Page 14 of Love Spell

“Let’s step outside.”

“I can find my own way.”

Timo followed him, not to the front door, but veering off to the passage towards the toilets.Noah leaned against the wall, arm raised to it and brow on the forearm.

“Sorry,” Noah mumbled, eyes closed.“I drank that too fast.What do they put in those things?Lighter fluid?”

Timo rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.“Why don’t we sit back —”

“Get your hands off me.”Noah jerked away, stumbled, and leaned his back into the wall instead.Then, just as quickly, “Sorry, again.Yeah, I probably should sit down.Or go home.”

“I’m happy to take you home.”

Noah snorted.“I bet you are.”

“You’d rather I didn’t?”

“See, we’re still talking about different things and you’re still not talking about what you’re saying.”Noah displayed a palm before Timo’s nose in a classic stop sign, making Timo’s pulse race with the audacity of the move and his own impulse to respond by catching the hand, swallowing the fingers, perhaps licking sweat from the creases.

Timo stepped closer, so Noah’s pointlessly raised hand was almost resting on Timo’s shoulder, facing Noah very close with his back against the wall.

“Noah?”Timo lowered his voice, gazing into Noah’s eyes, this hooded smile now of a seductive rather than gentle kind.“You can’t tell me you feel nothing.”

“What part of this equation don’t you understand?I.Work.For.You.You can’t invite me on a date.You can’t ask if I’m gay.”

“Did I?”

“The museum!The … whatever you just said!Stop it!”Noah’s hand moved to Timo’s chest, hot and solid, touching Timo squarely with all five fingers and palm, through no more than shirtfront and tie.In a flash, Timo could imagine Noah’s hand closing around that tie, yanking Timo close, burning mouths connecting through rum and passion fruit and sweat.Timo would step in, pulled in tight, and Noah would feel the unyielding bulge in Timo’s trousers and bring his other hand into action.

Instead, Noah’s hand landed on Timo’s chest, fingers splayed, shoving him back with a sharp, “I’m not gay.Which is totally irrelevant since, no matter who I’m into, it’s never psychopaths!”

Noah pushed past him and almost ran for the front doors, Timo watching him go without moving to follow, mindful of the current shape of his own trousers.

Well, as first dates went, Timo had experienced much worse.Safe to call that a solid start.

5

For the first time in his life, Noah thought of calling in sick when he wasn’t sick.He wasn’t the kind of person who called in sick even when he was if he could possibly still get the work done.Going into work on Tuesday morning, though, head aching and mouth dry on the Tube with a mild hangover, his pulse raced before he was anywhere near the office.By the time he used his passkey on the elevator, his breaths were also rapid.

What was he going to say or do?Ignore it.Totally ignore it and hope that Timo’s meds were sorted and last evening had been a bad dream.

The trouble with ignoring Timo was that it was as likely as ignoring an earthquake.He stalked around the office like a panther.He cursed traders he disagreed with.He leaned over your shoulder to point out things you’d missed on your screens or dropped into your chair while you were on your feet so you couldn’t have it back until he moved on.The man was a menace even on a good day and even when he mostly ignored Noah.But now?Now … what?

Shit— Noah should have called in.

His palms were soaked in sweat by the time he reached his desk and veered off, needing the kitchen first — wash hands, rinse his cottonmouth, take a painkiller for his head, see who was already in and ready for the coffee run.

Maybe Timo wasn’t even here yet.He was always running or biking in company, unpredictable, often the first in but occasionally the last.Or maybehewas home in bed sick?His own insanity having taken its toll?Or he might have been out for bike laps this morning and been run over by a black cab at Hyde Park Corner — such a dangerous place.

Yes, that could happen.It didn’t make Noah a bad person to recognise that anything could happen.Not as if he was silently cheering for the cab.It just, well, it could happen.Of course Noah would respectfully attend the funeral.

“So then he gets up —”

“Who?”

“Noah.”

Just outside the kitchen, Noah froze.Dave and Arthur?

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