Page 68 of One Midnight Kiss

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FOX

Iwas instantly on alert. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Are you okay? Come in. Tell me what you need.”

She waved a hand. “Never mind.”

“No. Natalia, please, come in. You’ve got snow in your hair. Did you walk here?”

“Yes.”

I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. She looked around without trying to be obvious about looking around my place.

“What’s going on?” I asked again.

She quickly schooled her features. “Jerrod called the office today. He wanted to know if I had seen you. Apparently, he thinks you’re dead or missing.”

I frowned. “What?”

“You apparently didn’t show up for work and you didn’t talk to him. He’s worried.”

“That’s crazy. I just talked to him… Hmm, it actually might have been a few days ago.” I grinned. “Were you worried about me?”

“Of course not,” she shot back, her eyes darting away like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

I led her into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I pulled out two bottles of beer and handed one to her. I leaned against the counter and looked at her. She was dressed in her usual business armor—sleek black dress, a blazer that hugged her waist just right, and those little kitten heels that always made me wonder what she’d look like in them and nothing else. Or maybe stilettos. Yes, definitely stilettos and nothing else.

Her usual cool facade was in place, but there was something different tonight. She looked frazzled, maybe even vulnerable. I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of concern. Not that I would ever say it out loud.

“Jerrod’s probably just having a meltdown over Hanna,” I said with a shrug. “It goes live next week, and he’s been in over his head since day one.”

“And you?” she asked quietly.

“What about me?”

“Is that why you blew off work?” she asked. “You wanted to have your meltdown in private.”

It was disturbing to know she could figure that out. I always felt like this around the holidays. Christmas was just not my favorite. But I never expected anyone to figure it out, especially not her.

I wasn’t going to get into all of that. “I had things to do,” I said.

Her eyes met mine. There was a flicker of something there—something beyond her usual controlled facade. “What are you really doing here?” I asked quietly. “Did you miss me?”

“Hardly,” she muttered, but there was a tiny smirk on her lips. She put her purse on the counter and took a long drink from her beer. I watched as she fished her phone out of her purse. “I need your help with something.”

“Let’s sit,” I said and led her to the couch. She sat down first. I sat down a little closer than necessary. “What’s going on?”

“Do you remember when I told you about that dating site I signed up for?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

She held out her phone. “I tried downloading the app, but I’m locked out. It’s saying my email address isn’t valid, and—” She hesitated, clearly uncomfortable.

I raised my eyebrows. I couldn’t help but be a little offended and irritated she was trying to get me to help her get back on a dating app. What the hell was she thinking? “You want me to help you get into the app? You’re planning on using it?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I want to delete my profile. I didn’t realize it was still active.”

I wasn’t sure I believed her. “And now you know that it is?”