Chapter 17

As Eva sat at her desk, a sudden tremor shook her frame. After standing and going to the open doorway, she glanced into Mister Wilson’s office. Still empty. Just when she was about to return to her seat, somebody marched closer. With each approaching footfall, the blurring, shaking world filled with thunder. Even facing away, she sensed who it was.

“Hello, Mister Wilson,” she said without facing him. “Did it go well?”

At the fingers on the back of her throat, a quiet squeal left her, only to become a moan as she was shoved into his office. With his cologne, hinting of leather, shadowy woods, and spice engulfing her and his rhythmic, heavy breathing along her back, her pulse raced ever quicker.

After thunking the door closed, he moved her to his desk. As the room blurred, he slapped her to the icy desktop. One hasty yank sent her zipper spreading wide to bear her back. At the edges of her vision, orange wisps formed to dance in the shadows.

“Would you let me fuck you, Eva?” His fingers tightened on the rear of her neck as she lay motionless across the cold wood. “Right here? In front of the entire world?”

“No,” squeaked from her.

When he released her, she jolted. After zipping her dress closed, he stepped from her. While clenching those massive fists beside his powerful thighs, he stared at the glimmering glass and metal towers beyond the massive glass panes.

“Good,” he whispered. When his gaze moved to her, a tremor rippled through Eva. “I’m glad. And I’m sorry, Eva. I needed to clarify ... I needed to clarify something.”

“What?” she said while easing from the desk to stand beside him.

“No matter what, I don’t ever want to force you. Or have, uh, anything push you to do things you don’t want.”

“Anything? Like what, sir?” Stronger, the tremor returned, but she lifted her hand to run her fingers along his shaking jaw. “What’s going on?”

When he turned to her, her entire body tightened. Watery, his eyes glistened. “How did you know to approach me, Eva?”

“What do you mean?”

“When you first saw me. How did you realize ... Um, that I’d be right for you?”

“When I first saw you, I didn’t.” She swallowed while lowering her fingers. “I mean, you’re tall and handsome and ... Well, I was attracted to you, like every other woman in this place.”

“So, uh, no, um, weird dreams?”

“Dreams? About you? Well, not after first seeing you, but—”

“—after we touched? In the hallway?”

“Yes. I mean, before then, I daydreamed.” A chuckle left her lips. “Again, like every woman in the building. You’ve got such gorgeous, kind eyes, Aiden.”

“So only after we touched?” Not affected by her quiet laughing, his voice remained stone. Cool stone. “After the—”

“—weird ring image. And flames. And that strange music. Yes, only after that. Why? Was I supposed to dream of you before we met?”

At his sudden laugh and shake of his head, her eyebrows raised. After a brief pause, she lifted her hand once more. But that time, she rubbed along his back.

“I want you, Aiden. In my life.” A whimper escaped her as she pushed into the warmth of his solid frame. “I mean, you’re a beautiful man, but it’s more than that. At least, to me.”

At his arms engulfing her, she sighed into his chest. Her heart sped quicker. When he pressed her tighter, the world—simplified. Sounds disappeared. Everything but Aiden became a colorless void. After lifting her face, she caught the brief fear behind his shimmering gray pools.

But it faded. And images flowed into her. Then raced. Blurring, they arrived ever faster from him.

When the room trembled, he tightened his grip. At the sudden weakness in her knees, he was already supporting her weight. At long last, everything slowed. The world again began spinning. And she gasped as her thumping heartbeat once more sounded in her ears.

“She was your wife?”

“Y-Yes.” His voice was a shaky whisper. It didn’t match the energy writhing within him. “And my light.”

As she snuggled into him, his arms squeezed. When his face settled in her hair, she gulped. At his lips’ gentle press, her heart hammered, and her nails clawed at his solid back.

“I’d like that, sir,” she murmured. “I can’t replace her, but—”

“Aiden. To you, I’m always Aiden. I need a partner, Eva. Somebody to trust. I have a—”

“—lover. Anna, right?”

“Yes.”

“And I’m guessing Madame Dumont is—”

“I don’t know yet. Where she fits. But she’s the one who’d dreamed of me. She’d been waiting a long time for my arrival.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh, indeed.”

The gentle stroking of his large palms along her spine sent flutters deep within her core. At the sudden whimper escaping her shaking lips, Eva’s eyelashes widened, dragging on his coat. And when his hands froze, gripping her tight, her body pushed into him. Even as she struggled to control herself, her legs pushed against his.

“Maybe, yes,” she whispered into his chest.

“Yes, what?” His heart pounded against her wriggling frame.

“You could, um, fuck me”—she gulped—”in front of the world, but—”

“—it wouldn’t simply be fucking, would it?”

“No. I think not, Aiden.” She smothered a giggle that became another longer whimper as his fingertips roamed her spine. “God, I’ve never felt like this before.”

“I have,” he replied in a low voice.

After a last crushing hug, his hands slipped away. With a sigh, she also released him and took a step backwards while running fingers through her hair. Though her heart still hammered, she flashed her gaze to the closed door and the windows behind him, before meeting his shimmering gray eyes once more.

“What is it?” he said.

“Well. Before ... Uh, before you grabbed me, I was waiting to tell you.” While tracking his move towards his desk chair, she skimmed her palms along both hips, straightening nonexistent wrinkles. “Well, warn you.”

“About?” With his eyes narrowing, he lowered himself onto the creaking leather and crossed his legs.

“Blaine. Blaine Hornsby.”

“The guy from United Asian Investments?”

“Yes. He’s, um, troublesome. I wasn’t sure if Madame Dumont might’ve mentioned him”—as she lowered her voice, her eyebrow arched—”at, um, your meeting.”

When he reclined, a slight growl slipping from his pursed lips, a tremor rippled through her. Like a chameleon, his demeanor changed. No, not a small lizard. More as if he were a dragon uncurling? After gesturing to a chair, he folded his hands behind his head. While moving to sit, she kept her gaze locked on him, though his was distant.

“No. She didn’t have the opportunity.” Along with his focus, his voice was far away. “And nobody’s mentioned him before. Or why we should care about UAI?” When his eyes became twin dark, glinting lasers focused on her, she gasped under her breath. “Why is that, Miss Graham? The only reason I know about them is from my previous job. Why is Soph—Madame Dumont concerned?”