“Because he likes a challenge?” Sixx asked in return.
“Because you’re the only woman on this planet who wants him for nothing but him, even the part of him that wants nothing but to love you.”
Sixx looked to Susan’s desk, mumbling, “Damn, I’m going to cry.”
“Oh God! Don’t do that,” Susan exclaimed, lifting a hand and curling her fingers around Sixx’s upper arm. “He’ll think I made you cry, and he’ll get ticked at me.”
Sixx looked at her, shaking her head. “He’ll know it’s not you. I’ve been on edge lately.”
Susan nodded knowingly, taking her hand. “Weirdly, impending happiness does that to you. I honestly would not allow myself to think Harry was real. I mean, this sweet, cute guy thought I was funny and adorable and got this big smile on his face any time he saw me? What was wrong with him? Didn’t he see what my dad saw in me? This big, fat loser who got B’s on her report card and lost the race to win class secretary? That right there was a double fail. I should have run for president. And won. Hands down.”
“A B isn’t bad,” Sixx pointed out.
“Not for my dad. For my dad it was the end of the world and proof positive he’d produced a huge dunce,” Susan replied.
“You do know that’s more than a little bit crazy,” Sixx shared.
Susan gave her a close look that communicated a lot of things and said, “I didn’t, until Harry … and Stellan.”
God.
Stellan believed in her too.
And look at her now.
Sixx couldn’t handle that.
Instead, she went on, “And that class officer stuff is just a popularity contest. He could be equally pissed you didn’t win prom queen.”
“He was ticked at that too.”
“What a douche,” Sixx decreed.
“Word,” Susan agreed.
They looked at each other.
Then as one they burst out laughing so hard, both of them had to lean against the desk to hold themselves up.
Still laughing, Susan eyed the door to her office, and Sixx looked that way to see someone scurrying down the hall.
“I freaking love this,” Susan stated, and Sixx turned back to her to see her daintily wiping away tears of hilarity from under her eyes so as not to disturb her mascara.
“What?” Sixx asked, pulling herself together, thinking she’d never noticed it, but laughing did a lot toward taking the heavy and making it light again.
“You, being absolutely fabulous. Of course, this means my life will be hell because everyone will want the gossip. But seriously, what more can I say? All questions are answered with just you showing here. You’re edgy, awesome, amazing, and Stellan is Stellan. It was meant to be.”
Sixx tried to ignore that so she didn’t lose it again.
Sixx found it impossible to ignore that.
“I really am a mess,” Sixx told her quietly.
“Join the club, babe,” Susan replied airily, then flicked a wrist toward her doorway. “They’ll never know that because I will never share, on threat of death.” She crossed her heart then held up two fingers. “But for me, I can now avoid the inferiority complex I’ve been gearing up to nurture until my dying day.”
“You do know, he adores you with every fiber of his being, and when he said we were having dinner tomorrow night, I nearly vomited on the spot,” Sixx shared.
Susan burst out laughing, and Sixx couldn’t help it. It was laugh, cry or scream, and laughing seemed to work great, so she took the path of least resistance and laughed with her.
It was then she heard a door open, one of the double ones at the side of Susan’s office.
Susan twisted her neck to look over her shoulder, and Sixx just looked over Susan’s shoulder.
Thus they both saw Stellan standing there, no jacket, blue tie, light gray vest, fabulous striped shirt, tailored light gray trousers, fantastic brown shoes, brows raised, lips quirked … gorgeous.
“Hey, boss man,” Susan called. “Surprise visit from your cool chick.”
“As she’s standing chatting with you in your office,” Stellan replied, moving from the door into the room, “it would appear the surprise is no longer a surprise to you.”
“Nope,” Susan agreed.
“And will you be sharing why you didn’t tell me she was here?” Stellan asked, arriving at Sixx’s side and claiming her instantly by putting a hand to her hip and then sliding it around her back all the way to the other side, doing this pulling her to him.
“You said not to disturb your call,” Susan answered.
“Make a note, Susie, that in future, if Sixx is here, you disturb me. I don’t give a fuck if the President of the United States is sitting in my office.”
“Note made,” Susan replied.
Stellan finally looked down at her. “Hello, darling.”
“Oh my God!” Susan cried before Sixx could even open her mouth. “You call her ‘darling!’ I am literally standing here melting.”
Stellan turned back to Susan. “You do know what the word ‘literally’ means, do you not?”
“You don’t feel me, Stell. My feet are actually just puddles right now,” she shot back. “I don’t know how I’m remaining standing.”
“Perhaps we should put you out of your misery,” Stellan suggested.
“The misery hasn’t yet begun,” she returned. “It’ll start the instant you disappear, and then there’ll be a stampede to get the lowdown on Sixx.”
“Then perhaps you should share with them that I’m considering revising the Employee Handbook to state that anyone caught gossiping faces immediate termination,” Stellan replied.
“Roger that,” Susan said, beginning to move around her desk.
Stellan began to move them both toward his office.
“Great to meet you, Susan,” Sixx called as they went.
“Right back at you, cool chick,” Susan returned.
Stellan led her into the most kickass office she’d ever seen, all contemporary wood paneling, built-in cabinetry and floors that went forever, plus recessed lighting and leather with hints of black, cream and chrome.
After closing the door behind him, he also led her right to his desk and around it. He pressed her slightly back so she was leaning against the desk before he took a seat in his chair turned her way.
She dropped her clutch to his desk, crossed her ankles and looked down at him, thinking only Stellan could be seated while she was mostly standing and still seem to dominate the situation.
“Everything okay?” he asked, and she wanted to laugh because outside of “Hello, darling,” that was the first thing he said to her, and he’d had an exchange with his beloved assistant, walked Sixx through his huge-ass office, and settled her against his desk in the time in between.
“You’re adorable with her,” Sixx proclaimed.
“She’s adorable, so it’s impossible not to fall into that,” he returned.
“She loves you more than breath,” Sixx told him.
His brows quirked. “It’s good to know she returns that sentiment.”
“I like her.”
“I knew you would.”
“I had a meeting with Joel this morning,” she shared abruptly.
Not missing a beat, he murmured, “I was wondering why the world was being treated to that charming skirt today.”
She felt her lips curl up. “They have a case, trial starts Wednesday. Two business partners who started things the best of friends but it didn’t carry on that way.”
“Mm?” he prompted.
“One of the partners is our client, and I’ve been tasked with digging something useful up that would prove he was correct about flushing his friendship and business venture down the toilet, then suing his ex-buddy.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve failed at digging something up, mostly because I haven’t tried very hard due to the fact that I’ve been wrapped up in what’s happening with us.”
“Ah,” Stellan said on a sigh, sitting back in his chair, putting his elbows on the arms and steepling his fingers like an evil mastermind, except a wildly attractive one whose bones she wanted to jump and do that immediately.
“I’m going to have to start up again with working nights, Stellan, and weekends.”
“Of course.”
She stared.