Warrick walked me through the lab, pointing out some of the more interesting stations while his staff stayed carefully out of our way. He didn't seem to have a clue that everyone was studying him – us – carefully.
Once we'd done a full lap of the enormous space, he led me into a huge, rather stark office.
We had barely sat down in two large easy chairs when an assistant appeared at the open door. "May I get anything for you and your guest, Mr. Cedar? Coffee, sparkling water?"
"Two lime waters, please. Thanks, Trisha."
As soon as she was gone, he lowered his voice conspiratorially. "There are always people all over the place trying to help me. Great experience for them. Sometimes it's handy. Sometimes it's just…weird."
"I could imagine."
Trisha floated back in with our waters and a tray of sliced fruit that she placed on the desk before disappearing again.
Warrick chuckled for a second, then picked up an apple slice. He regarded it with amusement. "The women are always trying to get me to eat, and the men are always trying to get me to look at numbers."
I helped myself to a couple of grapes as I glanced around. Several framed diplomas were clustered in the far corner on the wall, but one wall was filled with huge pictures of ocean waves.
Looking back, I saw Warrick staring at me. "What is it?"
He moved to sit on the edge of his desk, pulling me to stand between his legs. "I can't stand not kissing you," he murmured as his lips drifted gently against mine. "You're so beautiful, Brooke. I love that you're genuinely interested in my work. I know the end results aren't terribly exciting, but I love the creative problem-solving challenges."
"I get it," I murmured, as my fingers caressed the back of his neck, then up into his freshly shaved hairline.
"I brought you here so that you'd understand me better," he explained. "Sometimes I sleep here overnight because I'm in the middle of something. I lose track of time, then it's suddenly Saturday and I don't understand why there isn't any coffee."
His incredible green eyes were emerald under the office lights. "I want to be with you, Brooke. I adore every single thing about you." He kissed my temple gently. "This freckle. The way your fingers flutter slightly when you're trying to figure out what to say. That you have a clear purpose in life already and know what you want to do."
This time his kiss was deeper. Hungrier. His hands gripped me possessively as he pulled me close. "I'm a complete lunkhead when it comes to socializing," he whispered. "I'm going to need your help in that department. I promise that I'm going to try as hard as I can to be good for you, Brooke Beautiful."
My feelings for this incredible man were so powerful. Would it be bad to lock the door for a few minutes alone? He grinned as my hands slid along the ridge of his wide shoulders while I stared up at him in awe.
Warrick kissed the tip of my nose, then smiled sweetly. "I don't know if people even ask this question formally anymore, but will you be my girlfriend?"
A deep shiver ran through me. He was too good to be true. I didn't think that he'd want to be serious right away, and it was lovely that he already thought we were real.
I opened my mouth to say yes, but Warrick couldn't even wait for the word, simply kissing me deeply, holding us together like he never wanted to let go.
Someone cleared their throat right behind me, making me jump about three feet as I realized how inappropriate we were being.
I couldn't get Warrick in trouble on my first visit to his office.
6
WARRICK
Ididn't know whether Brooke was easily startled, or whether she felt strange about us kissing in my office. It was probably wrong, but I'd never done a single inappropriate thing before, so I figured it was okay.
Reaching out, I caught her shoulder to pull her back against me, wrapping my arm around her. "Hey, Darryl. I'd like you to meet Brooke."
He nodded quickly, seeming even more frantic than usual. "Hi, Brooke. Warrick, I'm truly sorry to interrupt, but I think this is important." I looked behind him to see there were a number of employees peeking in the door. "You're…uh…you’re about to become a billionaire."
He held out his phone, and the three of us looked at a figure on the screen. We stared for a few seconds, then the number updated, requiring an extra comma.
Brooke made a tiny gasp of astonishment. My hand tightened around her waist as she turned to look up at me, blinking in amazement.
Everything became deadly silent except for the hum of the machines in the lab. Nobody moved a muscle. They simply stared at me.
Brooke spun in my arms, giving me a hug as she whispered, "They're expecting you to give a little speech. Thank them. They probably want to throw a party or something."