Page 104 of Sergi
“Yes, ma’am.” Trelane stood and took my hand. “I apologize for my insensitive wording. I didn’t mean to give you a start.”
My cheeks flamed. What had I expected? He’d seen me naked.
“Thank you, Mr. Trelane. I appreciate the opportunity. And I assume this satisfies the favor you owe me.”
“It’s Devon, and your participation on the team isn’t up to me. I’m simply adding you to the list of candidates. I still owe you.” He walked me to the door and handed me off to Cressa.
“Sergi is down this way.” Cressa waved her arm down the hall to direct me but paused and made an odd motion with her head.
When I followed her gaze, the dark-haired female from earlier slapped a hand over her mouth before dashing around a corner.
“Sorry. That was my friend Ginger.” She turned us down a short hall and stopped. “Look, I’ll be straight with you. I really don’t know any other way.”
My gut twisted again. I was going to need a whiskey before this day was over.
“Sergi has always been a bit uptight, and Ginger and I sometimes irritate the hell out of him. Not that he doesn’t find creative ways to pay us back. But, well, we’ve never seen him with a woman before—vampire, shifter, or human. So?—”
I crossed my arms over my chest and gave her a stern look. “So, you’re busy-body females.”
Cressa’s eyes widened, but I wasn’t expecting the nod and grin. “Exactly. I’m glad we got that out in the open.” She continued down the hall and lowered her voice. “He doesn’t know you’re here.” She stopped in front of a door and winked.“We’ll make sure you have your privacy, but training starts in an hour. Just so you know.”
She strode down the hall with an extra swing in her step, obviously having fun with this. I turned toward the door. It seemed everyone was privy to the evening she’d spent with Sergi. Well, shifters weren’t shy, and I wasn’t ashamed of my behavior. I wanted more nights with him.
I knocked, and when he gave the command to enter, my knees went weak. I closed my eyes, hoped I wasn’t screwing this up, and pushed the door open.
Sergi was sitting behind his desk, typing into a laptop. His eyes bulged when he glanced up, and I almost took a step back. His warm mahogany eyes glowed red, and a slow smile stretched across his face.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Sergi staredat the vision in his doorway. The beast stirred at the sight, and he was momentarily speechless as his heart rate climbed. “Alex. What are you doing here?”
She had such a beautiful smile, but she didn’t cross into the room. If she had been about to say something, she thought better of it. In fact, her smile faded, and he worried she’d leave.
He had the presence of mind to shut down the laptop, hiding the evidence that he’d been searching for her. Would she think he’d been stalking her? He stood, and as much as he wanted to race over to her, wrap her in his arms, and let her scent wash over him, he didn’t want to spook her.
She’d said they needed to talk. Perhaps that was all this was. A way to close a chapter.
“Come in.” He seemed at a loss to say anything else.
She took two steps in and fumbled with the handle as she shut the door behind her, but she didn’t look at him. Instead, her gaze roamed his office, and a light smile hit her lips before her eyes captured his.
“I should have known you’d be a tidy vampire.”
He grunted. “And what would I find if I walked into your office? Stacks of files sprawled across your desk, books stackedon every available chair, and bookshelves overstuffed with tchotchkes?”
She slid farther into the room, taking small steps until she reached the chairs in front of his desk. “If I had an office, that would be a strong possibility.”
“I’m surprised to see you.” When doubt flitted across her face, he added, “I didn’t think Remus would approve.”
A breath slipped out, and her shoulders dropped. “He wouldn’t. And for another few hours, he doesn’t know I’m here, but I had to come.”
“Why?”
Her shoulders tensed again. “I asked for a meeting with Devon.”
Devon? He didn’t understand and was disappointed she hadn’t come to see him.
She wrung her hands and looked around. “You have a rather small office for being cadre. I was expecting a sitting area and a grand fireplace.”
