Free Darklands by Nancy Holzner Page A

right, walking away from me. But there was no mistaking Simone Landry.
    That damn shampoo-commercial-gorgeous hair of hers was so unfair. I ran a hand through my own hair—whatever I tried to do to it, after a shift it always returned to the same straight, short, strawberry-blonde style. How come werewolves lucked out with their luxurious hair?
    Inside, I crossed the lobby and took the elevator to Kane’s floor. Iris, the blonde human receptionist who kept thingsrunning while the firm’s werewolf staff was on retreat, was leaving. She smiled when she saw me.
    “Is Kane still here?”
    “Do you have to ask? He always beats me to work, and he’s always here when I go home. Sometimes I wonder if he lives in his office.”
    “Me, too.”
    “Your timing is good. He just got out of a meeting.”
    “With Simone Landry?” God, my voice sounded tight. I coughed some of the tension out of it.
    “Yes. She left a minute or two ago. I was waiting for her to leave so I could lock up.” She held the door open for me.
    “Thanks.” I passed into the reception area.
    “Must have been a good meeting,” Iris remarked. “Simone was grinning like she won the lottery when she came out.” She closed the glass door and turned the key. Then she waved and headed for the elevators.
    I unclenched my fists and inspected the half-moon fingernail marks in my palms. Okay. Simone was hanging on Kane like a monkey on a banana tree. But she wasn’t here now. I’d finally have him all to myself.
    Kane’s outer office looked like the offices of any other top-tier law firm in the city: elegant and understated. The reception area held black leather chairs and sofas, with accent lighting showing the tasteful artwork to its best advantage. Simone, in her tailored suits, would look right at home here. I glanced down at my jeans, wishing for a moment I’d dressed up. But that was silly. I shook my head and walked down the hallway. Kane’s door was last on the right, the corner office.
    I tapped on the door, cracked it open, and peered inside. Kane sat at his desk, his suit jacket draped over the back of the chair, his shirtsleeves rolled up. When he saw me, his don’t-interrupt-me scowl morphed into a grin. Tingle alert. He pushed back his chair and came around the desk, then opened the door wide and drew me inside. His arms were strong and solid around me as he greeted me with a deep kiss.
    Simone who?
    Yet there was a lingering scent of perfume in the office, sweetly floral with spicy notes and a musky undertone. If I could detect Simone’s perfume, to a werewolf’s sensitive nose it was probably as though she were still standing right here. Which, nodoubt, was her intention. She was making sure that she’d register in some part of Kane’s brain, even while his mind focused on other things.
    I frowned and pulled away, wishing the big plate glass windows were the kind that open. The room needed air.
    Kane curled his fingers around mine with one hand and smoothed his tie with the other. We sat in the visitors’ chairs that faced his desk. “This is a nice surprise,” he said. “Did you get my message?”
    “I did. But I wanted to see you, not play our usual game of phone tag for the next couple of days.”
    “I’m glad.” He held my hand in both of his and gazed at me. I saw no trace of guilt in his eyes, nothing but pleasure that I was here.
    And yet Simone’s scent floated between us like a ghost.
    “I was finishing up a couple of things here, and then I was going to grab a burger before Simone’s event. Do you want to get something to eat? It’ll be quick, but—”
    “Why are you managing Simone Landry’s campaign?” Okay, so I’d blurted, but at least I’d asked the question. I watched his face, but all I saw there was surprise.
    “You mean why am I wasting my time managing a bid for a figurehead position that has no real power?” He chuckled. “Good question. Well, Simone’s a friend, and she asked me to. But…”