Chasing Fate (Dark Love 5)

imple to spot, but if you look closer, you’ll see the way a woman’s thighs clench together combined with the bites on the corner of her lip.

“So, Noah, I hear you’ll be staying here a while,” Kate says cautiously, waiting for Charlie to interrupt. I must be missing something here—some stupid woman code.

“Hmm… as long as Charlie and Lex will have me. I’ll see how the new job goes.”

“Oh, that’s right, you’ll be working for Haden.” She laughs while Charlie hides her snicker behind a cup of coffee.

“And that’s funny because?”

“He’s a jerk,” they say in unison.

“A jerk?”

“Yes, but since he’s settled down, his jerkiness is wearing off.” Kate laughs.

“We’re kidding,” Charlie says. “Listen, I have to go, or I’ll be late for work. Do you need a ride?”

“I’ll take him,” Kate offers with a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

Too fucking easy.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Charlie makes dagger eyes at Kate as if to warn her. There may have been some kicking under the table as Kate’s expression becomes pained while mouthing, ‘What the fuck?’ and glaring back at Charlie.

“Sounds perfect.” I grin.

“Fine, whatever,” Charlie mutters, grabbing her bag and tossing me a spare set of keys. “Lock up when you’re ready. I won’t be home till late, but Lex will be here with the girls.”

She walks toward the back door and stops. “You…” she points directly at Kate, “… I’ll speak to you later.” The door closes shut, and finally, she leaves us alone.

“I don’t know what her problem is. It’s not like I bite,” I say half-jokingly.

“Oh, really? That’s a shame,” Kate notes with dark amusement.

I cock my head to the side, hiding the smirk on my face. “So… that ride?”

“Yeah, that ride. I guess we need my car keys, right?” She grabs them off the table and opens the back door.

I follow her lead, purposely watching her ass sway in a tight black skirt.

Charlie will kill me.

With her bare hands.

Unless, of course, we keep it a secret.

So much for making promises.

NOAH

Charlie and Lex live in the Hollywood Hills in a property that sprawls across several acres with stunning views of the city. As beautiful as the house is, it’s miles from where my new office is located. The roads are windy, and with Kate’s erratic driving, I expect to end up dead in a ditch somewhere. When we finally hit the freeway, I bless the Lord above until we halt in traffic, sheer gridlock with no break in sight. It does, however, give us more time to chat.

The more we get to talking, the more I’m intrigued by the woman who sits beside me.

We have a lot in common, and her warped sense of humor makes it an entertaining car ride. She’s smart, business-oriented with a strong head on her. I’ve slept with powerful executive women but only because they were looking for a quick fuck to get back at husband number two, who was trying to ride them for alimony.

Kate is different. Not sure why but it’s somewhat refreshing.

She talks about her life in Manhattan, running the office on the East Coast, and how she used to be Lex’s assistant BC—before Charlie.