Page 23 of Beauty and Her Beasts (Dirty Paranormal Fairytale Haremlan 1)

I cleared my throat and let out a sigh as I led the way to my office. The sooner I could get this little interaction over with the better. Already I could feel King’s eyes burrowing a hole in my backside.

Minutes later, we arrived in my office and I felt a small twinge of relief. I took a seat in my chair and pulled out the stack of proposals for King’s approval. I slapped them on the surface and gestured toward them. “Here they are.”

He took a seat on the edge of my desk and fingered through the pages briefly. “You certainly have been busy.”

I nodded. “I’m efficient at my job.”

“I see that. I wonder what your other qualities are…” he said, trailing off.

I met his expectant gaze, and my lungs froze. His eyes started to take on the golden sheen. His nostrils flared and heat filled my shoulders, pushing up through my neck. My mind screamed at me to get a grip of myself. This would be the third man I felt enormous attraction to, and given my current track record, he would likely end up running away from me as well.

I cleared my throat. “I would prefer you read through them and decide which ones you want and don’t want. Take a couple of days if you need to, but the sooner you sign off on them, the better.”

“Is it that bad?” he asked.

I shrugged and let out a deep breath. “Let’s just say it’s a good thing Gunnar hired me when he did. One more month with the company in the red and you would be forced to shut down.”

“I’ll sign all of them then,” he said immediately. “Got a pen?”

I stared at him. “I insist you review the proposals before—”

“A pen, please,” he said as he removed himself from the edge of my desk and flipped to the first of the many signature pages for the proposals.

I sighed and reached into the drawer of my desk and pulled out a pen, handing it over to him. As he took the pen, his fingers grazed my skin. I sucked in a breath of shock. There was something in his touch that ignited my nerves.

The pen scratched the paper as I stared at the man in disbelief. He could be rather enjoyable to be around when he wanted to be. The King that sat before me, scribbling his signature along the pages, was a far different King from our first encounter.

He was gentle, kind, giving, and there was something else about him that I struggled to put my finger on. One thing was for certain, he was more beautiful than ever. I gulped.

While he signed off on every proposal I had created, he and I exchanged small talk.

“How are you enjoying your stay so far,” he asked.

I pulled my gaze from him and sighed. “I love it. There’s something enchanting about the land and the castle.”

He smirked. “I loved that as a kid too. Growing up, there was never a shortage for adventure.”

“And now?” I asked.

His gaze met mine briefly. “Up until recently, I thought my adventures were over.”

“What made you change your mind?” I asked.

He sat the pen on the desk and faced me. He smiled, flooring me. Holy hell do the men here have to be so drop-dead gorgeous?

“Not what. Who,” he said simply.

My eyes widened and I sucked in a breath as my heart started to race. “Oh.”

He chuckled under his breath. “Is there anything else business-related that needs my attention?”

I shook my head. “I think we’ve covered it. Thank you for signing the proposals.”

“My pleasure,” he said as I stood from my desk to see him out of the office.

He turned just before stepping through the door and I nearly face planted his chest. His hand instantly went to the small of my back. His breath brushed my skin in a wave of warmth.

And just like that, he pulled away.

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