Bossy Romance: Chapter 4

“Don’t touch anything. Don’t breathe on anything. Don’t even go near a vending machine. You stay here in this office with your butt glued to that chair. If you get bored, here’s a coloring book.”

“A coloring book? How old do you think I am? Five?” Rowan snorts.

I purse my lips and count backwards from five to stop myself from answering with an equally snarky reply.

Apparently, I’m supposed to be the adult here and that means I can’t drop to Rowan’s level.

Or so Nova warned me last night when I took her home.

“You can play on your phone,” I say, trying to coax him into having a better attitude. “We’ve got great Wi-Fi here. Our fiber optic cables have direct links to—”

Rowan makes a disdainful sound in his throat. “Nerd.”

This kid is my flesh and blood?

kid?

I shake my head. “Entertain yourself until I get back. I won’t be too long.”

He rolls his eyes.

I turn my back on him and then whirl around. Wiggling a finger, I remind him, “Don’t touch anything.”

“I got it.”

I give the eleven-year-old a dark glare as he swings around in Nova’s chair.

I have a really bad feeling about this.

The door opens before I can run away from the tiny gremlin.

It’s Nova.

She takes my breath away as she saunters in with her new haircut, her delicate cheekbones, and her mouth that’s pure, soft temptation.

I stare at her for a solid ten seconds, admiring the way her curls frame her dark, oval face. Should one little change make a woman beautiful, sexy, charismatic and attractive?

It’s just a new hair style. Why does it feel like a gut-punch every time I look at her?

“Morning, Rowan. Adam.” Nova nods to me.

I nod back, unable to speak.

Maybe it’s because the countdown is ticking, but I can’t stop myself from throwing admiring eyes at her.

Normally, I’m better about keeping my expressions in check.

But today…

Nova looks stunning.

How am I supposed to restrain myself?

My eyes slide down her white jacket and sharp red dress with a belt tied at the waist. Her long legs flow down to fancy red heels.

I’m relieved that her suddenly leaving Vision Tech has nothing to do with another man, but if she keeps this up, it won’t be long before someone succeeds in stealing her away.

Half the engineers in Vision Tech are secretly in love with her. If they weren’t too afraid to shoot their shot, Nova would probably have a hard time keeping them back.

Fortunately, she doesn’t give anyone at work the time of day.

Nova is professional and efficient when it comes to letting her admirers down. And that to-the-point delivery is a hell of a blow to the ego. I’ve heard her give those speeches enough times to know that I don’t want to be on the receiving end of one.

“I brought you some snacks.” She lifts the paper bag.

“Cool!” Rowan’s eyes light up.

Nova sashays across the room and drops the bag on the desk. “There’s a fruit cup, sugar-free gummies and organic chips.”

Rowan scrunches his nose. “Gee… thanks.”

“I also bought brownies.”

“Sweet!” He dives into the bag and goes straight for the junk food.

Nova’s eyes find mine. Her lips curl up softly.

I shrug.

“What do you have planned for him to do this morning?” Nova asks.

“I told him to stay here until I’m done with the meeting, then I’ll take him back home.”

Nova arches a brow. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

She gives Rowan a concerned look.

The kid shrugs.

“Will just locking him in here be enough to keep him occupied?” Nova asks.

“Mom used to leave me at her work too, so I know what to do.”

“Where did Alexa work?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Lots of places.”

I frown at his dodging.

Nova smiles kindly at Rowan. “Would you like to go on a tour of the office? I can show you around.”

“A tour?” I frown. “Do we have time for that?”

Nova lifts a delicate hand and surveys her watch. “We have about twenty minutes.”

Rowan is already scrambling out of his chair in excitement. He clamors to Nova’s side and tilts his head up, waiting for the next instruction.

I’m not happy about this, but I’ve been out-numbered, so I don’t protest when Nova takes Rowan out of the office and escorts him to the labs.

“Upstairs, we have our administration office, but I didn’t think you’d be interested in watching people in cubicles answer phone calls.” Nova flashes her access pass at a scanner and the doors slide apart. She motions Rowan forward. “This is our on-site R&D development lab.”

“What’s R&D stand for?” Rowan asks.

“Research and development,” I inform him.

He bobs his head as if he understands, but I can tell that he doesn’t.

“We have labs all over the country, but the on-site labs are for inventions that we’d like to experiment on as a collective.” Nova’s heels tap on the cold tiles. She motions with long, delicate arms to the ‘hall of fame’. “Many of these inventions were invented by your… by Adam.”

“Lame,” Rowan says, stalking past the wall.

Nova’s eyes trip to mine and she flinches.

I grit my teeth.

“What’s this?” Rowan calls from deeper in the room.

Nova and I turn to him. He’s standing next to the ‘miracle goo’ machine.

“Don’t go near that,” I say in an urgent voice.

Rowan jumps back.

Nova addresses him in a calmer voice. “Our team is experimenting with a new, environmentally friendly foam that can expand to the length and width that a customer desires.” She places a gentle hand on his shoulder and steers him away. “It’s not ready for prime time yet. The engineers are still working out the kinks.”

Rowan gives the goo an interested look.

“Let me show you the cafeteria next.” Nova nudges him toward the door.

Rowan shuffles along with her and I take up the rear.

The staff in the cafeteria all stop and watch as we walk in.

“Morning, Nova.”

“Miss Delaney.

“Morning.”

The greetings come from all over. Employees know Nova as the face of Vision Tech and they treat her with respect.

She responds with a regal head nod.

“Who’s this?” Henry, one of Vision Tech’s youngest interns, stops in front of us. He’s sipping on a mug of hot coffee, his brown eyes studying Rowan like he’s another species. “Are we working on a kid’s toy?”

“No, this is my new friend,” Nova says. “I’m giving him the tour.”

A flush spreads over Rowan’s cheeks when Nova calls him a ‘friend’.

“Hey, kid.” Henry offers his hand for a high-five.

Rowan smacks his palm enthusiastically.

“Isn’t he ” Courtney, another one of our interns, shuffles toward us. She drops to her haunches and smiles at the kid. “What’s your name?”

“Rowan.”

“Rowan.” Courtney grins harder. “How do you know Miss Delaney?”

“Uh…” Rowan shoots me a panicked look. “She’s… uh…”

“Like I said, he’s a friend.” Nova’s voice is crisp and holds a hint of a warning.

“Oh.” Courtney’s eyelashes flutter. She straightens slowly.

Nova’s phone alarm goes off. She takes it out of her jacket pocket and says, “We have five minutes until the meeting. Henry, Courtney, can you set a fresh pot of coffee and bring it in along with the presentation notes?”

“Sure.”

The two interns scurry away.

Nova gestures to Rowan. “We’ll walk you back to my office now.”

We escort Rowan to the elevator. I note how the kid naturally edges up to Nova, as if he’s already decided that she’s his person.

I can’t lie. I feel a little jealous when Nova glances down with a smile and pats Rowan on the head.

It took months before she ever cracked a smile at me. When we first started working together, she always had her game face on and never crossed the line, no matter how much I tried to get her to loosen up.

Rowan’s got her looking all soft and sweet in only one day.

What is this kid’s secret?

“I don’t know how long the meeting will be. Feel free to use my couch if you want to take a nap later,” Nova says, ushering Rowan into the office. “If you need anything, you can contact Rochelle. She’s the OA, uh… office assistant.” Nova turns to me. “He has your phone number too, right?”

I cringe.

A muscle in her cheek jumps. “Adam.”

I feel the weight of her censure, but I’m not ready to give in. At least not in front of Rowan.

Nova sighs, pulls out the index card binder she always has with her and scribbles her number on it.

Stuffing the page into Rowan’s hand, she says, “That’s my personal cell phone. You can call me if you have any issues.”

Rowan doesn’t respond, but he seems touched.

Something tells me that he’ll be calling Nova whether there’s an emergency or not.

As we leave the office, Nova slants me a scolding look. “What’s going on with you?”

“What?” I ask, lengthening my stride to keep up with her.

“You’re awkward around him.”

“I think we’re doing much better today than yesterday.”

This morning, I took care of breakfast. Two bowls of cereal—one for each of us. There was no explosion of flour and eggs in my kitchen and no need to have a mini-heart-attack about fruits on my light fixtures.

“Adam.”

“Nova.”

She narrows her eyes.

I shake my head. “He’s an unexpected guest who’s claiming to,” I lower my voice so the other employees can’t hear, “be my son. You think it’s that easy to wake up one morning childless and find out I’m a dad a day later? There’s not a ‘dad switch’ I can flip. I don’t even know if I to flip that switch at all.”

“You still don’t think he’s your kid?” She purses her plump lips.

Today, she’s wearing a sharp red lipstick. It would be an understatement to call her mouth a distraction.

I take a moment and deliberate how to answer. The politically correct and acceptable response would be to say that I love the kid and believe he’s mine because I feel it in my heart. But I’ve never been accused of being politically correct or acceptable.

“I need to see it to believe it.”

Nova sighs heavily and turns the bend. “Rather than spend money on a paternity test, you should invest in making that guestroom more kid-friendly.”

“You’re saying he’s definitely mine?” I whisper. “On what grounds?”

“He looks exactly like you, Adam.” She punches a button on the elevator, her body rigid as she waits for the doors to open. “Even his mannerisms are like yours. It’s uncanny.”

The doors open.

Nova stomps in first and I follow her, feeling a flash of annoyance. “Why are you getting angry?”

“I’m not angry.”

I study her stony face. “You’re annoyed then.”

“I just think that you’re wasting precious time here.” She huffs. “The more stand-offish and distant you are with him, the more rejected he’ll feel. This is your first impression. You don’t get to press reset and start again if and when a piece of paper tells you you’re his dad. This is it. This is what’ll set the tone for the rest of your relationship.”

The doors slide open.

A lab tech steps into the elevator.

Nova clamps her mouth shut and stares a hole in the door.

“Miss Delaney, Mr. Harrison,” the lab tech says, giving us both nervous looks. She probably senses the tension in the air.

My jaw muscles clench and unclench.

I stare straight ahead until we get on the right floor.

Nova steps out first and the tech sidles up to me. “The boss looks angry. Did you do something wrong?”

“Probably,” I grumble.

She pats my back. “Oy. Good luck climbing out of that hole.”

“Thanks.” I hurry to catch up with Nova and pick up the thread of the conversation. “Look, about Rowan—”

“Mr. Harrison, can we discuss this later? I’d like to concentrate on the meeting.” Her tone is in-control, firm, and a little like a principal doling out a suspension notice.

Does Nova know she sounds like the nightmares I used to have about getting in trouble while I was in middle school?

Maybe she can’t help it. Her bossy nature is a plus and being the woman at the helm of a huge ship like Vision Tech probably exacerbated that personality quirk.

Rather than let my irritation fester, I release a deep breath and follow her into the conference room without another word.

It doesn’t matter either way.

Nova’s thorny personality won’t change the fact that I need her.

That she’s good for Vision Tech.

That she… means a lot to me.

To sooth my bruised ego, I tell myself that Nova probably cut off our conversation to preserve my privacy. We’re surrounded by the PR team director as well as the financial director. Neither man needs to know about the changes that barreled into my life this weekend.

“Miss Delaney.” Tony Roberts, our financial director, smiles sappily at Nova. He’s been flirting with her since her first day on the job and it’s my everlasting joy to see Nova brutally ignoring his signals.

Nova nods and takes her seat at the head of the table.

“My, my. You look especially fantastic today.” Roberts directs another flirty grin at her.

“Thank you.” Nova’s tone doesn’t change at all. Still in business mode, she places her index cards on the table and flips through them “Let’s start with our first agenda.”

I preen when Roberts melts into his chair with a look of tight embarrassment.

“First, let’s give a round of applause to Mr. Harrison,” Nova says.

My head whips up in surprise.

“Once again, he received the first place award at the convention last weekend, continuing his impressive victory streak.” Nova claps.

The rest of the room joins in.

As a proud little smile tilts her lips, I realize that I’m truly, incomprehensibly pitiful.

It doesn’t matter if Nova’s sharp and prickly.

It doesn’t matter if she’s bossy.

I could endure a hell of a lot worse than her harsh tone just to have that smile beaming in my direction every now and again.

“Thanks, Nova.” I dip my head and try to play it cool.

Nova glances around at the others. “Mr. Harrison agreed to receive the Inventor of the Year award, so I’d like Vision Tech to mention that in the upcoming press release.”

The PR team director scribbles it down.

Nova checks her index cards and flips her pen around her fingers. “Vision Tech is on course to have an explosive fiscal year, but that’s preceded by a hefty financial investment…”

As Nova dives into a conversation about financial risks and our upcoming product launches, I watch her.

She speaks clearly and elegantly. She listens just as attentively. When she tilts her head and looks to one side, it means she’s concentrating hard. Anyone under her firm gaze tends to squirm as if they find her stare intimidating, but I find the head tilt unbearably cute.

Nova spins her pen around and around. Every so often, she scribbles something down on her index cards.

The woman runs a cutting edge company with access to the latest technologies, but her obsession with glitter pens, stickers and stationary means she’d rather write on a plain piece of paper than a tablet or computer.

Nova casually glances over at me, sees me staring and her pen-flipping falters. The ball point goes skittering over the desk. Loudly.

The PR director stops speaking.

Everyone stares at her.

Nova’s skin is too dark to show a blush, but she hides her eyes beneath thick lashes, nervously grabs the pen and motions the director to continue.

I lean back in my chair, my smile collapsing into a thoughtful frown.

Nova’s an ace at this—ruling an empire. Taking charge. Running a tight ship.

She commands the room without having to raise her voice. Her decisions are rational and her ability to plan for the future is unparalleled.

She’s good at this.

Why does she want to stop?

I drum my fingers on the table, thinking deeply.

If she’s tired, I’ll share her load.

If she’s frustrated, I’ll push her enemies out of her way.

I’ll do anything…

Except let her go.

Nova Delaney remain at Vision Tech. She remain at my side.

But how do I get her to change her mind? It would be easier to pull blood out of stone than convince Nova to do something she doesn’t want to do.

I rub my chin and think deeply. My inventions are usually born from an inconvenience I encounter. Once I settle on a problem I want to solve, I research everything about it until I know the why’s, the when’s and the where’s.

Why should Nova be any different?

The first thing I have to investigate is she wants to step down from her position. Then—and only then—can I figure out how to keep her here.

“Mr. Harrison. Mr… Adam.” A voice breaks me from my thoughts.

“Huh?”

Nova and the rest of the table are staring pointedly at me.

Heat flushes the back of my neck. I sit up straight. “Sorry. Can you repeat the question?”

“Why does he get to sit in these meetings when he’s clearly not interested?” Roberts asks with a hateful frown.

Nova ignores Roberts’ grumbling and answers patiently, “The kinetic batteries you created—was any of your research based on previous patents?”

“No, it’s all original.”

She jots it down. “We’re in talks with our patent lawyer now. As long as there are no issues, we can get both functional and design patents. The kinetic batteries will be our hundredth patent.”

Applause breaks out around the table.

It’s an impressive feat and it’s one I owe exclusively to Nova. She’s a beast when it comes to patenting inventions.

Just then, Nova’s phone starts ringing.

She stops and glances down. Her eyebrows pull tight in confusion. “Mr. Roberts, can you take over? I need to answer this.”

I meet her eyes when she gets to her feet.

She shakes her head.

I keep staring at the door, my heart shifting nervously. That unsettled expression plays on a loop in my brain.

Something’s wrong.

Planting my hands on the desk, I move to follow her.

Roberts stares me down with eyes that could kill. “Where do you think you’re going, Harrison? The meeting’s not done yet.”

“I gotta use the bathroom,” I say.

He lets out a bitter laugh. “You’re an adult. Can’t you hold it?”

“Guess not, bud.” I ignore his muttering and launch through the door.

Nova is in the hallway. “Rowan, I can’t understand you,” she whispers into the phone.

I place a hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. He’s not saying anything that makes sense.”

I take the phone from her. “Rowan, what—”

Before I can interrogate him, an alarm goes off in the building. I glance up, noticing the red lights flashing on either side of the conference room door. Since we have several labs that work with explosives, we took extra precautions and made sure to install a state-of-the-art alarm system to keep people safe.

Nova gives me a frantic look.

My heart is about to leap out of my chest. I yell into the phone, “Rowan, where are you?”

The cell goes dead.

I try calling back, but all I get is voicemail. “He’s not picking up.”

“Adam…” Nova looks genuinely distraught.

The conference room door bangs open. Roberts is the first to come stampeding out.

“What’s going on?” he yells.

“I don’t know. Just keep everyone calm and get them outside in an orderly fashion.” Touching Nova’s hand, I urge her. “You too. I’ll check the office for Rowan and meet you out there.”

I start to march away when I feel Nova’s presence behind me.

Whirling around, I glare at her. “Nova, I told you to go outside.”

“I’m not leaving you alone,” she bites out. “So don’t you dare ask me to.”

Her expression is fierce and determined. Watching her, something heavy thuds in my heart.

“Come on. We have to find Rowan.” Nova slips her hand into mine and I get a little lightheaded.

How does she do that? Manage to make me feel both utterly invincible and embarrassingly helpless all at the same time? I don’t understand it. I just know I’m in deep. All she has to do is touch me and it’s all better. It’s all manageable, like there’s nothing I can’t overcome I shake my head to clear the thoughts.

The most important thing is to get to the office, get Rowan, and drag Nova and the kid to safety.

The office is empty.

A packet with brownie crumbs is lying messily on the table next to an untouched fruit cup. Rowan’s backpack is sprawling open on the ground.

There’s no sign of him anywhere.

Nova looks surprised by the fact that he’s gone, but I’m not. The moment I heard those alarms, I felt a sense of deja vu, like I’d been here before and I knew what the end result would be.

“Where would he go?” Nova asks, eyes darting around. “You think he might have gone outside already?”

I shake my head.

Her phone rings.

“It’s the security company.”

“Put it on speaker,” I say.

Nova doesn’t wait for the security office to speak first. “Why did the alarms go off? Did one of the labs catch on fire?”

“What is it about then?” I stiffen. “Leaking gas?”

That’s a much more dangerous problem. At least a fire gives a warning. If we inhale harmful gases, our lives could be in danger with every breath we take.

The thought barrels out of nowhere and takes me by surprise.

“

” There’s a pause. “

”

Every muscle in my body goes tense.

Nova gasps in surprise. “Goo?”

“I think I know where Rowan could be,” I bite out. Wrenching the door open, I storm outside.

Nova follows me down the hallway. Since the alarms locked down all the elevators, we take the stairs to the lab. I’m full-on sprinting, but Nova can’t keep up in her heels.

When I try to slow my pace, she pushes me forward. “Go! Make sure Rowan’s alright. I’ll be right behind you.”

I don’t want to leave her, but if Rowan got caught in that goo…

“Go!” Nova insists.

I pull ahead of her and crash through the stairwell door with my shoulder.

I don’t even take a step forward before I see it.

Miracle goo.

It’s pushing against the lab’s display window like a puffer fish gone mad. The orange fluid is lashing the door with such force that it’s starting to bend at the joints.

My heart leaves my chest and explodes somewhere outside of me.

If Rowan is in there…

I take giant, determined steps toward the door, ready to dive into the goo and search for his body in the expanding substance, when I see movement around the corner.

My boots skid to a stop. I focus on the human-sized shadow as alarm bells wail loudly overhead.

Someone small with dark hair and pale skin crouches out of sight.

I stomp that way, my face a mask of fury. “Rowan!”

He climbs to his feet. His eyes are on the ground and his hands are locked in front of him. I can see remnants of the goo plastered on his palm, sure evidence of his involvement in this emergency.

“Did you do this?”

“I… I…”

My vision goes red. “I told you specifically not to touch anything! Do you know how dangerous this could have been? You could have gotten seriously hurt or hurt other people! Is this how your mother taught you to behave?”

A gentle hand lands on my back.

Nova.

Her brown eyes barge into mine, silently beseeching me to stop.

I inhale deeply, my chest rising and falling. The blood is pounding in my head. So much restless energy. So much fear.

Rowan stares at the ground, still not saying anything.

Nova calls the security office. “Can you send someone from the medical bay? A child came into contact with the miracle goo and needs to be checked out.” She pockets her phone and drops to her haunches in front of Rowan. “Do you feel dizzy? Lightheaded? Nauseous?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“That goo is a volatile substance. Who knows what’ll happen to you if you ingested it,” I snap.

“Am I going to die?” Rowan croaks, his eyes wide and filling with tears.

“No.” Nova thinks twice. “Probably not.”

Rowan makes a distressed sound.

“As long as you didn’t eat any of it, you’re probably fine,” I grumble.

“But it’s better to be sure,” Nova adds. “Can you tell us what happened?”

“I found one of your access cards in the cabinet and I wanted to check out which door it opened.” His eyes dart back and forth. “It turned out that it opened this lab. I just wanted to see the machine spin. I swear. I didn’t know it would go crazy like that.”

My nostrils flare. I pull in my bottom lip to keep my words locked up inside me.

At that moment, one of the on-staff medical team appears with a first aid kit. She takes Rowan aside to check on him. Nova goes with them while I watch from afar, stewing in agitation.

“From what I can see, he’s fine.” The medic gives Rowan a pat on the shoulder. “But if he shows any symptoms of food poisoning later, vomiting, stomach pain, you should take him to a hospital.”

“Thank you,” Nova says. Turning to me, she speaks calmly, “I’ll let the staff know they can come back in and I’ll explain this away as a random accident. No one will know Rowan was here today.”

I dip my chin down, my shoulders stiff.

Nova steps close to me, her flowery fragrance slowing my heart down a bit. “Go easy on him, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Rowan and I both listen to her heels clicking on the tiles until it fades to nothing.

She’s gone.

I glance over and notice the goo is slowing down.

Good.

At least it’s not going to take over the building.

I rub the bridge of my nose while Rowan cowers in front of me. He’s shaking like he’s trapped in a freezer.

With a sigh, I shrug out of my flannel jacket and drape it over his shoulders. Next, I grab my handkerchief out of my pocket and kneel in front of him.

“I’m sorry,” Rowan whispers. He’s not doing a great job of holding back his tears.

I reach for his hand and wipe the goo off his palm. It stubbornly remains.

“I’ll need alcohol,” I mutter.

Rowan grabs my hand when I start to pull away. My heart dislodges from its perch in my chest and rattles around like an empty metal can.

Damn. The kid messed up bad.

But… he looks small and scared and lost. I can’t stay angry at him.

“Is it going to cost a lot to fix?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“I’ll pay for it,” he says.

I stare at him, finding that declaration odd.

“You won’t tell my mom, right?” His eyes implore mine.

“Stay here. I’ll get the alcohol.”

I locate the alcohol solution from a nearby lab and pour it over his hand. The goo hisses as it dissolves.

“I’ll take you to wash your hands in the bathroom,” I tell him.

Rowan plods behind me, keeping quiet.

The hallway seems to stretch out forever. It feels a little eerie to see no one around.

“You need my help?” I ask Rowan, stopping outside the bathroom.

He shakes his head and avoids my stare.

“I’ll be waiting outside.”

Shoulders slumped, he plods into the bathroom. I hear the water running a few moments later.

I lean against the wall and close my eyes.

The click of a woman’s heels on the floor pumps air into my deflated heart and sends it soaring. I glance around eagerly for Nova.

Disappointment crushes me when I see another woman traipsing down the hallway. Something about the way she’s moving is odd though. Her head whips back and forth and she’s staring at the paintings on the wall as if she’s never seen art before.

“Ooh, this is nice.” She lets loose a wolfish grin, her eyes darting around.

I give her a surveying look.

The woman sees me up ahead and freezes guiltily. Her dark hand drops to her skirt where she wipes it. Then she paints a grin on her face and moves over to me. “Adam? Adam Harrison?”

“Do I know you?” I watch her warily.

“No, but I know you. You’re my sister’s little pet. The goose with the weird inventions and the golden eggs.” She gives me a broad grin, flashing a gold tooth.

“Your sister?”

Rowan returns from the bathroom at that moment. There are tear tracks on his cheeks and he looks even more defeated than before.

“Yeah, Nova’s my sister.” The woman grins smugly.

Urgent footsteps fill the hallway before I can ask any more questions.

Nova appears in my line of sight, but she’s not looking at me. A mask of horror descends on her face as she stares at the woman with the gold tooth.

“Lyra?” Nova chokes out the name.

Lyra grins wide. “Hi, sis.”