I need to stop this growing attraction. Now.
I’m strangely shy as I walk into the office. I can’t shake the sense that something in me has changed—like Seven’s touch hasphysically altered me in some way, branded me for all to see. Involuntarily, my fingertips brush the tattoo on my hip, and for a moment, I’m overcome with the irrational fear that somehow, everyone can see it.
I shake off my paranoia and hurry to my cubicle, praying no one bothers me this morning. I manage to make it to my desk without any unwanted interactions, but just as I’m sitting down, a hand claps my shoulder.
I jump up with a scream, wheeling around so fast I nearly smack face-first into Mr. Graves’s chest. I tip my chin up to meet his eyes, my heart skipping a beat at the sight of his crooked smile. He’s dressed in a crisp white button-up and dark-gray suit tailored perfectly to his body, and I can’t help but marvel at how it brings out the red in his eyes.
“Sorry for startling you.” If possible, his smile grows wider. “Here. For you.”
I tear my eyes from his face to look at the paper take-out cup in his hand. “Green tea with a splash of cream.”
As I look at the gift, my chest squeezes with an emotion I haven't felt in years. “You remembered what I like,” I whisper, gratefully taking it from his hands. “Thank you.”
“I’ve been paying attention.” His voice is low, sending heated shivers down my spine. “Enjoy the tea, Miss Kent.”
With one last smile, Mr. Graves turns and heads back into his office, leaving me standing frozen to the spot, all alone with my sinful thoughts. I’ve been trying to hide from it, but my reaction to Mr. Graves just now confirmed my worst fears—I have a crush on him.
A serial killer and my boss. Something is terribly wrong with my picker.
I fight the urge to throw my head into my hands as I sit at my desk, trying to focus on the blank computer screen in front of me.
I attempt to push all my worries aside for a bit and focus on work, but the mind-numbing spreadsheets do nothing to help my mind from wandering. By the time lunch rolls around, I’ve barely scratched the surface of my to-do list, and the rest of the day doesn’t look much better.
Just then, my stomach rumbles, giving me a great excuse to step away from the screen for a bit and reset. With the hope that some lunch will help me focus, I head into the break room to grab it. It’s later than normal, so the room is blissfully empty, no sign of Tricia or her cohort.
And my lunch is missing from the fridge.
“What the hell?” I pull out a few of the cooler bags, hoping I’ll find mine shoved in the back—but it’s not there. Frowning, I step away from the fridge and begin scouring the trash for signs of the paper bag, or possibly some leftover sandwich crust. Unfortunately, it seems the thief was smart—there’s zero evidence of their crime.
“Find anything interesting in there?”
I leap away from the trash, my face heating at the familiar voice.Sweet Lord. I can’t believe he caught me rifling through the trash like a raccoon.
“I was, uh… looking for my lunch…”And now I’m wishing the ground would swallow me whole. “It seems to have… disappeared.”
He steps closer, entering my personal space, and a shiver runs through me as I catch a whiff of his expensive cologne. “Someonestoleyour lunch?”
“I don’t know that for sure!” I say, not wanting to get anyone in trouble. “But it’s not the first time it’s happened, so I was kind of looking for evidence… and now I’m realizing how ridiculous that is…”
Mr. Graves reaches out, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. His eyes darken with hunger, and my breath halts as heatedsparks skitter across my skin. “If you want, I can look into it for you. I certainly don’t want anybad seedsworking at LoveBytten, making trouble for my employees.”
Shit.If Mr. Graves makes a big deal about it, I’ll be labeled as a snitch by the other employees. They’ll lose all trust and respect in me, and I don’t want to deal with that situation. “It doesn’t matter. It was probably a mistake.”
Mr. Graves grins, but it’s not a happy one. “Itmattersto me.”
“Like I said, I’m sure it was a mistake.” I wish I had never brought it up. “If it happens again,thenwe can worry about it.”
He nods, satisfied with the compromise. “In that case, lunch is on me.” He holds out his arm with an expectant look.
“What?”
“I’m taking you to lunch, Grace. It’s only right after what happened.”
“Oh. Okay…” I try not to look into things too much as I take his hand, letting him lead me out of the building. This is the second time Mr. Graves has taken me out for lunch, but I’m sure he’s just trying to be nice. After all, he wants to look as chivalrous and decent as possible because he’s new at the company. It means nothing. Truly.
Though it’s getting hard to ignore the butterflies in my stomach when he smiles at me like that.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
