"Nothing. I just…"
"What?" She snapped the folder shut. "I can't focus without fuel. You need to eat, too. Bet you haven't had a bite since Donovan made you his cameraman for that little display of affection. Am I right?" She nodded before I could answer. "Of course, I'm right."
My heart fluttered in my chest as she marched from the room and disappeared into the chaos of the kitchen. From my point of view, the discordance shifted into a choreographed dance with her at the helm. She skipped around the kitchen and barked orders—or it appeared that she barked orders, since I couldn't hear a damn thing—with a vibrant passion I couldn't stop absorbing.
It didn't matter that we weren't in the same room. I couldn't get enough of her.
And that was way too weird for me.
The research documents lay mostly untouched near my elbow when Charlotte returned with a heaping plate of lobster tail, filet mignon, and roasted potatoes. She had barely set it down before I dug in, delighting in the buttery taste of the lobster before diving into the delicious tang of spices on the meat.
"Almost rare," I said around a mouthful. "How'd you know?"
"I've fed you before. Don't you remember?"
A hum of agreement rose without hesitation as I proceeded to demolish the plate. Another massive bite caused Charlotte to fold her arms and grin expectantly as she eyed the food remaining on the plate. Which wasn't much.
"Although I think I forgot how big your appetite is."
"Too big sometimes," I agreed with a smirk. "Most women can't handle it."
Her right eyebrow arched while her smirk remained embedded on her lips. "I think I've proven I can handle you just fine, Adam."
"Not quite."
"You up for round two?"
I winked. "I can always go multiple rounds, sweetheart."
"Does that always work?"
While she scooped up my plate, I stabbed the remainder of the filet mignon with my fork and grinned like the contented wolf I was. "Sometimes."
"You want more?"
"Please."
She hummed as she wandered back to the kitchen. "Wow, he has manners."
My protest was lost to the noise barrier. After I devoured the remainder of my steak, I plucked one of the folders from the pile and opened it in front of me, comparing it to the other one I was perusing.
I frowned in concentration. "There's a map in the crypt. That's interesting."
Nausea rolled over me like a heavy storm cloud. I held my forehead while trying to focus on the words on the page. "It says they found something, but…"
"But?" Charlotte appeared at my right and moved the folders before setting a plate of ribs in front of me. "You said they found something?"
She leaned against the desk to look at the page in front of me. A long necklace dangled in my peripheral vision, tempting me to glance at her cleavage. A silver claw hung from a simple black cord, as far as I could see without turning. The sleeveless black bodice she wore sported a damask design in the center where silver buttons glittered. I swallowed hard, focusing on delicately lifting a rib to chew quietly as she thought up a storm in the tightest black jeans I'd ever seen.
One wrong move might have invited her ire. But wouldn't it have been worth it?
"They did find something." She winced as she drifted back, lightly touching her temple. "Damn, I didn't expect a headache this early in the evening."
"You have more cooking to do?" I asked around the bone. "Because this is too ridiculously good to share with anyone else."
She smirked at me while leaning casually against her desk. "I'm used to feeding the girls, but their appetites are far pickier than yours."
"I'll literally eat whatever you put in front of me."