“Excuse me, Willow.”

I looked up and found myself staring into a pair of lovely blue eyes across the table. The man smiled, and a dimple popped in his cheek. He was cute, in a boyish way, with dark-gold hair and an open expression. “I’m Oliver.”

“Nice to meet you.” He’d taken me by surprise, but manners had been drilled into me since birth. “How did you know my name?”

“I’ve seen you around the office, and I asked Imani who her beautiful friend was.” His grin widened. “I’ve been trying to get near you all night. Would you like to dance with me?”

I blushed furiously and glanced at the dance floor. The truth was, I didn’t know how to do what passed for dancing in a place like this. I’d been classically trained by a ballroom dance teacher. Club dancing was well and truly outside my comfort zone. As was flirting. Especially with this good-looking man I wasn’t remotely interested in.

“I can’t, but thanks for asking. It’s very sweet of you.”

“Ah.” He nodded as though he understood. “Which of the three bosses do you have a crush on, then?”

My mouth fell open.

“I’m sorry,” he rushed to add. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. It’s just that most of the women at work seem to have a thing for either King, Kade, or Zeke.”

“Okay,” I squeaked. “But I don’t. I haven’t met Kade, and I’ve only talked to Zeke for all of thirty seconds.”

“So, King?”

“No.” I scrunched my nose. “That would just be asking for trouble.”

“Why?”

I faltered, remembering that he didn’t know my history with Ronan or who I really was. “Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

He mimed zipping his lips. “You got it.”

I managed to smile, even though it felt wobbly. “What department do you work in?”

“I’m in cybersecurity.” He snagged a beer and took a drink. “Zeke is my boss.”

“Ah, so you’re crazy smart.”

Clever and cute. If only I could have been interested in anyone other than the man who’d had my heart since I was seventeen. The one who was firmly in the no-touch zone.

He winked. “You said it, not me.”

We conversed easily. Despite my misgivings, I asked a few questions about the way the company operated without seeming to pry, but I didn’t learn anything useful. Still, by the time I called a ride to take me home, I felt good. My time at King’s Security hadn’t been awful. In fact, although I wouldn’t admit the truth to Tom, I’d enjoyed it. I climbed into the cab and we drove in silence. I’d only had two glasses of wine, so when we arrived at the apartment building, I was steady on my feet as I made my way toward the entrance.

But then I paused. There, in the shadows at the corner of the building, stood the silhouette of a man. I stopped dead in my tracks. It was a man, wasn’t it? Or was my mind playing tricks on me? The figure didn’t move. I squinted, trying to get a better look.