Page 32 of The Secret

And now he was here.

In the elevator.

With me.

My fingers twitched, desperate to get my phone and immediately text Payton, because she was going tofreak.He’d been her number one crush at college, and unbeknownst to every single boyfriend she’d had, they’d all been compared to him. Yet he looked smaller in person, especially standing next to Murray, although his blue eyes were still as piercing.

“Yeah, not bad, mate. You know how it is. How about you?”

“Yeah, same.” He stroked Barclay’s head. “How’s parenthood going?”

I was standing there, my head moving between them, fascinated. Then, I saw the only expression of Murray’s I could read, the one which appeared whenever he spoke about Bell. Love. Pride. Happiness.

“Good, getting the hang of it I think.”

I sighed at the cuteness, earning myself the attention of the two gentlemen I was sharing the elevator with.

Jackson Foggerty’s gaze slowly scanned up and down the length of my body in a way that made me instinctively step back, even though I was already pressed against the wall.

“And who, are you?”

He didn’t notice Murray stiffen next to me. He also didn’t notice his green eyes narrow and darken to a color almost imperceptible from black. The door pinged before I could respond, sliding open on our floor. But then weallgot out. Barclay bounded down the corridor.

I’d already taken five paces before I realized Murray wasn’t next to me, and turned to find him blocking Jackson Foggerty’s way.

“Off limits, Foggerty,” he snarled, but not quietly enough for me not to hear. “Don’t even fucking think about it or you can get the stairs from now on.”

“Whoa, calm down.” His hands went up defensively. “Message received.”

Murray stood there staring at him until he turned and headed in the opposite direction, and then spun around to me.

“Stay away from him,” he snapped, overtaking me before I could say a word or even have a second to consider his bizarre behavior.

I followed him silently back into the apartment, just as Bell opened her eyes and started grumbling as she always did when she was getting hungry. Murray was too focused on getting her out of the sling, while I was still wondering what the fuck just happened, to notice the suitcases by the door until Diane came into the entrance hall.

She took Bell out of Murray’s arms, giving her a kiss, which was when he saw them.

He motioned to all the bags. “What’s going on?”

“We’re going to get out of your way, let you all settle in together. We’re going to be staying with Jasper and Wolf for a little while.”

I didn’t miss the look of panic crossing Murray’s face. “You’re leaving?!”

“Yes,” she replied firmly, as she deftly removed Bell from her snowsuit with the skill of a woman who had four children and seven grandchildren.

Murray’s eyes shot over to me and whatever was going through his head, he didn’t look happy about it.

I coughed awkwardly, needing to get away from him and his weird mood swing, not wanting to be part of whatever conversation they were about to have. “Diane, can I take her for her bottle before she starts crying?”

She turned to me, smiling, spinning around so her back was to Murray and pulled me in for a tight hug, her voice low. “Thank you for everything you’re doing for my son.”

The ever-familiar blush rose up my cheeks again. “It’s just my job.”

I took Bell from her, walking toward the kitchen to make her bottle.

“Kit?” Murray called after me.

I glanced back before turning the corner, catching Murray’s eye as Diane whispered to him and immediately wished I hadn’t. The color hadn’t changed back from when he’d been glaring at Jackson Foggerty, but instead of anger, his eyes flared with a level of heat that could put molten lava to shame, melting us together.

---