The girl I had spoken to about the stalker fox glanced back at him with her eyebrows down, also having noticed the oddity. She eventually shook her head, dismissing him, and turned her attention back to the blathering, almost clinically insane, scientist.
I kept my attention on the guy, though, and watched him from the corner of my eye. He blended extremely well, enough that no one else took notice of him, but there was something about him that sent a shiver down my spine. And not in a good way.
He eventually stopped looking at his bracelet, crossed his arms over his chest, and peered up, as if he were listening to the scientist too—though his dark eyes began to journey over our group with extreme slowness. Far before his sharp gaze landed on me, I looked away and actually listened to the recited speech. I could blend too, and I didn’t want his eyes on me.
After five more minutes, I peeked in his direction.
He had finished with his overall perusal and was now evaluating the two girls in the middle of our group. His eyes traveled over their short black hair, their breasts that strained their t-shirts, and down their long shapely legs. There wasn’t heat in his eyes, his regard not sensual. It was an appraisal of their persons, their every detail categorized by his attention.
His head lowered once more when he uncrossed his arms and started playing a game on his bracelet, completely at ease. He even had a little smirk on his lips.
The scientist finally concluded his talk of Godric the Great. By this point, I wasn’t the only one in our group who breathed a sigh of relief. My back was even killing me from standing still for so long. I stretched high and leaned back while a few of the other women shook out their legs and arms.
Major Wilcox announced, “Line up, recruits. Next on our list is a short video of how the new technology will shape our future.”
“We can finally sit down,” the girl next to me muttered. Same gal I had talked to before.
I snickered and nodded in agreement, keeping my voice low. “Maybe the video will also include something other than how wonderful Mr. King is.”
She ducked her head and snorted. “That scientist was bad, wasn’t he?”
“Fuck. Yes, he was.” I kept stretching and waited for the end of the line as the candidates started filing behind Major Wilcox, her strides long as she marched down the hallway. I glanced at the girl. “What’s your name?”
“Megan Marshall.”
“Nice to meet you.”
She eyed me with caution. “You too.”
My lips twitched. “Not friends.”
“Not friends. Not here,” Megan agreed. She turned and took her place in line, and I followed her at the end.
The honey-haired man still had his head down, playing on his bracelet. Except his brows instantly furrowed when the two women he had been evaluating walked in front of him in our silent trek. When they finished ambling past him, he blinked slowly, his fingers never faltering on his game.
His head tilted, though, when I walked past him.
I kept walking but did glance back.
The man lifted his head, and his dark eyes landed directly on mine. He didn’t look away when caught staring. No, those intelligent eyes of his ran over my features and body in a methodical progression, his brows rising high on his forehead in what appeared to be surprise.
I shivered as I turned the corner, out of sight.
He may be consistently overlooked because of his casual simplicity of appearance, knowing how to blend in well, but no one should ever dismiss him as anything but one scary ass man.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The green grass beneath me was supple and soft in the courtyard of King Corporation. I relaxed while I sat and crossed my legs, content with the sun shining down on me—with my sunglasses on. It was lunchtime, and we had an hour to eat, many King Corporation employees also eating their lunches out in the courtyard. It was a beautiful day with minimal cloud cover and just a touch of an indulgent breeze to keep you from becoming too warm. I lifted my cheap sandwich and took a bite while I brought up a puzzle game on my bracelet, switching it to hologram mode.
The screen appeared in front of me.
I nibbled on my sandwich with my left hand while I ran my fingers on the screen with my right. The game started, showing a picture of the world. I twirled my finger, and the earth spun onscreen.
When it stopped, a red dot appeared in the center of King Eastern Province. It zoomed in fast until I was staring at a ruined building in the heartland of the country. I ticked my finger around the building, as a minute timer started in the corner, and evaluated the structure at every angle, looking for clues. Then the world faded, the timer run down. It brought up a puzzle with multiple different answers on the vast pieces.
I quickly picked the pieces for how I believed the building was destroyed and watched as they formed together.
I was missing one piece to make a full square.
I took another bite and chewed slowly.
A shadow blocked the sun above me.
My brows rose as Godric the Great sat down next to me on the grass. His four friends were also with him, their hulking forms agile as they sat down at his side and in front of him. They had all brought their lunches, and five pairs of big hands started arranging their meals in front of where they sat. The five of them had been deadly silent for me not to hear them sneak up.
And the man, the great man, was an idiot.
I pulled my sunglasses up on top of my head and glared at his profile, hissing, “What are you doing?”
“I’m eating my lunch.” Godric grinned. His features were captivating to the extreme with his tan skin magnificent under the sunlight. He stared down into my eyes and licked his red bottom lip.
My eyes ogled it in fascination.
Rune glanced up beneath his black hair and smirked. “You technically haven’t started eating yet.”
Godric snorted and popped a strawberry into his mouth. “There, you fuck. Now I’m eating.”
My gaze darted to the employees sitting in the courtyard, a few taking notice of their revered boss outside, though there were more than a few also eyeing his gorgeous friends.