The Billionaire's Assistant

Chapter 63

She slowed her pace as she approached the den, still wiping at a seemingly endless flow of tears with her heart thumping loudly in her chest and throat, in her very mind. What had she done? What was she supposed to do? Her feelings for Jove, feelings that at this point she was certain were reciprocated, were far too much for her. Far too much, made her lose her logic, her sense of morals.

She'd wanted to kiss him badly, more than she'd ever wanted anything, more than she was even aware she was capable of experiencing desire, and she'd just, given in. She needed to know what it would feel like to touch her lips to his, even in innocence, even for a moment, and despite what may now come of it, she struggled to regret the action. Even as her mind inverted itself in an attempt to uncover the answer to the host of problems she'd just created, she found herself thinking about the moment her lips had touched his. How at ease she'd felt, how at home.

She finally stopped in the middle of the empty sidewalk, the turn onto her street less than half a block away. She had called Rises this time, or at least, she'd been there, and after she and Jove had talked for a while she asked the barista to take a message for any FES member who might call for her.

"Just," she'd said, the newer barista staring at her in confusion. "Just say something like, 'she's ok, and she's working on the speech'."

The barista had nodded but no calls had come, and at this point Kat wasn't even sure what time it was. She hadn't gotten the badge, had been out for another full day with Jove, and they'd barely done any more work on the speech, which meant he'd want to work on it tomorrow.

She'd likely ruined things with him, made it awkward or inappropriate, exposed herself as strange and flighty. After her conversation with Andy the night before she felt nauseated at the idea of returning home, felt as if her shame would be written all over her face.

She began to walk again, slowly, taking deep, steadying breaths. No longer able to comfort herself with the idea that she'd yet to do anything wrong, the only solace she could find was in the fact that no one knew. No one knows, she repeated to herself over and over to the background of swelling breaths. No one knows.

As the den's front door came into view Kat felt her feet beginning to drag of their own accord, her steps slowing of their own volition. She wrenched her eyes shut for a shot of momentary courage, then finally inserted the key into the lock, almost falling forward as the door was yanked open at the exact same second.

Kat stumbled down the first step into the basement dwelling and righted herself on the second, too startled to cry out or make sense of the moment. She looked up to find Emma staring her in the face, a curdled expression on her lips and her eyes dark.

Kat's eyes widened as she took in the differences in Emma's typically friendly countenance, and her head swiveled to find Jack on Emma's left and Andy, Conner and Brent on Emma's right, all of them pressed into the tiny entryway space as they never had been before. All of them were staring at Kat and all of them had yet to speak, to move.