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That touch made my skin sizzle, frissons of electricity shooting up my spine and exploding through my body like a million fireworks all going off at the same time. I could feel the tingle at the roots of each individual strand of hair all the way down to my toes. It felt like my feet might come off the sidewalk. I’d never felt anything like it. Holton’s touch hadn’t elicited such a response. Not even close.
I sucked in a gasp at the sensation his touch caused, my back shooting straight like hot molten steel had been poured down my spine and was hardening.
“You okay?”
I let out a wobbly breath and nodded, keeping my eyes forward. “Uh-huh,” was all I could manage to get out.
A few seconds of silence passed before Laeth spoke again. “That asshole ask you on a date?”
My head shot around to him, my eyes narrowing. “He was a very nice man.” I felt the need to defend him simply because it was true. “And you shouldn’t use language like that around Cash.”
Laeth snorted. “You didn’t answer my question. Did he ask you on a date or not?”
“I—” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth and bit down. “I don’t know. He mentioned getting coffee, but I’m not sure that constitutes a date.”
From the corner of my eye I saw his quizzical expression as his dark brows creeped higher on his forehead, but I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eye.
“You don’t know what constitutes a date? How’s that even possible?”
I swallowed, trying to alleviate the sudden dryness in my throat as my naivety and general lack of social normality left me feeling small. “Because I’ve never been on one before.”
“You—” I felt his fingers clench at my back. The pads of them pressing harder against me for a brief moment. “Why have you never been on a date?”
It was at that very moment we turned the corner and came upon Elite Security’s building. I recognized Laeth’s car parked out front and let out a sigh of relief that I had a reason to break away from his touch.
I rounded to the passenger side and met his slate gaze over the roof of the car.
“Because no one’s ever asked.”
Chapter
Eighteen
LAETH
“Because no one’s ever asked.”
I couldn’t get that statement out of my head. It didn’t make any damn sense. Men should have been beating down her door, desperate for a date. She was a looker, and sure, the clothes those Fellowship folks wore left much to be desired, but they couldn’t hide a beauty like hers completely. I was a hundred percent convinced that, had I not been in such a piss-poor mood the day of her interview—or all the days for the prior month—I would have noticed her beneath her rumpled state.
But it wasn’t just that. She was smart as hell, no doubt about it. She’d shown up with a stack of books from Myra, and I’d noticed she’d already poured through all of them, hence the trip to the library today. Not to mention, I’d seen a shift in Cash in the week she’d been working for me. He was saying words he hadn’t said before and pronouncing the ones he’d already known even better.
Then there was the cooking. Dearlord, did the woman know how to cook.
She’d cooked things I’d spent the better part of my life convinced I hated, but manners dictated I keep my mouth shutand power through. That was how I’d been raised. But there’d been no need. Deva’s food was so good I had to stop myself from licking my plate clean every damn meal.
She was a fucking catch, and I didn’t understand how she’d gone this long without a guy taking action.
I’d seen the hurt on her face when she’d said it, and it had felt like a punch to the gut to see those gorgeous honey eyes of hers fill with sadness.
I hadn’t planned on working from home the rest of the day, but when I saw Holt moving in on Deva, how he looked at her like she was his next meal, and how those goddamn dimples pressed into her cheeks as she smiled up at him, all sunny and warm, something in me had snapped. All I could think was I needed to get her the fuck away from that man—or any man, for that matter.
The car ride back home had been quiet. She’d spent the entire time staring out the window, watching the landscape pass by.
Cash had passed out in his car seat before we pulled into the driveway, and when I’d tried getting him out, she’d all but shoved me out of the way, insisting she was still on the clock and that it was her job.
I’d wanted to argue, but I could see from the set of her jaw and how stiff she was holding her shoulders that it wouldn’t do me any good. Once she had him tucked into his bed for his nap, she’d gone about cleaning and starting a load of laundry, and I got the distinct impression she was doing her best to pretend I wasn’t there.
Honestly, I needed to be at the office for some of the more time sensitive matters I’d been working on, but it was quickly becoming impossible to ignore the draw I felt to my son’s nanny.
