Chapter 8

EIGHT

M arcus held up a takeout menu. “You haven’t eaten since the hospital. I thought we could discuss security measures over dinner.” And if that meant spending more time with her, well, that was purely coincidental.

“I...” Her expression softened slightly, “am actually starving. But this conversation isn’t over.”

“Of course not.” He’d already memorized her usual order from her employee file. “Sesame chicken? Extra fortune cookies?”

“How did you—never mind. I don’t want to know how many background checks you ran.”

“Only six or seven.” He typed out the order on his phone. “The lab’s yours. I had everything moved from the penthouse and upgraded. Whatever you need to continue your research safely.”

She walked to the nearest workstation, running her fingers over pristine equipment. The simple grace of her movements captivated him. “This is amazing. But you didn’t have to?—“

“Yes, I did.”

Their eyes met. Something electric crackled in the air between them.

“Well!” Jax clapped his hands. “This seems like a good time for me to go... anywhere else. Try not to break any more fire extinguishers, Doc. The paperwork’s a nightmare.”

Natalie’s laugh, bright and genuine, did dangerous things to Marcus’s pulse. Once Jax left, she turned back to her equipment with obvious excitement. “I should get started. The formula’s mutation could be groundbreaking, but I need to understand what triggered the change.”

“Other than my dramatic entrance?”

Pink tinged her cheeks. “That was... I mean... purely scientific distraction.”

“Purely scientific?”

“Absolutely.” She busied herself with calibrating instruments. “The unexpected presence of a ridiculously attractive CEO in my lab caused a momentary lapse in concentration, resulting in an accidental chemical reaction. Very scientific.”

His heart stuttered. Had she just called him?—

“I mean!” Her blush deepened. “Not that I noticed you were... I mean, objectively speaking, from a purely analytical standpoint...”

“Ridiculously attractive?”

“Oh god.” She buried her face in her hands. “Can we pretend I didn’t say that? Blame it on residual concussion symptoms?”

He found himself moving closer, drawn by her scent—vanilla and jasmine and something uniquely her . “I don’t know. It might be important for the incident report. ‘Cause of explosion: CEO’s ridiculous attractiveness.’”

She peeked through her fingers. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”

“Never.”

Their food arrived then, saving her from further embarrassment. They settled into a comfortable spot by her workstation, sharing cartons of Chinese food while she explained her research. Her enthusiasm proved contagious, and he found himself asking questions, genuinely fascinated by the way her mind worked.

“Do you know who wants my research?” she asked suddenly, setting down her chopsticks.

Marcus’s grip tightened on his container. “No. But whoever they are, they won’t get near you.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about. This formula... in the wrong hands...”

“Hey.” He caught her hand without thinking. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

She stared at their joined hands, her pulse jumping beneath his fingers. “Together?”

“You’re not alone in this anymore.” He squeezed gently. “I protect what’s mine.”

“Yours?”

His wolf preened at the word, but he forced himself to add, “My employee. My responsibility.”

“Right.” Was that disappointment in her voice? “Very professional of you.”

“Although...” He found himself running his thumb across her knuckles. “I don’t usually share my secret stash of fortune cookies with employees.”

Her lips curved. “No?”

“Or order their favorite takeout.”

“How professional of you to memorize my order.”

“Purely for security purposes.” He reached for the fortune cookies with his free hand, not quite ready to let go of hers. “Have to ensure you’re properly fed. For safety.”

“Of course.” She didn’t pull away. “And the hand holding?”

“Testing your pulse. Medical necessity.”

“Naturally.” Her smile turned mischievous. “And the way you keep finding excuses to be near me?”

He froze.

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it?” She gestured at the lab. “Moving me from your penthouse to right down the hall from your office? The endless security upgrades? The dinner?”

“I—“

“Because if you wanted to spend time with me,” she continued softly, “you could just ask.”

His heart thundered. “Natalie...”

An alarm blared, shattering the moment. Security feeds lit up red as alerts flooded the screens.

“Someone’s trying to hack the system,” Marcus growled, reluctantly releasing her hand to check the intrusion points.

Natalie straightened, all business now. “They won’t get through?”

“No. But they’re persistent.” He studied the attack patterns. “They’ll keep trying.”

“Then we’ll be ready.” She stood, determination blazing in her eyes. “I won’t let my work be stolen. Not again.”