5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Desmond

C omputoring .

I couldn't help myself and snorted as I leaned across her desk.

Just one more.

"Mmm, sorry. This is the last one, I promise. It's really delicious. And, no, I don't."

The raspberry red on her cheeks deepened.

She's kind of cute.

"Yeah, no, I know you weren't. It was just a joke. I didn't think you would," she said hastily, waving as if to say ‘Forget about it'.

I contemplated her for a second.

Should I offer?

Back in school I'd made money computoring, but nah. It was enough to have to deal with her at work. I wasn't that much of a masochist.

"Thanks for the shortbread. See you around." I gave her a tiny wave and left, feeling like a total asshole.

More jobs waited for me when I got back to my office, driving Amelia Hendry out of my mind.

My colleagues had already picked up the ones they could get done remotely, leaving the ones that sent me around the building.

I had just finished the second one on my list—a toner cartridge hadn't been properly installed and needed fixing—when I heard it.

Someone was crying.

Halfway down the hall I stopped in my tracks. Tilting my head here and there, I tried to make out the source of the low sniffling sobs.

It came from the biggest of the storerooms, the one on Carson's floor.

I didn't even need to strain my ears to have an inkling of who was in there crying her eyes out.There were only two offices on this floor, and I was certain it wasn't Carson himself.

Pausing with my hand resting on the door handle, I considered for a moment if I should simply pretend I hadn't heard anything and leave.

But when had that ever been an option for me ?

My school reports had almost always read something like ‘ Desmond is an empathetic child. If one of his classmates is upset he will step in and comfort them.'

It had been my mum who had come up with the concept of me being an ‘emotional support wolf'. She'd certainly had a point. Mum was also the one who insisted on me ignoring the comments saying I needed to toughen up.

It's what my aunt would have suggested to her sons, hell, she probably had told them to their faces. But not my mum, no. They regarded her as the black sheep and had disinherited her for her softness.

I found her huddled in a heap behind one of the shelves with the stationery and empty folders. Halting a few feet away from her, I cleared my throat.

"Miss Hendry?"

"What? Oh shoot." She sniffed and, springing to her feet, hastily mopped her face on her sleeve. "Hey, uh, do you need some office supplies?"

Her voice was as fake and cheery as the smiles she sometimes gave me. I didn't like them at all.

Humans trying to mask their emotions were difficult for me. Their faces said one thing, their scent, their body language something else. They were confusing, humans.

"No, I have everything I need, thank you."

Shit . My brain took another detour down to Horny town and I felt my ears heat. Stop wondering about what she might need from you outside of computer support !

"Well, okay, I have to go back." She sniffled and tried to push past me.

No!

I might as well have shouted the word. We both flinched and our eyes snapped down to the spot where my hand had closed around her elbow.

I let go as if she'd given me an electric shock, because, fuck me , that was exactly how it felt.

"Shit, I'm sorry." Taking a step back, I brought more distance between us.

"It's okay." She absentmindedly rubbed her hand over the spot I'd gripped.

"It's not. I do apologise for overstepping, Miss Hendry."

"Please, it's Amelia." She wiped a few more crystal clear tears off her biteable cheeks.

"Amelia," I corrected, and pointed at the box she'd just vacated to invite her to sit down. Then I lowered myself on the floor.

When her face was roughly level with mine, I cocked an eyebrow at her.

"What's wrong? Anything I can do to help?"

"No, I'll be fine." Fresh tears spilled out from under her lashes, clinging to the tiny black hairs. "It's nothing."

Damn it. Her voice cracked on the last word. She looked pitiful, and I couldn't stop my stupid hand from cupping her shoulder and squeezing it.

Why am I so soft when she has been such a pain in the arse ?

"Doesn't look like nothing. You can tell me. Maybe I can think of anything that might help you. I'm good at problem solving."

A half laugh, half sob hitched in her throat.

"You are." She gave me a forced smile, impatiently wiping the tears off her face with her cuff again. "It's really idiotic but I am just scared to lose my job. I genuinely thought I could do it, but I know how useless I am with computers. And I need this job."

Why do I feel sorry for her? It's not my fault she doesn't get it!

"I think Mr Carson is getting a bit suspicious about how often I have been calling you. I asked my brother to help me but he's really busy with the twins and his job." She fiddled with herblotchy cuff. "He's super impatient, and he makes me nervous so I understand even less."

She heaved a sigh, pushing her lush tits out so much it made my trousers feel a little tight in the crotch area.

"When you explain something to me, I kind of get it. It starts to make sense to me. And that's never happened before so I thought…"

I was stunned by what I was hearing."You weren't kidding when you asked me to teach you?"

"Not really, no," Amelia muttered, keeping her eyes averted. "And it's fine, I'll figure something out. I just needed a good cry. It helps. It's not like I could pay for computer lessons anyway." Her pretty face flushed that darling pink colour, and she pulled her head down between her shoulders to hide it from me.

If she were a wolf she'd roll over and show me her belly.

I had never found tentativeness in a person attractive before but she was endearing in her own way with her soft curves, the cute little mouth and those eyes. They were the colour of finest whisky.

"You don't need to pay me. How about I come over on Saturday afternoon and we'll go over a few things together?"