Page 33 of Hunted Temptation (Alpha Nights: Unlikely Heroes #4)

MARLOWE

Standing in the middle of the office, I look around and wonder what the hell Hale and his partners do for a living. I’m really not sure. Clearly something special, because this building is massive and fancy. Turning my head, I look over at Hale.

“What do you do here?”

His lips twitch into a smirk. “We’re a security company.”

“For whom? The White House?” I ask in awe.

He chuckles while shaking his head a couple of times. “No, sweetheart. But we’ve had some high-profile clients in the past.”

A few moments later, I’m taken to a small back room that holds a bunch of filing cabinets and piles of papers. Hale tells me that I can start filing and organizing, but he has no idea what the process is.

As I stare at the piles, then shift my gaze to the cabinets, I realize that if I screw up, I could really mess something up, and I don’t want to do that. My thoughts begin to spiral as I’m filled with doubt and anxiety.

I don’t want these people to think I’m stupid.

Because if they think I’m dumb, they probably won’t let me come back, and they probably wouldn’t like me, and then Hale wouldn't want anything to do with me. And even though I don’t quite know what he really wants with me, I really like him…

a lot. Like falling in love with him, like, and the last thing I want is for his friends to hate me.

So I don’t do anything.

I decide to wait for the rest of the women to arrive.

Maybe they can direct me on what to do and how to do it so I don’t screw anything up.

Hale claims there are two who work here, and they should be in soon.

Which is fine, because almost as soon as Hale leaves me in the filing room to go into his own office, Stellan begins to cry.

Which is normal for Stellan. I’m surprised he has lasted this long without crying, although it was probably only because he could hear Hale’s voice. For whatever reason, that calms him immediately.

I should really get a recording of him reading or talking in some way so Stellan can rest when he’s not around… So I can breathe.

Taking him out of his car seat, I hold him in my arms and start to pace with him.

I’ve discovered that this is the best way to calm him down.

I don’t know if he’s got a bellyache, gas, or if he’s got colic.

The doctor has only suggested I stop giving him certain formulas. I’ve tried them all, and nothing helps.

I don’t know what it is, but he cries all the time.

Unless I pace.

Only then does he stop.

But I can’t sleep when I’m pacing. I can’t do anything when I’m pacing… other than pace.

I also can’t stay in the little office. It doesn’t give me enough pacing space. So I make my way out into the main room, where I can really move. Back and forth, back and forth, up and down the area, in a square, whatever he needs, until finally, Stellan falls asleep against my shoulder.

But I don’t stop. I can’t. Unless he’s in a deep sleep, he’ll just wake back up again.

Angrier.

I’m not sure how long I am into the pacing and him sleeping when the elevator car door opens, almost like parting waves or something. There, I see a gorgeous man and a dark-haired siren walk through the door.

They both look like they could be models. I’m sure I look like an idiot standing in front of them, mouth open, eyes wide.

“Oh my gosh,” the woman exhales before she rushes toward me. “This must be Stellan. Hale has not stopped talking about him, and the pictures do him absolutely zero justice. He’s beautiful.”

She talks a mile a minute, her hand on his back, her attention focused directly on him. Then she lifts her gaze to meet mine.

“I’m Lucille, by the way. My husband is Theron.” She hitches her thumb behind her to the modelesque man standing a few feet away, wearing a suit and looking absolutely dapper.

“I work with the guys, and now with you,” she says, her eyes finding mine as she gives me a wink and a smile. “Although I’ll take baby duty anytime you want to hand him over. I’ve been trying to talk Theron into another. He says it’s a no-go, so maybe this will assuage my desire.”

“If you can get him to stop crying, you can hold him,” I reply with a smile.

She reaches for him and takes him from my arms, and without another word, she transfers Stellan to her own, and he immediately lies against her chest. I stare at her in awe. She winks again before she speaks.

“I’ve got two, both of them absolute monsters, though I blame myself.”

I laugh softly at her words before I turn toward her husband. Extending my hand, I wait for him to shake it, and he does, his fingers curling around mine as he moves his hand up and down a few times. Then he clears his throat before he introduces himself as Theron.

“I’m the one who does most of the office work.

Colette was in charge of all the filing.

Everything is pretty easy and self-explanatory.

If there isn’t a file for someone or a job name, make one.

You can do it in pencil if you’re worried.

But everything should be alphabetical. Our next goal is getting everything digitized. Maybe you can help with that, too.”

“I really appreciate this opportunity.”

Theron smirks. “Thank you for making Hale happy,” he says before he turns around and walks toward a door. I watch as he lets himself inside, then stare at the closed door, wondering what the actual hell.

Do I make Hale happy?

I don’t do anything.

He does everything.

I’m the happy one.

HALE

It’s literal torture sitting inside my office while Marlowe is just a few feet away in another room. I thought this would make things easier. That having them here, under my protection, would all but calm my ass down.

It doesn’t.

It ramps my ass up because I want to be with them. Near them. I want to be near Marlowe. Honestly, what I want is to be inside her, and with her being this close, it’s making the temptation that much greater.

I’m not sure I’ll be able to concentrate. Closing my eyes, I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to take calming breaths. But I fail. I’m only brought out of my own head when my cell phone rings.

Reaching for the device, I open my eyes and tilt my head to the side when I see Unknown Caller flash across my screen.

My brows knit together. Usually, I would ignore an unknown number, but I’ve been working hard on some new client contracts, and some of our clients tend to be a bit more obscure than others.

So this results in me needing to answer everything.

“Hale,” I say as my greeting.

“Where the fuck is my son?”

Interesting. “Do I know your son?” I ask.

I know exactly who he’s calling about. I haven’t asked Marlowe about the father of her baby or the circumstances surrounding him.

She came to live with me. She no longer has a cell phone, and as far as I know, hasn’t had contact with this person.

I’m certain that the surveillance at the condo has shown nobody else but me going in and out of that place.

“Yeah, you been playing happy family. I want my kid. Now .”