Page 80 of His Flash Mate
He hung up.
I looked at Konni.He wasn’t okay.He looked livid.His eyes glittered with anger, and even the air around him seemed to shimmer with the heat of his temper.
“Hestian wants to marry you?”
“Miranda didn’t tell you?”
“No, and she made the right choice.”
“Why?”
He stood abruptly and stalked around the desk.When he reached my chair, he gripped the arms, turning it without any effort and caging me as he leaned in.
“Because I—” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
I swallowed hard as I noticed a shimmer of scales, like a CGI overlay, on his hands.
Remember what he is, Soph.
“Can dragons smell emotions like werewolves?”I asked.
“Not quite the same.I knew you were angry when you called your father, and I know you’re afraid now.But I can’t tell the degree of it or the nuances between subtle emotions such as anger and annoyance or fear and worry.”
“Okay.Well, I’m a little nervous because I can see scales on your hands.Are you mad at me or?—”
His hand gripped the back of my head as his eyes snapped open.Gold glittered in the amber, unmistakable in the early morning light.
“Not at you, Sophia.Never at you.I’m frustrated that a man like Hestian even looked in your direction and that your father did nothing to protect you.”
A laugh escaped me.“Protect me?He’s the one who wants me to marry Hestian.”
The gold in Konni’s gaze grew.“Hestian is older than your father.”
“He is.He can also provide the funding the donor’s company needs.The man who made me has never been interested in protecting me, not even when he was with my mom, and especially not after he stripped her of everything.He uses people and discards them once they’ve lost their value.”
Something dangerous flitted in his gaze.“And you want me to stop pressing charges?”
“Only because I truly believe he wasn’t involved.I think he’s a scapegoat like me.Or because of me, like he said.”
“How do you know?”
“If he had the name of the person behind this, he would have tried to use it to negotiate instead of offering up sacred TAS shares.Those are his bottom line.That he was willing to give them up showed his hand.
“Plus, alienating Steele Corp does him no good.He’s power hungry, and Steele Corp is a power player in Motan’s business circle.He’d rather get in bed with you than be banned from the bedroom.”
The heat in Konni’s gaze shifted from anger to desire, and I wanted to kick myself for mentioning a bedroom in front of him.
“You said something about changes before my phone interrupted us,” I said, trying to deflect from the direction I could see he wanted our conversation to veer.
Konni stayed as he was for several seconds, then straightened away from me.
“Yes.Gail said she mentioned other secretariat openings to you.I’d like you to transfer to my department.”
“Why?”
“I think you and your father are right.You’re being targeted.Having you where I can monitor you and your work will make it easier to find who’s doing it.”
“Okay.Does the change in position come with a raise?”
