Better Late, But Never His Again novel Chapter 139

The motion instantly eliminated the distance between them. She was close enough to catch his clean, intoxicating scent—a sharp hint of cedarwood.

She began looping the tie. Every time her knuckles accidentally brushed the skin of his throat, Marcus just stared down at her, his dark gaze tracing from her brow to her nose, before settling heavily on her lips.

Being stared at like that made Hazel's fingers stiffen, and she unconsciously sped up the knot.

Just then, Marcus suddenly caught her hand in his.

"Wait..."

At that exact second, the office door was violently shoved open.

The assistant's voice boomed through the room. "Mr. Thornton! I found it!"

The shout died instantly.

The assistant stood frozen in the doorway, his pupils violently contracting.

The scene in front of him was incredibly compromising. The CEO's shirt was wide open, his hand was wrapped around Dr. Garrison's wrist right against his chest, and the two of them were standing practically flush against one another.

"I—I didn't see anything!"

He slammed the door shut with so much panicked force that the entire frame violently shuddered, letting out a deafening crash.

The office remained dead silent for two agonizing seconds.

Hazel pulled her hand out of his grip and took a step back, her face having already smoothed back into its usual calm mask.

She slid the knot up to his collar and adjusted it, her voice entirely flat. "All done, Mr. Thornton."

Marcus looked down at the tie, then back up at her.

When he'd caught her hand, her fingertips had been freezing cold and trembling slightly. Yet now, looking at her face, it was impossible to read any emotion at all.

He fastened his cufflinks and grabbed his suit jacket off the back of his chair.

Hazel immediately took two more steps backward, safely putting distance between them, her hands dropping to her sides.

Marcus's eyes darkened for a split second. Without looking at her, his gaze swept over her shoulder to the door that had just been practically ripped off its hinges. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable, terrifying authority.

From the exact second his assistant mentioned the letter, her entire demeanor had shattered.

Her pupils had dilated, her breathing hitched, and even the pitch of her voice had risen in panic.

He had seen Hazel handle total catastrophic system failures in the lab—as cold and efficient as a machine, her hands never shaking. He had never seen her look this desperately frantic.

"You seem quite invested in this letter."

Hazel lowered her eyelashes, masking her face as her voice dropped. "I'm not."

Marcus let out a sharp laugh, a low sound vibrating in his chest that said he saw right through her.

He leaned back against his desk, studying the tense lines of her profile.

"Stubborn."

He turned back to his assistant, his gaze suddenly turning utterly ruthless.

"Go drag Evelyn Vance up here. Now."