All in the Chemistry [The Royal Wolves 4] (Siren Publishing Allure) by Honor James Page B

illnesses, Courtney. I’m a researcher who’s trying to keep your people alive and healthy, which I’d like to mention is a job and a half,” he pointed out urging her to go and sit. 
    She snorted as she took her soup with her to have a seat. “Well I have been trying.” Too bad all of her projects were shut down, and only the ones that her bosses felt would make the most money were kept running. “I really hate my job, Kris,” she admitted. “Aegis was good to me for a time, they really were.” She moved her spoon round and round in the bowl. “And then not so much. They only wanted money, and so the projects I had been working on in diabetes research and stem cell research were shut down, hard.” She sighed. “It sucks, really does.”
    Watching her he nodded and moved to collect his toast as he sighed softly. “I’m sorry, love,” he murmured softly to her. Buttering the toast he collected his own bowl and then joined her at the table. Reaching over he touched her cheek. “I’m lucky in the fact my board is pretty much scared of me plus the fact that I keep them from getting all arrested on a weekly basis.” 
    “How’s that?” she asked and pushed the celery away to go for the chunk of meat instead. “How are you able to keep them from being arrested and just what would they be doing to warrant needing to be arrested?” she asked and then took a bite. “Oh wow, you made this?” And he could cook, too? He was amazingly handsome, tall, and dark, but he could cook, too? She was a blessed, blessed woman.
    “Yeah I made it,” he murmured softly. “I keep their other moronic lab rats from trying to come up with things that are illegal or doing illegal things that could get us all arrested. I make sure that the pot they are growing is for the research and not their own personal stash by ensuring it’s under the legal limit. I make sure that they aren’t playing catch with the Anthrax infested tennis ball we’ve been using for our tests. Stupid things like that,” he muttered. “Personally, I just want to walk out, take my money with me and leave them to kill themselves and all the idiots that work at your company all in one shot.”
    She snickered and shook her head. “You should then. Start your own company, Kristof, do the research you want to do, hire the staff that you want to hire and to hell with the others.” She shrugged and watched him carefully. “Your company doesn’t even have to be large, Kris, you could specialize if that was your desire.”
    Looking to her he frowned slightly as the idea took root. “I don’t know, Courtney,” he murmured looking back to his bowl. “I guess I could, I have the certification to do that, but I guess I’d have to have people I could trust.” Poking at a carrot he sighed. “And unless you came to work there I’d pretty much have no one I actually trusted working there,” he said shrugging.
    Her spoon hovered just between her mouth and the bowl. “Are you asking me to come and work for you, Kris?” It was something she had always dreamed of, to have someone she loved and cared for working side by side with her. “Don’t ask that if you aren’t sure.” She placed the spoon back into the bowl and watched him, curious what was going to happen next.
    “Only if you want to,” he said quietly very, very unsure of himself. “I don’t want you to feel pushed into it, but I’ve had more than enough with my company. I’m getting out, if I don’t I’ll likely kill someone and since the majority of them are human, that won’t bode well for me.” Looking over he reached out and lightly touched her cheek. “I want you to be happy Courtney, if you think you could be working with me day in and out…” he trailed off as he watched her hoping she’d agree and he could stop shoving his foot into his mouth.
    She was up and out of her seat so fast that her spoon was still spinning in her bowl. In his lap in a flash, she cupped his cheeks