Chapter 9

AURORA. I’d made a complete fool of myself. Groaning into my pillow, I willed the ground to open up and swallow me. What had I been thinking, making such an earnest admission to him? 'Do you know how worried I was?' Ugh, I groaned again as a fresh wave of shame filled me. But I had meant the words. The fact that I was ashamed of saying them out loud didn’t make them any less true. I had been worried about him, more so when I’d seen what a sorry state he’d been in. His bloodshot eyes had haunted me through the journey back to my apartment. I wondered if he’d asked me to leave because of the inappropriateness of my statement. He was my boss, after all, and even though I’d begun to care for him— I froze. Care for him? No, no, no. I didn’t care for him any more than one would care for a pet. Not that I thought he was a pet. He was just… there. There was nothing untoward about my feelings for him. I froze again. Feelings? I groaned again. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I stop thinking about Nathaniel Everleigh? A glance at my bedside clock told me it was 7 o’clock. “That’s it,” I muttered, getting up. I had roughly forty-five minutes before I had to leave for the office and in that time, I would completely put Nathaniel out of my thoughts. **** It was easier said than done. Especially after seeing him today with no trace of the events of the night before on his face. His face was clean-shaven, hair brushed to perfection, his freshly pressed tan suit hugged his body like it was carved specifically for him and he sat in his chair, his daunting presence looming large over the spacious office. “Good morning, sir,” I said to him, careful to keep the tone of my voice level. “How was your night?” He flinched. “Yes, thank you,” he said. “And thank you for… taking me home.” I nodded, the tension visibly palpable. It was at the tip of my tongue to ask him why he’d asked me to leave, if it was because I said I had been worried about him, but I didn’t. This was our workspace and I had to respect it. Or maybe that was just my excuse because I didn’t have balls enough to do it. I was about to step out of Nathaniel’s office when my eyes caught sight of someone sitting in the small lounge on the left side of the office. Winter. He smirked at me, showing perfectly white teeth. “Hey there, Aurora.” The way he said my name sounded vaguely like a promise of things to come. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. “Nice to see you again.” “Hi, Winter,” I responded. “It’s nice to see you too.” “Since we’re thanking you for helping my friend get home safely last night, I thought I should chip in as well.” I angled my head. “For what?” “Being so beautiful.” Nathaniel made a sound at the back of his throat. I barely heard it over the sharp burst of laughter that flew out of my mouth. He was a smooth talker, I’d give him that. “You’ll have to thank my parents for that.” “Lead the way then. I’ll be happy to," he said with a grin. Oh, the man was beautiful and his tongue had been dipped in velvet. I might not have been interested in him but it was flattering to be the object of his flirting. It did a lot to a girl’s ego to be complimented by a man as handsome as Winter. However, Nathaniel didn’t seem to share my sentiments. **** NATHANIEL. Stunned, he watched his best friend flirt shamelessly with his personal assistant. And then he watched his personal assistant laugh and giggle at his best friend’s ridiculous pickup lines. Had everyone gone mad in the world? “What are you doing?" he asked Aurora. Nathaniel hadn’t expected his voice to have such an angry edge to it. It shouldn’t have put him on edge to see Winter charming her pants off and from the looks of it, it was working — but it did put him on edge. In fact, it made his blood boil. What was wrong with him? Who was this emotionally unstable person masquerading as cool, calm Nathaniel Everleigh? “Uh…” Aurora trailed off, no doubt confused at the look on his face. “I’ll tell you what you’re doing,” Nathaniel pinched the bridge of his nose. “Everything else except what I pay you to do — which is work.” He saw her visibly flinch, feeling immensely satisfied. Maybe she was forgetting that she was a married woman, but he had not. He did not suffer cheats, his wife was already enough trouble, and he would not be forced to work with one. Hurt flashed in her eyes before she turned on her heel and left his office. Inhaling, Nathaniel reeled. If he’d been a bit too harsh, then it had been completely necessary. After what his wife had done to him… A voice whispered in his head that Aurora was not his wife but he shoved it down. It didn’t matter. He knew Winter enough to know that the man chased anything in a skirt. Aurora would not be one of his conquests, not if Nathaniel had anything to say about it. Which he did. “Harsh, don’t you think?” Winter said into the silence. “And what do you think you’re doing?” Nathaniel turned to him. “I was having a conversation with the very lovely woman whom you just insulted, by the way. What is wrong with you?” Very lovely woman? Who was he, Shakespeare? “Stay away from her. She’s married,” he warned, clenching his jaw. “That’s up to her to tell me, not you. How can you be so good at business and so bad at life? Worry about your own affairs.” Winter got up and left, banging the door to the office. Nathaniel didn’t understand it. How was he the bad person when all he’d been trying to do was protect his assistant, who was very much married?