Page 21 of Kissing Danger

Pressing one last kiss to his temple, I urged him off the couch. “Luckily, this office has its own bathroom. Let me help you get cleaned up.”

The bathroom fortunately had a shower, but there was only enough space for one at a time. However, my disappointment of not being able to share the shower was tempered by the enjoyment of watching Deacon through the rising steam. The sight of hot water running over his every muscle and curve was enough to get me excited again, and I was already planning what to do with him next.

Not right now. There was only so much we could do in an office with an entire staff of people just on the other side of the door. My plans would have to wait until later, when I coaxed him into the privacy of my bedroom.

My resolve to wait was tested as I showered as well. Deacon didn’t even try to hide how closely he watched me. He even insisted on helping me dry off, taking much more time than necessary to run the towel over every inch of my body. His attention was sparked by my tattoos, though he didn’t ask about them. They ran from my neck all the way to my wrists, covering most of my torso. Each one had a specific meaning.

Maybe someday, I’d be able to tell him about them.

By the time I was dressed again, I was nearly convinced to throw caution out the window and claim him on the office floor.

However, just as I reached for him again, we were interrupted by the sound of sudden high-pitched screaming that rang out from the main studio area.

CHAPTER 10

Deacon

The screaming cut off abruptly,but the sudden silence was even more terrifying. My heart pounded in my ears. Nathan and I charged through the office door into the workshop.

So much chaos greeted us, it was impossible to tell what had happened. The studio staff and other designers, who I’d only just met, were running around in confusion like a swarm of bees whose hive had been kicked. Even their babbling sounded like the unintelligible buzz of insects.

I considered grabbing the nearest person and demanding to know what had happened, but Nathan shouldered past everyone into the center of the room. Two people lay on the floor. A designer I had met but couldn’t remember her name, and...

“Kiki!”

I rushed to my fallen friend, but Nathan held me back.

“Nathan? What the fuck? Let me go.”

“Wait.” His voice was too calm for the situation, almost intimate as he spoke directly into my ear. I was on the verge of shouting at him, when he picked up a nearby clothing hook and used it to prod a roll of fabric lying between the two women.

“Do you smell that?”

Startled by the unexpected question, I automatically took a deep breath through my nose.

“I don’t smell anything.”

“Pyrenic. It’s like arsenic, but... more.”

“What does that mean?” I asked as I watched him use the clothing hook to move the fabric to an isolated spot on the floor.

“That fabric is poisoned.”

“What? But— That’s not...” I sputtered, not sure what I was even trying to say.

While I was still trying to get my brain working, Nathan had already taken charge. He ordered someone to call for an ambulance while also making sure no one touched the fabric or the women. He then immediately started questioning everyone about what happened, quickly getting a summary of events.

Kiki and the other designer had been taking stock of our supplies. The other designer had taken the fabric out of its box, and Kiki had come over to chastise her since it was a particularly expensive material. After a few moments, the other designer collapsed. Panic set in and people started screaming. Kiki had tried to calm things down, but before anyone could figure out what happened, she collapsed as well.

The shock of seeing a second person suddenly go limp had shocked people into silence, which was when Nathan and I entered.

I listened to this explanation with a blank expression. Everything felt fuzzy, like I was merely watching a scene in a movie rather than walking through real life.

Meanwhile, Nathan handled everything with efficiency, and kept people from panicking again as we waited for the ambulance to arrive.

He was too calm. Surely, in this situation, even someone as confident as him should be panicking a little bit.

My mind turned over and over, like a hamster running frantically on a wheel but not getting anywhere. Before I could successfully collect my thoughts and get them moving forward again, paramedics arrived along with the police.

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