Page 33 of The Heart of Winter

A red light stopped us just a block from my place.

Unexpectedly, Jacob leaned slightly forward and glanced to the right. A bright light shone from a nearby building, and behind the glass, a few shadows were moving.

"Sariel’s probably in there," Jacob muttered. "He always goes to class around this time."

My gaze followed. I knew Sariel had been into breakdancing for a few years, though Jacob rarely mentioned it. He thought it was a childish hobby that wouldn’t lead anywhere. I didn’t share that view. I personally enjoyed spending hours on my bass or piano, and saw nothing wrong with having creative outlets.

The colorful neon sign above the dance studio caught my eye. It wasn’t far from my apartment, I sometimes passed it during short walks. But the window was matte, so the dancers inside were more like silhouettes. That’s why I’d never really stopped to watch.

"I didn’t know he was practicing here," I murmured.

"Yeah. He says dance is his escape. The only question is… from what?" Jacob grimaced. "He seems like he’s searching for something. He told me recently he wants to start a family!" His mouth twisted in mild amusement, but I didn’t find it funny. Feeling highly uncomfortable, I stayed quiet and just shot him a sideways glance.

The light turned green, and we made a left. After another couple hundred yards, Jacob turned again, pulling into my apartment complex’s parking lot.

In this state of mind, I didn’t want to drag things out.

"Thanks for the ride. You really can’t rely on Ubers anymore. Downtown, they cancel all the time," I said, keeping my tone neutral. I reached for the door handle, but Jacob’s hand landed on my shoulder, stopping me.

I held my breath.

His fingers tightened slightly and lingered as he spoke.

"Winter, you know how important you are to me at this company. You’re my… most valuable employee." His tone shifted, becoming more intense. "If Sariel gives you any trouble, come to me immediately. I’ll handle it. That kid needs a firm hand. He’s not stupid, but he doesn’t know how to channel his energy yet."

I nodded quickly. "I’ll let you know if anything serious comes up. Have a good evening, Jacob. We’re still on for the ByteBites meeting tomorrow, right?"

"Absolutely," he replied.

His hand was still resting on my forearm, and I was growing increasingly anxious. I lowered my gaze to where he was touching me, and maybe that was what finally made him realize he was overstepping. He pulled his hand back, straightened up, cleared his throat, then ran his other hand through his hair, ruffling it slightly. Very out of character. I’d never seen him do anything that could be read as awkward or uncertain.

Yeah… definitely. Jacob was attracted to me big time. But his strict principles kept him on a tight leash, and that worked just fine for me.

Romancing a married omega, especially my own boss, would be extremely risky. If anything ever went wrong, my career at this company would be over in a heartbeat. I had to be careful. Keep things official. I valued my job too much.

Jacob was staring straight ahead, jaw clenched, looking like he wanted to say something but was fighting the urge.

To be honest, I couldn’t deny there was something about him. We had a lot in common, similar views, a similar work ethic, even similar mannerisms.

Kind of like with… Finn. But I suspected that we would end up the same way, with this tiny, annoying imperfection.

When we met for the first time, during my internship, I was deep in my relationship with Finn. Even then, I could sense Jacob’s very subtle approval of me, beyond just my coding skills. But I programmed my mind pretty hard to ignore it, blocking any energy I might have felt in me, pushing me toward Jacob. I always treated the not-cheating policy very seriously.

"Have a good evening, Jacob," I said decisively, opening the door.

"You too, Winter," he replied, and immediately started the engine, like he needed to speed away from the moment. Short as it was, it already seemed like something he regretted.

As he drove off the lot, I let out a breath.

Whew! A close call.

I promised myself I wouldn’t get in a car with him again, especially after work hours.

Needing to stretch my legs and shake off the tense, negative energy, I started casually walking instead of heading inside the building. Being near Jacob was never relaxing, his aura too heavy. Now I wanted to feel lighter, and for some reason, my feet carried me toward the dance studio. It was dumb, and I didn’t fully understand myself, but something, maybe curiosity, was pulling me like a strong thread.

Baffled, I crossed the street and spotted a small parking lot. Sure enough, Sariel’s car was there.

So he was inside. Probably already dancing.

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