dished out in fine china.
Her temper was frayed to a breaking point by lust and jetlag. She took a deep breath, and managed to entirely miss that Alex was pulling her chair out for her until he cleared his throat gently and gave her a somewhat pointed smile. “Sorry,” she said again, sitting down.
I do not like this, Sam I am. Not one bit.
CHAPTER SIX
The food was delicious, though Alex couldn ’t for the life of him figure out why the staff had decided to dirty a bunch of dishes for his take away order. It wasn’t like they needed to impress him. His father had used the same agency to provide chefs and house staff for his apartments around AEGIS’s locations for the past two decades. Admittedly, it was his first time in London on business, but that hardly justified this sort of treatment. He was a little shocked they hadn’t put a red carpet down the stairs for him. And thank God they hadn’t; Zoey looked completely shell-shocked.
He reached out and touched the back of her hand. It took a moment for her eyes to focus on him. “Everything all right?” he asked.
She turned her hand to his, palm up. He thought that was a hopeful thing. “The food is amazing.”
“And how are you?” Because she hadn’t really answered his question at all.
She gave a shrug. Her eyes flicked over his shoulder, to where Watkins was standing, poised to assist at the absolute moment that anyone required him. Alex had a momentary urge to do something totally childish, drop his napkin on the floor or something, just to see the man dive for a clean one.
At home, Sophia was very used to him. She didn’t crowd like this, and she was confident in his ability to either get off his butt and get himself a glass of water, should he require one, or at least ask for one if he was somehow trapped in place. These people didn’t know him, just knew that he was new, and important—and hell, maybe they were compensating the same way he was. Wanting to make sure that the new American understood exactly what proper service was.
“Try a samosa,” he said, nudging the silver dish a little closer to her. “I admit, they taste better straight out of the carton, but they’re still pretty decent like this.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, which made her laugh. That was something at least.
“Sorry,” she said, for the thousandth time since they’d walked into the flat. “I’m just discombobulated, I think. I wish I hadn’t slept on the plane. It’s so dark out, but I feel—well, not wide awake, but not tired either.”
He’d been holding himself together reasonably well, but it was too many sleep words in one sentence. The yawn that had been holding itself back for hours broke free in a jaw-popping crackle of joints. He’d napped briefly on the plane, but he’d more or less been awake for a day and a half, and he was completely exhausted. “Sorry,” he tried to groan through the yawn, but it didn’t help at all. “I had vague plans of showing you some London nightlife, but I don’t think I’m going to make it much further into the night than this.”
She was grinning in a funny way, her eyes lighter and happier than they’d been just a few minutes before. “It’s okay,” she said. “We’re here on a business trip. I can entertain myself.”
“Oh, can you?” He raised his eyebrows as he took a bite of lamb wrapped in naan.
Her eyes flicked back towards Watkins, and he could almost feel her nervousness on the tip of his tongue. “I have a really good book on my tablet,” she said, and he could hear the soft warning in her voice, telling him not to push. He managed not to laugh. It was a struggle.
As the food settled, his eyes got heavier. He felt them close, felt them almost shut on him, and jerked awake again as Zoey’s hand brushed over his. “Come on,” she said. “You’re exhausted. Let’s go to bed.”
Alex stood, proud of
Her temper was frayed to a breaking point by lust and jetlag. She took a deep breath, and managed to entirely miss that Alex was pulling her chair out for her until he cleared his throat gently and gave her a somewhat pointed smile. “Sorry,” she said again, sitting down.
I do not like this, Sam I am. Not one bit.
CHAPTER SIX
The food was delicious, though Alex couldn ’t for the life of him figure out why the staff had decided to dirty a bunch of dishes for his take away order. It wasn’t like they needed to impress him. His father had used the same agency to provide chefs and house staff for his apartments around AEGIS’s locations for the past two decades. Admittedly, it was his first time in London on business, but that hardly justified this sort of treatment. He was a little shocked they hadn’t put a red carpet down the stairs for him. And thank God they hadn’t; Zoey looked completely shell-shocked.
He reached out and touched the back of her hand. It took a moment for her eyes to focus on him. “Everything all right?” he asked.
She turned her hand to his, palm up. He thought that was a hopeful thing. “The food is amazing.”
“And how are you?” Because she hadn’t really answered his question at all.
She gave a shrug. Her eyes flicked over his shoulder, to where Watkins was standing, poised to assist at the absolute moment that anyone required him. Alex had a momentary urge to do something totally childish, drop his napkin on the floor or something, just to see the man dive for a clean one.
At home, Sophia was very used to him. She didn’t crowd like this, and she was confident in his ability to either get off his butt and get himself a glass of water, should he require one, or at least ask for one if he was somehow trapped in place. These people didn’t know him, just knew that he was new, and important—and hell, maybe they were compensating the same way he was. Wanting to make sure that the new American understood exactly what proper service was.
“Try a samosa,” he said, nudging the silver dish a little closer to her. “I admit, they taste better straight out of the carton, but they’re still pretty decent like this.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, which made her laugh. That was something at least.
“Sorry,” she said, for the thousandth time since they’d walked into the flat. “I’m just discombobulated, I think. I wish I hadn’t slept on the plane. It’s so dark out, but I feel—well, not wide awake, but not tired either.”
He’d been holding himself together reasonably well, but it was too many sleep words in one sentence. The yawn that had been holding itself back for hours broke free in a jaw-popping crackle of joints. He’d napped briefly on the plane, but he’d more or less been awake for a day and a half, and he was completely exhausted. “Sorry,” he tried to groan through the yawn, but it didn’t help at all. “I had vague plans of showing you some London nightlife, but I don’t think I’m going to make it much further into the night than this.”
She was grinning in a funny way, her eyes lighter and happier than they’d been just a few minutes before. “It’s okay,” she said. “We’re here on a business trip. I can entertain myself.”
“Oh, can you?” He raised his eyebrows as he took a bite of lamb wrapped in naan.
Her eyes flicked back towards Watkins, and he could almost feel her nervousness on the tip of his tongue. “I have a really good book on my tablet,” she said, and he could hear the soft warning in her voice, telling him not to push. He managed not to laugh. It was a struggle.
As the food settled, his eyes got heavier. He felt them close, felt them almost shut on him, and jerked awake again as Zoey’s hand brushed over his. “Come on,” she said. “You’re exhausted. Let’s go to bed.”
Alex stood, proud of
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