The Naughty List Bundle - Kylie Adams [131]
Morgan choked on a laugh. “They feel the same way about you. That’s why they were trying to find out why you’re here.”
She didn’t understand his humor at all. “Is it so uncommon for you to hire someone?”
Morgan pursed his mouth, but ended up chuckling anyway. “Actually, yeah, it is. And Malone, they don’t think you were hired.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Do they think I coerced the job out of you? I swear, Morgan, if people are going to talk because I’m working here…”
He leaned a shoulder against the wall, and even though his mouth wasn’t smiling, she saw the unholy glint in his blue eyes. “Oh, they’ll talk, all right. You see, at this moment Jesse and Howard are probably telling anyone they can find that you’re serving out your time working here—same as they are.”
She felt her eyes nearly cross. “That’s ridiculous!”
Shrugging, he said, “That’s usually why I bring someone in underfoot. Because they got into mischief and have to do community work.”
“But…” She couldn’t think of anything to say, then her temper flared. “You could have set them straight!”
“I believe I tried to. But you were too intent on telling them how you could handle me to let me finish.”
Misty moaned and covered her face. “So now, even though no one here knows I was actually arrested, they’re all going to think the same about me anyway.”
Morgan pulled her hands down and kissed the end of her nose. “Let me show you around the office, explain your duties, then we’ll go to the diner and set them straight.”
“We will?”
He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. “Believe me, Malone, no one is going to have any doubts as to why I’m keeping you close, I promise. So quit your worries.”
Misty followed him into the office, but his promise, and the way he’d given it, left an empty ache inside her.
Morgan was slowly getting under her skin, and that left her feeling far from reassured.
8
“OUCH.” Misty bumped her head as she knelt and crawled beneath the desk. “You’re sure she went under here?”
Jordan sounded slightly strangled as he said, “Yeah, she’s under there.”
In the farthest corner, against the back wall, Misty saw a curled calico tail. “Ah, I see her. She’s a little thing.”
“I found her abandoned.” Anger laced Jordan’s tone, and that was unusual because Misty had never heard this particular brother sound anything but pleasant. “I brought her home to heal, and your sister sort of bonded with her. Usually she’s in bed with Honey, but today, well, I think she knew it was a day for shots and that’s why she’s running from me.”
Misty bumped her head again when she tried to look at Jordan. All she could see was his feet. He’d been chasing the cat to take it to his clinic when they’d run into each other in the hallway. The cat had scurried away while Jordan kept Misty from falling on her behind.
Misty had been hoping to leave the house before Morgan. According to Honey, he’d been looking for her last night and had been disgruntled when he couldn’t find her. But she wasn’t yet ready to tell him where she’d been. Dodging him this morning was the only way she could think of to buy herself some time.
“So do you like your new job?” Jordan asked her as she crawled deeper beneath the desk.
“Actually, I do.” She reached out her hand and the small cat, hissing at her, managed to inch a little farther away.
“That’s good. I gather Morgan is behaving himself?”
“Morgan is Morgan. He never really behaves. You know that.”
“Uh, yes, I see your point.”
Morgan was the most forward, outspoken man she’d ever known, but he kept her smiling and sometimes even laughing. And he always made her very aware of her own femininity. The man could scorch her with a look, and in the short time she’d spent with him, she’d become addicted to the feeling.
But the entire week had been a series of near misses. Though she worked in his office, he was seldom there. She’d had no idea he kept such a horrendously busy schedule. After hours wasn’t much better. When Morgan was free, she was gone. When she was free, Morgan got called away.