“Can you log in, please? I’ll show you how to make the changes that I need. You can do them yourself next time.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Kwatch.” She scoots into her desk chair but then pauses, looking up at me with bright blue eyes. “Actually, IT hasn’t given me a login yet.”
“Of course they haven’t,” I mutter. The universe seems to be trying to force my proximity to this woman. “Not your fault, Mrs. Thorn. May I?” I gesture toward her keyboard.
She nods, attempting to scoot out of my path, but in my hurry to reach the keyboard, my shoulder brushes against hers. The glancing heat sends a pulse straight to my cock.
It’s a completely inappropriate reaction to my assistant. Humans don’t operate on instant attraction like this; they don’t take one sniff and know they are perfect for each other. They take their annoying time with things like this. She isn’t longing for me deep in her soul.
I have to put some distance between us, before I do something I’ll regret. My fingers move quickly across thekeyboard, pulling up her email and syncing her local folder with the network. I lean away and realize, in my haste to escape, I haven’t explained anything.
She gives me a closed-lip smile, waiting for instructions. It’s almost like the rest of the world goes fuzzy. She’s meant to be mine; my prey. I want her to scream and run, so that I can catch her. I want to capture her soft thighs in my hands. I want to bury my face in her breasts. I want to taste the sweetness of her cu?—
I shake the impulse from my head and take two steps back from her. I haven’t spent the last fifteen years of my life trying to act human, only to be taken down by one single woman.
“My schedule is synced to your computer now. It outlines your responsibilities; there’s a meeting at three in conference room C. Be ready to take notes.”
She nods. I turn, hoping to remove myself from her presence as quickly as possible, but force myself to stop. Be polite. Be civil. Humans like you better when you act like one of them.
“Mrs. Thorn, I hope your first day goes well.”
“Miss,” she corrects me.
I raise an eyebrow in a question.
“I’m not married or anything. It’s Ms. Thorn. Totally single.” She laughs slightly awkwardly before biting her lower lip. I suppress the urge to bite it for her. “Or just Bay is fine too.”
“Have a good day…Ms. Thorn.”
I hustle to my office, reveling in a lungful of air that doesn’t have her in it. My chest constricts slightly, my traitorous body wants to be breathing her in.
I try to get more distance from her desk, stepping to my wall of windows to focus on the view of the busy street below. My office overlooks Silicon Valley, the afternoon sun creating short shadows between the squat buildings. Countless hours were worked in this office over the past eight years. I was only twenty-two when my two closest friends, now business partners,and I built Cryptech from the ground up. It took sacrifice after sacrifice to make this business what it is today. I’ve spent so much time trying to fit in with the humans, until I became no more of a monster than any other businessman.
And now she walks in, and throws my world completely off its axis. I want her so badly that my whole body hurts.
But, hitting on my assistant? Awful.
Firing her on her first day so that I can ask her out? That definitely won’t get me on her good side.
Stepping out of my office, demanding that she run from me so I can chase her down and mate her over the copy machine in front of the entire accounting department? Fucking her until she is screaming my name and so wet that my entire knot easily slips into her? Civilized humans don’t do that. Monsters do that.
I have to take this slow. Give her a chance to warm up to me. Push down my monstrous desires, let her defenses fall, and let my prey come to me.
3
STINK LINES
Bailey
Sacha is seriously intimidating, and seriously attractive. I can’t remember the last time someone’s voice rumbled straight to my clit like that, but he’s already irritated by the way I smell. I guess the office gossips didn’t lie about him being a jerk.
In an effort to avoid pissing him off any more, I sit nervously at my desk until the IT guy arrives. He’s a skinny, bald man with glasses who shows me how to log into my computer.
“You’re the new temp, right? Bailey?” His eyes travel up and down me appraisingly. “First days can be rough. How are you holding up?”
“Good. I think.” I add the second part with a little laugh.
“Sacha can be a bit scary, but if you need anything, you can always message me.” He gives a little wink. “I like your hair. Kinda makes you look like one of those anime chicks.”
