Page 47 of Secretary's Obsession

“And that accident had nothing to do with George’s father,” Peni added. “That was all that horrible demon with his maniacal laugh. I know he’s not laughing now.”

“Cuthbert had a finger in a lot of pies,” Dakata said. “While the car accident was the fault of a different demon, the events afterward had Cuthbert’s sticky fingers all over it, from insisting you got taken to the hospital, through to contacting Miller to monitor what happened from our company’s side of things. I don’t think he knew about the mate bond, but he knew there was something connecting my staff, the forest, and you.”

“From what we heard in the lab—which made a lovely bonfire, thank you for asking—before the fire, we found out that George’s DNA was meant to be collected at the hospital.” Merihemwrinkled his nose. “You were right about that, George. It was perfect timing, as far as Cuthbert was concerned. You had a head injury, and then you got drugged by some idiot who didn’t know better. That freaky potion would work on unconscious subjects. The hospital was desperately busy at the time, and by the time the lab got word that George was in the hospital, you’d already left.”

“There’s still some gaps in the story,” Dakata admitted. “Cuthbert has been working behind the scenes in this town for years, by the looks of things. To know my fucking driver could be paid off so easily… it’s not like I didn’t pay him well because I did.”

“Cuthbert had a way of making people feel special or valued,” George said, still trying to get all the pieces in his head to fit. Then he realized what he’d said, and he looked up. “Not that you didn’t,” he added quickly. “It’s just—”

“No. I know.” Dakata still had a disgruntled look on his face. “Except, now I have to get a new driver…”

“George,” Scott said suddenly.

“Yes, babe?”

“No, no, Dakata. George. Why not use George as your company driver?”

“Wait. What?”Did Scott just volunteer me for a job?

“The job pays really well, and you know about the forest and how to keep Silas’s tree a secret because you do it already.” Scott was speaking in a rush, as if he was worried the older demons would shut him down. “You’d get to spend time in the office with me, and while yes, you’ll have to ferry the other demons around sometimes, they have their own drivers, or they translocate, so it would mostly be Merihem and me. The company car has heated seats and sat-nav and all that other technical stuff…” he trailed off, looking between George and Dakata. “I think it would be a good idea.”

George couldn’t stand seeing Scott look so indecisive. “Tell me where to send my resume,” he said with an easy grin and a wink at his mate. “You can set me up with a comfortable chair in your office while I’m waiting for work.”

“I haven’t got the time to read your resume.” Dakata snorted. “You’re hired. You start next Monday when Scott goes back to work. Scott can draw up your contract and let you know about the pay and benefits. Agreed?”

“Would you be happy with this?” George kept his voice low, needing to know despite Scott being the one to suggest it. Sure, the others could probably hear him, but in that moment, he was focused on Scott alone.

Scott was biting his bottom lip as he nodded. “I’ll live in your house, and you’ll work at my work. We can be together. I think that would be… helpful.”

Looking over Scott’s head, George grinned at Dakata. “You’ve got yourself a driver. Just don’t expect me to wear a suit to work. Now, if you don’t mind, Scott and I need to discuss a few things between ourselves, so if there’s nothing else?”

He was still grinning when Scott translocated them back to George’s house. Their house now.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Scott

Scott wasn’t sure where he got the audacity to suggest that George be the company driver for him, except when the idea popped into his head, he felt it was the right decision.

George’s simple acceptance made returning to the house a little less nerve-racking. Because now came the actuality of settling into George’s home…

“You’re back to frowning. What is it?” George asked, taking hold of Scott’s hand to bring them to the couch. He threw a couple of cushions onto the other seat, and Scott watched them land and one topple to the floor.

Did his fingers itch to pick it up? Yes. All it took was one look at George’s neutral expression to see that he was waiting for Scott to decide to stop him. “I know you’re waiting for me to start fussing.”

George plonked himself down on the couch and brought Scott with him, settling him on his lap like he’d done in the forest to stop his pants from getting dirty. It was the little things that mattered.

“I want you to relax,” he spoke carefully, like he was picking his words. “And the reward system can help. I see that…”

“Except you want me to understand that the things that trigger me aren’t an issue with you?” Scott finished off. “That when I start tidying, I make you feel uncomfortable, and I’m not thinking about you.”

George’s smile was as gentle as the finger he traced down Scott’s cheek. “Yes. Its gotta be mighty hard to live up to all those expectations you got going inside”—he tapped the side of Scott’s head—“of here.”

Scott released a shuddery breath. “I think about you all the time. Then I think I’m going to be too clingy, and you’ll hate it. When you came to work late the first time, I didn’t say anything because of those very fears. Then you came with a fresh shirt on, clearly having gone home to shower, and I could see you didn’t like being in my apartment.”

“It’s not that I don’t like your apartment, I just worried I was gonna make a mess, and it would upset you.”

Scott sighed and pressed his cheek against George’s. “The little things, they creep up on me and then they become these big things, and I can’t seem to stop them chasing me.”

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