She quirked her head to one side. “What do you mean?”
I paused, wondering if I was overstepping. “You looked pretty rough this morning — and I didn’t even ask when we met,” I replied.
“Ah.” Iris shrugged, but her smile’s intensity dimmed by a few watts.Shit.“I’m doing better than this morning. The nap helped. And I’m sure I’ll sleep real well tonight.” She paused for a moment, and when she looked up at me, she almost looked… unsettled. The thought made my stomach clench. “Look, Eli, if we keep working together, I need you to do something for me.”
“What’s that?”
“I know we discussed a lot of stuff earlier, but I don’t tell people that shit because I don’t want to be pitied or fussed over. I have medication. It’s under control.”
I blinked. “I… Okay. I was worried I might have pushed you too hard or something.”
Iris shrugged. “It was pretty intense for me, but I’m a big girl. I’ll tell you if it’s too much. But I need you to take me at my word, Eli, or this isn’t going to work.”
I was quiet for a moment, struggling with what to do. I had just wanted to make sure she was okay, but…I suppose I could imagine how exhausting that would be if people did that to you constantly.
More importantly, Iris hadn’t asked me for a damn thing since we’d met. And if I couldn’t respect her wishes, how could I expect anything else from her?
“Okay.” I gave a slight nod. “I will do my best… but I can’t promise I’ll be perfect. You might have to remind me.”
Iris’ little smile returned and she huffed. “Boys.” The fondness had returned to her voice, as well. “I can do that. Just don’t push your luck.”
“Never,” I replied, holding my hand up like I was some sort of scout. “I promise.”
“Thank you.” Her smile returned in full, brighter than I’d seen all day. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
I paused. “I actually have a client meeting in the morning,” I replied, grimacing. “But I’d love to meet up after that.”
“That’s fine,” Iris replied. “Maybe I’ll even sleep in.”
I knew she wouldn’t. I found myself leaning in closer, and when Iris didn’t move, I pressed our lips together. It was soft and sweet — fleeting. I could feel Iris tense up before she exhaled; her shoulders dropped again, and she leaned in, returning the affectionate gesture. My wolf whined his pleasure, glad she hadn’t outright pushed us away, and I couldn’t help but agree.
That was definitely a win in my book.
I pulled away, still feeling a little electric. “Good night, Iris.”
“Good night.”
I had thoughtthe adrenaline from the stakeout had long since worn off, but I still felt wide awake when I returned to my condo. My mind buzzed as I let myself in, heading to the kitchen immediately to pull out a bottle of whiskey.A little nightcap will help.
Or maybe two.
But even as the pleasant buzz helped me drift towards the bed, I still felt energy zinging through me. It had nothing to do with the mystery we’d stumbled upon. No, my mind’s eye was focused firmly on Iris.
If I managed to stop thinking about the kiss for a few moments, my mind helpfully provided the image of Iris fresh out of the shower instead, her hair still wet and her tank top clinging to her breasts.Fuck. You have it worse than you thought, Eli.
But how could anyone blame me? Her eyes were so fierce. Her lips were sosoft,and when she finally softened, just a little…
I shuddered. I hadn’t touched myself, but I was well on my way to an erection just thinking about the woman. I was so doomed.
Ah, to hell with it.
I slid my hand down my stomach, pushing my boxers away to…
I sighedin satisfaction as the door closed behind Harry; the meeting had lasted all morning, but it was easily the most productive one we’ve had so far. I didn’t want to count my chickens before they hatched, but I was pretty damn sure the man washappywith our progress, given how long it had taken to get the Colorado alpha to consider me worth working with.
It felt good to prove myself, but more than that, it was important to me that my clients were happy. It was genuinely important to me that that was the case, and it felt good that I could honestly say I thought Harry was happy with our business.
I leaned back in my chair and glanced at my phone, but I had no messages. Nothing from Ryan. Nothing from Iris, either. I picked up the device and sent a quick message to the latter.