Chapter 24
Katrina didn’t deep well that night, and the couldn’t quite place why. She only knew she was uncomfortable, Incomfortable, and completely on edge. The wound up, with nowhere to place any of the confusing feelings that overwhelmed her mind into the early hours of the morning
she finally drifted off into a dreamless, yet restless sleeps, only to be woken up by the unwelcome sound of her alarm blaring loudly felt like shit, really. Like she hadn’t fallen asleep at all
When she checked the time, she realized she had only gotten maybe there hours of broken res. She polled over to her tar drop aimlessly onto her chest, as she stared up at her bedroom ceiling with heavy eyes.
allowing her phone to
Yesterday had been a wladwind. The last week and a half had been, really. She barely knew how to operate around Kylan anymore, and that was before he acted the way he did last night. Now, she had no idea how she was meant to keep up appearances,
I had been made more than obvious to her, that Kylan only booked at her ava means to an end. A conveniently placed person in his life, and not
anything more then that.
That shouldn’t bother her. It wasn’t appropriate for her to be anything more, and Kylan was never going to be an open person, by any means. Katrina had been fine for three years, and she would continue to be line.
catra strong th
She pulled herself out of bed and got ready for work, yawning periodically as she did. She made a mental note to make her coffee extra morning. She pulled on her jacket and heels, grabbed her briefcase, and left her apartment..
She glanced down at her phone, surprised to see that Kylan hadn’t called her yet, Was it going to be another one of those days, where he was in amood! She wasn’t sure she could handle that today. His everyday personality was already exhausting enough, and that was when she was well- rested
She reached the lobby of her building and pushed open the doors to another rainy, fall morning. She glanced down at her phone again, frowning as she contemplated calling Kylan henell.
“You’re going to wander right into the road if you’re not careful, a low voice said to her right.
She jumped on instinct and clutched her phone to her chest. “Christ!” she squealed without thinking.
Kylan stood far closer to her than she thought he would. He looked at her, his brow quirked in quiet amusement Annoyance? She wasn’t sure yet. I’m sorry, Sir. I wasn’t expecting to see her here,” she explained breathlessly, looking up at him slightly. Her heels today were three inches in height, which meant she was two inches taller than her boss’s shoulder while wearing them.
Kylan didn’t say anything, but he stepped closer to her, his grey eyes as unreadable as ever. He reached a hand forward and she watched him with a slightly widened stare, while he gently skimmed his thumb under the skin of her left eye.
“You look tired, be murmured.
She forced herself to swallow. He ran the same thumb down the expanse of her cheekbone before he cleared his throat and stepped back once. “Did you not sleep last night?” he asked quietly
Katrina shrugged, readjusting her briefcase in her hands. “I slept, but not well,” she admitted just as softly.
Kylin hummed in reply. “We can stop and get coffee on the way, he suggested, reaching for her hand, and then pulling her in the direction of the Idling SUV.
“Sir?” she asked curiously as he opened the door and paused for her to enter first. She felt 1 so harsh, only just last night. And now he cared about getting her coffee!
like she had whiplash if she were honest. He had been
Kylan frowned. “You really didn’t sleep, did you?” he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Check the calendar on your phone.” He motioned for her to get in the car, and she did with a frown.
She fixed the hem of her skirt and set her briefcase on the floor in front of her. She unlocked her phone and looked at her calendar, just as Kylan instructed. And then she gasped.
“No, that’s today! How did I forged Ste lock
locked her phone and let it drop onto her lap.
Kylan shifted into the anyway. You only need to be next to me. He talked like it was no big deal and she fought the urge to glare at hien,
seat next to her and closed the door with a snap. “Relax, Katrina. I always handle the bulk of the talking at these summits,
She took in his outfit, realizing he was wearing his newest suit, a crimson–colored the resting against a pristinely pressed white button–down. The black suit jacket he topped the shirt with, fit him like a glove. He even wore silver cufflinks, which he only did on important days. Like today. Today was the tech summit, where they would be prescuing the Nightfall in its entirety. She glanced down at her outfit, thankful she has put effort in her hair, at the very leau,
“I’m sorry, Sir. I’m hor. We’ve been preparing for this for mouths,” she tried her best to massine her loss
Chapter 21
Katrina had been getting ready for the summit for a long time. She knew the Nightfall and its components like the back of her hand. She knew how to get in the proper headspace for public speaking if she needed to, but she was still thankful for the strive to the hotel.
It was strange, sitting next to Kylan after he talked to her the way he did last night. She hail been reprimanded several tunes by him, but not quite in the way he had spoken to her when he reminded her of the contract
It was unsettling, only even more so because he had acted so normally outside the car. He mouched her face. No, caressed her face Nerly Softly
She reminded herself she had been in public, and it was to keep up the proper she was crafting for the world.
Why was it difficult for her to remember that? Why was it hard to accept the two different, but equally professional, relationships with her boss! The contract was no different than anything else she had done for Kylan before, even if it involved hand holding and the occasional kiss It was a business venture, through and through, at the end of the day.
She pushed away the confusing thoughts that had probably been the reason for her near–sleepless night, and instead she stared our the window at the passing streets.
“Oscar, pull over at the next available coffee shop,” Kylan hustructed her driver.
She glanced at Oscar, who she noticed was looking at her with an obvious expression of concern. She sighed and shifted her gaze to Kylan. “That’s one you’ve blacklisted, Sir, she reminded her boss.
chaps I’ll give i
“Perhaps I’ll give them another try,” Kylan responded dryly.
She squinted at him in confusion. “Sir, you’ve never given a shop another chance.”
Oscar pulled next to the curb and Kylan gave her a tight–lipped glare before he opened the door and moved to step out of the car. “Stay here. I’ll get it, he told her, getting out of the car and closing the door again.
She watched him disappear into the shop, feeling i
g more confused than ever.
“Sull not in over her head, Kate?” Oscar asked from the front
She laughed nervously. “I can handle him. Oscar,” she said with a casual shrug.
Oscar turned around in curious expression.
d in his seat
seat to stare at her directly. “It’s not you I’m as worried about anymore,” he admitted quietly, looking at her with a
“You’re worried about Rylan being able to handle me?” she asked incredulously,
Oscar cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve been Kylan’s driver since the inception of the company. I’ve been privy to areas of his life that not many others have been. All I will say is that I caution you to be mindful of how he treats you. I don’t want him to hurt you simply because he doesn’t know how to regulate his emotions.”
As he spoke, he kept a careful eye on the front door of the café.
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Oscar, Kylan doesn’t have emotions. Not when it comes to me, anyway, she responded as if it should be obvious. Because it should be. Because it was.
Kylan Ross was many things, but emotional would never be one of them
Oscar started to say something else when the car door opened, and Rylan moved back inside. He handed her a large collec and a small, warm bag. She accepted both with a thank you, spened the bag and looked inside.
“How did you know I like these?” she asked as Kylan buckled his seat belt, a small cup still in his hand.
“I’ve seen you eat them on occasion, Kylan responded breezily, taking a sip of his tea. He scrunched his nose and sighed. “Still shit, he mumbled, rraching into his suit jackes, and withdrawing his phone..
She looked back into the bag and felt herself smile. The cinnamon roll smelled divine, as did the coffee she held in her other hand. “Thank you,” she told her boss sincerely.
the
summumit,” he instructed her plainly.
Kylan grunted. “Don’t spill any f any crumbs, Drink all the coffee so you’re awake f Katrina noticed how he refrained from wearing a few times now already. But she was too occupied with her cinnamon roll to even let it get into her head.
smile widened. “I will, she said softly.
Oscar looked at her in the rearview mirror, but she ignored his stare in favor of indulging in the delicious warmth of the pastry Kylan got her
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1:02 PM dd.
Chapter 21
By the time she reached the summit, she felt human and thus more presentable. The cinnamon roll was delightful, even if Kylan watched her eat it with a weary expression the entire time. She promised him if she spilled even a single crumb, she would vacuum the interior of the SUV herself.
She reapplied a layer of lipstick while Oscar parked the car and moved to open the door for her and Kylan.
“Business setting, so no hand–holding, right?” she clarified, closing her lipstick, and then zipping it into the side pocket of her briefcase.
Kylan looked at her for a minute, even after Oscar opened the door. “No hand–holding,” he confirmed, stepping out, and waiting for her to do the
He still helped her out of the car but dropped his hand from hers a moment later. She ventured into the hotel; another upscale, stuffy, pretentious veitar. Nothing new She checked in at the reception counter, and Kylan handed her her respective badge to wear.
It indicated she was with Ross Corp, and that she was Kylan’s assistant. Kylan clipped his badge on, only after complaining about needing to wear one at all. She noticed it sat just slightly too far to the right on his suit front, and she set her briefcase down and stepped forward to adjust it
Kylan stiffened at her proximity, but she still fixed the badge and then patted his chest once.
“Shall we, Sar?” She picked up her briefcase and motioned to the conference assembly hall, “Let’s get it over with Kylan grumbled, walking past her without looking at her,
