6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Amelia

I must have been out of my mind to agree to Desmond's offer.

I hadn't even told Aspen my colleague would be coming over to my place to teach me computer skills. My big brother would have been worried sick when his poor, helpless baby sister had a Big Bad Wolf over.

I wasn't scared of him at all. Desmond was prepared to help me on his day off.He was a good guy.

I spent the entire morning deep cleaning my flat while making sure it didn't look like I was trying too hard.

Tidy but not obsessively clean.

To get my mind off things and keep my hands busy I had whipped up a batch of the shortbread he liked so much.

For good measure I had also showered, shaved and exfoliated, dressed in a nice outfit and then sat around waiting for the clock to tick over to half two.

The bell rang at precisely two twenty-nine, and I dashed to the door.

"Hello?" I asked on the intercom.

"Hi, it's me," he replied in his low rumble. "Desmond," he added for good measure, it seemed. As if I expected another person but him at half two on a Saturday.

"Second floor," I told him and buzzed him in.

Heavy footsteps came up the stairs and I waited on tenterhooks to get the first glimpse of my colleague.

Goodness.

I barely suppressed a sigh when he ascended the last couple of steps and came to a halt before me.

Never before had I seen Desmond in anything but nerdy T-shirts and jeans that did exactly nothing for his butt. Today he looked dashing in brown boots, ripped black jeans and a beige, soft looking Henley shirt with the buttons undone.

"Hi," I breathed, my eyes hanging on his biceps. They were as thick as my thighs and— oh my gosh —I just wanted to feel them wrapped around me.

"Hey. Ready for your first lesson?"

My body is ready.

"Yep, come in."

Stepping aside, I let him pass, trying to get a whiff of his cologne—a spicy, rich scent I'd come to appreciate over the last few weeks.

Desmond slipped out of his leather boots, arranging them neatly on the shoe tray, hitched his laptop bag higher up his shoulder and turned his attention expectantly on me.I led the way into my living room.

"Um, I don't have a dining table, just a small desk or we can sit on the couch. Sorry..."

"The couch is perfect," he interrupted me with a fleeting smile.

"Okay. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, water, tea?"

"Oh, a cuppa would be nice."

"Be right back. Make yourself at home." I disappeared in the kitchen and made us two cups of tea and prepared a small plate of shortbread.All the while trying not to overthink what I'd said.

Make yourself at home. Move in, Desmond, why don't you?

"You spoil me, Miss Hendry." Desmond winked playfully as he accepted the mug from me.

"I told you, it's the least I can do."

Darn it .

The tell-tale heat on my cheeks told me they'd be glowing within a few seconds.

He gave me a taxing look, narrowing his eyes briefly at me.

"You're not used to people wanting to be nice to you without expecting anything in return, huh?" He inhaled sharply, as if shocked by his own words. "I'm sorry." His voice dropped to a quiet, measured tone. "That was uncalled for."

I shrugged it off.

"Oh shoot, I suppose I'll need my laptop, won't I?"

"Aye, good idea," he told me in the same carefully measured tone again.

"Be right back." Why didn't I think to fetch it before he arrived? I got up to grab it from my tiny bedroom. I'd used it to watch a new show on Claw last night, and the opening credits started up again when I opened the lid.

"Oh, you watch Ash Soul, too?"

I turned to find Desmond's head tilted at the theme playing from the tinny speakers, his ears were cocked and he reminded me vividly of my grandmother's old dog waiting to be thrown a stick.

Suppressing a grin, I nodded at him.

"I discovered it a few weeks ago. I'm obsessed ."

"Oh my God, yeah, it's addictive, isn't it? Do you think—Hang on, have you seen the latest episode yet?"

He cares if he'll spoil me or not? How adorable is he?

"I have. I always watch it the day it comes out, I hate spoilers."

"Me, too." Desmond chuckled and bumped his elbow to mine. "Do you think Molten Claw can rescue Nir?"

The large black hellhound main character had found out his love interest, a Pooka, had been kidnapped in last night's episode and of course it had ended on a cliffhanger .

"I really hope so. They're so good together, aren't they?"

They were the perfect couple.

Nir, a horse shifter, tall and exceptionally handsome as Pookas were, and rugged, rough-edged Molten Claw, who was the anti-hero in the story, had beautiful chemistry.

"They are." He heaved a big sigh, then glanced at me out of the corners of his eyes. "I always thought Bog reminded me of—"

"Mr Carson?" I supplied and Desmond burst out laughing.

"Right? No idea if all Demons are this blustering, but it's so funny to watch."

The bad guy, a vicious billionaire, had a lot in common with my boss—in looks that was. Carson was wonderful but the two men looked exceptionally alike.

"It always cracks me up, too." He caught my eye and held my gaze for a long moment, then shook his head a little.

"Okay." The tall wolf rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, bunching his bicep obscenely. "Shall we get started?"