Page 21 of The Claiming Series: Collection 1
She bobs her head in a vigorous nod, causing a few more tendrils of silky hair to break loose from her bun to frame her lovely face. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much. You won’t regret it, I promise.”
She’s right. I won’t regret it. The only thing I’d regret is letting her walk out of my office and never seeing her again. Lily doesn’t know it yet, but she’s been claimed. Not for one night. Not for a few weeks. I’m claiming her for life.
Chapter Two
Lily
Callum Rogen is hotter than Captain America in Spandex.
That irrefutable truth swirls around my head as I park my Chevy Malibu outside my apartment.
The second I laid eyes on him, I was lost. I spent most of the interview with my shaking hands folded in my lap, squeezing my thighs together on the needy pulse that throbbed in time to the deep husk of his voice.
I groan out loud, burying my face in my hands as I remember my spectacular case of verbal diarrhea. I’ve just given the worst interview known to humankind, and yet Callum Rogen still offered me the job!
Why?My cynical mind asks. Is he going to be like your last boss?
I frown to myself. No. Callum Rogen isn’t like that. I don’t know how I’m so sure of that after spending less than an hour in his company, but I am. It’s true that I want to lick him all over, but at the same time, he made me feel safe and at ease.
I let myself into my apartment and kick off my shoes, heading to the small kitchen to pour myself a glass of wine. I’m not much of a drinker, but my new job deserves a small celebration.
Grabbing my phone, I sink onto the sofa and call Daisy.
“So?” my best friend asks, picking up on the second ring and foregoing the usual pleasantries. “How did the interview go?”
“I got the job!”
“What?”she shrieks, causing me to hold the phone away from my ear to preserve my hearing.
“Callum hired me on the spot. Can you believe it?”
“Callum? You’re on first-name terms already?” Daisyteases.
I shrug, ignoring the warmth that floods my cheeks. “He insisted.”
“I’m so happy for you, Lils!” Daisy squeals excitedly, using the nickname she gave me two minutes after we met. “Let me guess. He was blown away by your business degree and impeccable sickness record. Or maybe you impressed him with all that research you did on square programming and stuff.”
I snort with laughter. “Angular programming, my sweet, clueless friend.”
“Hey, I’m not the one who’s got a fancy new job in IT, so I don’t need to know all that shit,” she points out. “So, tell me everything. What’s he like?”
“Hotter than Captain America,” I sigh, uncrossing my legs as Groot jumps up on my lap. “Tall, muscular. Dark hair and beautiful silver eyes.”
“Are you drooling right now?” Daisy snorts.
“I don’t drool, but even if I did, I wouldn’t be drooling over Callum Rogen,” I reply, scratching behind Groot’s ears.
“Why not? The man is hotandrich. He’s, like, a bazillionaire at thirty-two. What’s not to like?”
“Well, for one, he’s my boss. And, secondly, he’s my boss,” I reply, driving the point home. “And you knowwhat happened with my last boss. I had to fight the fucker off me. No way am I going there again.”
“For the hundredth time, what happened with Miller Cooper wasn’t your fault. He’s a creepy old perv with octopus hands,” Daisy says, a note of impatience in her voice.
“I know, but it still feels like it’s hanging over me,” I mutter, my anger rising at the memories. “He made my life hell for reporting him to the cops.”
“Which is why you left and moved to San Antonio for a new start,” she replies.
“Ran away, more like,” I grunt, my voice thick with self-disgust. “I should’ve stayed there. Stood my ground. Instead, I let him intimidate me into leaving.”
