Page 13 of Furry Equations
“Well!” Jax clapped his hands. “This seems like a good time for me to go... anywhere else. Try not to break any more fire extinguishers, Doc. The paperwork’s a nightmare.”
Natalie’s laugh, bright and genuine, did dangerous things to Marcus’s pulse. Once Jax left, she turned back to her equipment with obvious excitement. “I should get started. The formula’s mutation could be groundbreaking, but I need to understand what triggered the change.”
“Other than my dramatic entrance?”
Pink tinged her cheeks. “That was... I mean... purely scientific distraction.”
“Purely scientific?”
“Absolutely.” She busied herself with calibrating instruments. “The unexpected presence of a ridiculously attractive CEO in my lab caused a momentary lapse in concentration, resulting in an accidental chemical reaction. Very scientific.”
His heart stuttered. Had she just called him?—
“I mean!” Her blush deepened. “Not that I noticed you were... I mean, objectively speaking, from a purely analytical standpoint...”
“Ridiculously attractive?”
“Oh god.” She buried her face in her hands. “Can we pretend I didn’t say that? Blame it on residual concussion symptoms?”
He found himself moving closer, drawn by her scent—vanilla and jasmine and something uniquelyher. “I don’t know. It might be important for the incident report. ‘Cause of explosion: CEO’s ridiculous attractiveness.’”
She peeked through her fingers. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”
“Never.”
Their food arrived then, saving her from further embarrassment. They settled into a comfortable spot byher workstation, sharing cartons of Chinese food while she explained her research. Her enthusiasm proved contagious, and he found himself asking questions, genuinely fascinated by the way her mind worked.
“Do you know who wants my research?” she asked suddenly, setting down her chopsticks.
Marcus’s grip tightened on his container. “No. But whoever they are, they won’t get near you.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about. This formula... in the wrong hands...”
“Hey.” He caught her hand without thinking. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”
She stared at their joined hands, her pulse jumping beneath his fingers. “Together?”
“You’re not alone in this anymore.” He squeezed gently. “I protect what’s mine.”
“Yours?”
His wolf preened at the word, but he forced himself to add, “My employee. My responsibility.”
“Right.” Was that disappointment in her voice? “Very professional of you.”
“Although...” He found himself running his thumb across her knuckles. “I don’t usually share my secret stash of fortune cookies with employees.”
Her lips curved. “No?”
“Or order their favorite takeout.”
“How professional of you to memorize my order.”
“Purely for security purposes.” He reached for the fortune cookies with his free hand, not quite ready to let go of hers. “Have to ensure you’re properly fed. For safety.”
“Of course.” She didn’t pull away. “And the hand holding?”
“Testing your pulse. Medical necessity.”