Primal Instincts_ Volume 2(9)
Author: Nicole Edwards

 

“Good mornin’.” His voice was gruff, his eyes hot.

 

I didn’t even get a chance to respond when he closed the door and pointed at my desk.

 

“Darken the glass.”

 

Confused, I reached under and pressed the button that changed the glass wall from transparent to opaque in a second.

 

“Thank you.”

 

That was all he said before he paced to the far side of the room, facing away from me. His shoulders seemed to widen as he inhaled, then returned to normal when he exhaled, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling.

 

“Is everything okay?” I prompted when it was clear he wasn’t here to talk.

 

He shook his head as he continued to face the wall, not looking back at me.

 

“Garrison?”

 

“Give me a minute, girl,” he rasped harshly.

 

I was surprised by how sexy his drawl was. And him calling me girl in that twang … it kinda turned me on.

 

“Okay.”

 

While he did whatever he was doing, I retrieved my phone from my bag and placed it on the holder, then took a seat in my chair and pulled out my keyboard drawer. I managed to get logged in while my gaze bounced between my computer screen and the man currently sucking the air right out of my office with his presence.

 

When he finally turned around, he exhaled heavily. “Does Creed know what you’re wearin’?”

 

Affronted, I frowned. “Excuse me? Since when is Creed in charge of my wardrobe?”

 

Curious about why he seemed overwhelmed by my outfit, I peered down to take it in. Yeah, perhaps it straddled a line between office-appropriate and business-edgy, but I liked it. It made me feel confident, which was what I’d been going for. When I noticed the little red pin was crooked, I reached down to fix it.

 

Garrison groaned. “Jesus fuck.”

 

My gaze snapped back to his face. “What’s wrong with you?”

 

I hadn’t spent much time in Garrison’s company, so I didn’t know if this was standard procedure for him, but I got the impression he was a little overwhelmed.

 

“I can see your…” He waved his hand in my direction.

 

“My what?”

 

“Your … chest.”

 

I peered down again, then adjusted the nude tank top I had on beneath the jacket. The material was thin enough that it formed to my body without compressing my boobs. Since I didn’t have much to begin with, that was a godsend. However, if I had larger breasts, the sheer fabric would’ve been more visible. As it was, it formed to my chest and gave the illusion I was naked beneath.

 

“I’m completely covered. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

When I looked up, he moved closer, his eyes narrowed and honed in on my chest. He kept coming until he was leaning over my desk, and his eyes were roughly chest level.

 

“Take a picture; it lasts longer,” I muttered, feeling slightly disturbed by his fixation but strangely aroused by it at the same time.

 

I shouldn’t be, of course. But I seemed to be doing a lot of things I shouldn’t be doing. Starting with getting myself off at the stern, sexy command of a man who let another man listen. Creed was the reason I was wearing this outfit in the first place. His early morning phone call triggered something inside me, and I decided to embrace it while I was getting dressed. It required me to make a quick trip to my apartment this morning for a wardrobe change. I wanted something that made me feel powerful and sexy since that was exactly how he’d made me feel.

 

Garrison stood tall, shoving his hands in his pockets. “From a distance, it looks like—” He pulled one hand out and waved it across his chest.

 

“Like I’m naked under the jacket?”

 

It was freaking adorable that he seemed so tongue-tied.

 

“Yes.”

 

I grinned. “Well, I’m not. But if I were, I’m not sure how it’s any business of Creed’s.”

 

Something hot flashed in his eyes as his expression smoothed out. “I’ll be sure to tell him you said that.”

 

Oh, boy. I had a feeling that wasn’t a message that should be relayed to Creed.

 

“He’s out of town,” I said to distract him. “It’s not like he’s gonna know.”

 

Garrison smirked, and it altered his conventional good looks into something devastating. “There are eyes all over this buildin’, darlin’. Trust me when I tell you, he’s gonna know.”

 

A knock sounded on the door before I could ask him to elaborate.

 

“Come in,” I called out, still staring at Garrison.

 

The door opened, and Cheryl stuck her head in. “Sorry to interrupt. The team’s here. I wanted to make the announcement before I go to my eight o’clock.”

 

Garrison nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”

 

“What announcement?” I asked when she walked away, leaving my door open.

 

Garrison said, “I’ll be hangin’ around until he gets back to town.”

 

“Why?”

 

“He asked me to.”

 

I stood up, my eyebrows slamming down. “Are you telling me Creed has you babysitting me?”

 

His eyes shifted down to my chest then back up. He smirked. “If anyone needs a babysitter…” He nodded his head in my direction, then strolled out.

 

I stared after him, wondering just what the hell Creed was doing and why Garrison would let him boss him around like that.

 

 

 

 

 

The day passed in a flurry of weirdness. I blamed Garrison for most of that since he threw me off my game by coming into my office this morning. It didn’t help that he remained at the conference table all day, only disappearing twice. Once to take a phone call in Cheryl’s office—since he took other calls out in the open, I figured he was seeking privacy—and another time to meet with Gem. They were in Gem’s office for over an hour, but you wouldn’t know it because business resumed as usual afterward.

 

I won’t lie, he made me a little self-conscious about my outfit choice, so I spent far too much time worrying that I’d done something wrong, although no one else commented on what I was wearing. Nor did anyone outwardly stare like Garrison had when he first saw me. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Wayne had weighed in with his thoughts and creepy staring, but he would do that if I wore a turtle neck and overalls, so he didn’t count.