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He took another step towards the reception desk, and then I finally noticed the AMH uniform he was wearing; dark slacks, a white AMH shirt tucked into the waistband, a black silk tie, and a matching jacket that did nothing to hide the width of his shoulders beneath the material. His shoes gleamed in the light, their heels clicking hypnotically in the quiet of the reception area, as he continued toward me.
His eyes were a hazel that looked gold in the fluorescent lighting. Up close, I could make out the distinctive shape of hischeekbones, and admire the hard line of his jaw as it clenched and unclenched.
He was the kind of attractive I could only summon in my dreams, ticking every single one of my boxes. I had to swallow around the saliva beginning to pool on the back of my tongue as his scent filled the space between us: leather, spices, and sandalwood. He smelled like safety and comfort, but also the promise of wild nights and violence.
My wolf panted like an overzealous dog. Her tongue might as well have been lolling out of her mouth for all her excitement at the man’s scent.
I realized too late that he also didn’t smell like any supernatural being I’d ever met before, nor did he smell human.
He stopped a couple of feet away from me, and I only remembered that my smile was still frozen on my face when his eyes narrowed dangerously, flashing. I watched as that hazel darkened until its highlights faded, making it look almost black.
“Who the fuck areyou?” he spat.
His tone caught me off-guard. The words growled in a deep timbre that had goosebumps scattering across my skin. My nipples pebbled in my bra as the vibrations coasted through me, my foolish body unable to recognize when it was being threatened as opposed to crooned at.
“I, um, Aria—” I tried to stutter out.
“Never mind, I don’t care. What are you doinghere?”
I blinked. “Iworkhere,” I said slowly, as though I were speaking to Caiya or Mia. Maybe it was too much to hope for that a man this pretty would also have a great personality and adept social skills.
“Excuse me?” he growled.
I frowned. “I said, I work he—”
“I heard you the first time,” he snarled, flicking his wrist dismissively. “I’m just clarifying, because I didn’t realize we were suddenly hiring thescumof wolfkind.”
He walked off in the direction of Mr. Ambrose’s elevator, paused, then turned to look at me over his shoulder. I braced myself for whatever else he was going to say. “Try to keep your stink to yourself while you’re here, though I’m not sure how much longer you’ll be around.”
His words were like a bucket of ice-cold water, tossed on me while I was in the midst of the most wonderful daydream ever. Even my attraction to him was dulled by his threat, my heated libido sizzling out immediately.
I stared after him until he disappeared, after which my knees buckled, forcing me to prop myself against my desk. I pressed one hand to my chest, as if I could calm my galloping heart that way.
My wolf, completely oblivious to the threat laid before us, sunk to her tummy in my mind and covered her eyes, almost like she was sulking that he’d left. I wanted to yell at the stupid animal for not understanding that this man had just made himself a threat to us.
My day was a blur after that, my thoughts consumed by both the stranger and finding a new job.
I couldn’t believe I’d gotten this far, really. Granted, being a receptionist was nowhere near to what I hoped to achieve in my life, but I’d gotten this close and was being thwarted by a pretty man with a bad attitude.
At some point, Sheryl stopped by to ask if I’d met our newest employee. She called him a little devil, and I was more than inclined to believe her. Shehadsaid it with affection, though; I wasn’t sure what she could find in that man to be affectionate toward. The person I’d met definitely seemed like a denizen of the deepest parts of hell with his foul attitude.
A ginger from hell.
My mood soured even more as Sheryl gushed about having known him as a boy. I listened half-heartedly, nodding and making affirmative noises when I thought it was necessary. When she left, I was all too happy to clock out and make the commute home.
I called Rebecca on the way home to summon her to my apartment for our first girl time in weeks.
As expected, pizza and wine waited for me. She wore her serious face, which meant she’d already assumed something was wrong.
“What happened?” she asked as soon as I sat down.
“Hello to you too, sister.” I answered, rolling my eyes. “I had an odd day, but I’m unscathed. How was your day?”
She stared at me, one dark brow cocked as I took my hair down from my bun.
“I met the new guy,” I sighed, bypassing the glasses laid out on the table and reaching for the bottle itself. “He was an asshole.”
Rebecca’s gaze softened. “Oh, honey. There’s always one asshole coworker. I bet he was one of the older ones, huh?”
