Page 19 of All That She Needs

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do?" he asked carefully, for the third time that afternoon. His eyes were soft, filled with worries that only made the knot in my chest tighten.

"For the love of God, Dennis, if you ask me that one more time, I'll–"

"Relax, geez," he said, giving me an eye roll. His hands were on his hips, and his tone dripped with sass. "I was just asking. No need to be bitchy."

I sighed as I managed a weak smile, but I knew it didn't reach my eyes. "I'm fine, Dennis. Really."

But we both knew that was a lie.

"Where's Mr. Super Hotness? He didn't come for lunch today?"

"No. I told him I'm busy." I was not in the mood to have company. I needed to be alone with my thoughts. I just couldn't think straight today. Everything felt out of focus, like I was wading through thick fog. No work had been done, not even the simplest tasks. I was tired, frustrated, and utterly useless.

For the past week, Liam had been bringing lunch that he made himself, and we'd been sharing it together in my office. This quickly turned into a routine. Each day, I found myself eagerly anticipating those lunch breaks. It was a small breather from the chaos that had been going on in my life, and I enjoyed it. Probably far too much. Liam's company was refreshing. He had a talent for making me smile and blush and laugh. I hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time. Once, he brought his friends with him. His 'little troop,' as Dennis called them.

And I finally met Keith, the InfiniTech project manager and Liam's best friend, who tried to steal my tiramisu. Keith looked stunned when he first saw me, his eyes widening in surprise. After a moment of weird silence, Keith extended his hand towards me. "I'm Keith. Nice to meet you, Asha. Liam told us absolutely nothing about you—actually, we only got your name from your lovely assistant. That's why we practically forced him to bring us here. We wanted to find out why he's been sneaking off with those incredible-smelling lunches and denied me my tiramisu."

"Okay now, Keith. Time to shut up," Liam grumbled.

Keith, like Liam, was tall, tattooed, and muscular. His long, dark hair fell loose on his shoulders, framing a face marked by a scruffy jaw and chin he clearly couldn't be bothered toshave, though undeniably giving him a nicely rugged charm. His eyes, dark as the night, glinted with a mischievous spark that suggested he was a laid-back guy. He had a calm confidence in his demeanor that made him instantly approachable, the same as Liam.

And he had been receiving moon eyes from Dennis, who just couldn't stop staring at him.

There was another person with them, who Liam introduced as Theo. Liam said he was his security. I glanced at the guy with shock, because Theo was as cute as a button. He had wheat blond hair, rosy cheeks, a pair of lips that were too red for a man, and green eyes like mine framed by thick-rimmed glasses. He was a tiny guy; he was even shorter than me. How the hell was he security?

Sensing my confusion, Liam chuckled. "Cybersecurity, I mean. He's the expert."

"Oh," Still in confusion, that was all I could say.

"We brought food too," Theo said, suddenly holding up a shopping bag. "We figured that our big boss asshole only made enough of his delicious homemade meals—which we rarely get to eat, by the way, for two. So, I picked up some sandwiches from the deli across the street for me and Keith." He gave Liam a mean side-eye, and I couldn't help but laugh. Theo was adorable.

"Actually, I cooked for three people," Liam said. "Dennis is included too." That was true. On the second day, Liam had set aside a portion for Dennis in a separate container, which had earned him high praise from Dennis, who never missed a chance to highlight Liam's thoughtfulness and excellent cooking skills. "But you're welcome to try my dish if you'd like, and I'll happily take one of your sandwiches."

Theo scoffed and rolled his eyes. "No, thank you." He handed the bag to Keith, who accepted it with a grin. Before Theo could pull away, Keith tweaked Theo's nose, looking like he might just chew the blond-haired guy alive for being too cute. Theo shot him a killer glare, but Keith just chuckled at his reaction. "I'm good with my sandwiches," Theo said to Liam.

Then we all dug in. I still sat at the head of the table as usual, with Dennis on my left and Liam on my right. Theo, practically salivating at the sight of Liam's dish, ended up eating it. Liam quietly scooped some onto a plate and pushed it across the table to him, which made Theo stop sulking and muttered a shy thank you. Liam got his sandwich, and we all chatted and laughed together. For a moment, I felt genuinely happy. Dennis noticed and gently squeezed my hand, whispering, "It's nice to see you laughing." Then, of course, he added in a whisper, "Go grab that beautiful man.Fast."

When only the two of us had lunch together, we talked about a lot of things, shifting seamlessly between the professional and the personal. And theoverlypersonal. Liam had a knack for steering the conversation, peppering me with questions in quick succession that I had to answer without overthinking.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked, not missing a beat.

"Blue," I replied automatically.

"Like my eyes?" He shot back, his grin widening as he leaned in slightly.

"Yes." The word slipped out before I had a chance to filter it, and I caught the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Your favorite meal?"

"Tiramisu," I answered, barely pausing to think. "Anything sweet, basically."

"Ah, the one I made for you?" he quipped, raising an eyebrow.

"The very one," I confirmed with a small laugh, feeling my cheeks heated.

"Your favorite movie."

"Forest Gump."

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