Page 43 of Fallen Starboy

Fuck, I hadn’t been this shaken up in years.

“I’ll be okay as soon as I’m out of here,” I replied coolly, proud of how strong my voice was. “Did your partner catch the guy who?—”

“We’re sorry, Miss Simmons, but we didn’t find him anywhere. Our team is looking through CCTV footage right now to see if we can get a good shot of him to spread to local police.” He glanced over his shoulder as his partner approached with a disappointed expression on his face. “We’d like you to come with us to make a statement at the security office.”

The last thing I wanted to do was to go back in that building. But they weren’t going to let me off the hook. With a situation like this, making sure it didn’t happen again, or to someone else,was of the utmost importance. That statement I gave could help other clients in the long run.

So I simply followed them back to the security office. I just hoped I could get back out of the damn place before someone spotted me again.

An hour and a half later, I walked out of the security office with a copy of the report in hand, a now-permanent scowl on my face.

I had wanted to be out of here sooner. I wanted to be at home, relaxing, avoiding anything and everything to do with my wayward emotions that I’d let get the better of me today.

Of course, fate was a cruel mistress, and she chose that moment to let none other than Pujin and Jun turn the corner and walk right in my direction.

When our eyes met, I hated to see the way they changed from malice and something else, to confusion, and then concern.

Was I really that easy to read?

“I thought you were leaving, Miss Simmons?” Pujin inquired gently, his smile friendly and innocent. Jun’s, on the other hand, looked forced. Clearly only one of them was pleased to see me. His eyes cast upward to the security office placard on the door. “Did something happen?”

I shoved the report behind my back and cleared my throat. “Oh, no. I just had to stop in for some paperwork I was overdue filling out. It slipped my mind.”

“Ah, that makes sense. Well, since we’re all finished now, we could save some time and share a car home.”

Pujin’s suggestion was innocent, but it meant putting myself in a confined space with Jun. It meant close quarters I couldn’t exactly escape from. It meant?—

“Sure we can,” Jun said suddenly, throwing an arm over my shoulder. “After all, sheismy assistant for the time being. It’s completely natural for us to share a car.” He glanced over his shoulder with a shit-eating grin and steered me toward the front doors, strolling smoothly along without a care in the world.

“Mr. Kim, I?—”

“I insist on sending you back, Miss Simmons. In my culture, it’s a sign of respect and almost expected of a man to make sure the women around him arrive home safely. It’s the least I can do for all the work you’ve put in for me.” He leaned closer, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “Just play along,” he whispered, his words laced with honey but no less intimidating.

I wasn’t sure what the hell he thought he was doing, but I wasn’t in the mood to fight with him in public. “Fine,” I growled out, my body stiff in his half-assed embrace. “The car’s waiting outside.”

Pujin took the front seat and Jun took the seat behind him, leaving the seat behind the driver as my only option. I heaved a sigh of regret and slid inside, acutely aware of Jun’s nearness. I had hoped to get home and sequestered in my room before he came home to avoid any interaction with him for the foreseeable future.

Now, we were a foot apart, and I could hear him breathing beside me, as loud as the heartbeat in my fucking veins.

The ride home was about to be more tense than a suspension bridge.

Chapter

Eighteen

JUN

She must be exhausted.

The minute we pulled away from the curb, Arista’s head was already against the window, her eyelids drooping slightly. By the time we’d moved into rush hour traffic, she’d all but started to snore softly, her lips parted just barely, lashes caressing her cheeks. She shifted in her seat, and a piece of paper slipped out from behind her, sitting innocently on the seat between us.

So of course, since she’d been hiding it when we walked up, I was gonna read it.

I knew I shouldn’t. I knew better than to invade someone else’s privacy. But I rationalized it away by reminding myself I’d been balls deep inside her not too long ago. If she trusted me enough to let me fuck her, then dammit, she should trust me with whatever it was she was hiding.

I picked up the paper and skimmed through the first few lines, my eyes widening when I read the wordsIncident Reporton the top.

What the fuck kind of incident had she had to file a report about?

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