Page 7 of Seductive Architect (Grunts of Vanguard #2)

Arthur: Where are you?

Drew: Is everything okay?

Wyatt: He’s with a handsome man.

Janet: How handsome? Why are there no photos? Speaking of…

Arthur: Stop asking for nudes!

Janet: I already have yours.

Arthur: …

Wyatt: Friend Janet, why are you not sharing?

Arthur might complain about taking an extended lunch break, but he couldn’t argue with the results.

When I returned to the office, I immersed myself in the HeroApp? code.

We no longer had d elayed reports. Photos compressed an additional 13.

7%. Our villain locator now provided accuracy within a dozen feet.

Who knew laughing with a curious goofball would make me more efficient at my job?

I’d still be working if Kiki hadn’t knocked at my door.

I waved my hands, and the holograms showing the interior of the HeroApp? vanished.

At first glance, it was obvious she didn’t work here.

While Wyatt and Drew arrived in dress shirts, Arthur insisted on a three-piece suit.

I had toned down my “Destroy the Man ” t-shirts and now wore one with a hand with a single extended digit. Yes, that digit.

Kiki, on the other hand, appeared almost angelic. She loved long, flowing gowns. Each week, it featured a different floral print. Her circular glasses were oversized, making her eyes appear bigger than usual. It only accentuated her expressive brows.

“I almost forgot we had an appointment.” Every time I paused to examine my handiwork, my mind drifted to sour cream and then that goofy smile. She didn’t need to convince me. I had things to discuss.

“Let’s do this.”

Her eyebrow went up, the disbelief almost palpable. “No fighting?”

“Not today.”

“No threats of violence?”

“I’ll save it for next week.”

I breezed past her, heading to the room Arthur designated, “The Self-Improvement Suite.” It had become her unofficial office, holding nothing more than a couch, chair, and shag rug.

At first, Wyatt was the focus as she helped acclimate him to Earth’s customs. It had only taken six months before he stopped referring to us as Earthlings.

Now, it seemed I spent more time sprawled across her couch as she encouraged my integration into society.

I plopped down on the couch as she stood at the room’s threshold.

Like us, Kiki had powers. Instead of saving the world, she used her abilities to counsel those who required the utmost discretion.

As soon as she flowed into the room, her body twitched.

She called it “geo-centric memory,” but it meant that when she left this room, she’d forget our conversation.

She’d only remember the notes in my file.

It made her the perfect therapist for superheroes.

“Does it get tiring not remembering what we discussed?”

She giggled, her head rolling back. Pushing her large circular frames up her nose, she shook her head. “It allows me to help my clients. Not only that, I have the luxury of not bringing my work home with me. I can only imagine the stories supers share.”

“That would drive me nuts.”

“Not all of us are trying to draw connections between every event in our lives.” I tried to reply, and her finger shot up. “Before you provide a snide comment. What had you excited about this session? I’ve never seen you… eager . ”

“I think I might be close to discovering?—”

“Nope.”

“But the?—”

“Illuminati… really? That’s what had you excited?”

I frowned. “A little excited.”

“Orion, we’ve had almost…” She held up her slender fingers, counting.

“Fifty sessions. Goodness, where has the time gone?” For her, it only existed in this room.

She was one of the few people I trusted with the intricate details of the wall .

Despite my candidness with the theories and research, she insisted I used it as a barrier to keep the world at bay.

“Have you had a revelation about your breakup?”

Only Kiki and Connie knew the details behind my failed pseudo-relationship. It was almost embarrassing to discuss it, even if it still stung. “Not really. I finally dumped my NovaStation in the cabinet, so I don’t have to look at it.”

“That’s progress.” Her excitement settled as she moved into therapist mode. “Does that mean you’re finally ready to move on?”

Move on? Or did I pretend like I didn’t have my heart trampled on like a first-level bard taking on an eldritch horror?

Logically, I understood relationships went south.

I had breakups in high school that resulted in journals of tragic poetry.

I thought I’d moved past wanting somebody in my life who existed outside virtual reality.

My unease was more about me than Jared… and yet, here I was getting excited about a new man.

“Something has you in an upbeat mood. How about we focus on that? And so help me?—”

“I met somebody.” I blurted out the words.

My hand covered my mouth, embarrassed at the volume.

“I mean, I met somebody .” I articulated the sentence with a wink.

The wider I threw open this door, the more I risked.

Something in my gut… something about Hudson…

I wanted to take the risk, and that terrified me.

“That’s wonderful!” Her clapping should not be this enthusiastic. From anybody else, it’d be condescending, but she loved to celebrate what she perceived as a victory. “Is this person perhaps a gentleman of interest?”

“His file?—”

“Nope. No. Not having it. What have we said about files?” Her lips pursed together as she sat back, crossing her legs. Kiki had a long list of rules. I swear, every time we parted, I had to add another.

I rolled my eyes. “Researching people doesn’t count as interaction.”

“How did you meet?”

“Janet’s vibrator.”

Her eyes widened even bigger than her oversized frames. It was good to know I could still unsettle my therapist. “I’m scared to say this, and heaven help me, but I’m going to need more detail. ”

I explained my first interaction with Hudson, and she nodded along. When we got to Janet, appearing to steal the box, she pulled out the pad of paper she kept wedged in her chair. Her pencil scribbled notes. “I see. I’ll be talking to Janet about boundaries.”

Sure, it had been embarrassing. If it had been a simple box needing a drop-off, I’m not sure it’d have been enough time to chat with Hudson.

Who knew it required a certain amount of discomfort to shake me from my cynical ways?

Everybody would get a laugh when I say we first locked eyes over a vibrator stuck in turbo mode.

“I think we had a date.”

“Think?”

“There’s something curious about him. I have questions about his origin, and when my research wasn’t producing results, I asked him to lunch.”

“Is this a made-up scenario? Why do you need a reason to pursue this man?” Kiki didn’t hold back from asking the hard questions. Rarely did she find me in a mood willing to listen. At this point in our session, I’d be explaining how the Mole-People were disrupting the power grid.

Her head tipped forward, and she glared over her glasses. Okay. Why? Why did I struggle to admit this was anything more than an investigation? I trusted code. I understood it and spoke it fluently. It didn’t lie to me to get what it wanted. I choked as a single word echoed in the back of my head .

Fear of being wrong. Fear of wanting more.

“Fear.” Was this one of those epiphany moments Kiki promised? “It’s real… the date, I mean. I think. I didn’t intend for it to happen.” Oh, hell. One honest moment led to another. I didn’t like personal growth. But I couldn’t stop myself. “But I’m glad it did.”

For a man without a birth record and no digital footprint, there was something interesting about him on a personal level.

It had little to do with his photo on my wall.

“He’s nice. Goofy nice. But there’s a catch.

There’s something about him… When we touched, I heard something.

Code. You’d think that’d be the thing that unnerved me the most. But really…

who hasn’t eaten Mexican before? Even Wyatt loves tacos, and he’s from outer space! ”

“Do you think, and hear me out on this, you’re making a conspir?—”

“We don’t use that word.”

“Developing a theory as an excuse to interact with this gentleman?”

I slumped back against the couch, letting her words get under my skin.

No. It had nothing to do with that rugged jawline or the way his suspenders framed his belly.

What about the hum of the code when we touched hands?

Or the lack of a past? I wanted to say it was only about uncovering the truth, but I didn’t give face-time to anybody else on the board.

Hell, if I could avoid interacting with people in the office, I’d find a way .

“I’m good at my job, Orion, but I can’t read minds.” She giggled at the thought. “Heavens, that’d be horrific!” She swatted away the thought, focusing on me. “You’ve got something on your mind. Dish.”

If I said it out loud, admitted that I wanted to see that goofy grin again, it wouldn’t have anything to do with the board.

It had been months since I shut the door on people, let alone the idea of connecting with one.

I had been going about my life, relying on my routines.

But was I happy? I tried to pretend like everything was okay, but some part of me craved companionship.

Even Connie had a special somebody in her life.

Did I feel left out? I cringed at the thought of wanting to connect with another meat sack.

“I think…” I didn’t need friends. But maybe I wanted one that didn’t work in the office. “Maybe I want to?—”

A crash shook the building.

“Thank God.” I maintained plausible deniability.

“No!” Kiki cried. “We almost had a breath through.”

I won the betting pool!