Chapter Nine
Penelope
Dristan grunted his annoyance as a car skidded by at a speed that was illegal.
“Asshole,” he muttered, then glanced over at me. I hid my smile at his little outburst, not allowing myself to be amused by him. Now that I was working for him directly, I had to suppress any feelings I thought I was having for him.
I couldn’t throw myself at my new orc boss just because he was the sexiest male I’d ever met. I had to play it cool. I was going to be a professional or die trying. As I eyed his massive shoulders, I nibbled on my lower lip.
I’m going to die a quick death.
“I don’t like people in my space,” Dristan said, his deep voice startling me from my thoughts.
I quirked a brow at him, narrowing my eyes. “That kind of defeats the point of a live-in assistant, doesn’t it?”
“I didn’t mean you,” he protested, shrugging those giant shoulders that I wanted to take a bite out of. “I just mean that if you need to have someone over, I’d appreciate it if you let me know in advance.”
“Oh,” I whispered, brows furrowed, a pang of sudden loneliness hitting my chest. “I don’t imagine I’ll invite very many people over to be honest. My social circle isn’t exactly huge and everyone I know is still back home.”
He nodded, glancing over at me. “And Kelly? Your roommate?”
“We didn’t have enough time to become friends, but if it’ll make you feel better, I’ll go see her instead of the other way around,” I conceded.
“No, I don’t mind her,” he explained. “It’s her asshole boyfriend that I have a problem with.”
I smiled, turning in my seat to face him. “Me too, but I’ve been around him for longer than you. Why do you hate him already?”
His side-eye was killer, and I held in a laugh as he turned his gaze back to the road. “I don’t like how he was looking at you. Especially since his girlfriend was standing right there.”
My eyebrows were probably touching my hairline. “ That’s why? Because of how he looked at me ?”
Dristan nodded, not saying anything else, so I let it drop, too. We drove in silence after that, but he was such a looming, sensual presence in my peripheral vision that I couldn’t relax. I kept adjusting my position in the seat, accidentally brushing against him and then apologizing like I’d never been in a car before.
I blamed my pussy for most of it. She was acting like she was in heat. But a part of me wondered if I was brushing against him on purpose. I needed to get away from him before I figured it out, because I had a feeling the answer would be yes.
For the foreseeable future, I’d be asking to ride in the backseat. Or I’d ask him if I could drive, so I could have something—anything—other than his perfect, green-skinned body to focus on.
When he parked, I blew out an audible breath of relief and yanked open the door so quickly, trying to escape the confined space, that I forgot I was belted in. The seatbelt yanked me back into the SUV and I heard Dristan clear his throat. He was smothering a laugh, I knew it with every bone in my body.
It made me want to smack him and kiss him at the same time. He reached over to unbuckle the belt for me and I met his hypnotic yellow gaze for only a moment.
“You’re free,” he whispered, licking his lips.
“Free from what?” I breathed, and he grinned for one heartstopping moment, his face the most handsome thing I’d ever seen in my life.
“The seatbelt. You can get out now.”
My brain unfroze on the spot and I was rocketed back to the present, embarrassment flooding my face with heat. “Oh. Right.” I stumbled over the words, exiting the SUV and facing away from him.
Please pretend that didn’t happen .
“I think you were a little distracted in there,” he said with a silky voice, his thumb jabbing toward the closed doors I’d just exited from, a tiny smug smile pulling at his perfect lips.
I loathe this male.
“Yes. I have a lot on my mind,” I snipped, tipping my chin up and trying to act unaffected.
“No doubt. We still have so much to discuss,” he murmured in a voice a lower octave than he usually used.
I watched with fascination as he took a step closer, but I caught myself and all but ran toward the back, gesturing for him to open it.
“Yes, let’s get my things and go see your place. Then you can let me know how this will work.”
He didn’t respond, instead tapping something on the fob he held and walking with a calm air toward the back as it slid open. He took the two bags and sewing machine out and led the way forward to the elevator while I grabbed my work-clothing bag from the backseat.
I inhaled deeply to fortify my self-control—praying that I had any left at all after that car ride—and followed him. He used a keycard at the elevator controls before he leaned back against the railing of the elevator and I got a good look at the bulge at the front of his slacks.
I almost swallowed my tongue.
He’s hard. And huge .
I knew my eyes were bugging out of my head and I also knew that he had to have noticed.
Look away. Please, please look away.
But I didn’t. I admired the outline of his cock—because this male could not possibly be wearing any underwear—with the head clearly delineated along the right leg. My mouth was suddenly watering and I wanted nothing more than to drop to my knees to worship what had to be the ultimate gift to females. The doors to the elevator opened with a chime but neither of us moved.
By sheer force of will, I lifted my gaze to meet his, and if I had to choose a word to describe his expression, it would be smoldering. His nostrils were flared as he breathed deeply, his brow furrowed.
I moved backward toward the entrance before he did and his eyes went pitch black, his pupils dilating in anticipation. I forced myself to stop, knowing that I was triggering his need to chase.
I’d devoured the romance novel with the orc and I’d learn that they had an instinctive drive to pursue and pin their prey—and that included sexual partners. If Dristan was turned on, then I would be the one he chased.
And I couldn’t say with certainty that I wouldn’t welcome him over me with open arms. In fact, right now I was pretty sure if he came at me, I’d jump him so fast his head would spin. No chasing necessary.
Mentally smacking myself, I stopped, tipping my chin up in defiance of the stranglehold my libido had over me. “Age before beauty,” I snarked, trying to keep that distance between us. Instead, I watched with awe as his yellow eyes softened and his lips quirked with amusement.
The step he took closer to me made a shiver of acute awareness run down my spine. His eyes dropped to my lips before returning to mine. “Yes, definitely beautiful.”
He swept out of the elevator, taking his overwhelming presence with him and I almost sagged to the floor with the loss. Trying to keep my head on straight, I stumbled after him—straight into my wildest dreams. The elevators opened into a huge penthouse with an open-floor concept that allowed me to see the wall of floor to ceiling windows that traveled across two sides. The massive, commercial-grade kitchen had a wall behind it that probably separated the bedrooms, but I was too awed by the view.
The entire skyline was laid out in front of me—an even better view than the one from his building. The lake was visible and based on the direction we were facing, I imagined the sunsets would be phenomenal.
The dark hardwood floor gleamed as Dristan flicked on the lights, illuminating the gorgeous space. They were offset by lighter rugs throughout the living area and the dining room set up on the far end, but it didn’t detract from the sumptuous warmth of the area. I didn’t expect that from him and I wondered if a designer put the space together or if he’d done it himself.
My stomach tightened with a painful clench as I wondered if he had a girlfriend or wife that I didn’t know about.
I turned suspicious eyes toward him and he just quirked an eyebrow at me as he rolled my suitcases inside.
“Welcome to my home,” he purred. The words seemed formal to me—even in that dark magic voice that he was using—and there was a gleam in his eyes that told me something more was happening that I didn’t understand.