Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Fernando sat at his desk, alone and without witnesses, his forehead planted on the cool wood. No offense to himself or anything but what the actual fuck was he doing?

First of all, protective instincts? Where did you even come from? Since when did he feel protective of anyone who wasn't family? This was not a rhetorical question, dammit. The feeling had made an appearance at the warehouse fiasco and chosen to not leave and Fernando really, really wanted an explanation for that.

Also, libido, while Fernando had admittedly not gotten any action in a while, you chose an appallingly bad time to make an appearance. When treating someone who had burn wounds was not the right time to raise your head.

Libido smugly pointed out that shirtless Noel was an incredibly yummy sight.

Damn. Hard to argue that.

Fernando lifted his head and blindly stared ahead, caught on that mental image. All that creamy, pale skin stretched out in front of his eyes had looked entirely lickable. Those suits and blazers Noel favored hid the fact that he was toned. He might not be into outdoor activities, but he did something to stay fit, as he had subtle muscle definition to his slender frame. Fernando hadn't been able to keep himself from noticing. Vampire senses had definitely noticed, including the uptick in Noel's blood flow, which Fernando generally associated with lust. Noel had blushed the entire time they were in the changing room, his rapid heartbeat a clear indication of his awareness. It had sorely tested Fernando's restraint in every possible way, pale skin so close he could easily sink his teeth in. And he'd wanted to. Badly.

Except Noel hadn't actually said "Yes, come bite me," and at this point it was entirely possible Fernando's vampire side was projecting. He had panicked enough he'd started talking to cover his nerves, making comments and asking questions no boss would normally ask an employee.

He'd covered his tracks well enough until Noel had put his shirt on, and that's when possessiveness had decided to join the party. He'd like the sight of Noel in his clothes entirely too much, their scents mingling. It had felt strangely satisfying to have Noel wearing something that was his. He'd never in his life thought that about anyone, so why now was a question for the cosmos.

Fernando could only guess what his face had reflected in that moment, but it must have been something good because Noel had frozen. He'd looked…nervous? Uncertain? Maybe something else, too, as he'd had an even deeper tinge of pink to his cheeks.

Fernando had panicked all over again because his libido had wanted to capitalize on that non-rejection. Verbally laying into North had been the best distraction he could think of at the time.

Was this what it felt like when the kid brother next door grew up overnight and turned into something sexy and edible? Fernando was reeling, here. Why were emotions so inconvenient and messy? Fuck.

He let his head thunk back onto the wood. "Fernando, you will not lay hands on one of your most valuable employees."

Wow, that did not make any impact whatsoever. He had no idea what to do with these emotions. Honestly, he hadn't even attempted a real relationship since his wife died. Between forging a new life after changing, and the betrayal he'd felt, he just hadn't had the heart to really try. Hookups and the occasional date were all he had pursued for nearly three hundred years. Noel, for some reason, tapped back into desires he thought long dead. Desires he hadn't felt since his early twenties—a strange yearning for domestic bliss.

This could only end terribly. Unless he was changed, Noel would only live a normal human lifespan. Not all humans were willing to become a vampire, meaning he couldn't bank on Noel opting for immortality, so was this even a good idea?

Annnnd he'd apparently fallen down the slippery slope of imaginary dating. Ugh, he was hopeless. Maybe he should make up a punishment for himself if he gave into temptation.

Only he was fairly sure the punishment would be worth it.

So, apparently, Fernando was just going to be a hot mess where Noel was concerned. Good to know. For an encore, he'd throw himself off a tall building somewhere.

Fernando was working off a single cup of coffee (no, caffeine had no effect on him, but it was a warm, soothing ritual he refused to give up on), while mentally telling himself off for being attracted to someone he shouldn't touch. He wasn't exactly in the best of moods when North came back to his office. Part of him blamed North for this revelation, so he greeted the man with cold eyes and a flat, "What?"

North swallowed hard but still dared to close the door behind him. "Boss. We're back, uh, obviously. Noel's fine. He's downstairs talking to Crammer about something. So, um, I figured I'd better tell you about this while the kid's out of earshot."

Now what? Fernando wasn't sure if he wanted another stressor this morning, but from North's troubled frown, he was about to get one anyway. "I'm listening."

"Thing is, when we got to Noel's house, it looked like someone had broken in."

Fernando went from upset with himself to alarmed. He tensed, hands braced against the desk as if he was unconsciously ready to propel himself up. "What? Like a thief?"

"That's what I thought at first. I made him stay in the car while I cleared the place. But Noel said he's got an uncle that's a gambling addict, and sometimes people come looking for him, so break-ins like that randomly happen. He assured me it wasn't anything to worry about but... Boss, if the uncle's in debt to gambling dens, that's a serious security risk to Noel. It's an issue I'm not okay with ignoring."

Random men on a money mission breaking in to hassle Noel, specifically ones with anger management issues? Just the concept made Fernando want to shoot something. "North, you're authorized to go back to that house and put security measures in place."

North grinned, smile stretching from ear to ear and revealing his gold tooth. "Okay, Boss. You really are fond of our Noel, aren't you? I'm glad. He's a sweet kid."

"You are not allowed to give that sweet kid a heart attack."

"Aww, Boss, come on. I said I was sorry!"

Fernando fixed him with a glare. "Added protection when we go out is fine. Teaching him to use a gun is fine. I'll take over the hand-to-hand defense since I can't trust you lot. For now, focus on the house."

"Will do, Boss." North turned to leave but snapped his fingers as if remembering something and turned back. "I talked to him about how we loved the cookies the other week and asked if he could maybe bake more often? Like if we supplied the ingredients. He said sure, just tell him what we wanted. It's okay if we use some of the office budget for snacks, right?"

A light dawned. Fernando could use North to ask for cookies. He kept his expression bland with great effort. "That's fine. Make sure some of that budget covers his time as well."

North lit up with a toothy smile. "Sure thing. I'll get right on it."

The bodyguard had a small bounce in his stride as he walked out of the office. Fernando was just as pleased. Cookies were incoming and he didn't even have to break his brain trying to figure out how to ask for them.

He did have concerns over Noel's safety at home, but surely North and the boys could handle it. He'd check in tomorrow to see what precautions they'd put in place.

In the meantime…what the hell was he supposed to do with this sudden awareness of his PA? Just bury it? He wasn't going to screw up his work life just because he liked the look of Noel.

It would be fine. He was an adult. He knew lust, knew how to handle it. Fernando was very good at ignoring emotions until they went away, and something transitory like this would be gone in a week.

Absolutely no problem.