Rune The first thing I did after getting Blizzard calmed down, and ensuring Damien had really left, was change into some dry clothes, twirling my hair up into a messy bun as I reentered the destroyed front room. Fortunately, a thorough inspection of the rest of the house revealed that I was alone, and that it didn’t appear Damien had touched much while he was here unattended. I was dying for a shower, the frigid rain having soaked me through to the bone, but I knew Blizzard would have attempted to leap into the walk-in shower with me due to the thunder still reverberating every now and then. Putting off the mess as long as I could, I found Kiki’s name in my contact list, letting the phone ring through until her voicemail started playing. Of course, she didn’t answer, and I hadn’t seen her car across the street either, telling me she probably hadn’t come home last night. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for her, but it didn’t change the fact that she’d gone back on her word yet agai

Shane Once we made it down to the parking lot, Samuel pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contact list until he landed on Rune’s information I presumed. Part of me was jealous when she picked up the phone right away for Sam when she’d been outright ignoring me since I’d dropped her off last week, but I shoved down my insecurities as he got off the phone a minute later. I wasn’t even surprised at this point when Samuel ended up having a spare key to the older vehicle that belonged to Rune, and within five minutes I was following behind him in her car as he led the way to the community center. My head was all over the place during the short drive, the cramped space barely registering in my haze, but the rough state of Rune’s vehicle left me more bothered than anything else. It was pretty clear at this point that she didn’t want anyone going to her house, but, hell, I was thrilled to just be seeing her once more. I couldn’t truly blame her, and I respected her all the more kn

Rune Originally, I hadn’t been anything but confused and apprehensive about Micah’s sudden appearance at my house, but my fear faded when I realized he wasn’t looking at me any differently than he had before. Furthermore, I was grateful for the apology, but I still wasn’t sure about coming back to Griffin Fashion. Don’t get me wrong, I needed the job, but I didn’t know if I would be able to deal with the history I shared with both Micah and Shane. I didn’t have time to consider my options with him showing up out of the blue, but I’d ultimately agreed to him giving me a ride, knowing I could use the money I would save elsewhere. He’d used the short drive to try to convince me to return as I’d been expecting, and I had to admit, he was wearing me down slowly but surely, even if I didn’t care for his tactics. It would be so much easier for me to take up my old position than wasting any more time searching for something else, already being familiar with the ins and outs of the job, bu

Shane I watched Rune walk away for a long few seconds, the curve of her backside too irresistible to stop my eyes from tracking downward as she sauntered off, and I noticed Micah doing exactly the same thing when I’d finally managed to tear my gaze away. Right then and there I knew that there was no way in hell either one of us would ever be able to remain ‘professional’ as she’d demanded in a hurry before she’d fled the room, her arousal irrefutable despite her assertion. The taste of her vanilla ChapStick was still fresh on my lips, and all I could think about was when I would get another chance to repeat what had just happened in this tiny office. Gah! Rolling my shoulders back, I followed the mesmerizing female out of the room, enamored by the way she interacted with her daughter, even if I knew there was a lot more to that story than I was privy to. The little girl’s skin tone was much darker than Rune’s, but not quite as dark as mine, telling me they weren’t related biologic

Rune I hadn’t been able to skitter away from the community center fast enough, the emotions churning inside almost too much for me to handle, but, of course, I didn’t have a choice in the matter. It felt amazing to have access to my own mode of transport once more, and I said a silent thank you to Sam and the guys for their aid in getting my car back into my possession, simultaneously cursing Kiki for her constant undependability. Having kids, especially one that required a booster seat to travel safely, made it more difficult to accomplish certain tasks, but I would never regret taking on the challenge, Roman and Isla being my greatest sources of joy during this tumultuous time in my life. My cheeks remained bright red the whole way back to our house, the memory of Micah and Shanes’ lips replaying in my head on a reel, but I knew nothing could come of my mounting attraction for the time being. Roman and Isla had to remain my sole focus, and I knew returning to Griffin Fashion wo