Flashes of Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

suffered such pain to save himself. He hurt himself protecting someone else. My heart squeezes. He must have loved that someone very much. “I appreciate it. I’m sure she does also.”
    “Did,” Henley corrects. “I failed my mom and she died.” He stands, looming over me, his expression heartbreakingly grave.
    He failed to protect his mom, hurting himself in the process. I don’t say anything, as words can’t ease the grief or dissipate the bone-deep sorrow. Instead I curl my fingers around his, silently telling him I care. I’m here, by his side. He’s no longer alone.
    Henley meets my gaze. “You notice more than fashion, don’t you?”
    “Sometimes.” I force a cheery smile, unable to tolerate the somber mood, the sadness suffocating me. “Don’t tell anyone or you truly will damage my reputation.” I wink at him and his lips quirk upward. “Can we break your rules this once? I want to hold your hand when we exit this room.”
    “We can’t always have what we want, kitten.” Henley releases my hands. His erection has eased, his professional demeanor restored. “We’ll take the elevator.” He opens the door.
    “No more stairwells for me.” I breathe deeply as I pass him, exiting the small office. His scent soothes me.
    We walk down the hallway. A tall thin man with a ridiculously large handlebar moustache strides toward us. His gaze lifts above my head, his eyes widen, and he turns abruptly to the left.
    As we pass cubicles, conversations stop, the silence eerie. A plump woman in an ill-fitting designer suit approaches us. Her face pales and she pivots on her heels, takes two brisk strides in the other direction, ducks into an office, shutting the door behind her.
    We stop at the elevators. “Everyone is scared of you,” I tease.
    Henley jabs the button. “Yes.” His lips are flat and his face is dark. Their fear hurts him.
    My humor evaporates. “You’re huge.” I maintain my smile. I’ve heard the stories about dead bodies, missing people, eliminated threats. More than Henley’s size scares his coworkers. “It could be worse.”
    “Could it be worse?” he rumbles, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his pants.
    “At least people take you seriously.” I arch my back, sticking out my generous chest. Henley’s gaze doesn’t move from my face. “No one assumes you’re a dumb blonde.”
    He grunts, saying nothing. The elevator doors slide open. I enter first. He pushes behind me and presses the button for the fourth floor. The three dark-suited men already in the elevator take one look at Henley and step away from us. I face them, standing in front of my behemoth, protecting him.
    An unacceptable silence falls in the small space. The men have passcards clipped to their belts. They’re coworkers. They should, at the very least, acknowledge our presence.
    “Hi. I’m Kat.” I beam at the men. They stare back at me, gazing at me as though I have three heads. “Though my manager, Miss Yen, calls me Purple. I think it is because of my lavender suit.” I pluck at my blazer. “Isn’t it lovely? Yes, it is last season but I simply can’t discard it, not when I have the shoes to match.” I stretch out my right leg, showing them one of my shoes. “They’re perfect, aren’t they? It took me ages to find the exact right shade.”
    I pause, allowing the men the opportunity to contribute to my one-sided conversation. Their gazes flick between Henley and me, their foreheads furrowed with lines. The poor darlings are confused.
    I take a deep breath and continue with my stream of senseless babble. “I’m an intern. Today is my first day working with Blaine Technologies and I don’t know many people, well, except for Mr. Henley.” I glance over my right shoulder. Henley’s eyes glint. “He’s been very kind to me, very, very kind.” My voice lowers suggestively and his thick eyebrows knit together.
    I return my gaze to the three men. “Everyone is so nice.” I increase the