Page 47 of Waiting for Fate
“Miss Powell,” he comments gruffly as he stalks toward me. My heart races at his approach, its wild beat filling my ears and limiting my focus to the older man. He glances over my shoulder, jaw tightening when he sees Ridley still standing at the desk and charming Jane.
When his rich brown eyes finally snap back to me, my body heats beneath his perusal. The corner of his lip dips down into some semblance of a frown. My heart stutters at the sight.
Does he find me lacking? Is that why he’s always cold toward me?
“Are you well?”
My head tilts to the side slightly, confused by his question. “I’m fine?”
One thick salt and pepper brow raises at my response. “You left the tour stop in Los Angeles early, after what has been described as some form of emotional meltdown regarding a phone call you received. You’re clearly exhausted and trying to cover it. Would you like to try answering my question again? Perhaps with a bit more honesty this time?”
My shoulders sink, the breath whooshing from my lungs. I thought I’d done a decent job of masking how tired I am. A spark of irritation flutters through me, but I squash the feeling down. The pull between us would never allow me to be unfazed after hearing he was upset.
Meeting his eyes again, I’m drawn into his orbit in the hopes our souls will find their home together. His relaxed posture puts me at ease, and the heady weight of his full attention eases the combative attitude I usually have when we interact. The truth is spilling from my lips before I can second guess sharing them.
“At the after party in LA, we learned Omen’s safe house was compromised. During the attack, Lex—her bodyguard and one of my Fate Matched mates—was injured. I could feel what he was experiencing, because we have a shared pain connection.”
Shiloh’s jaw locks as I explain, his body growing more rigid by the second. My instincts urge me to apologize, to make right whatever I’ve said to wrong him, which only adds to my confusion. Whyishe this upset?
“I have been struggling to cope with the loss of contact after.”
“I see,” he grits out. “I expect you to set aside your personal issues and perform as usual at work, Sabine.”
Outrage slices through me. This asshole! For a second, I thought he was asking because he genuinely cared about me. Now, he’s right back to being his usual cold-hearted, distant self. Calling me fuckingSabineand acting as if I’m trying to use my distress as an excuse to slack off.
“My work will not be affected by my personal life, Mr. Acherley. If you’ll excuse me, I need to check in with Brady before beginning my tasks for the day.”
I don’t wait for a response, stepping forward and forcing him to move aside. What the fuck is his problem? Jumping from concern to blame in a matter of seconds. He’s giving me emotional whiplash with this hot-and-cold shit!
Pausing outside of the manager’s shared office, I take a deep breath and blow it out through my nose. I’m calmer when I step inside.
Only to stumble over nothing when I see Orion sprawled in a chair across from Brady’s desk. I’m going to need to keep spare panties in my desk if I am surrounded by these delicious alphas every day!
“Hey kid,” Brady grunts, looking up from his desk.
I sputter a response, my face feeling flushed and my eyes glued to the tattooed hottie sitting in between me and my desk.
“This is Orion Walker. Former lead singer of Shattered Horizons, current marketing manager.”
My jaw drops, mind racing. The pack who make up Shattered Horizons are bonded to Skye Pierce, once of my favorite indie singers! Orion isn’t part of her pack, which makes sense if he isn’t currently singing with the band.
Part of me wonders why he left, why he stopped singing and took a role in marketing, but watching him awkwardly rub the back of his neck and stare down at this lap, I decide my questions can wait.
“That’s awesome! Are you helping with Primordial Covenant’s album release this fall?”
Orion visibly relaxes, bringing a small smile to my lips. The urge to crawl into his lap and lick those gorgeous neck tattoos is entirely too strong when we’re in such a small space. I carefully skirt around the table in the middle of the room and head to my desk. My brows furrow when I notice my favorite oversized pink cardigan isn’t hanging off the back of my chair. Did I take it home last time I stopped by the office? I’ll have to check.
“I am. We’re putting the final pieces into place since they’re close to their marketing window. ”
Fates I forgot how deep this man’s voice is. The sound of him speaking is like a vibrator pressed directly against my aching clit. If he sang too? I’d probably dissolve into a little river of omega slick.
“I haven’t seen you around the office before now,” I comment offhandedly, digging into my purse where it sits at my feet. He doesn’t respond, so I peer up at him from beneath my lashes. Molten heat fills his golden amber eyes as he stares at me. It’s then I realize this position gives him a peek at my white lace bra where my blouse has slipped from leaning down.
“I, uh, only recently transferred to the East Coast office,” he manages to reply, coughing to clear the rugged notes from his already deep voice.
“Oh, that makes sense then. And I guess I have been away with the tour, so it’s not like we had many opportunities to bump into each other.” I might be rambling a bit now. Orion overwhelms me in the best ways. If he is going to be around more often, I should tell Ridley about him.
His phone chimes with a message and he quickly says his farewells, stopping in the doorway and glancing back at me. I can’t take my eyes off of him, noticing the way his mouth opens like he’s going to say something, but he just shakes his head and leaves.
