Page 32 of Love Spell

Noah screwed up his eyes, trying to focus on the taste of coconut melting on his tongue.

He’d never told anyone the truth about that February night — not doctors, not cops, not his mother — and he wasn’t going to start now.One day.One day when he’d met someone who really was special to him, who could be the one; someone with whom he shared all.Not his predatory boss.

If this was all so hard, why not leave?Book a flight, go back to the States, get a job.It was what he would be doing anyway.But he’d be in a sorry state trying to get all that done on the fly if he didn’t save up another month’s worth of pay so he could live on it for a good chunk of time once he got back there and had time to choose where he’d live and what he’d do.Did he even want to keep trading among wolves?Or go back to IT?

Finally, Noah returned to the office.He would stay, get the income and experience, avoid Timo; everything would be fine.He needed something else to focus on.That was the problem.How about rentals and job listings?He could do that tonight, lull himself to sleep browsing Manhattan lofts: Serious motivation to stay and work those remaining weeks.

He started down the dim hallway, only for a man to step into his path.

Noah sprang back, heart in throat, swearing.

Timo also jumped, lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender.“Hell,” Timo muttered, “you startled me.Heard someone after the cleaning crew already came and went …”

Hewas startled?Noah was shaking with the shock and comedown.

“What are you doing here?”Noah asked.

“Just playing with numbers.”Timo shrugged.“I stay late sometimes, watch Wall Street in real time.What areyoudoing here?Forgot something?”

“Uh… Yes.”Big enough that he’d come back two hours after leaving?“My phone.”

Timo made a face.“Was it a long way?Where are you staying?”

Noah was hit with a fresh wave of panic, only to decide that no, Timo wasn’t suspicious.It was, in fact, a perfectly normal question.

“Just an Airbnb room … south.So, uh, do you learn anything interesting by staying in late?”

“More like useful.”Timo drifted back into his office.

Noah didn’t hang about making conversation.He power-walked to his desk, rummaged for a moment, pretending to find his phone, turned, and again jumped to find Timo at the edge of Noah’s trading terminal.

“I have people coming into the city on Friday.Tell me, if you could see only three things in London, what would they be?”

“Oh … The Tower, Hyde Park or Oxford Street depending on their tastes, and … a river cruise to see the city from the Thames?”

“River cruise …” Timo mused as he turned away.“Very good.”

Noah let out a breath.

Here they were, all alone in the world, at night, and Timo didn’t start anything.Wasn’t that a good sign?That they could have a normal working relationship?Or was Timo trying to lure him into a false sense of security?

Noah started to follow him out, about to hurry away, maybe go to a movie?Or just sit in the stairwell listening until Timo left for the night so Noah could go to bed?

Timo turned around just beyond the doorway, making Noah stop abruptly and take a step back.

Timo was frowning.“Is that luggage under your desk?”

“What?No.”Noah winced.“Yeah, it’s my bags.”

Timo gazed past him to the bags nestled in shadows below the desk, then to Noah, waiting expectantly.

When Noah said nothing, Timo asked, “Am I supposed to guess?”

“I just needed to leave some stuff here.”

“You were here when I got in this morning,” Timo said.

“So?”

---