It’s noon by the time Titus and I return to my office, chatting about other ways we can make his employees' lives easier, while also helping the group function at a higher level.
Which they really need to do.
Tobias, Walker, and Tucker’s divisions of the company are all important. They bring in money and new clients, leveling up the value of the business every year. Titus’s team brings in money and new clients too, but it’s also responsible for security at a level I don’t fully comprehend. I’d like to say my lack of understanding is because I’m new to this, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to wrap my head around the scope of it—and don’t have to since my job is to help manage teams, not what they do—that much better in a decade.
And I really hope I’m still here in a decade. I love the environment. I love the people. I love what I’m doing. I love?—
My eyes land on the delivery bag situated at the center of my desk.
Titus eyes it for a second, but doesn’t say anything before excusing himself to go home and take care of his lady love. Six months ago, seeing the way Titus takes care of Mariah—the clear and unbridled love he has for her—would have been difficult for me. I would’ve done my best to ignore it. Tried to convince myself I was only seeing one side of the coin and the other was likely tarnished and worn.
But it wouldn’t have been true. It would have just been me making excuses for Matt. For my parents.
For myself.
Going into my office, I open the bag and peer inside, frowning down at the contents.
“What’s wrong?” Maren walks in, a drink for herself and one for me clutched in her hands. Her nose wrinkles. “Did he order something gross?”
“No.” I pull out the top container, passing it to Maren. Then I pull out the second container, setting it in front of me. “He ordered each of us lunch.”
“Way to go, Tobias.” Maren pops the lid on her meal, digging into the pasta dish with gusto.
I stare down at mine, stomach doing all sorts of weird—but not necessarily unpleasant—somersaults. Then my eyes lift to the man parked outside my door, and I have to press one palm to my belly in an attempt to control the rowdy reaction of my insides.
“I’ll be right back.”
There’s no way I'm going to be able to eat right now. Not with the strange sensations plaguing my middle. And the only way I know to make them stop is to talk to Tobias. Find out why he sent me two lunches. Why there’s essentially a bodyguard outside my door.
Why he can’t just be like he was before.
Because while the Tobias I knew in college was great, he wouldn’t have been nearly as impossible to stay away from. I’m sure his easy smiles and relaxed personality would have charmed the heck out of me, but I doubt it would have me practically running in my heels through the halls of McKinley Security Systems.
I reach his wing of the building, feet stalling at the heavy metal door leading inside. I’ve never actually been here. Huh. Maybe my resistance isn’t going as terribly as I thought.
I’m surprised to discover the line of protective ear wearhooked to the wall next to a sign telling me it’s not an optional accessory. That’s going to make having a conversation with him difficult, but obviously there’s no way around it. Grabbing the closest pair, I clamp them onto my ears, open the door, and step inside Tobias’s domain for the first time.
My reaction is visceral from the first breath. The scents floating on the air are familiar. It’s what clings to his skin after work each day. The smell of automotive lubricants and adhesives isn’t nearly as unpleasant as I would have expected.
As I carefully weave my way through the shop, it quickly becomes clear why I have to wear ear protection. The tools his team uses are ridiculously loud, and soon I’m lifting my hands to the plastic pads so I can press them tighter to my body, sealing out as much of the noise as possible.
A few sets of eyes seem to notice me as I cut a path toward what appears to be an office tucked into the back corner. I don’t see Tobias working out on the floor, so my guess is he’s probably there.
As soon as I enter the space, letting the door close behind me, the sound assaulting my senses practically disappears. I let out a sigh, because it was just so much. I don’t see how Tobias doesn’t come home every night and sit in silence to make up for it.
Maybe he did, and I’m screwing it all up for him.
With that thought fresh in my head, I pass the man sitting at the desk outside the main office, walking straight into the next room.
Tobias’s eyes snap to me the second I clear the door, widening like he’s shocked I’m here.
On some level, so am I. It shouldn’t be this freaking hard to resist a man. Especially not after what the last one put methrough. And what the one I’m staring at now put me through, to be perfectly honest.
I haven’t exactly had the best experience with them, which makes all that’s happening inside me extra frustrating.
“Why did you send two lunches?” I blurt out the question because it seems like the easiest place to start. But since I still have my earmuffs on, it sounds super loud inside my head and makes me wonder if I sound normal to Tobias or if I just yelled at him.
Thinking about yelling at someone—and where that has gotten me in the past—instantly shifts the fluttery feeling in my stomach to one of dread.
