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“Very. I hope they like me,” he said and ducked his head.
“They will. What are you drinking?”
“Can you get me a Bud Light? Here’s some cash.” He dug into his pocket, but I stopped him.
“I got it. Welcome to the brood.”
We took the drinks back outside and approached the table. “So, guys, I’ve noticed we’ve been struggling a bit with the research side of things lately. You all have lives outside of the show, and I respect that. I don’t want any of us hitting the burnout stages or overworking ourselves. So, I hired us some help. I’d like to introduce you all to Burke Mathers. He’s a web sleuth and local historian who does some temp teaching at LSU a couple of times a month. I already used him to verify some things for Arborwood, and I hope we can use him more as the series progresses.”
“Bless you, Dev,” Harper said and looked at Burke. “Welcome to the team. The big guy often has me doing a lot of the research, but I usually just end up wanting one of the super twins to write code to do the web scrubs for me.” She laughed.
“I’m happy to help. Celebrated nerd and lover of all things true crime, historical, and supernatural. This is kind of a dream job.” He laughed. It sounded a little nervous, but I imagined that this would work out well.
Though they didn’t say anything, Remy and Van looked a little strained, strange expressions on their faces. Neither was big on change. Anytime we brought someone new on or changed up something about the show’s processes and procedures, they balked a little. Neither ever gave me any guff, given I was the mastermind behind the show and technically their boss, but there was always a noticeable shift in their attitudes. Like tonight. But I decided to let it go for now. If anything happened, I’d handle it.
The ladies were clearly enamored by Burke. He was charming and funny and had us all laughing well into the night. I even saw the guys joining in. This would be good for the team.
I glanced at Hanlen, making sure she was okay. She’d been laughing and joking and trading stories with everyone. Flirting with me. I had snuck some casual touches, reveling in the electricity that always seemed to exist between us and the satisfaction of having her touch me in return. It was nice. She seemed so . . . light tonight. And I got the answer I had been wanting, too. Someone—maybe Lark?—had asked her if she was married, and she had said that she wasn’t, and wasn’t dating either. That was great news for me. I wanted to see more of her during this trip. Yes, it was a job, but she was a captivating woman, and I wanted to get to know her better.
Later, Padre and I got up to get another round for everybody, and R2 and the super twins left, all of them having early mornings. I wouldn’t have to be out at the plantation until the afternoon, after their initial work was done. While Padre waited for the bartender to fill the order, I took the back hallway to the bathrooms. As I was glancing at my phone, I bumped into someone, only to have the newly familiar scent of eucalyptus wash over me.
Hanlen.
“We need to stop meeting this way, Mr. Glapion,” she said, her eyes a little sleepy, her posture relaxed.
“I don’t know,” I replied. “I kind of like it.”
She leaned a shoulder against the wall next to me. “You do, huh?”
“I do.” I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Having fun?”
She smiled lazily. “I am. Your friends are great.”
“They can be your friends, too.”
“I may just take you up on that offer. Does that mean that you’re my friend, Dev?” Her gaze roamed my face, and I felt it in parts south of the border. Damn, she was potent.
“I’d love to be your friend.”
“I’d like that, too. The thing is, I think friends should help each other out.”
“I agree. What did you have in mind?”
“I’ve been doing some thinking. I think it would be really great to kiss you. Like . . . really great.”
I tried so hard to suppress the smile. Yes, she was definitely tipsy, maybe even a bit drunk, but I imagined this was probably incredibly serious for her, too. Especially given her losses and the fact that she hadn’t been with anyone in a while as she’d told the girls. “I would be amenable to that,” I teased.
“You would?” she asked, seeming surprised. Did she not realize how beautiful and captivating she was? Had our shameless flirting outside not tipped her off to the fact that I was more than interested?
“How’s this for an answer?” I reached down and palmed the nape of her neck under the silky fall of her hair, my thumb caressing her cheek as I urged her head back. She rose on tiptoe to reach me, and our lips met in an indescribable melding of desire. Yet there was care there, too. On both sides. It was . . . everything. We gave. We took. We shared breaths. And I felt as if she reached my soul.
She dropped flat to her feet and took a small step back, placing her fingers over her kiss-swollen mouth. “Wow.”
“Wow, indeed.” It was all the answer I could give.
I was officially a goner for Hanlen Arbor.
The time we had for the show wouldn’t be nearly enough time in her company. And the next day without her as she did some work, and I did what I needed to do for the shoot, would be hell.
