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Jesse sipped the brandy. It burned pleasantly in his throat but didn’t still his nerves. “I’m not exactly date material.”
“You mistake me,” he said. “This would be in a professional capacity.” Jesse dropped his gaze to hide any potential hint of disappointment. “I want you to look around the mayor’s house while I’m in the meeting, ensure we are not in danger of being spied upon or recorded.”
“That sounds like a job for Greenway.”
“Greenway will be there as my personal security,” Emory continued smoothly. “But I also want your unique perspective. Just look around to make sure I’m safe—that the house is safe.”
“I can do that.”
There was a pause. “You’re not looking at me.”
Jesse fought a shiver and lifted his eyes. Magnusson’s face was close to his. His lips were set, and his eyes searched Jesse’s face. “I’m looking at you. Happy?”
“This is about last night.”
“Yeah,” Jesse rasped. “It is…” Magnusson didn’t move or speak, but Jesse thought he saw warmth gathering in his eyes. “So we don’t talk about it. Is that it?”
“I’m more than happy to talk about it.”
“It was…something.”
“It was. Something you enjoyed, I think.”
Jesse’s skin rippled. “Where did it come from, huh? You don’t even know me.”
“I know you’re not regretting it, Jesse. Why are you pretending you are?”
Jesse frowned. “You think you know what I’m feeling?”
A small smile turned up the corners of the full lips. “Humans don’t realize how little of what they feel is secret. It broadcasts, like a beacon. It’s one of the things that makes you so fascinating.”
“Whereas you feel nothing?” he said, putting the glass on the table with more force than was necessary.
“That isn’t true.”
Jesse made a noise of frustration. “So, what? Whatwaslast night?”
“Has no one ever cared about just what you need before?”
“You jerk off all your employees if they have a bad day?”
“No,” he said, smile warming, “just you.” Jesse went very still. His heart was slugging in his chest. Magnusson bent close and inhaled. The air brushed over Jesse’s temple. He shivered. “I’ve upset you.”
“You haven’tupsetme. I’m not a kid.”
Magnusson gazed down at him. “I’m sorry. I thought I knew what you wanted.”
You did. More than any other guy I’ve ever known…but you’re not human. Just my luck.
Jesse kept his mouth firmly closed over the words, not wanting to admit them, even to himself. Instead, he said, “I just don’t get…why?”
“You won’t believe the answer to that question until you’re able to answer it yourself,” he said. “But I can see what I did has made this difficult.”
“You’re my boss…”
He blinked once, slowly.
So he does blink.
