Page 140 of Midnights
“You sound like a fun boss,” I smile.
The fact that he keeps laughing does something to me. It’s not just his humor; it’s the way he talks about the people in his life. I can tell that his loyalty runs deep.
“Well, I think that’s adorable,” I tease, but the warmth that's spreading in my chest is real. The idea ofhimbeing involved in something so normal, so… soft, tugs at something in me I don’t want to name.
And that’s when I make my next mistake.
I let my gaze linger on him a little too long.
Ifeelhis voice more than hear it, each word curls around me like smoke, sinking in like a slow pull I can’t escape. The space between us feels smaller, and every breath feels charged with something unsaid.
And then my eyes drop to his mouth.
I desperately want to cross my legs, but I know if I move, he’ll notice. And the last thing I need to give Kane is the satisfaction of knowing he’s having any effect on me at all.
I try a few discreet Kegels, praying it’ll ease the ache growing between my legs. But it doesn’t.
In fact, it makes everything worse.
I keep my face neutral, but my pulse iswrecked. I need a distraction, now. Anything to ground me before I leave a mess on his seat.Can you imagine the embarrassment?
Then, like some cruel joke from the universe, he looks over. His mouth tugs into a slow smile, and I swear he knows.He’s so full of himself. I roll my eyes and decide to redirect this conversationimmediately.I’m not about to let him get under my skin, or my clothes.
“What do you actually do for work?”
He chuckles, shaking his head like we’re sharing some private joke I’m not in on. “Quick version? I work in security.”
That’s it? That’s all I get? I narrow my eyes. “That’s suspiciously vague.”
His smirk doesn’t falter. If anything, he looks entertained. “It means I handle things.”
He’s being deliberately secretive, which only makes me want to keep pushing. But focusing on his words is provingverydifficult when my eyes keep tracking the way his lips move, and the easy way his jaw flexes as he talks.
Get a grip, Raven.
I shake off the distraction, forcing my focus back where it belongs. “Oh so you’re pretty important?”
He tilts his head, considering me. Then, with another smirk that feels a little too dangerous, he says, “You tell me.”
And just like that, my stomachplummets. How does he even do that?
He raises an eyebrow, looking over to me, and I can see his grip tighten on the wheel. “But what I'd really like to know is whatyoudo. And I’m dying to know howMagicMike managed to redeem himself.”
He’s totally jealous. The flicker in his eyes says it all, and I can't help but laugh.
“I promise you don’t want me to get into that,” I wave it off with a grin. “What I do isn’t really that exciting to most people.” I give a small shrug, hoping to steer the conversation somewhere else.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. But outside of work, it always feels like a slippery slope into a never-ending Q&A with people who just want to network or pick my brain like there’s some secret formula.
“As for Mike,” I continue. “He came off as a bit of a dick in our emails, but it turns out he’s just… really formal and straight to the point. I guess that didn’t translate well over email.”
I laugh at myself, thinking back on how off-base I was. Kane, however, doesn't find it funny. His knuckles whiten on the wheel, like he'd rather not hear about Mike being anything other than useless.
“Well,” his voice is laced with something thatdefinitelyisn’t neutral. “Let’s hope his formal and to the point style doesn’t extend to his tour guide skills. I’d hate for you to get bored halfway through.”
I laugh again, catching the shift in his tone. The realization sends a little thrill through me. One I do my best to ignore.
“So, where’s your office?”
