Page 30 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family
I almost choked because what the fuck? That damn sure didn’t fit. “An accountant?”
“Don’t sound so surprised.”
“That’s not your usual type.”
She sighed dramatically. “I know. I usually like them a little rough around the edges, not as smart and a little more dominant.”
“A lot more dominant and a lot lesssmart,” I corrected.
She pointed a manicured finger at me. “Don’t judge me. I don’t want a man to think. Just fuck me good and keep it moving.”
I held my hands up in mock surrender. “I’m not judging. I’m justsurprised.”
“Yeah, well, he’s sweet. And so far, I like sweet.”
“So far?”
She shrugged. “We’ll see how long it lasts.”
I laughed, finally relaxed for the first time all day. For a moment Emir didn’t have my thoughts completely wrapped up in him. This was just about me and my girl.
And I needed this…
By the timeI made it home I was grateful for the solitude of my apartment. You never knew how overworked and stressed you were until you stepped away from everything. No client demands or their panic attacks about things not working no matter how many times I reiterated I had everything under control. Right now, it was just me and a warm mug of orange mint tea. I sat on the counter in the kitchen with my sockedfeet hanging over the edge and my phone in my hand as I lazily swiped through Skroll.
I wasn’t searching for anything specific. I was mindlessly swiping, checking updates, half-engaging with posts until a notification popped up. My thumb hovered over it and I tapped the screen before navigating to something else. I pulled up the page that had followed me, knowing nothing would be different but I was still curious and smiled big as hell.
A new picture.
It was a photo of the black roses that had been left on my car.
The caption read:
Light work, but she’s worth it.
I grinned and struggled with the urge to roll my eyes as my stomach tensed.
Emir.
I liked the photo and, without overthinking, typed out a response.
The second I hit send, I locked my phone, setting it beside me, shaking my head at myself. Falling for Emir was too easy. I was letting him in and I wasn’t sure if that was a mistake or not. The screen lit up again with another notification.
A follow request.
I frowned, unlocking my phone and pulling up the account.
The profile looked similar to Emir’s with the same kind of layout, minimal pictures, nothing that revealed anything specific.
How many accounts did this damn man have…
“Alright, Emir,” I muttered, locking my phone again. “I get it.”
I slid off the counter, grabbing my tea before heading to my room. He was persistent and damn sure not subtle. If this was him, he was going to make himself known eventually so I electednot to follow the account just yet. I climbed into bed, setting my mug on the nightstand before pulling up my iPad and opening a book.
Snuggling under the blankets, I got comfy and enjoyed the moment, needing something familiar to ground me and keep my mind off Emir.
And yet…
