Josephine worked best in the early morning hours. She composed four neat stacks of texts that she’d pulled off of Roman’s library walls and devoured them, making notes in the journal next to her along the way. After two hours of being seated behind a long, mahogany table, her legs begged her for a break.

She obeyed and walked along the wall that sported a sprawling window. Her eyes flickered to a funny glint in the reflective glass.

She turned on her heel and walked over to a small shelf that contained a few carved figures, but her attention was stolen by a small bit of gold. Her fingers itched to touch it.

Upon closer inspection, she saw it was a pendant with the same symbols as those marring the front gate and door, the marking of the Midnight Den. She brushed her hand over it and found the surface was cool, but pulsing with a humming energy she was reluctant to call her own imagination. Suppressing rational thought, she lifted it into her hands for a closer study.

The symbol was carved deeply into the surface with the crescent moon dipping down, as if it were a separate piece that could be pressed downward. She glanced around the room and towards the open door that led to the hall.

Feeling confident that nobody was around, she pressed it gently and to her surprise, it moved fluidly.

She yelped when a pinch of pain unexpectedly struck her finger, and then watched as a tiny stream of blood poured out of the injury. Her eyes shot back to the pendant and she realized her wound was caused by a hidden blade that had been released when she’d depressed the button.

The blade was small, but the nick stretched across the meaty pad her finger. She groaned as the red liquid pooled and dripped on the floor, a surprising amount for what appeared to be such a minor wound. She cursed and set the pendant down, trying her best not to smear blood on it.

The sound of rushing footsteps echoed in the hallway. She’d barely lifted her head when Roman came barrelling in, his eyes wild. A worried glare pinched his face and as he approached her, she noticed his labored breaths.

“I heard you scream,” he muttered darkly. “What’s wrong?”

“I accidentally cut myself,” she explained timidly and lifted her bloody finger. “There was a golden pendant with a hidden blade in it. I didn’t realize it was booby-trapped until after I pressed it.”

His gaze flew to her hand and a strange expression flitted across his face. Her stomach dropped as his eyes clouded like a sky just before a thunderstorm. His soft grey orbs deepened to an almost black.

“Let me look at that,” he commanded hoarsely and took a step toward her.

She regarded him nervously as he approached. “Roman? Are you okay?” she asked with a frown. He took another step towards her. The odd look on his face her pause, but her body was betraying her. Her core swelled with desire as her eyes processed the hunger in his face. His handsome features were contorted into a dazed, raw expression that shook her to the bone.

He’d moved so close that their chests were nearly touching now. He gripped her hand with a gentle force and raised her finger to his mouth. She inhaled sharply when his tongue ran out to lick up the blood. When she tried to pull away, his other hand came up and cupped the small of her back. He pressed her into him, the friction causing her to gasp in pleasure. His gaze flew to her. She felt heat in her cheeks as she realized the arousal in her own sound.

But, his lips found a new expanse of her skin to torment. He pulled her into a searing kiss. When she gasped this time, his tongue slipped in and her skin erupted with pleasure. The faint hint of metal haunted his lips, but the feeling of his body against her own was the only thing she could concentrate on.

She shouldn’t be doing this, but she was. Her mind had gone offline, disconnected completely as an unfamiliar part of herself fought for dominance. Their kiss was filled with passion, burning her from the inside out. Her bit her lip and she let out a strangled moan.

Suddenly, he pulled back. The hazy look in his eyes had cleared. He stared at her and she felt her bottom lip swell with delicious pain, longing for him to kiss her again.

“Josephine,” he whispered breathlessly. Her blissful fog dissipated as she realized the fear brimming beneath his handsome face. His hands gripped her by shoulders as he leaned in with a scowl. “Forget that ever happened,” he demanded and then was gone.

She stared, blinking owlishly as if waking from a dream, at the doorway he’d left through. Her mind reeled with confusion.

She’d just kissed her new boss. Or he’d kissed her. She pressed a hand to the side of her face, feeling her skin turn clammy. Minutes passed. She hovered like that for nearly a half hour before realizing that the shadows had changed in the room and she was running out of time. Work always brought her back and she needed to be grounded.

Each stack of books needed to be tackled. She ripped a text open with a forceful movement and let her eyes run free over its pages. On the second book, she finally felt her breath start to return to normal. Her chest rose and fell as she nestled back into the routine of research.

Still, his eyes haunted her; the feeling of his raw energy as it pulsated from his body, sliding across hers like an electrical shock. She closed her eyes and remembered the way his lips felt against her own. Her blunt teeth worried at her bottom lip and she realized it was still swollen from where he’d nibbled earlier.

She absently toyed the spot with her tongue as she grabbed another book, trying to shake the striking memory from her brain.

She’d never seen a man that wild before. His eyes were all she could think about when she drifted off to sleep that night.