"Thanks. Are you sure it's okay if I just wander through the house?"
"Please, we have nothing to hide."
"Hmm. Let's see if I can get him back out here with the family," I said, sauntering inside.
I went directly upstairs. I truly liked this home. It was decorated nicely, in shades of white and gray; it looked very minimalistic and still welcoming. The nursery was the exception. I peeked inside, and my heart just felt happy. It was full of colors and toys.
Then I walked in the room next to it. Colton was talking on his phone. The camera was on.
I didn't want to bother him, so I just waited by the door, but the lead scientist clearly noticed me, because he said, "I think Zoey needs to talk to you.”
Oh crap.We hadn't made anything official at the office, though I wasn’t interested in hiding it.
Since I didn't actually work at Whitley Biotech, I didn't much care what the team thought about me. Colton had made progress faster than I anticipated, so I was certain I wouldn’t be staying on for much longer.
Colton looked over his shoulder, and his expression immediately transformed. "Right, yeah. Okay. We'll catch up later," he said.
"Look, you really don't have to come by today."
"I know, but we’re going to make more headway if we do this together."
"All right."
He disconnected the call before turning around to me. I stepped inside, closing the door.
"I’ve come to whisk you away," I informed him. "The day is gorgeous, and you can’t be cooped inside here."
"I was going to join you anyway," he said. Then he motioned with his finger for me to approach him, which I did. I went right in front of him, then decided to sit in his lap. I opened my legs wide, positioning myself right over his crotch. He groaned.
“Everything okay? Gabe is a bit worried that you’ll give in to your workaholic tendencies again."
He shook his head.
"Something's on your mind," I said.
"My mentor was right," he replied.
My breath froze in my lungs. "What do you mean?"
"Usually, at this stage in the research, I would have been much further along in the process."
"Colton, this isn't a linear thing. Research is research. Two steps forward, one step back, and so on."
He nodded. "Yeah, only we've usually already done the two steps forward by this time. And now we've just done one. This needs more of my attention.”
I couldn't help the small ball of anxiety forming at the base of my throat.
"Colton, you need to go easy on yourself. Let me spoil you," I murmured, leaning forward and nibbling at his ear before kissing down the right side of his neck. Then I moved to the left side, giving it the same treatment.
He groaned, placing his hands on the middle of my back and moving them slowly upward toward my shoulders. "You’re making a great case."
"I know, right?" I teased even though I was feeling a bit uneasy.
His mentor was getting in his head. Still, I wasn’t going to let him think I was a distraction. I mean, I was, but I was convinced that he needed it.
"Now look what you've done," I said.
He laughed. "What did I do?"