Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
EMIL
“Hey, sleepyhead. Are you going to sleep on the couch all night?”
I leaned forward and brushed the hair off Anders’s face.
He’d started out sitting on the couch working on his felting, but at some point, he’d laid down to keep going.
Eventually, he’d set the project aside and closed his eyes for just a moment, and that had been the last movement I’d seen from him.
It was still early enough in the evening that I let him sleep while I worked on my latest project. When it got close to his usual bedtime, I made my way to the couch.
Anders looked so peaceful lying there. His eyelashes fanned across his cheeks, faint stubble shadowed his jawline, and his hair spread out around him.
He’d forgotten to put it back up in his bun, or maybe he’d left it down for me.
Either way, I was drawn to the golden strands when he still didn’t stir.
I gave his shoulder a gentle shake. Nothing.
I leaned down and kissed his cheek. That at least earned me a tiny snuffle.
“Gonna sleep here. Please.”
“Oh no, sweetheart. You can’t sleep on the couch. That’s not going to be comfortable all night. Come on. You’ve got to get up.”
“Too tired to walk home. The couch is super comfy. I’ll be fine.”
Sleepy Anders was fucking adorable Anders.
“No, sweetheart. Come on. You’re going to sleep in my bed. I’ll behave.”
“You don’t gotta behave.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not true. Come on. Let’s go.”
I nudged his feet down to the floor and coached him upright. It took more effort to get him fully on his feet and moving down the hall. I steered him into the bathroom attached to my bedroom and handed him a spare toothbrush and some toothpaste.
“You do that, and I’ll grab you something to sleep in.”
I came back with a ragged T-shirt from our corporate pickleball team and a pair of flannel pants covered in dancing pickles. The sheer absurdity of them cut through the last of his sleepiness.
“These are yours?” The shock in his voice made me laugh.
“My sister gave them to me for Christmas a few years ago. I was obsessed.”
“But do you like them now?”
“They’re my favorite pair. Hands down.”
“And you’re letting me borrow them?” Anders said, wide-eyed. “I feel really special.”
“You should. I’m kind of bummed I don’t get to wear them tonight,” I said with a wink. “Brush your teeth, get changed, do what you need to do, and then we’ll get you tucked into bed.”
Anders nodded, still sleepy, and turned back to the sink.
I left him alone in the bathroom and went back into my bedroom, pulling down the covers. Thank God, I changed the sheets a couple of days ago. They were fresh and clean for him.
I took a moment to steady my breathing. Having Anders in my bed, knowing it was absolutely, one hundred percent not appropriate to touch where I shouldn’t, was going to murder any chance of sleep tonight.
But goddammit, I was going to manage it. Even if it killed me.
Anders appeared in the doorway of the bathroom. The T-shirt wasn’t tight, but he filled it out all the same, just like he did the pants. He looked delicious. And sleepy.
“I really can go home. I was just being ridiculous,” he offered hesitantly.
“Nope. You’re sleeping here. It’s been a long time since I had a sleepover.”
“Oh yeah. Same. It’s been a really, really long time since I had a sleepover.”
“I can’t give two relapses, but maybe like one and a half?” I pulled the covers back a little farther and gestured for Anders to get in.
He slipped between the white sheets, and I pulled the fluffy duvet up over his shoulder. I brushed his hair back from his face. I didn’t know if he’d left it down for my benefit, but I fucking loved it.
I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Close your eyes, sweetheart. I’m going to finish getting ready for bed. Don’t leave this bed for me, okay?”
“All right. I’ll be here when you get back.”
Good boy.
I raced into the bathroom without trying to be obvious about it and hurried through brushing my teeth and taking care of everything I needed to before heading back to bed. Anders wasn’t quite asleep, but he was halfway there.
I slipped in behind him under the covers. Just because I’d told myself we weren’t going to do anything sexual didn’t mean I was going to deprive myself of snuggling him. My arm curved over his waist, and I pulled him back against me so we were chest to back, with him tucked in as the little spoon.
His contented sigh filled the room, turning the quiet darkness into something warm and full. Everything felt exactly the way it was supposed to. Anders was right there, his breathing even, his face relaxed, his hair fanned across my pillow.
I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end the day.
“Good morning.”
I was a little disappointed to wake up and find Anders had already left the bedroom, but when I went into the kitchen and heard his happy humming at the stove, it was hard to stay disappointed for long. When I greeted him, he turned and gave me a brilliant smile. He looked genuinely happy.
He’d found an apron in the cupboard and was frying bacon on the stove. Chopped fruit sat halfway through preparation, and a crêpe pan waited on the counter.
“Good morning to you too. I woke up a little early, so I thought I’d make a bigger breakfast. I hope that’s okay?”
“Bacon, fruit, and…crêpes?” Anders nodded. “I will never complain about crêpes. Or bacon. Or fruit, for that matter.”
“Well, that settles that then. Are you ready for coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
Anders busied himself making my coffee and set it in front of me.
I grabbed his wrist before he could sneak away and pulled him between my spread knees.
I rested my hands on his waist and held him there.
His hands came to my shoulders, and whatever worries had been lurking in the back of my mind vanished at the sparkle in his eyes.
Last night’s conversation came full circle. This really was his happy place, and there was no way in hell I was going to take it from him. If this was what Anders needed, then this was what I would give him.
“Thank you for taking such good care of me,” I said.
Anders flushed. I slid one hand from his waist up his chest and gently pulled his face toward mine, pressing a lingering kiss to his lips.
He made a soft, happy sound that warmed straight through me.
Everything about him said he was at peace this morning.
Happiness looked good on him. He seemed more sure, more at ease, more settled.
Whatever worries I still had needed to be shoved aside. I needed to let him do his thing.
“You’re very welcome.”
“What’s on your agenda for today?”
“Keep plugging away at that last section. I’ve probably got another two weeks before it’s fully wrapped up.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right. How many weeks is the flower arranging class?”
“Oh. Shoot. I think it’s about six weeks.
I guess that means I won’t be taking the class after all.
” He gave a minuscule shake of his head as he delivered our plates and slid mine in front of me.
He sat at the table and waited until I’d started eating before lifting his fork. “Why can’t you take them?”
“If the files are done in two weeks and the classes run six, it doesn’t really make sense.”
“That sounds like a reason for you to stay out here longer then.”
“I can’t just keep occupying your cottage.”
“You can if I say you can. It’s not being used by anyone else, you don’t have an apartment, and you’re taking a class.”
“Am I still suspended from my job, or am I losing my position when I finish what I’m working on?”
The calm, quiet way he asked had me nearly choking on my coffee.
“Holy shit, Anders. You’ve got to warn a guy before you drop that on him.”
“I’ve been thinking about it for the last few days, since I can see a clear end to the project. If I’m still suspended, it doesn’t make sense to keep me on.”
“I’m going to ask you to let me worry about that. You’re not suspended from the company. You’re temporarily reassigned.”
“Is the audit almost finished?”
“This morning has been too nice to talk about the fucking mess that is that merger. How about we just enjoy breakfast instead?”
“Fine by me,” Anders said with a small smile. “I’m going to take care of a few things.”
He left the kitchen, but not before refilling my coffee, clearing my plate, and bringing my laptop over to me. When I opened it, it was fully charged.
I watched him head toward my bedroom and gave him a ten-minute head start before following.
I wasn’t sure what I expected to find, but it wasn’t this.
The bed was made, pillows fluffed. In the bathroom, the sink had been wiped down, and my toiletries arranged in neat rows. My shoes, polished as usual, sat by the chair where I put them on. Anders stood in my closet, looking through my suits.
He turned when he heard me and froze, guilt written all over his face.
“Is this too much? This is too much.”
“It depends,” I said. “What are you doing?”
“Today’s Thursday,” Anders said, like that should explain everything.
“Okay?”
“On Thursdays, you go into the office. That means a suit. You don’t like white shirts because you’ve mentioned you’re worried about spilling something on them.
You don’t wear black suits unless you have a meeting, and you didn’t mention a meeting, so you’d wear blue.
You prefer silk ties over cotton, and I was trying to see which one you haven’t worn in a while so you could rotate. ”
“And you got all that from it being Thursday?”
“I like patterns.”
He looked so uncertain standing there by my clothes that I couldn’t stay in the doorway any longer. I crossed the room in a few quick strides and crowded him gently back against the wall next to the dresser.
“Damn, you’re hot when you talk like this.” The temptation of his mouth was too much for me. I pressed a kiss to his lips and then returned for another pass.
Anders wasn’t ready for more, and damn, it was killing me.
“Thanks for fitting me in today.”
“Of course, Mr. Freeman. Where’s the fire?”
The hum of the HVAC and the faint noise from the harbor below were the only background sounds in my office.
Mr. Freeman crossed the carpeted expanse and dropped into the chair across from my desk.
Without waiting for permission, he opened his briefcase and set a file in front of me. Bank records. Emails. Access logs.
“John McIntyre has restarted funneling money. It dropped off when our firm restarted the audit, but it’s begun again. There was a request for reauthorization of Anders’s original credentials.”
“Original?”
“Yes. When he was suspended and began working on the alternative assignment, we created a new login to make sure there was no overlap or confusion. The request traced back to the access point that was used before.”
“Maybe Anders came back to the office?”
“The only credential of his that stayed the same was his access badge. It hasn’t been scanned since the morning he was suspended. Between that and the login data, it’s definitive proof he isn’t embezzling anything.”
“Please tell me the bank has the account flagged and the money won’t be sent out.”
“That’s when the issue was discovered. There’s no chance of that happening, and I confirmed it personally,” Freeman assured me.
“That leaves Holly Blanchard from compliance to handle things going forward. It goes without saying that the McIntyres will be removed immediately. Even if the parents weren’t directly involved, they’re the ones signing off on everything.”
“Yes. I understand what you’re saying. We’ve already taken steps to review all of their account access. It appears all three were involved in maintaining the falsified books, but John is the only one actively moving money.”
“Mr. Freeman, I’m going to be honest with you. I have zero desire for the police to be involved if it can be avoided. But once regulators are notified, it’s out of my hands. I have plans for John McIntyre that need to happen before there’s any criminal investigation.”
“Mr. Magnuson, I need to be very clear here. Local police would have no role in a fraud investigation like this. Any criminal case would fall under the state attorney general’s jurisdiction due to the banking fraud. There’s also a possibility the Department of Justice would take an interest.”
I considered what he’d laid out. As much as I wanted to see John McIntyre and his entire family go down in flames, I cared more about my company and protecting my employees and their livelihoods. As satisfying as it might be to see John McIntyre in handcuffs, I had other plans.
“Mr. Freeman, in your professional opinion, if I named John McIntyre publicly, would the only recourse he’d have be to sue me for slander?”
“The truth is always a defense,” Freeman said flatly. “And discovery would be a bitch.”
“Good. Here’s what we’re going to do. You’ll make sure the case against him and his parents is airtight.
Claw back the money. Pursue subrogation.
I don’t give a shit at this point. Obviously, the accounting firm will take the hit for any lost revenue tied to the falsified books that never should’ve been signed off on. ”
Mr. Freeman looked physically ill. He knew I was right, and he didn’t have a leg to stand on. After the brief slip, his face returned to unreadable, but he loosened his tie with almost imperceptibly shaky hands.
“We’ll handle it.”
“I don’t want regulators involved until after I’m finished with John.
I have a speech coming up for the International Private Capital and Trade Finance Conference.
I’ll make sure his attendance is a command performance.
Whatever happens after that, happens. I need you to remove their ability to get anything accomplished, but don’t tip them off yet. ”
“When is your speech?”
“Three weeks.”
“I’ll be in touch with resolution proposals, but consider it done.”