Page 53 of Iron Princess
“Observing a master at work,” he replies smoothly.
“More like she forbid you from touching a damn thing because she has to have everything just so.” Odile wags a finger at me. “Don’t you dare try to rearrange my appetizers. I’ll know.”
“I don’t want to touch your appetizers. I like having all my fingers attached.” I waggle my fingers back at her.
She nods and looks at Kane again. “Learn from her. She’s a smart one. You get too fresh, I’ll let her borrow a knife from my kitchen to skin you.”
This time he straightens to his full height. “I’d hand her one myself if she felt like she needed it.”
Odile crosses her arms. “You got some kind of weird fetish—”
“Odile, please. Not now.”
She harrumphs.
“Besides,” I add. “I have my own knife if I need it.” I shoot a wink in Kane’s direction, but he’s not smiling. He looks solemn. Like he really would hand me a knife to cut off his arm before he’d ever hurt me.
A week ago, I might question whether that was true, but now, I have no doubt. Just like he wouldn’t hesitate to kill anyone else who hurt me.
My man is fiercely protective.
My man.It still feels strange to call him that, but I’m determined to get used to it.
As soon as Odile disappears to head back to the kitchen for another tray, someone taps on the modular wall.
Both my head and Kane’s swivel in that direction.
Jeff Doon. Keira’s high-school boyfriend who is the president of the chamber of commerce. As possessive as Mount is, I’m still surprised he let the guy live once he found out who he was.
“Hi, Jeff. You’re ... early!” I try to sound excited and it must be convincing, because he grins.
“Temperance, it’s so good to see you again.”
He covers the distance between us quickly and I extend a hand to shake, but he tries to hug me instead. My arm bends awkwardly between us as I try to adjust and end up with my palm pressed against his chest.
My first thought, before the embarrassment kicks in, is probably not the most professional one—his cushiony body is light years away from Kane’s hard one. I bounce back from him like his skin burst into flames after he clumsily claps my shoulder, and I can feel Kane’s eyes boring into my back.
“Jeff, so nice to see you. I’d love to introduce you to my new assistant.” I wave an arm in Kane’s direction, and Jeff straightens when he sees him.
“Wow, nice suit you’ve got there, man. Assistant gig must be a good one.”
Even to my untrained eye, Kane’s suit looks custom-tailored, so Jeff’s comment isn’t all that surprising. The pinstripes are set off by the snowy white shirt and pocket square, but no tie.
I’ve never known a man who wears a pocket square before, and I had no idea it would be so sexy. File that underThings I learned from my hit-man boyfriend.
Wait,is he my boyfriend?I don’t have time to address my own question because Jeff is speaking.
“Temperance, would you like to introduce us?”
“Yes. Of course. So sorry. I was thinking of something else I still need to do.” I turn to Kane. “Jeff, this is my new assistant, Ken Sax. Ken, meet Jeff Doon.”
When Kane told me his assistant name yesterday on the way to work, I laughed and asked how he’d picked it. “The phone book,” he said, and produced what looked like a perfectly legitimate Louisiana driver’s license bearing his picture as Ken Sax. When I asked how many other IDs he has, and if any were under the aliases Bruce Wayne or the Dark Knight, he changed the subject.
“Nice to meet you, Ken. You from around here?” Jeff asks, and I interrupt before he can launch into small talk.
“If you don’t mind, Jeff, I could use your help in checking the table with the name tags. I know you said there might be a few last-minute changes. Can you handle that?”
“No problem. Anything I can do to make this go smoothly, Temperance.” He turns halfway toward the table before he stops. “Actually—there’s one change I wanted to mention, and I’m hoping you’ll be okay with it.”
