Page 72 of Breathless Recruiter

Wyatt: Looking forward to lunch.

Wyatt: I brought a Fudgy bar for my favorite boyfriend.

Underneath the message, I spotted the “Read.” When I looked up, both Drew and Orion were staring at me. I feigned a smile. Were all humans this fixated on the relationships of others? How much did I say? Yesterday, I discovered that sharing every detail about sex wasn’t appropriate. This species had an unbearable number of rules. How did they keep track?

“It’s good.”

“How good?” Drew pushed.

“Very good,” I said. “Excellent, even.”

“Unless you provide us with more information, I’ll talk to the surveillance cameras.” Orion taking an interest was uncharacteristic. I needed to get him a security guard of his own. “Too late.” His eyes flashed blue. “He spent the night?”

“Stop spying,” Drew said. “He’ll tell us when he’s ready.”

“I have… this sensation in my chest.” How did I explain it without sounding like a fool? “When he’s around, it’s unsettling. I feel as if it might burst open. It’s worse when he’s not around.”

Drew’s eyes were wide, a goofy smile stretching across his face. “Awww.”

“What our co-worker is trying to say—” Orion leaned forward on his desk. “—You have a serious case of the feels. You like the man. Be prepared for a lot of conflicting emotions.”

“Do you guys feel this?”

Drew shook his head. “I can’t say I’ve ever been in love.”

Orion nodded. “I have. It’s… intense.” The fact he admitted anything personal came as a shock. Orion didn’t normally talk about his feelings. His usual detached and cold effect vanished under a smirk. “Enjoy it. You’re experiencing one of human’s scariest emotions.”

Should love be scary? I had a thousand questions. Who did I ask, Kiki or Earth Mom? Perhaps Arthur had a sweet story about him and Ricardo that would alleviate my fears? I shook my head, pushing it from my mind. If I was going to ask anybody, it’d be Dustin… if he’d reply to my text message.

“We make a good team,” Drew said again.

Orion leaned back in his chair. “Until one of you falls victim to the mind-control being used by the government to placate the masses.”

It took him longer than normal to bring up a conspiracy theory. It showed growth. Drew’s optimism made me smile. I could put my insecurities on hold and enjoy two of my favorite people.

“Why don’t we do this outside of work?”

Orion raised an eyebrow. “We get drinks after work.”

“I mean,afterwork.”

What was he talking about? “I’m lost.”

Drew let out a long sigh. “We’re an awesome team here. Why don’t we team-up? Super friends. The three of us, out there, fighting crime. I bet we could stop a criminal or two.” His eyebrows waggled at the prospect.

“You three?” We all spun about to see Janet leaning against the doorframe. How did she always know when to break into theconversation? Orion had a theory she bugged the office.Thatconspiracy theory, I believed.

“Maybe if I was leading the team.”

“But you don’t have—” The narrow-eyed glare cut my words short.

“Are you trying to say I’m powerless?”

“No.”

“I didn’t think so.” She sauntered into the room, her thumbs hooked on her belt. “I’d whip you all into shape.” I don’t know how Arthur would feel about us taking his twin with us on patrol. “Too bad I’m a woman for hire these days. Unless somebody has a bounty on them, I leave the heroing to the do-gooders.”

Once upon a time, I thought she made it up. No human could have this many life experiences and have barely reached their mid-life. Orion did his research and confirmed that most of her outlandish tales had a kernel of truth. If she had powers, I’m not sure if she’d be an ally or a nemesis. Pray I never had to find out.

---