Page 44 of Deader than Dead

“Not much. Just that we needed to…” He paused, and I got the impression that had his arms not been full of box, the next word would have warranted air quotes. “… debrief. That there were matters of great importance that needed discussing.”

“Vague.”

John shrugged as the lift dinged again and the doors opened to reveal a massive space more reminiscent of a museum or art gallery than a workplace. It was all statues, greenery, and red velvet. Cade clearly appreciated the finer things in life.

“Yeah,” John said, reading my expression perfectly. “I know.” The almost psychic link we shared, the ability to know what the other was thinking without words, was still taking some getting used to. It was both scary and exhilarating to be that in tune with someone. And it only seemed to get stronger the longer we spent together. A couple more weeks and we’d be able to finish each other’s sentences. Before the other one had started talking.

When a man stood up from behind a desk, my focus shifted away from the décor. I almost swallowed my tongue as he came toward us. He was gorgeous. Like front of a magazine, movie star gorgeous. I wasn’t interested, obviously, because I loved John, but that didn’t stop me from admiring him. Being in love didn’t make me blind. A charcoal-gray suit showed off his tight lean body and he moved with a natural grace that would have been at home on any catwalk.

John’s shoulder nudged mine as he moved close enough that his lips hovered by my ear. “Do you want help to put your tongue back in?”

My cheeks grew hot. “I didn’t… I don’t… I’m not…”

John grinned. “I’m joking, Bellamy. If you didn’t look, I’d start thinking you weren’t gay.”

Recovering my composure, I arched a brow. “Oh, I think I’ve proved that beyond doubt over the last couple of days.”

John’s smile was slow and languorous enough to have me questioning why we weren’t back at my place. Or his place. Or a hotel. Anywhere really that had a bed.

A dignified throat clearing had us tearing our gaze away from each other and back to the man I assumed to be Asher, the personal assistant who John had surmised might actually be more. He certainly didn’t look like your typical personal assistant.

“John,” he said, his tone too neutral for me to tell where they stood with each other, whether they were friends, enemies, or something in between. How was it John had described him? Ah, that was it. Half man, half robot. Presumably not friends, then. Not unless it was a very strange friendship.

“Asher,” John said, confirming the man’s identity. He jerked his head my way. “This is Bellamy.”

As Asher held out his hand, eyes so pale blue they seemed a color all of their own focused on me. “Mr. Farrell, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Call me Bellamy,” I said as I took his hand. His skin was just as cool as the rest of him. I could see why John referred to him as the ice prince. Did he ever sweat? Did he ever get ruffled? I couldn’t imagine it somehow. “Only good things, I hope?”

He gave a polite laugh. “Of course.” His gaze strayed back to John. “Nothing to say, John. That must be a first. Normally, you shower me with sexual innuendo. How will I ever manage without it?” His glance my way said he knew full well what had wrought the change in John’s behavior.

John’s eyes narrowed. “I’m sure you’ll live.” He hefted the box higher in his arms. “Anyway, much as it might dent your ego, I’m here to see Cade, not you. And if you tell me to sit down and wait, then I’m out of here, and Cade can whistle for his meeting.”

“Then, I’m thrilled to inform you,” Asher said with an admirably passive expression considering John’s overt antagonism, “that Cade asked me to show you into his office the very second you arrived.”

“Good.” It was the only word John uttered before he pushed past Asher and strode toward a door.

“Perhaps you’d like to leave your box of belongings here,” Asher called after him.

“I wouldn’t.”

When Asher looked to me, I shrugged. A sedate jog had me catching up with John just as he pushed the door open. The office we walked into was huge, the view across London from the floor to ceiling windows leaving me momentarily spellbound. It was all I could do to focus on the man getting to his feet rather than walking across to the window to see what famous landmarks I could pick out.

I don’t know what I’d expected from the way John had talked about his boss. A demon with horns and a tail, maybe. But it wasn’t the suave and sophisticated man in the designer suit making his way toward us. Cade looked to be in his late thirties to early forties and had the naturally stylish air of someone who didn’t need to show off the fact that he was filthy rich; he just was. And they were easy enough to recognize when you’d robbed your fair share of them.

He was handsome as well, the faint touch of gray at his temples only enhancing his good looks rather than detracting from them. Chocolate brown eyes and full lips completed the package. It was like handsome man central up here, with Cade the type of man who could show you a good time on a bed made of fifty-pound notes if that was your thing. I threw a look John’s way and received a roll of his eyes in return. Yeah, he could definitely tell what I was thinking. Lucky for him, I’d never been that easily swayed by wealth.

I was still smirking at John’s reaction as Cade waved a hand to a set of comfortable armchairs situated just close enough to the window that you could see the view, but not so close it would prove distracting. Someone—Asher?—had probably agonized over that exact positioning.

Cade cleared his throat. “I figured we’d dispense with the desk and make ourselves a bit more comfortable.”

Chapter Twenty-two

John

One glaring fact had become apparent on seeing Cade again: I could bear a grudge with the best of them. Therefore, there was no shifting the scowl from my face as he waved an airy hand toward the chairs and suggested we sit. I did, but only because I was here now, so I didn’t see as I had a choice. Plus, Bellamy had already been polite enough to accept the offer. I did it with as much pomp and ceremony as I could in order to highlight my reluctance. And if I dropped my box of belongings onto the carpet from a greater height than needed, so it hit the floor with a crash, that was nothing more than a miscalculation on my part. Definitely not being childish. Perish the thought.

Cade’s gaze dropped to the box at my feet as he took his seat. He was wise enough not to make a comment about either my method of depositing it or the things it contained. Not yet, anyway, but I knew it would come. I turned with a frown as Asher lowered himself into the remaining seat. “Since when does Captain Frosty sit in on meetings?”

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