He had often found himself wanting to trace her mouth with his finger. With eyesight as sharp as a falcon’s, Charon let himself look at his leisure.
Laura had the look of nobility about her, as if it were bred into her DNA. She walked with confidence women rarely had. Every move she made, every action she did was done with unconscious elegance.
Her smile was infectious, her laugh irresistible. She had a stubborn streak he recognized by the way her nose scrunched a heartbeat before she said anything, as if she was debating it.
But her eyes, her striking pale green eyes, were the windows to her soul. One minute she let him see every emotion, and then the other it as if a wall came down, shutting him out.
She was stunning, but that wasn’t why he hired her. Her beauty had almost made him turn her way. But then he had seen something in her eyes. Hope.
And sorrow.
He’d wanted to know what gave her such sadness, and how she kept a hold of the hope. Instead, he’d learned how intelligent she was. Laura was far too clever to be in such a job. Yet, it was her love of the town that had ultimately gotten her the offer.
Charon hadn’t regretted it either. Laura worked hard, sometimes too hard. He would have to send her home some days. But no one had ever kept his books, and the accounting, in such impeccable order. Not to mention vendors, other employees, and customers alike melted at the sight of her smile.
He found himself grinning as she danced across the room to gather more papers only to dance back to the filing cabinet, the swing of her hips drawing his gaze and making his balls tighten in response.
His hands curled into fists as he imagined walking up behind her and grabbing a hold of her hips as he rocked his aching cock against her.
“Are you only ever going to just watch her? Or are you going to take her as you want to do?”
Charon stiffened at the sound of the voice. He’d been so caught up in thinking of Laura, he hadn’t heard Phelan walk up. He hated when Phelan sneaked up on him.
In his present mood, Phelan deserved the tongue lashing Charon wanted to give. Instead, he kept his gaze on Laura. Even if his mind released his brief fantasy.
“She’s my secretary.”
“They’re now called executive assistants,” Phelan said as he came to stand beside him. “And here I thought you were the one more in touch with the times than any Warrior. I’m going to have to rethink things.”
Charon stuffed his hands in his pockets and fingered the X90 he couldn’t seem to toss away. He cut Phelan a look for his sarcasm. “She’s more than that. She does the work of three employees.”
“And why have you no’ taken her to your bed? It’s obvious by the way you watch her that you want her.”
“I doona mix business with pleasure,” Charon said and looked away from Laura.
There was a pregnant pause before Phelan said, “You have no’ changed your shirt.”
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Charon said sarcastically.
When he started to walk away, Phelan’s hand clamped on his shoulder, stopping him.
“Are you no’ all right?” Phelan asked as he peered into his face. “Does it still hurt?”
“You mean do I still feel the drough blood inside me?” Aye. “Nay.”
Phelan visibly relaxed as he dropped his arm to his side. “You had me worried for a minute. Why have you no’ changed?”
“I had some thinking to do.”
“Aye. That’s why I’m here. This battle with Jason, it was…”
“Different?” Charon supplied when Phelan paused.
Phelan nodded. “He was prepared for us. Better prepared than Deirdre or Declan ever was.”
“I know.” Charon ran a hand through his hair. “Deirdre knew us the best. She knew each of us individually because she watched us in that hellhole of a mountain. Some better than others.”
Phelan snorted. “You mean me, because she kept me chained from the time I was a lad? Or because she drank my blood every day after I became a Warrior?”
“Both.”
Charon knew Phelan hated to speak of his time in Cairn Toul Mountain, and rarely did. But there had to be a reason for Jason Wallace to know so much about them.
“Aye,” Phelan said and walked a short distance away before turning back to Charon. “It was as if Jason knew exactly how we would attack. Could Ronnie have told them?”
Ronnie, also known as Dr. Veronica Reid, had fallen in love with Arran, another Warrior. As a Druid, Ronnie’s magic allowed her to find magical items in the ground. Which made her a very popular archeologist.
“Nay. I doona believe it was Ronnie. She might know Arran, but she had no idea of how we would attack. Besides, I drove her from Edinburgh to her dig site after that first attack. She wouldna betray Arran in any way. She loves him.”