Page 192 of Soul Mates: Hercules Valentine and I

Don’t shake your head, Paisley. Don’t mention the impossibility of dealing with both today.I’m feeling the weight I’m carrying on my shoulders at the moment. Facing the team. Working for VTI behind my family’s backs. Being caught on camera making out with Hercules yesterday, then going at it again today.

Something tells me our woes are larger than King Kong and we haven’t even begun to be distressed by the mistakes we’ve made.

So I decide to do what Hercules has done—smile and minimize the impact of us not being able to stay away from each other.

“Okay,” I sing as if I don’t have a care in the world.

The skin between his eyes gathers then evens out. I wait for him to say whatever’s apparently on his mind, but instead, he points his hand into the elevator car and says, “After you.”

9:11 a.m.

Hercules and I wait in a conference room on the penthouse floor. We’re seated at the head of the table. Frankly, I can hardly remember the ride up the elevator or the walk through his office and down the hallway. My head was still floating to the Milky Way as I kept repeating my mantra while keeping my distance. I’m now nervous because he’s already called Mason, and he and the team are on their way up. At any second, I'm going to be face-to-face with all the people I lied to. How do I even begin to ask them to forgive me?

“You’ll be fine,” Hercules says as he puts his hand on my shaking thigh. “Just be straight with them.”

I stop bouncing my leg. “I know. I will.”

“About the kiss…” he whispers.

I rip my focus off the empty leather swivel chairs to gaze at him. I don’t know what to say, though.

“I want more of you, Paisley.”

My eyebrows pull inward so severely, my forehead aches. “We can’t though, because…”

“I know.” He nods. “But I have some plans in the works.”

I can’t stop shaking my head. “Hercules, I want to sleep with you, but…”

The door opens, and Rina walks in, gawking at me as if I’m some rare and exotic bird.

“We’ll finish this later,” Hercules whispers.

I swallow to moisten my dry throat as I nod while watching her. I should smile, but I can’t.

“Paisley?” Nat says as she sits next to Rina.

Finally, I manage a weak smile as I watch Jonah, Harv, Rob, Lim, and another person take a seat.

“Wow. Look who rose from the dead,” Harv remarks, setting off a chorus of chuckles. “Is that you, Lark? I mean, Paisley Grove?” he asks.

“It is” barely inches past my lips.

Rob leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. “And she’s here, why?” His apparent contempt smacks me in the face like an open hand.

“Hey,” Hercules says, thrusting his chest in Rob’s direction. I squeeze Hercules’s muscular thigh. There’s no need to police Rob’s tone. I can handle it. I’m not one to aggressively throw my weight around, but still, I’m made of Teflon.

“I’m here because Mr. Valentine asked me to come,” I say.

Rina shakes her head like she’s offended by my answer. “And that’s it?”

“I also want to say I’m sorry too. I can’t explain why I did it.”

“What did you do?” Harv asks.

Eyebrows furrowed, I quickly turn to Hercules then find Mason, who’s watching me cautiously, standing at the back of the room. Didn’t they explain that Hercules caught me trying to steal a code out of the brain?

I take a deep breath as I rise to my feet. I don’t want to mislead them. If we’re going to work together again, they have to know it all—well, at least as much as I can tell them. So I start from my interview with VTI and end on that ill-fated night.