her, laughing even harder. “And it was your idea to go on an all-you-can-drink Margarita night!”
“Well, well—and what are you two lovely ladies laughing about?” Berik came through the front door of the suite, smiling widely.
He had the glowing, golden eyes of all Beast Kindred and he was an exceptionally nice guy, Sammi thought. She was so glad her best friend had ended up with Berik—especially considering some of the losers she’d dated in college.
“Oh, nothing,” she said, smiling at him. “Just remembering old times.”
“And celebrating new times!” Meg exclaimed. “Honey, Sammi got the job!”
“She did? Wonderful!” Berik smiled at her with genuine enthusiasm. “Congratulations, friend of my mate.”
“Thank you.” Sammi smiled. “I’m so glad I get to stay up here where it’s safe!”
“And honey, I told her you would go get her things. You will, won’t you?” Meg put in quickly.
“No problem,” Berik said easily. He frowned. “Of course you can’t go back down to your home world when some evil male is trying to hurt you.”
“Thanks for being so kind and understanding,” Sammi said gratefully. “I promise there won’t be much and I’ll have my Aunt Vicky pack it all up and have it waiting for you.”
“But not right away,” Meg said anxiously. “Because tonight, we celebrate!”
“I’d say celebrations are definitely in order,” Berik agreed, putting an arm around Meg’s waist and pulling her in close for a kiss on the cheek.
“All right—but no alcohol,” Sammi said. “I don’t need to be hung-over on my first day at work tomorrow.”
“Ah, come on, Sammi!” Meg protested. “What’s a celebration without champagne?”
“Well…” Sammi sighed. “Maybe just one glass.”
“Just one bottle, you mean!” Meg grinned at her and Sammi smiled back. Her best friend was incorrigible but she couldn’t help loving her.
I really do have a lot to celebrate, she told herself. I can stay here on the Mother Ship and I have a new job anyone in Embryology would be envious of!
Well, anyone who didn’t mind working with the stern and somewhat scary Commander Roark, that was.
I don’t mind, Sammi told herself firmly. In fact, I’m sure I overreacted and imagined that weird tingling warmth I felt when I touched him. I was probably just nervous and on edge and I let my imagination run away with me. We got a bit of a rocky start, but once we start working together, everything is going to be wonderful—I’m sure it is.
She hoped so, anyway. But even as she laughed and celebrated with Meg and Berik, she still had a nagging uncertainty about Roark in the back of her mind…
Four
“Do you make it a habit to come into work hung-over, Samantha?”
Roark’s question caught Sammi off guard. She put a hand to her throat apprehensively, uncertain what to say. She wasn’t hung-over—not exactly, anyway. But the celebratory champagne had flowed a little free the night before. And it seemed like every time Sammi said it was time to go to bed, Meg proposed just one more toast.
As a result, she’d been rubbing her temples and squinting at the too-bright light over her workstation as she went over the paperwork her new boss had given her. Roark must have noticed—not that it was any of his business, she thought indignantly.
“I’m not hung-over,” she said stiffly. “I just have a headache this morning, that’s all.”
“A headache brought on by overindulgence.” There was a slight growl to Roark’s deep voice and his pale silver-white eyes seemed to skewer her in a way that made Sammi squirm uncomfortably.
“I didn’t ‘overindulge.’ I just—” she began but her new boss cut her off.
“Don’t lie to me, Samantha.” His voice was low and stern. “I can smell the alcohol on you.”
She looked at him in surprise.
“What? But I took a shower this morning!”
“And used plenty of some kind of flowery body wash—I can tell,” Roark said, his nose wrinkling. “But I can also smell the remains of the alcohol you over-imbibed last night seeping from your pores. That, added to your obvious headache and the redness of your eyes, lets me know you drank a lot last night—much more than was good for you.”
His irrefutable evidence made her stomach clench with dread but Sammi wasn’t one to give in without a fight.
“This is unbelievable!” She shook her head. “So you’re accusing me of coming to work hung over because of all these ‘clues’ you think you’ve found?”
“I am.” Roark folded his arms over his broad chest and gave her a hard stare. “So I’m asking you again—are you hung