Free I Spy a Dark Obsession by Jo Davis Page B

you?” He had a few thoughts on the matter of what to do for her, none of which were appropriate for a boss to entertain about his beautiful employee.
    Catching up, she gave him the Death Glare. “A couple of things. First, don’t call me Red. The last guy who did that had to get his nose reset.”
    He wasn’t fooled—the touch of humor in her voice betrayed that she wasn’t really angry, and he couldn’t imagine her striking anyone. But he played along. “Ouch. Wouldn’t want to ruin my pretty profile. What’s the second thing?”
    She grinned, and it transformed her face into a vision that awakened his cock. “Have lunch with me?”
    A little burst of happiness lit his previously crappy day, and he warned himself not to get too excited. She was probably already headed in his direction and asked him as an afterthought. “What a coincidence. I was on my way to the cafeteria.”
    “I know. I stopped by your office to ask if you wanted to grab a bite, and your secretary said you’d just left. I’m glad I caught you.”
    “Me, too.” So she had sought him out. Okay, so his entire week was suddenly looking up, and not a moment too soon. “Anything in particular you wanted to talk to me about? Or is the invite purely social?”
    “Mostly social, though I did want to tell you that the new shipment of microchips came in to replace the faulty ones in the cameras.”
    “That’s good.”
    She nodded, then cut him an assessing look. “I also wanted to see how you’re doing. You don’t seem nearly as stiff as you did four days ago.”
    “Worried about me?” The idea warmed him all over.
    “Of course. If anything happens to you, who’ll buy me cheap, fatty lunches at the compound’s roach buffet?”
    He laughed. “There’s an image I needed before I bite into my burger.”
    “Assuming it is, in fact, all beef. How do you really know?”
    “Gross. I think I’ll get a salad. Nobody can fake lettuce.”
    “True.” They walked in comfortable silence for a few moments. “How are you doing?” she asked, more serious now.
    “I’m good. The soreness is almost gone, and I’m ready for our night out whenever it works for everyone else.” Truth was, he couldn’t wait. Michael had been right to badger him into putting it off, though.
    “Tomorrow night?”
    “Sounds perfect. I’ll check with Michael.”
    “Great! I’ll get with Emma, but I’m almost positive it’ll be fine as long as Blaze isn’t working.”
    Bastian thought for a second. “I don’t believe he’s scheduled for an assignment.” And if he was, Bastian would pull him. Selfish but true. He wanted, needed, to get out with his friends for a while, and forget all his worries and disappointments.
    Forget that he and Michael were on Dietz’s hit list—and on the lists of about a dozen more criminals besides. Cheerful thought.
    “Hey, where’d you go?”
    Shaking off the dismal mood threatening to encroach on his break with Katrina, he ushered her into the lunch line. “Somewhere a lot more fun than this building,” he said wryly, covering his lapse. “I can’t remember the last time I went for drinks and dancing with friends.”
    “No wonder, considering how you’ve been taking care of Michael for weeks while he was on the mend, on top of running this place.” She selected a large salad and a drink from the offerings and set it on her tray.
    Following suit, he gave her a sharp look. “I hadn’t realized that was common knowledge among the agents and other staff. About my playing nurse to Michael, I mean.”
    Turning her head, she raised a brow. “Really? Even though you employ a few hundred spies who are trained to find out stuff they shouldn’t know and are the best at what they do?”
    He sighed. “Well, hell.” No telling what else was general knowledge when it came to his feelings for his best friend.
    They reached the cashier. He paid for both lunches in spite of her protest, then followed her into the dining area. Of