a robust layer of Teflon between the fibers—and my sturdy gloves, made these burning feelings for her far too dangerous.
My own potential agony put aside, there was no way I would risk putting her through the worst pain of her life. Especially if it was just to satisfy my own overpowering urges to comfort her and put her at ease. A few seconds of heaven could never justify a day trip to hell.
And despite knowing that, I kept slipping up. I kept standing and getting much closer to her than I should have. I still couldn’t believe how close I’d gotten when I first saw her this morning. I was just so happy to see her. Her beautiful smile had clouded my thinking.
How was I going to bear my attraction to this beautiful, amazing woman who was quickly becoming a real friend and valuable employee? Especially when it kept spiraling upward, as it would most likely continue to do. On top of that, there was the real possibility of her starting a relationship with Hunter or someone else.
Pushing those thoughts from my mind, I led her to the main area on the production floor. One of the senior managers, a jovial wolf shifter named Tommaso, who seemed a nice guy but was also a Temple member, had gladly offered to show her around. But myprotective instincts for Serenity had me firmly declining Tommaso’s offer, despite all the other things I needed to get done today. It wasn’t just that I thought she’d be more comfortable if I did it myself. I wanted to do it. I didn’t want to leave her side.
So, I did exactly what my gut and conscience dictated. My compulsion to simply be around Serenity making that certain. I was clearly going to have to reprioritize some of my work later. But being with her and making sure she was cared for came first.
We arrived to find the floor darkened and half-empty, except for a team of camera people working their equipment, focused on a news broadcast which was underway. We watched from a discreet distance, sticking to the shadowy periphery, me not wanting to distract anyone with my presence.
Speaking in a hushed voice, I drew her attention to the news channel’s brightly lit logos, both of them the New Nebraska flag, that was emblazoned on the news desk’s front and also blown up into an extra-large graphic in the backdrop between news articles. “What do you think of the current design?”
