32. Lauren
32
Lauren
“For heaven’s sake, Lauren, slow down! You’re going to give me a heart attack!”
Giggling, I turn and jog backwards up the incline. Zyon is further down, running in slow motion—at least, that’s what it looks like, sweat dripping from every pore of her body. “I told you it would be brutal. You insisted on coming, so suck it up, buttercup.”
“Screw you,” she pants, slowing down even more. “You mentioned jogging, not a goddamn obstacle course.”
“Oh, come on. It’s not that bad.”
“No, it’s worse.” She stops and grips her sides, panting hard. “You go on. I’ll catch up.”
Knowing Zyon, she’s going to walk the rest of the way if I’m not there to push her. “We’re literally at the finish line. About a minute to go.”
“Nah.” She waves me off wearily. “I’ll take my time.”
She’s also stubborn as hell, so getting her to move could take some serious convincing. I start jogging backward again. “Fine. Suit yourself—”
“Watch out!” she screeches as I’m in mid-turn.
It’s already too late. I bump into a brick wall.
He grips both my arms as I go down, and I feel myself being pulled, then steadied on solid ground. A pleasant awareness takes over as I look up at him. “Colin, hi!”
“Hey.” His concerned eyes sweep my figure. “Are your ankles okay? You went back on them quite hard.”
Looking down, I wiggle them for him to see. “They feel fine.”
“Good.” He sighs. “I’m sorry. I was coming so fast; I didn’t even see you.”
“It’s okay. I shouldn’t be running backward, anyway.”
Colin looks me over again, and this time, there’s a flicker of interest on his face. “You look totally different outside the office.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Good.” He smiles. “You look younger.”
My hands fly on my hips in mock outrage. “Are you saying I look old at work?”
“Not even close,” he murmurs, clearly amused by my response. “You’re beautiful either way. It’s that outfit.” He points at the leggings and tank top I’m wearing.
I’m still stuck on him saying I’m beautiful. Not that I don’t believe it, but it’s odd hearing it from him. He’d been so professional during our lunch yesterday that I half-expected him to address me as Ms. Cain by the time we were done.
I’m not complaining. It feels good when a handsome guy compliments me.
“You look different too,” I return, pointing at him. “More relaxed.”
It’s weird that he’s wearing a long-sleeved shirt in this sunshiny weather, but it’s looks thin, so it’s probably comfortable. Those pair of grey joggers looks great on him too.
“Ah-hem. ”
Zyon’s exaggerated throat clearing makes me roll my eyes in amusement. She appears at my side, looking Colin up and down.
“And you are?”
“Colin Wilson. I work with Lauren,” he supplies, extending his hand.
Zyon stares down at it for a moment before offering her own. “You only work with Lauren?” she asks.
“Jesus, Zyon,” I mutter.
There’s a twinkle in Colin’s eyes as he nods.
Zyon cocks her head as she surveys him. “Are you single?”
“Zyon!” I gasp, glaring at her.
Colin’s eyes are on me as he responds. “The last time I checked, yes.”
She nudges my side. “My sister-in-law is single too.”
I groan, pushing her in front of me as I prepare to go. “Colin, I’m so sorry about Zyon. Her mouth has no filter.”
“What did I say wrong?” She has the nerve to look puzzled. “He’s single, you’re single—”
“Go,” I interrupt firmly, pushing her shoulder.
“Lauren.”
I turn to see the smile now gone from Colin’s face. He seems a bit… nervous? I don’t know. His voice sounds quite steady when he says, “I don’t know if this overstepping, but would you want to grab some coffee after your run?”
I gape at him.
“With me,” he clarifies.
“Yes, she’d love to!” It’s Zyon’s turn to push. My body lurches forward as she shoves at my shoulder.
“Zyon…”
She ignores the warning in my voice. “In fact, she’s done jogging. ”
Colin shrugs. “I was about to take another lap, but I’m ready to go now if you are.”
“She is,” Zyon assures him while brushing a stray lock of hair from my face. Leaning in, she whispers, “When you get to the café, grab a napkin. Wipe your face. Besides all that sweat, you’re perfect.”
“This is not a date,” I whisper back firmly, glancing at Colin, who’s now staring at something beyond us, a puzzled look on his face. “He reports to me.”
“So? I reported to Gabriel, and look where it got us. Who knows? We could be hearing wedding bells a year from now.”
I roll my eyes at her. “You’re the worst.”
“But I’m going to be the best bridesmaid!” she says loud enough for Colin to hear, which earns a shocked gasp from me. “Have fun!”
She darts out of my reach as I swipe my arm at her. Giggling, she scampers off, heading toward the parking lot. Earlier, she’d insisted on picking me up at my new apartment. It’s closer to the jogging trail, so I usually walked.
Turning, I meet Colin’s amused smile. “I’m so sorry about that.”
“It’s fine.” He brushes me off. “I had a sister. I know how annoying they can be.”
“Had?” I ask as we continue up the hill.
Colin’s expression settles into one of somberness, and he nods. “Long story,” he mutters.
“I’m sorry.” There’s no need to apologize, but I feel the need to, for some reason.
Again, he brushes me off, and we walk in silence as the trail levels off and we cross a cobblestone pathway through the exit. Café Noire is a few doors down on the other side of the street, near Lifestyle Gym . Like clockwork, my mind runs to Marcus, and I immediately push aside my concern for him. I haven’t heard from him all week, but I’m sure he’s quite fine, or I would’ve heard something. He’s gone back to being a royal dick, that’s all.
“Uh… don’t panic, but someone’s following us,” Colin mumbles, moving closer to me as we cross the street to the café.
Without thinking, I react with a twist and a soft gasp that fades into a relieved sigh when I see who it is. “Oh, he’s with me,” I tell Colin.
“He’s with you? What does that mean? A bodyguard?”
“Something like that,” I reply slowly.
Colin must’ve seen my discomfort, because he doesn’t push it. As he opens the café door for me, he murmurs, “I kinda envy his job, to be honest. Watching that beautiful body all day is way better than doing quality control.”
I laugh, partly out shock that he would say such a thing. Not that I’m slow. I know Colin finds me attractive, but I didn’t expect he’d be so forward.
“I’m sorry, that came out weird,” he says.
Which earns him an amused scoff. “I can’t imagine it coming out any other way.”
Colin winces.
“Don’t worry about it. I do have a beautiful body, so that statement was quite accurate.” I grin at him to cut the awkwardness even more.
It does the trick, because he smiles back as we join the line to the cashier. “You’re a very modest woman, Lauren. I must say that.”
I burst into a laugh and, without thinking, gently punch his shoulder. He says, “Ow!” before it even sinks in that I just assaulted my employee.
“Oh, Christ, Colin. I’m so sorry!” I reach out to touch him soothingly but think better of it. He’s not Marcus.
“It’s fine. I felt nothing,” he replies, shooting me a reassuring smile. The cashier takes our orders, and Colin glances back at Andrew. “What does he drink? ”
I shake my head. “Andrew doesn’t drink coffee. He says it makes his heart race.”
“Are you close?”
“To my bodyguard?” I look over Andrew’s stone cold face and chuckle. “Hell would freeze over before that happens. I don’t think he likes anyone.”
“He’s doing his job.” Colin leads me to a table by the window, close enough for us to hear when our order is ready. “I’m sure having him around is uncomfortable, but for whatever the reason, it’s for your own good, I presume.”
The FBI raid on the Bianchi crime family is all over the major news networks, but the murder I witnessed is still buried under all that excitement. I hope it stays that way. The Feds have offered witness protection, but I don’t want to consider that option, so the less people know, the better for me.
Colin is staring at me, waiting for a reply.
“So, where are you from?” I ask.
“Born and bred in New Jersey. Lived there all my life,” he replies. “A few months ago, I decided on a change. New York was my only option.”
“Well, it’s a good choice. I might be biased, since I’ve been living here since I was born, but it’s a wonderful city.”
“I agree.” He’s staring right at me. “Beautiful.”
This is certainly not the Colin from the office sitting across from me. He’s making lingering eye contact, wetting his lips, throwing me a charming smile. His flirting is quite flattering, but no. I don’t want to open that door. The other execs at work already have no respect for me.
The barista calls our order, and he goes to get it. As I watch him walk back to me, something nudges my insides. I can’t identify whether it’s pleasant or hostile, whether it’s attraction sparking my hormones or a sensation that something’s not right .
Colin seems friendly. He’s polite, quite the gentleman. He even came to my rescue. Those are qualities of a good guy, aren’t they? It’s obvious I’m attracted to him.
Oh boy.
He offers my cup and I take it, careful not to let our fingers brush. I want to be careful not to do anything that would send the wrong message.
“Do you want to hear a joke?” Colin asks as I pull out my straw.
I shrug. “Sure.”
“A horse walks into a restaurant. The hostess says, ‘Hey!’ The horse says, ‘You read my mind’.”
I laugh. “Don’t tell me you’re into dad jokes.”
He laughs back. “Not really. My dad was, though. That was his favorite joke to tell when we were kids.”
“Oh.” My laughter fades. “Was?”
Colin catches my meaning. “No, he’s still alive and well. Our relationship has been a little strained. For years, we didn’t talk.”
“I’m sorry about that,” I reply. Dad and I often clash, but I can’t imagine going for years without talking to him. He’s very blunt with his approach to everything, but he loves us in his own way.
Colin’s face lights up again. “How about another joke?”
“Sure—”
“Lauren.”
My head twists toward the giant glaring down at me.
Marcus .