Page 15 of Elven Prince

Rebecca hurried around the side of the desk to head for the door, wanting to end the awkwardness between them and the pressure of what Maxwell wanted from her.

To end the constant blaze of tingling energy keeping them tethered to each other until one of them chose to bear the pain of separating to get a little more distance.

Shecould bear it, because that growing sensation nudging her ever toward him just wouldn’t quit.

Thatwas definitely never-ending.

Before she got halfway across the office, Maxwell stepped in front of her to block her path. “I’ll go with you.

“Hmm.” She clicked her tongue. “If I remember correctly,someonescheduled advanced training for the new recruits today. Oh,that’sright. It was you.”

She slipped past him again and urged herself toward the door, ignoring the ache spearing through her chest and rippling out her back as if he’d caught her on an enormous fishhook and struggled to pull her in.

She grit her teeth and kept walking.

Maxwell’s next growl finished in a heavy, deflated sigh. “If you have to go, I don’t want you to go alone. At least take someone with you who knows how to step in and protect you. If necessary.”

Oh, he didn’twanther to go alone. Was that it?

Overprotective, possessive, manipulative, or genuine?

She couldn’t tell anymore.

Rebecca reached for the doorknob and went with the first name that came to mind. “Titus.”

“I’m sorry?”

She tugged open the door and looked at him over her shoulder with a flippant shrug. “I’ll take Titus with me. Happy now?”

His silver eyes widened, which made for a rather awkward expression while he still scowled at her like he’d just sat on a bed of nails and didn’t want anyone to know.

“Titus is as good a choice as any, I suppose.”

Of course he was. Rebecca had simply gone with the biggest, scariest-looking guy Shade could offer, and look at that. It worked.

“Anything else?” she asked.

Dammit, why would she ask that? Why would she open it up again after having clearly already ended the conversation?

Because she still wanted him around? Because she wanted to stay?

Screw the shifter.

Maxwell’s scowl darkened, his silver eyes strobing with irritation he couldn’t completely hide. Not from her. “No. I imagine that’s the end of it.”

“Good. I expect a report on the new recruits after their training today. I’m sure you’ll be as thorough with that as you are with everything else.”

Then she hurried into the hall, leaving the door wide open behind her and barely holding back a smile when more of Maxwell’s disgruntled growling followed her from inside her office.

At least he’d stayed put.

Now, without sharing space with him, the intensity of that invisible cord always pulling them toward each other lessened. So did the physical pain of walking away from him, though she was fairly certain she’d hidden that fairly well too.

When she reached the top of the back stairwell, Rebecca finally recognized the new sensation that had slid in to fill the empty spaces.

Relief and a giddy appreciation for what had just happened.

Her Head of Security had accepted her choice of bodyguard entourage for her errand beyond Headquarters this morning. Without arguing or attempting to change her mind. Without insisting he accompany her instead.

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