Page 9 of His Secret Betrayal (Cedarwood Valley Duology #2)

Finn throws his head back, cackling. But I’m only vaguely aware of it and the soft pat of his hand on my arm.

Because that’s when I get my first glimpse of Alek, all those toned muscles leaning against the doorframe of his office sending an electrical jolt to my heart.

His eyes take a leisurely stroll up my body, pin pricks of heat trailing in their wake.

When his gaze locks on the spot where Finn’s hand is still latched onto me, his lips purse.

Something dark flashes in his eyes, his jaw clenching .

I pull away from Finn, not quite understanding why Alek’s obvious displeasure has adrenaline coursing through my body, or why it sorta feels…

nice. Finn, of course, takes one look at the “Beware: Danger Ahead” sign that is Alek right now, and promptly ignores it.

“Don’t worry, boss man, you already marked your territory. I got the message loud and clear.”

Alek’s eye twitches.

I suck in a breath, everything inside me going hot at the implication.

The sound catches Alek’s attention, his head cocking to the side as he studies me.

“Finn,” he says, “the deadline for the Calloway project just got moved up. I need you to work an hour over today to get it completed.” Despite the fact he’s not addressing me, his eyes never leave mine.

I swallow around the sudden tightness in my throat.

“But—” Finn begins to protest, cutting himself off when I grab his arm and begin pulling him along.

“Stop stepping in your own shit,” I mutter.

“He’s such a killjoy,” Finn pouts.

But I’m not paying attention because, when I look over my shoulder, one corner of Alek’s lips is twisting into a smug grin.

That’s when I realize he never denied Finn’s accusation.

I jerk my gaze away as though I’ve been burned, so many questions tumbling through my mind.

My stomach enters freefall mode, my heart flipping over itself.

He didn’t deny it.

“Why do you look like you’re being led to the gallows?

” Finn asks a few hours later as we enter the breakroom.

It’s a small room with a collection of square tables, a row of vending machines on the far-left wall, a leather sofa along the adjacent wall, with sunlight pouring in from the large window.

Finn’s eyes are sparkling with mischief as he arches an eyebrow.

“Umm…isn’t there like an unspoken rule about not sitting at the same lunch table as your boss?” I hedge. Besides, after yesterday, I don’t want to give Alek another chance to accuse me of flirting with Finn.

Finn winks. “Some rules are meant to be broken. That’s when the fun happens.”

I grunt, my stomach performing somersaults as he leads me to the table currently occupied by Alek.

He’s stabbing his fork into a bowl of salad, his glasses slipping down his nose as he studies something on his cell phone.

Whatever it is, he’s so engrossed in it that he doesn’t notice our approach until Finn takes a chair on the opposite side of the table.

I reluctantly take the seat next to Finn and directly across from Alek, something about the casual intimacy of sitting down to eat lunch with Alek making me want to squirm.

“Well, well, well…if it isn’t the Time Terrorist himself!” Finn exclaims.

“Finn.” Alek shoots him a shrewd, reproachful look. “Always an unfortunate pleasure to see you.”

Finn gasps. “Hey! I’ll have you know I’m a delight!”

“Is that why you’re encroaching on my lunch hour?” Alek drawls, his tone dry.

“I—uh, we could sit at another table,” I offer quickly, shooting Finn a wide-eyed look. As fun as it is to annoy the man, I don’t want to annoy him for real . It’s his lunch break, the only time of day he has completely to himself. Why would he want to spend it with us—with me ?

Alek’s gaze softens as it swings in my direction, his eyelashes fluttering once as he swallows. “No, stay,” he says quietly. “I want you to.”

Oh.

I ignore the warm, fuzzy sensation in my chest. Finn mutters something unintelligible under his breath and without even having to know what he said, I shoot my left foot out and kick him in the shin.

He hisses at me, shooting me a dirty look before turning his attention to the navy-blue lunch bag he brought with him.

Quickly unzipping the container, he pulls out a Red Bull and pops the tab.

My eyes widen as I watch him tip the can back and begin to guzzle large mouthfuls.

“Jesus help us all,” Alek mutters.

An old school, 90s pop song chooses that moment to begin blaring from the general direction of Finn’s pocket.

He pulls a cell phone out, making a happy little noise in the back of his throat before jumping up.

“Sorry to deprive you of my delightful company, gentlemen, but I have to take this,” he declares.

With my heart rate picking up, I try to turn my face away from Alek and give Finn a pleading expression before quietly hissing, “Don’t leave me.

” It’s not that I don’t want to be alone with Alek.

Quite the opposite actually, and that’s the problem.

Bad things are bound to happen if I spend too much time alone with this behemoth of a man and those mouth-watering forearms that are begging to be touched.

Bad good things.

And, if I’m being honest, I’ve never really been good at resisting temptation.

Finn, of course, ignores me and bounds out of the room like the traitor he is.

“Afraid I might bite?” Alek asks, one of those knowing smirks tugging on his lips.

“No,” I answer honestly. Only afraid I might like it .

Alek gazes pointedly at the nearby empty tables. “You know, nobody is forcing you to sit here. I’m not holding you hostage.”

A little bit of guilt trickles in at that, because I hadn’t meant for him to hear me. “I’m happy where I am,” I admit, the words tumbling out in a quick, breathless succession.

Alek stills, sucking in a sharp breath as he studies me. “Good.”

I swallow, holding his gaze until I can’t bear the heady, delicious weight of it anymore and focus my attention on my own lunch bag instead.

Zipping open the black container, I pull out the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I made this morning, along with a bag of chips.

My stomach lets out a loud growling rumble just as I’m taking the first bite, the creamy peanut butter exploding across my taste buds.

Alex frowns. “Do you always eat like that?”

“Like what?”

His frown deepens. “Like a college frat boy who has no concept of nutrition.”

I grin, amusement zipping through me at the slightly disgusted and horrified expression on Alek’s face as I continue to devour my sandwich. “What’s wrong with what I’m eating?”

Instead of answering me, Alek waits until I’ve finished my sandwich before pushing a clear container to my side of the table with a gruff, “Eat.”

Curious, I pull the red lid off and…grimace. “Carrots? Seriously?”

“Eat.”

I sigh, pulling out another container of what I sincerely hope is ranch dressing, only to be disappointed when it turns out to be hummus.

“Fine. Whatever.” As I bite into the first carrot stick with a satisfying crunch, I swear I hear a pleased little hum from Alek.

We return to eating our meals in silence, my gaze lingering on the man in front of me.

Questions spring to the forefront of my mind, things I’ve never stopped to wonder about my best friend’s dad before.

Has he always run this place by himself?

And what made him decide to open a book cover design company?

Does he like being the boss, calling his own shots?

I like graphic design in general, but it’s not my passion.

Not like my artwork is, but I haven’t been brave enough to try to make a living off of that.

And I can’t imagine wanting to run an entire company by myself.

From what I’ve seen so far, Alek makes it look effortless.

“Why book cover design?” I blurt out.

For a second, Alek looks startled. “What?”

“What made you want to run a company that does book cover designs?”

He blinks, the confusion clearing from his eyes, replaced with something more contemplative. “Because it’s bullshit what people say about not judging a book by its cover.”

I tilt my head. “What do you mean?”

“What’s the first thing you notice about a book?” he prompts.

“The…cover.”

He nods. “Exactly. It’s the first thing people see when they’re at the bookstore. If it isn’t visually pleasing to them, they keep browsing.”

“Hmm. I guess you’re right.”

“It’s the author’s most powerful tool. All it takes is one glance and the reader immediately gets a glimpse at what’s on the inside. I like to think it’s what’s on the inside that counts and it’s our job to convey that.”

I whistle. “Wow…that’s surprisingly deep.”

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised by his answer.

Caleb told me once that his dad has a keen eye, and he’s somewhat of a workaholic.

I suppose someone like Alek Cromwell wouldn’t be the type of person to half-ass anything, would he?

It sort of makes me wonder what being in a relationship with Alek would be like.

I bet he’s attentive to his partners, and I bet that’s exhilarating.

Having the full attention of a man like this, being the object of his focus… .

Wait, why am I thinking about this?

“Sometimes the cover is hiding what’s really just underneath it,” he adds quietly.

My eyebrows furrow. Are we still talking about book covers? I decide to change the subject. “Have you always wanted to be your own boss?”

Surprise and something like pleasure lights across Alek’s face, like maybe he likes me asking all these questions.

I’m disappointed when an alarm goes off on his phone, prompting him to look at the time before standing.

He gathers his empty salad container before making his way to the trash can, glancing once over his shoulder.

His gaze is heated again, something deliciously dark flitting across his expression.

“Yes, actually, there are many different occasions in which I enjoy being in charge.”

I pause mid-chew. Why did that sound dirty?

He winks. “Don’t linger too long, Luke. You have more training to do.”

I struggle not to choke on a carrot, too busy watching his graceful movements as he strolls out of the breakroom to notice Finn’s return. When I finally look up, he’s standing there with his mouth hanging open. “That’s not fair! He’s never been anything but professional with me!”

Although I laugh at Finn’s pouty face, I’m secretly buzzing with energy. I’m like an addict, already craving my next hit of Alek Cromwell and wondering when I can get it.