She managed to get to her room without swaying or falling in her heels, but her posture wasn’t quite as perfect as it usually was. She stopped in front of her room and continued to dig through her clutch.
“Can I help?” I took it from her and fished out the card. It’d been put in the back, where she kept an old library card.
She smiled. “Thank you, Deacon.” She took the card from my hand and placed the clutch under her arm. “I’m not usually this confused, I promise.”
“I know, Kathleen. Don’t worry about it.” I turned away.
“Deacon.” Her hand went to my arm.
I turned back to her, suspecting something was wrong, like she was about to be sick or something.
But she just stared at me, her eyes moving to my lips.
What the fuck was happening right now?
Then she moved in and tried to kiss me.
I turned away and stepped back, unable to believe that had just happened. I started to suspect it might happen once she looked at my lips, but I’d assumed my instincts were wrong, because that kind of behavior just didn’t make sense. “Kathleen…” I knew she’d been drinking, but she wasn’t that drunk. She was aware of her faculties, so she knew exactly what she was doing.
“Deacon, I’m sorry. I just…noticed that your pants are a little tight every time you’re around me.” She ran her fingers through her hair, flustered at my rejection.
That was a really shitty coincidence, but I really didn’t want to talk about my hardness with her when the conversation was so fucking inappropriate. “Kathleen, you asked me out, and I gave you my answer. There’s nothing wrong with a romantic relationship between colleagues at the lab, but I made it clear I’m not interested. Now, this happens…when you know I’m in a relationship with someone. It’s borderline sexual harassment, and if it’s something that you can’t control, maybe we can’t work together. I respect your research and find you to be an asset to our team, but if you can’t remain professional, then I don’t know how this is going to work.” I was angry, but I controlled the volume of my voice to keep it low, so I wasn’t seen screaming at a woman in front of her door. But it pissed me off that she continued to put me in these awkward situations when I was committed to professionalism. I’d never given her the impression I was interested, so I didn’t understand how else to make this stop.
She looked at the floor for a while, like she was embarrassed. “I apologize for misreading you…”
“You know I’m with Cleo, Kathleen.”
“I realize that. But…we make much more sense than you two.” She turned back to me, looking me in the eye. “We’re both accomplished physicians who have so much in common. You’re gorgeous and so am I. I’m sorry, no offense to her, but how can a relationship with an assistant last very long? I know it has an expiration date, and I guess…I grew impatient.”
I thought Cleo was insecure for thinking so little of herself, but I guess that was exactly how people viewed her…though it wasn’t right. Listening to someone talk down about her because of the way she made a living was disgusting, how Kathleen thought she was superior. “I’m asking her to marry me.”
Kathleen continued to stare at me, but her breathing increased, like she was mortified by my words. Her eyes slowly drifted down to my chest.
“I have a ring…and I’m ready.”
She crossed her arms over her chest.
“She and I don’t have an expiration date.” We were forever. I hadn’t planned to ask her to marry me so soon, but after talking with Tucker, I changed my mind. I refused to ask her to move in with me because that wasn’t the question I wanted to ask. I wanted more than that. I knew she was my mate for life, and the best way to express that was through marriage. It made me realize it was senseless to wait, not when these feelings were so strong, not when she loved me so deeply…for me. We were already at that level of commitment. I’d been there for a long time, remaining celibate when she wasn’t even mine. “I’m offended you see her that way…when I don’t see her that way at all.”
“I’m sorry—”
“I think it’s best if you find a new research team.” I’d never fired anyone before because I was so selective in who I hired. It was a shame, because Dr. Hawthorne was brilliant, but she didn’t know how to respect her colleagues. “I will give you the grace to quit so this doesn’t follow you everywhere you go. But if you don’t…I will fire you.”
I entered my room, washed my face, and then undressed and got into bed.